Cultivation and Practice: Q&A with Rev. Heng Sure

Like many who grew up in the middle of America in the 1950s, his childhood was characterized by sports, church, and pop culture influences like the Mickey Mouse Club. Upon seeing Chinese characters at the age of fourteen, an unshakeable feeling of familiarity overtook him. When he opened the door to move into his dorm room as a freshman in college, he found his roommate meditating in full lotus on the floor. In his senior year of college, a values-based graduate fellowship interview found him performing mime. Through a winding series of unexpected encounters, he became Rev. Heng Sure, a dedicated Buddhist monk in a Chinese Mahayana Buddhist tradition. In 1977, he was one of two American monks embarked on a pilgrimage to foster peace within and an without, taking three steps and one bow for 800 miles up the coast of California, along Highway 1. Over the decades, his commitment to compassion and inner cultivation is palpable to all whom he encounters. A stirring interview, resurfaced from a decade ago, shines light on colorful left and right turns found along this elder's remarkable path.

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