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4 EASTERN HORIZON | LEAD ARTICLE
Appreciating the Efficacy
of all Buddhist Traditions
By Ven. Master Miao Jing
Venerable Master Miao Jing is the Founder
of Great Compassion Bodhi Prajna Temple
Canada and North America Karma Kagyu
Bhikkhuni Institute. Ven. Master Miao Jing
has studied Mahāyāna Buddhism for decades
and had her ordination under Mahāyāna
tradition. In 2011, Master Miao Jing began
her study of Vajrayāna Buddhism under the
teaching of Guru H.H. the 17th Karmapa
Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the Headmaster of the
Karma Kagyu Lineage. Ven. Master Miao
Jing is one of the very few Bhikkhunis who
practices both Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna
Buddhism and integrates them into her
Dharma teachings in the West. For the
past few years, she has been a proponent
of H.H. 17th Karmapa’s vision to restore
the ordination of Bhikkhuni’s precepts in
Vajrayāna activities and in 2018 she hosted
the 1st International Buddhist Bhikkhuni
Forum in Canada to further this cause.
To support Great Compassion Bodhi Prajna
Temple, Canada please visit www.gcbptemple.
org and www.nakkbi.org
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EH_May_2021_Content_PRINT.indd 4 4/18/2021
It still feels chilly in the early spring in my temple set in
a forest in Canada. After the routine morning prayer and
meditation, I slowly open my eyes while sitting on the
futon. The sunlight coming in through the window turns
the main Buddha Hall warm and lands gently on a Tibetan
Thangka which I brought back from India. It reminds me of
the teachings given to me by my root Guru, His Holiness the
th
17 Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje. I could vividly
recall what His Holiness had said to me during the break
of a retreat, “I hope that in the future, there will be more
practitioners like you who are willing to integrate the study
of Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna, as this will be very beneficial to
Buddhism as a whole.” This message resonated in my mind.
I was born in a traditional Buddhist family in Taiwan, where
traditional Eastern culture and Buddhism merge together
and flourish. Chanting was a part of our morning routine
and as a kid I often woke up with the hymns of wooden
fish and the Great Compassion Mantra which was the
first Mantra I learned to recite. While growing up, I often
visited Mahāyāna Buddhist monasteries with my parents.
As a teenager, I immigrated to Canada, a multicultural
nation that respects different cultures and religions. I
became an ordained Bhikkhuni under Mahāyāna tradition
and systematically and stepwise studied the Mahāyāna
foundation. Being a nun in Mahāyāna Buddhism led me to
a constant quest — How can Buddha’s teachings lead us
to the ultimate realization of the supreme Buddhahood? Is
it through Mahāyāna? Or is it through Vajrayāna? Or is it a
blend of both? Throughout my journey from the East to the
West I have been searching for the answer. Then by a fateful
th
circumstance, I met His Holiness the 17 Karmapa who led
me on the path to practice Vajrayāna. From then on, I began
my journey of practicing both Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna.
I was fortunate enough to join a retreat in Bodh Gaya,
th
India under the guidance of His Holiness the 17 Gyalwang
Karmapa. It was on a late afternoon in November, and
4/18/2021 11:59:19 AM
11:59:19 AM