I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Introduce yourself to others at Dharma Wheel.
Post Reply
User avatar
samsarictravelling
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:35 pm
Contact:

I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by samsarictravelling »

Hi, I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel. I never told the public this before, but I'm going to tell this for this first time to the public:

I am the nephew of the man -- Mr. Lap Le, who is known by his Buddhist name Minh Thanh-- who was, I think, the head, or one of the leaders, of the Sutra Translation Committee, which helped translate, or translated, many Pure Land books.

P.D. Leigh was the wife of Mr. Lap Le, and she is still alive (since last Christmas or the Christmas before that, where she sent an e-card, as usual).

I met both my Uncle Lap and P.D. Leigh in New York, USA, when I was growing up. I lived in Canada then, and still live in Canada now.

My uncle or someone would send my dad their Pure Land books (by the Sutra Translation Committee) to us in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I live elsewhere in Canada now. I read through them.

My grandma, Mr Lap Le's and my dad's mother, was part of this Sutra Translation Comittee, also. As well as the late husband of one of my aunts, was also part of this Sutra Translation Committee.

I have seen these books in my public library, also. :D

Here is an example of one book, which I think (correct me if I am wrong) is from the Sutra Translation Committee:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/buddhi ... d-practice

My real name is Ai Le. I am a Theravada Buddhist now (many years now), though.
User avatar
DNS
Site Admin
Posts: 5251
Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2009 4:23 pm
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, Estados Unidos de América
Contact:

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by DNS »

Welcome to DW!

Be sure to check out our sister forum:

https://dhammawheel.com/
(Theravada forum)
User avatar
samsarictravelling
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:35 pm
Contact:

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by samsarictravelling »

DNS wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 3:27 am Welcome to DW!

Be sure to check out our sister forum:

https://dhammawheel.com/
(Theravada forum)
Thank you, David.

Ai
User avatar
DNS
Site Admin
Posts: 5251
Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2009 4:23 pm
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, Estados Unidos de América
Contact:

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by DNS »

Oops, I missed the title of this thread. :emb: :lol:
User avatar
Ayu
Global Moderator
Posts: 13245
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2012 8:25 am
Location: Europe

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by Ayu »

Welcome at Dharrrma Wheel, samsarictravelling. :buddha1: :namaste:
Admin_PC
Former staff member
Posts: 4860
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2012 11:17 pm

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by Admin_PC »

Welcome to DharmaWheel!
:anjali:
User avatar
Caoimhghín
Posts: 3419
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2016 11:35 pm
Location: Whitby, Ontario

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by Caoimhghín »

Ayu wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:49 am Welcome to Dharrrma Wheel
Talk Like a Pirate Day isn't till Sept 19!
:spy:
Then, the monks uttered this gāthā:

These bodies are like foam.
Them being frail, who can rejoice in them?
The Buddha attained the vajra-body.
Still, it becomes inconstant and ruined.
The many Buddhas are vajra-entities.
All are also subject to inconstancy.
Quickly ended, like melting snow --
how could things be different?

The Buddha passed into parinirvāṇa afterward.
(T1.27b10 Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra DĀ 2)
User avatar
samsarictravelling
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:35 pm
Contact:

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by samsarictravelling »

DNS wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 4:26 am Oops, I missed the title of this thread. :emb: :lol:
That's fine. People who never heard of your other site Dhamma Wheel, now know about it. :) And they have a link to check me out there, also. :D
User avatar
samsarictravelling
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:35 pm
Contact:

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by samsarictravelling »

Thank you Ayu and Admin_PC for your welcomes. Coëmgenu, I read your bartender joke coincidentally at Dhamma Wheel when looking at a jokes thread there, recently. I think it was your ID there.

