My Budhist location

Lienchi Tran

I was born and raised in Vietnam. My family’s practice is a combination of Confucianism and Mahayana Buddhism. On my mother’s side, my grandparents, aunts, and uncles were monks and nuns. One of my uncles was a key person in the protest against the government’s suppression of Buddhism in 1960. My mom and all her siblings supported many temples and took the eight precepts for life. On my father’s side, my grandfather worked for the King. Our “Tran” family was rewarded a village named after us by the King, along with the Golden Board of Honor for many generations of “Confucian families.”

In my youth, I spent most of my time in the temple with monks and nuns. At home, I lived with three generations: my grandparents, mom, dad, my father’s seven siblings, and my own seven siblings. These life conditions set the foundation of my spiritual journey at a very early age. I started to take practice seriously at the age of ten. I devoted myself to practice as much as I could for more than ten years in the style of Thay Thich Nhat Hanh, a revered Vietnamese Zen master. His teachings emphasize living mindfully in the present moment and integrating meditation with daily life. This approach deeply influenced my mindfulness practice and sense of peace and compassion. However, at some point in this part of my journey, I hit a wall; I could not find peace and happiness as I once did. My mind started to ask questions about practice, life, and many other things. A year later, my family migrated to the United States. Without the same temples and friends around, I sought out a new temple and a new teacher to continue my practice and find answers. In 1992, I found the Sakyamuni Buddhist Meditation Center, where I met my first Theravada monk, Bhante Khippapanno. His way of life became a profound source of teaching for me. His embodiment of wisdom, compassion, and ethical living was not just in his words, but in every action he took. He became one of my primary teachers.

Over the last thirty years of learning and practicing Dharma, I turned towards the Theravada Buddhist tradition, particularly the Vipassana meditation techniques of the Mahasi Sayadaw lineage. My first Burmese teacher was Sayadaw U Pandita, a renowned meditation master and successor to Mahasi Sayadaw. He was known for his precise and rigorous method of self-examination, emphasizing Buddhist ethics as a foundation for practice. Additionally, I have been deeply influenced by the idea of living mindfully from an early age, which led me to practice with Sayadaw U Tejaniya, a Burmese monk known for his pragmatic approach to mindfulness. Sayadaw developed his practice style through his life as a business owner, family man, and member of a large family of thirteen siblings, where he neither had long periods to practice formally in daily life nor could take extended time off for long retreats. His practice style aligns well with my lay lifestyle and reflects my new attitude towards practice. He became my primary teacher. It has been tremendously helpful while living and working in a non-monastery life but still practicing wholeheartedly. Under his guidance, I gained a deeper understanding of the Satipatthana meditation practice and its application in daily life.

 Living in the West and working as an architect have significantly contributed to my views on life, relationships, and practice. I notice that my approach differs from my Asian friends in the way I think, speak, and practice. It seems the mind has become more open to new ideas, more creative, and more willing to take risks. (letting go of some traditions and cultural habits). A significant life event led me to quit my job and move to Burma to practice full-time with Sayadaw U Tejaniya for more than two years, after which I returned for six months every year for five consecutive years. The practice style and the length of continuous practice opened up a deep understanding of the Buddha’s teachings about the nature of all things and the Middle-Way path. More and more, I want to dedicate my life to discovering my spiritual path.

Once again, my life entered a new chapter. I was invited to participate in the Teacher Training program under renowned Western teachers Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella, who have further enriched my practice with new contemporary perspectives and practical insights. The program was so rich, including many aspects that I never thought were part of Buddhist practice given my Asian background. I was exposed to DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), community leadership roles, cultures, psychology, neurology… I went through the program in wonder as it unfolded with so many applied modern interpretations and real-world applications. I met many wonderful people and friends who I can relate to not only in practice but also in living a spiritual life.

Shaped by my Asian heritage, I grew up with a mix of Buddhism and Confucianism. These combined cultures greatly influence my Buddhist practice, blending values of harmony, naturalness, and compassion to create a holistic and meaningful spiritual journey. With a rich mixed background, my Buddhist orientation certainly lies at the intersection of Eastern and Western cultures, and also where Buddhism and Confucianism come together.

I still have much to learn and familiarize myself with in Western Buddhism, especially the concept of “Naturalist Buddhism,” which emphasizes understanding and practicing Buddhism based on empirical evidence and natural causes rather than supernatural beliefs. It focuses on mindfulness and living in the present moment, integrating meditation with daily life without relying on metaphysical concepts. This approach aligns closely with my style of practice and understanding. Given that, I can say my Buddhist orientation is “Naturalist Buddhism.”