Yifa

Yifa (, born 1959) is a Taiwanese scholar and writer and the founder of the organization, Woodenfish Foundation. She is a nun ordained in 1979 by Fo Guang Shan, a Buddhist organization in Taiwan. Yifa holds a law degree from the National Taiwan University, a masters in comparative philosophy from the University of Hawaiʻi, and a doctorate in religious studies from Yale University. She served as a department head and dean of University of the West during her tenure at the college.

Career

Yifa has participated in many interfaith dialogues such as the Gethsemani Encounter and contributed to the UNICEF South Asia's Safe Motherhood Project. She is also the current director of the Woodenfish program for college students.

In 2003, Yifa was awarded an Outstanding Women in Buddhism Award. In October 2006, she was honored at the 9th Annual Juliet Hollister Awards Ceremony, which was held at the United Nations Headquarters. Yifa was recognized along with ''Wall Street Journal'' reporter Daniel Pearl, who was honored posthumously.

Venerable Yifa has also been involved in translating sutras from Mandarin to English. Since 2006, Yifa and others have published translations of the '' Heart Sutra'', '' Diamond Sutra'', ''Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra'' and the '' Amitabha Sutra''.
Yifa is based in Beijing, China and travels often to meet with scholars and members of the global Buddhist community.

List of books

*''Authenticity: Clearing the Junk, A Buddhist Perspective''
*''The Tender Heart: A Buddhist Response to Suffering''
*''Discernment: Educating the Mind and Spirit''
*''Safeguarding the Heart: A Buddhist Response to Suffering and September 11''
*''The Origins of Buddhist Monastic Codes in China: An Annotated Translation and Study of the Chanyuan Qinggui''

Yifa has also co-authored ''Benedict's Dharma: Buddhists Reflect On the Role of St. Benedict'', along with Norman Fischer, Joseph Goldstein, Judith Simmer-Brown, David Steindl-Rast, and editor Patrick J. Henry.Amazon.com link
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See also

* Fo Guang Shan
* Hsing Yun
* Woodenfish Foundation

External links

The Woodenfish Program official websiteInterview with Danny Fisher about her latest book, "Junk"

References

{{Authority control

1959 births
Living people
20th-century Buddhist nuns
21st-century Buddhist nuns
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni
Buddhist writers
Buddhist studies scholars
Fo Guang Shan Buddhists
Taiwanese Buddhist nuns
Zen Buddhist nuns
National Taiwan University alumni
Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
People from Hacienda Heights, California