De Anza College is host to different ethnicities and fosters diversity in which eclectic cultures and individuals interact; two of these varied individuals are Hsueh Jung Lu and Chia Wei, Buddhist monks from the Chung Tai Zen Center in Sunnyvale.
He was born Chia Wei, but assumed the name Jian-Nian Shi as he was “reborn” into his life-long responsibility as a Buddhist monk or Shifu (master) of Buddha’s teaching.
Wei described childhood as a stage in life yet unknown to the hardships and stress that come later; that the most worries of a child are related to infatuations with toys and trivial objects. But his childhood was rushed by the sudden passing of his father and grandfather, pushing him to manifest a more complex perception and curiosity for life and death.
Yearning to learn more about death and the possible life after it, he decided it was essential to study Buddha’s teaching. At 15 he became a Buddhist monk and dedicated his life to the enlightenment of his internal and external self as well as those of others.
Currently he is studying to major in English at De Anza in order to reach out to the larger population of English speakers. In addition to his religious duties and academic responsibilities, he practices traditional Chinese calligraphy and self-taught photography as a means of meditation and to unwind from the trials of the day-to-day life.
As a Buddhist monk, he is prohibited from getting married and having children.
“I do not have any trouble dealing with this issue because becoming a monk is the life I want,” Wei said. “Instead of a small family, we are a huge family. In the monastery in Taiwan, there are over 1,500 nuns and monks. Even though the life is not ‘normal,’ I enjoy it.”
Rather than looking at Buddhism as a religion, one should look at it as a way of life. A lifestyle in which you “free the mind from the influence of external circumstances and maintain peace and serenity within,” said Wei. “Only when we pacify the mind do we experience true joy.”
Shi uses the same positive energy he puts forth into meditating and living out Buddha’s teaching into his efforts in the classroom. Whenever he feels like buckling from the stress of juggling so many responsibilities, he takes physical and mental breaks by meditating, taking photographs or walking.
“I think difficulty is always the best teacher; the only way to deal with it is to face it and overcome it,” Wei said.
“Shi was a very easy student to teach because he is hard working and just phenomenal in his dedication to being a monk and a student. He is the critical link to establishing Chinese and English relations at this Center as well as the outside community,” said Shi’s former English teacher Daniel Thompson and fellow member of the Zen Center.
Shi has an infectious and humorous demeanor that makes it hard not to like him (or admire him). When asked, “Doesn’t it get hot under all those robes?” he replied, “I am a victim of global warming.”
INSTRUMENT – Symbolizing the reminder to be constantly aware and diligent, Chai Wei strikes the Dharma drums to awaken the congregation during times of morning and evening prayer. (Helen Koh/LA VOZ WEEKLY)
TAKING A BREATHER – Chia Wei rests at De Anza’s Main Quad fountain after a long day’s class. He, like any other student, enjoys breaks near the runnng waters. (Helen Koh/LA VOZ WEEKLY)
CHANT – One of Chai Wei’s responsibilities at the Zen Center include ringing the ceremonial bells and chanting during meditation. (Helen Koh/LA VOZ WEEKLY)
