Born in Toledo, Ohio, Rev. Heng Sure attended the University of California at Berkeley in the 1960s. During his time at the university, Heng Sure was active in theatre. At an early age, Heng Sure learned Chinese from studying the language in high school and by means of his sister, who worked at the U.S. Information Agency.

After receiving his masters in Oriental languages, he met his teacher, Master Hsuan Hua, who would later ordain him in 1976 at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. Reverend Heng Sure currently serves as Director of the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery and teaches at the Institute for World Religions. While finishing an M.A. in Oriental Languages at UC Berkeley. He also completed a Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union(GTU) in 2003.

Ven. Heng Sure commenced a threesteps, one bow pilgrimage after receiving full ordination in the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism. With fellow monk, Heng Chau, he travelled more than 600 miles up the California Coastal Highway from Pasadena to Ukiah, making a full prostration to the ground every three steps. They dedicated their efforts to world peace. The journey took over two years and nine months to complete. During the pilgrimage and for the following 6 years, he observed a practice of total silence.

• See also Rev. Heng Sure's talk on veganism and his short teaching on Bodhicitta
• For backgrounds on Heng Sure's pilgrimage see the picture album at IJourney.Org and his book
  News From True Cultivators - Letters to the Venerable Abbot Hua [download here in PDF 1.6 MB]

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