Martin J. Verhoeven (born December 2, 1946) is an American scholar, translator, and former Buddhist monk. He is a senior disciple of

Hsuan Hua Hsuan Hua (; April 16, 1918 – June 7, 1995), also known as An Tzu, Tu Lun and Master Hua by his Western disciples, was a Chinese monk of Chan Buddhism and a contributing figure in bringing Chinese Buddhism to the United States in the lat ...

, and currently serves as dean of academics at

Dharma Realm Buddhist University Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU) is an American private nonprofit university located in Ukiah, California, just over 100 miles north of San Francisco, in Mendocino County. It was established in 1976 by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua. It is sit ...

. He has previously served as adjunct professor at the

Graduate Theological Union The Graduate Theological Union (GTU) is a consortium of eight private independent American theological schools and eleven centers and affiliates. Seven of the theological schools are located in Berkeley, California. The GTU was founded in 1962 ...

and as a lecturer at the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

. He is best known for completing a three steps one bow

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

with companion

Heng Sure Heng Sure (恆實法師, Pinyin: ''Héng Shí'', birth name Christopher R. Clowery; born October 31, 1949) is an American Chan Buddhist monk. He is a senior disciple of Hsuan Hua, and is currently the director of the Berkeley Buddhist Monaster ...

. During this pilgrimage Verhoeven and Heng Sure bowed from South Pasadena to

Ukiah, California Ukiah ( ; Pomo: ''Yokaya'', meaning "deep valley") is the county seat and largest city of Mendocino County, California, with a population of 16,607 at the 2020 census. With its accessible location along the U.S. Route 101 corridor, Ukiah serves ...

, a distance of 800 miles, over the course of two years and six months.

Education

Verhoeven completed his BA in 1969, his MA in 1971, and his PhD in 1997, all at the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

Career

In 1976, Verhoeven met and trained under the Buddhist teacher Hsuan Hua. He became a monk (under the name Heng Chau) that same year, and undertook a two-year bowing pilgrimage with fellow monk,

Selected publications

2006: ''Buddhist Ideas about No-Self and the Person.'' Religion East & West. 2016: ''Highway Dharma Letters.'' Buddhist Text Translation Society. 2014: ''The Sixth Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra.'' Editor, Translator. Buddhist Text Translation Society. 2013: “Science Through Buddhist Eyes,” ''The New Atlantis'', Number 39. 2001: "Glistening Frost and Cooking Sand: Unalterable Aspects of Purity in Chan Buddhist Meditation," in ''Purity of Heart and Contemplation: A Monastic Dialogue Between Christian and Asian Traditions''. Continuum. 2001. “Buddhism and Science: Probing the Boundaries of Faith and Reason,” ''Religion East and West'', Issue 1. 1998: "Americanizing the Buddha," in ''The Faces of Buddhism in America''. University of California Press.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verhoeven, Martin University of California, Berkeley faculty American Buddhist monks 1946 births Living people Dharma Realm Buddhist Association University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni