Instructors for Summer Retreat at the Sudhana Center
Douglas Powers
Doug Powers holds an MA in Philosophy and Religion from the Graduate Theological Union and an MAT in Political Science from the University of Redlands. As an early Western disciple of Master Hua, he has served in many capacities in DRBA over the years, including administering a refugee program at CTTB, serving as principal of Instilling Goodness & Developing Virtue School Boys school and for the last five years, as the provost of DRBU. Versed in both Western philosophy and Buddhist thought, Doug is constantly pushing the edge of how Buddhism can be brought into contact with the “modern mind.”
Doug Powers holds an MA in Philosophy and Religion from the Graduate Theological Union and an MAT in Political Science from the University of Redlands. As an early Western disciple of Master Hua, he has served in many capacities in DRBA over the years, including administering a refugee program at CTTB, serving as principal of Instilling Goodness & Developing Virtue School Boys school and for the last five years, as the provost of DRBU. Versed in both Western philosophy and Buddhist thought, Doug is constantly pushing the edge of how Buddhism can be brought into contact with the “modern mind.”
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Bogdan Staszewski
Full Professor of Electronic Circuits University College Dublin, is a pioneer in quantum computing and has been a Buddhist practitioner for many years. He recently gave a talk with Doug Powers, Is Consciousness in the Universe or Is the Universe in Consciousness? and Can Quantum Physicists and Buddhists Agree on Consciousness?, on how quantum physics challenges fundamental assumptions about what we commonly take to be reality—aligning closely with Yogācāra's exploration of perception and consciousness. He is recipient of the prestigious IEEE Circuits and Systems Industrial Pioneer Award and has spent decades at the forefront of technology, from leading breakthroughs in digital RF communications to co-founding a company developing a CMOS quantum computer. With a passion for both scientific discovery and meditative wisdom, he brings a unique perspective on how modern physics and Buddhist can inform each other in understanding the mind and the nature of existence. A more detailed bio is available here. |
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Bhikshu Jin Chuan
Bhikshu Jin Chuan was born in New Jersey and grew up in the Silicon Valley. In high school, he began exploring Christianity and Buddhism, and discovered his “calling” to be a monk–to the surprise of his family (and himself). While studying physics and religious studies at Stanford, he joined Dharma Realm Buddhist Youth and frequented Berkeley Buddhist Monastery. In 2005, he became a resident at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. He became a novice in 2011 and a bhikshu in 2013. In 2016, he received an M.A. in Buddhist Classics at DRBU where he now serves as an assistant professor and chaplain.
Bhikshu Jin Chuan was born in New Jersey and grew up in the Silicon Valley. In high school, he began exploring Christianity and Buddhism, and discovered his “calling” to be a monk–to the surprise of his family (and himself). While studying physics and religious studies at Stanford, he joined Dharma Realm Buddhist Youth and frequented Berkeley Buddhist Monastery. In 2005, he became a resident at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. He became a novice in 2011 and a bhikshu in 2013. In 2016, he received an M.A. in Buddhist Classics at DRBU where he now serves as an assistant professor and chaplain.
Bhikshu Jin Wei
Bhikshu Jin Wei was born in Poland and began his meditation practice in 1999. After living a fun but unfulfilling bohemian lifestyle, he encountered a Polish translation of the Sixth Patriarch Sūtra that inspired him to dedicate himself to Dharma practice and service. He volunteered in various hospitals and helped organize DRBA Delegations to Europe. In 2013, he came to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas as a Sangha and Laity Training Program student. In 2015, he took novice ordination, and in 2017, full ordination. In 2020, he graduated from the DRBU M.A. in Buddhist Classics.
Bhikshu Jin Wei was born in Poland and began his meditation practice in 1999. After living a fun but unfulfilling bohemian lifestyle, he encountered a Polish translation of the Sixth Patriarch Sūtra that inspired him to dedicate himself to Dharma practice and service. He volunteered in various hospitals and helped organize DRBA Delegations to Europe. In 2013, he came to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas as a Sangha and Laity Training Program student. In 2015, he took novice ordination, and in 2017, full ordination. In 2020, he graduated from the DRBU M.A. in Buddhist Classics.