Ai
User avatar
Ayu
Global Moderator
Posts: 13245
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2012 8:25 am
Location: Europe

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by Ayu »

Coëmgenu wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 4:14 pm
Ayu wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:49 am Welcome to Dharrrma Wheel
Talk Like a Pirate Day isn't till Sept 19!
:spy:
:thinking: I'm sorry, I do not get what you are saying. There is a "Talk like a pirate"-day on Sept 19? Where?
User avatar
samsarictravelling
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:35 pm
Contact:

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by samsarictravelling »

Ayu wrote: Sat Apr 28, 2018 5:36 pm
Coëmgenu wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 4:14 pm
Ayu wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:49 am Welcome to Dharrrma Wheel
Talk Like a Pirate Day isn't till Sept 19!
:spy:
:thinking: I'm sorry, I do not get what you are saying. There is a "Talk like a pirate"-day on Sept 19? Where?
I'll explain:

Just google this: pirate day

You'll get the information about:

International Talk Like a Pirate Day: International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a parodic holiday created in 1995 by John Baur and Mark Summers, of Albany, Oregon, U.S., who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like a pirate.

Your 'Dharrrma' spelling was made a joke by Coëmgenu, because it sounds like how pirates talk in movies, with the 'r' sound in their words: something like, for example, and I guess they can be spelled like these: "Arrgh!" and "Y'arr!".

Samsarictravelling ( my ID has the 'r' sound also: the 'ar' part in 'samsaric'. :smile: )
User avatar
samsarictravelling
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:35 pm
Contact:

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by samsarictravelling »

Correcting a mistake:

I maybe said in my original post that my Uncle Lap was maybe the creator of the 'Sutra Translation Committee'. I have evidence my uncle was not the creator of it. According to the article below from one website, as well as information from another website ( https://www.ymba.org/about-us ), it was the Venerable Master Lok To who created the 'Sutra Translation Committee'. I boldfaced the sentence:


Venerable Master Lok To's origin is the Xiao County in Anhui Province. He was born in 1923. He became a novice at the age of ten and his tonsuring Master was Venerable Master Xue Feng of the Long Quan Temple. At the age of sixteen, he was ordained at Xinghua Temple in Mount Yunlong of Xuzhou. At eighteen, he arrived at Cham Shan Temple in Qingdao and began his Tiantai education at the Cham Shan Temple School of Buddhism, under the guidance of 65-years-old Elder Master Tan Xu.

In 1947, Venerable Master Lok To came to Hong Kong to further his studies. He encountered the Dao Feng Shan Religious Studies Research Institute and discovered their intention of weakening the faith in the Buddhist Sangha community. He then published a pamphlet to expose this. In 1948, Venerable Master Tan Xu arrived in Hong Kong and founded the South China (Huanan) School of Buddhism, where Master Lok To furthered his studies at the age of 26. He was determined to learn English then, planting his seed for translation work in years to come. This marked the milestone where Cham Shan's lineage was established in Hong Kong.

In 1962, Master Lok To decided to go to the U.S.A. and landed in San Francisco. He was the third member of the Chinese Sangha community who pioneered in propagating Buddhist Dharma in the United States. The next year, Elder Master Tan Xu passed away. Master Lok To then returned to Hong Kong for the funeral service and further prepared to establish a monastery in the U.S.A.

Master Lok To finally set foot in New York on March 15, 1964. He was warmly received by many devotees like Upasika Jiang Huang Neng Jin and Upasaka Shen Jia Zhen. In October 1964, The Buddhist Association of The United States (BAUS) was established with Master Lok To as the Chairman. Two years later, he founded the Da Jue Temple of Enlightenment, and became the first Abbot of the temple.

During the World Expo held in Montreal in 1967, Master Lok To invited Master Sing Hung and Master Shing Cheung to immigrate to Canada. In 1968, with their effort and help from devotees, The Buddhist Association of Canada (BAC) was founded, thus began their Canadian lineage.

