By Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
Buddhist Global Relief is happy to inform the readers of our newsletter that we have recently added two new members to our Board of Management. One is Bhikkhuni Dhammadīpā, a nun at Aloka Vihara Forest Monastery, in Placerville, California. The other is Bhikshu Jin Chuan, a monk at the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery. Here are brief bio-notes on these two additions to our Board.
Ayyā Dhammadīpā
Ayyā Dhammadīpā has been practicing Buddhism since 1987. She became a resident at Aloka Vihara Forest Monastery in 2017 and was subsequently ordained as a bhikkhuni in the Theravada Forest Tradition in the West. Prior to taking up Theravada practice, Ayyā was ordained a nun in the Soto Zen tradition in 2007, after 20 years of lay Zen practice. She is a Dharma heir in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. In addition to English, Ayyā Dhammadīpā teaches in Spanish, an expression of her Latin heritage. She is a trained interfaith chaplain, and has provided spiritual care in both hospital and hospice settings. She enjoys watercolor painting and sewing. Ayyā is mother to a lovely adult daughter.
Bhikshu Jin Chuan
Bhikshu Jin Chuan is an Asian-American Buddhist monk who grew up in the Silicon Valley of California. After graduating with a B.S. with Distinction in Physics (2004) and an M.A. in Religious Studies (2005), both from Stanford University, he went to live at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB) as a lay volunteer. After five years, he decided to begin the monastic training program at CTTB, and later received novice ordination in 2010 and full ordination in 2013. In 2016, he received an M.A. in Buddhist Classics at Dharma Realm Buddhist University in Ukiah, where he currently serves as an instructor, chaplain, and board member. He is also involved in various translation projects led by Rev. Heng Sure. He is based in Berkeley Buddhist Monastery.
