Biography of Venerable Dayi Shi
Publish: 2023-01-09 12:56:37 Author: Cham Shan Temple Source: Cham Shan Temple
Ven. Dayi Shi
President of The Buddhist Association of Canada
Abbot of Cham Shan Temple
Personal Details:
Full Name: Ven. Dayi Shi
Address: Cham Shan Temple, 7254 Bayview Ave., Thornhill, Ontario, Canada L3T 2R6
Email: dayishi@hotmail.com
Nationality: Canadian
Monkhood: 40 years
Vision & Mission:
“Perceive with wisdom and reach out with compassion”.
With four decades of dedicated monkhood and a sound academic background from both the East and West, Ven. Dayi Shi’s mission is to establish and develop platforms to propagate Buddhism and promote Chinese culture in North America.
Professional Experience:
1983 Ordained as bhikkhu
Became a novice monk, then received full ordination at Nanhua Temple in Guangdong, China in 1983.
2003 to present Patriarch of Tian Tai Sector of Buddhism
Received joint Dharma Transmission from Ven. Elder Master Sing Hung, Ven. Elder Master Shing Cheung and Ven. Elder Master Lok To, becoming the 46th Patriarch of Tian Tai Sector.
2004 to present President
The Buddhist Association of Canada
2004 to present Abbot
Cham Shan Temple and its 5 affiliated Buddhist centers in Ontario, Canada
2011 to present President
The Young Men’s Buddhist Association of America
Buddhist Association of San Francisco, USA
2022 to present Abbot
Fu Hui Temple in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Education:
1989 – Degree in Buddhism
Minnan Buddhist College at Xiamen, Fujan, China
2001 - Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Asian Studies
City University of New York, United States
2003 - Master’s degree in East Asian History
City University of New York, United States
Achievements:
2011 – present Development of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada
Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden is the first site being developed among the 1,350 acres of scenic land acquired for the establishment of the Four Great Sacred Buddhist Gardens in Canada. The main hall is an iconic wooden structure built with ancient Tang dynasty architectural details. The consecration ceremony took place on October 5, 2019, where approximately 30,000 attendees from local and aboard witnessed this once in a lifetime occasion.
Despite the pandemic, the 2nd wooden structure, the Hall of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, is completed with consecration ceremony held on Oct 6, 2022.
Targeting to open this Garden to the public in 2023, Ven. Dayi has the aspiration to bring the Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana traditions in Buddhism together at Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada.
2014 to 2018 Buddhist Cultural Exchange and Retreats
Established collaboration between Buddhist communities in China and Canada, hosting annual activities where a delegation of Sangha of approx. 100 monks were invited from aboard to participate.
2017 – 2019 China-Canada-US Buddhist Forum
Inaugurated the 1st China-Canada-US Buddhist Forum in 2017, where a Buddhist conference was hosted at University of Toronto, with international participation from orders of monastics globally. The 2nd forum was hosted at the United Nation head quarter in New York city in 2019.
October 2022 – present Vice President of World Fellowship of Buddhist
Ven Dayi Shi is appointed the position of Vice President of the World Fellowship of Buddhist (WFB), an international Buddhist organization based at Bangkok, Thailand, with over 180 regional centers across 50 countries globally.
December 2022 Recipient of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medallion
In recognition of The Buddhist Association of Canada, Cham Shan Temple’s commitment and dedication to community service in Canada, we are honored to be the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Medalin 2013.
Recently on Dec 29, 2022, Ven. Dayi Shi is awarded the Queen Elizabeth II' Platinum Jubilee Medalfor his outstanding contribution and leadership to promote Buddhism and Chinese culture in Canada.
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Updated on 01/01/2023