In 1972, Master Lok To returned to the west coast to establish The Buddhist Association of San Francisco. In September 1974, Venerable Master Lok To resigned from his positions in The Buddhist Association of United States and the Da Jue Temple of Enlightenment. He then founded the Young Men's Buddhist Association of America in the Bronx district of New York. He also founded the Sutra Translation Committee of the United States and Canada. Together with devotees who had exemplary ability in the English language, Venerable Master Lok To focused his effort on translating Buddhist texts into English. For over forty years, Venerable Master Lok To had published a lot of English Buddhist texts in the United States and Canada for free distribution. His translation has been widely accepted and welcomed by English-speaking communities, and his work is still delivering merits to truth-seekers today.

Source: http://en.chamshantemple.org/messages/a ... &itemId=88


Back to my Uncle Lap now: my Uncle Lap, I assume. was the creator of the Van Hien Study Group which did translate (from Vietnamese?) one or more Pure Land (and other Buddhist?) materials into English, and which was connected to the 'Sutra Translation Committee'. Evidence is from this second website, where my Uncle Lap is known by his name 'Minh Thanh':

The translators and editors are members and friends of the Van Hien Buddhist Study Group.

Dieu Phung
Minh Thanh
P. D. Leigh

Source: https://www.ymba.org/books/buddhism-wis ... out-author

One more thing: a connection between Bhikkhu Bodhi and Venerable Master Lok To:

Master Lok To was the First President of The Buddhist Association of The United States (BAUS) from 1964-1974. Bhikkhu Bodhi is the Current President from 2013.


Source: https://www.baus.org/en/about-us/our-team/

From,
Samsarictravelling
User avatar
Ayu
Global Moderator
Posts: 13245
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2012 8:25 am
Location: Europe

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by Ayu »

samsarictravelling wrote: Sat May 12, 2018 4:39 am
Ayu wrote: Sat Apr 28, 2018 5:36 pm
Coëmgenu wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 4:14 pm
Talk Like a Pirate Day isn't till Sept 19!
:spy:
:thinking: I'm sorry, I do not get what you are saying. There is a "Talk like a pirate"-day on Sept 19? Where?
I'll explain:

Just google this: pirate day

You'll get the information about:

International Talk Like a Pirate Day: International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a parodic holiday created in 1995 by John Baur and Mark Summers, of Albany, Oregon, U.S., who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like a pirate.

Your 'Dharrrma' spelling was made a joke by Coëmgenu, because it sounds like how pirates talk in movies, with the 'r' sound in their words: something like, for example, and I guess they can be spelled like these: "Arrgh!" and "Y'arr!".

Samsarictravelling ( my ID has the 'r' sound also: the 'ar' part in 'samsaric'. :smile: )
Thank you for this patient explanation.
Harr Harr Harr :lol: - never heard of it.
User avatar
samsarictravelling
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:35 pm
Contact:

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by samsarictravelling »

Ayu wrote: Sat May 12, 2018 7:26 am
Thank you for this patient explanation.
Harr Harr Harr :lol: - never heard of it.
You're welcome, Ayu. :)
ItsRaining
Posts: 301
Joined: Fri May 12, 2017 7:45 am

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by ItsRaining »

samsarictravelling wrote: Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:58 pm Here is an example of one book, which I think (correct me if I am wrong) is from the Sutra Translation Committee:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/buddhi ... d-practice
I really liked that book probably one of the best ones on the Mahayana I've read.
User avatar
samsarictravelling
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:35 pm
Contact:

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by samsarictravelling »

ItsRaining wrote: Sat May 12, 2018 12:43 pm
samsarictravelling wrote: Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:58 pm Here is an example of one book, which I think (correct me if I am wrong) is from the Sutra Translation Committee:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/buddhi ... d-practice
I really liked that book probably one of the best ones on the Mahayana I've read.
I apologize for the delay in a reply. I was leaving the public internet world (not private, though) taking a undetermined length (maybe forever?), but I read your post and am replying now. You're welcome, Minh Thanh might say. P. D. Leigh is still alive (as far as I believe) so she (if P. D. Leigh is actually my aunt), might be happy ( who knows :D -- I have my aunt 'P's email, though).

