Zhen-Ru

 

Even as a young child, Zhen-Ru brimmed with an ardent exploration for life. Once, she saw a beautiful flower wilt - a sharp juxtaposition reminding her of life's certainties: change and a relentless march towards the inevitable end. A few years later, Zhen-Ru's close friend suddenly fell ill and passed away. This shocking event deepened Zhen-Ru’s sorrow over the partings in life, sparking her quest to unravel the mystery of life and death.

Zhen-Ru buried herself in mounds of books, delving into great literature as well as philosophical works. Yet she still could not find a satisfactory answer until she came across Buddhist teachings. What revelation - finding the key to life’s unanswered questions! She vowed to be a student of Buddhist teachings lifetime after lifetime. Humbled and resolved, she ventured out of her comfortable home, leaving her beloved family behind to embark on the search for her spiritual teacher. Someone who could guide her in her quest for the ultimate answer - the true nature of things. In her search, Zhen-Ru endured arduous journeys, trekking over mountains and rivers. She visited many renowned monasteries and worked hard at learning from many esteemed Buddhist masters, receiving many treasured lineages. Throughout this, she was still looking for her spiritual teacher.

During one chance occasion, Zhen-Ru heard Master Jih-Chang’s teaching on The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Lamrim Chenmo). Despite not having met Master Jih-Chang yet, his voice sounded extremely familiar. She was struck with a myriad of emotions. This was the spiritual teacher she had been searching for all along.

Master Jih-Chang had dedicated his life to giving teachings on Lamrim Chenmo after coming across this Tibetan Buddhist text. Over time, he founded Bliss and Wisdom, a Buddhist community for Lamrim students to practice the Buddhist teachings in daily life. Master Jih-Chang felt Buddhism could contribute to the world with its focus on compassion and tried-and-tested methods for achieving inner peace. In Zhen-Ru, Master Jih-Chang found not just a student who had the ability to internalize his knowledge, but also someone who could carry on his vision: preserving and making Buddhist teachings accessible to all. In his later years, Master Jih-Chang bestowed upon Zhen-Ru the responsibility of being the spiritual teacher of the Buddhist community that he had nurtured. Despite being addressed by many as “teacher”, Zhen-Ru considers her real role to be a student, forever a practitioner who relies and seeks refuge in the Buddha.

In today’s world, developments in technology vastly outpace those of the spiritual self. Humanity is experiencing extreme mental, emotional and physical threats. With this backdrop, Zhen-Ru is carrying on Late Master Jih-Chang’s aspiration to care for all beings in various ways. First and foremost is Zhen-Ru’s focus on preservation and translation of Tibetan Buddhist sutras. As a spiritual teacher, she shares her understanding of the Buddha's teachings with monastic and lay practitioners. Through her explanation of Buddhist sutras and commentaries, practitioners are able to better comprehend the true meaning within these teachings. She also guides monastics as they scale the heights of sutras and try to put the teachings into practice.

Additionally, she creates vibrant spiritual compositions, ranging from essays, poems to hymns. Underlying these compositions is Zhen-Ru’s aspiration to help those from all walks of life – be it scholars searching for solutions to deep questions, parents worrying about the future or youths finding their way in life. Zhen-Ru hopes that through these compositions, they can feel the wisdom and compassion of the Buddhist teachings, and find confidence and hope.

To date, Zhen-Ru’s students have founded charities in over fifty cities as an expression of their Buddhist practice. These charities have missions that include: reducing plastic waste, planting trees, plant-based diet, spiritual growth, caring for the elderly, providing medical care to those in need, preservation of Buddhism traditions, etc.

“Without my teacher, I would definitely not be who I am today. He saw the potential in me, something that even I myself could not see. Even though I feel that I am very ordinary, I have an extraordinary teacher.”

Just like how she was motivated by her teacher who saw the potential in her, Zhen-Ru hopes that by sharing her spiritual learning and compositions with the world, many people will open their eyes to the extraordinary in themselves and find peace, hope and strength.