My Uncle Lap worked for the Vietnamese embassy (in New York City?) for the United Nations, He was the 3rd secretary of the Vietnamese embassy, almost equal in power -- or virtually equal in power with the main diplomat -- or secretary? -- of the Vietnam embassy as like when sitting in the United Nations assembly, I think my dad told me (not sure if I understood him correctly, or if he has the facts all correct). I had his UNFPA (United Nations Fund for Population Activities) ID card in my possession once. He also worked for the Vietnamese embassy in Japan, I think my dad also said. He also spent time in Rwanda -- not sure of the name of the African country.

Dieu Phung was my grandmother (she's in the Van Hien Study Group, also).

The late Forrest Smith (hey, I have a 'Forrest' in my family tree -- same spelling as the movie 'Forrest Gump'), who is the late husband of one of my other aunts, was editor of another one of these books from the Van Hien Study Group.

What does the name 'Van Hien' of Van Hien Study Group stand for? Van Hien is the middle and first name (in that order) of Nguyen Van Hien (last-middle-first names), who was the father of my already-mentioned grandmother Dieu Phung. He was something like Minister of Interior, working for the last king situated in Hue. My dad told me this. My other uncle -- never mentioned by me before -- told me some years ago, our family is like 1% of the Vietnamese population, meaning not many families in Vietnam have gained our status in society. :D There's more to my family tree, but I won't mention it...

Now you know somethings about my family. :)

These days I only come on the internet on Thursdays for private stuff, but I may ( or may not :D ) reply to any post(s) then. Good for my eyes not using internet too much. One day a week, therefore (for now, at least).

Again: Thank you ItsRaining for your post praising of the book.

From,
Le Dinh Ai (my name spelt Vietnamese-style with last,middle, and first name order)
User avatar
samsarictravelling
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:35 pm
Contact:

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by samsarictravelling »

I phoned my Aunt 'P.' (yes, I actually have her phone number, and she did come to Canada twice in the last 10 or so years (so did my other Aunt)) to see if she was the 'P.D. Leigh' who co-authored the books with my Uncle Lap (aka Minh Thanh). This phone call was about 3 weeks to a month ago, and was a recorded message left on the answering service.

I did not know she emailed a reply, instead of phoning with a reply, until I checked one of my main emails 15 days after she sent the email. I thought she did not want to talk to me so never phoned back, or for some other reason or reasons she did not phone back. I only had a bit of an idea she might have sent an email reply instead, but never checked the email account she would send one to if she did, until 15 days after she actually did send an email.

That email said 'P.D. Leigh' is her name. and the 'Leigh' is an Anglicization of 'Le'. 'Leigh' is actually how the last name 'Le' sounds like if spoken.

That's all.

Happy Fourth of July, America.

Ai
User avatar
Caoimhghín
Posts: 3419
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2016 11:35 pm
Location: Whitby, Ontario

Re: I'm also samsarictravelling at Dhamma Wheel.

Post by Caoimhghín »

samsarictravelling wrote: Sat May 12, 2018 8:06 am
Ayu wrote: Sat May 12, 2018 7:26 am
Thank you for this patient explanation.
Harr Harr Harr :lol: - never heard of it.
You're welcome, Ayu. :)
Apologies, I would have explained myself, but I didn't see the reply.

Luckily we have samsarictravelling!
Then, the monks uttered this gāthā:

These bodies are like foam.
Them being frail, who can rejoice in them?
The Buddha attained the vajra-body.
Still, it becomes inconstant and ruined.
The many Buddhas are vajra-entities.
All are also subject to inconstancy.
Quickly ended, like melting snow --
how could things be different?

The Buddha passed into parinirvāṇa afterward.
(T1.27b10 Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra DĀ 2)
Post Reply

Return to “Introductions”