Venerable Jiru (繼如法師) was originally born in Malaysia. He learnt and trained in martial arts and qigong from his grandfather since he was five years old. Ven. Jiru was also a student of I Liq Chuan founder, Great Grandmaster Lik-Keong Chin and was a training brother of Zhong Xin Dao I Liq Chuan founder, Grandmaster Sam FS Chin during the 1970’s in Kuala Lumpur.
(Ven. Jiru first met the Great Grandmaster Chin at Maluri Garden, Kuala Lumpur in year 1977 through the introduction of Jin-De Huang, the leader of Kuala Lumpur Lion Dance Team. After being tested and convinced the Great Grandmaster, Ven. Jiru and Joe, another Lion Dance team member, started their full-time training under the Great Grandmaster for 2 years. Later in year 2002, he learnt the Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan “Lao Jia Yi Lu” (Tai Chi Old Frame) with Master Guang-Yi Ren (仁廣義), the student of Master Xiao-Wang Chen (陳小旺) from China, in New York. In year 2012, Ven. Jiru had a short visit to Chen Village (Chenjiagou), the base of Chen Style Tai Chi in China, to learn the Tai Chi New Frame from Master Xiao-Xing Chen (陳小星), brother of Master Xiao-Wang.)
During his first trip to Thailand in 1980, Ven. Jiru (who was still a layperson at the time) was attracted by the Buddhist monastic lifestyle that he first encountered and felt a strong calling to join the monastics. He was later ordained in the Thai Theravada Buddhist tradition, from which he learnt and practiced Four Foundations of Mindfulness. His previous knowledge and practice in martial arts and Chinese Medicine were very helpful in deepening his understanding of the balance between mind and body, and the practice of meditation. He converted to Chinese Buddhism in 1986 and was trained under the late Buddhist Master Venerable Zhumo in Penang, Malaysia.
In 1992, Ven. Jiru traveled to the US to share the Dharma, and was later appointed abbot of the Temple of Enlightenment in NYC, and served there from 1992-1994, and again from 2002-2004. It was around this time that Grandmaster Sam Chin first came to the United States. With Ven. Jiru’s help, Grandmaster Sam Chin was able to stay as an employee in Chuang Yen Monastery where Ven. Jiru would serve as the abbot at the time, after which he retired to Augusta, MO full time to focus on building and developing MABA, a fully functioning Buddhist monastery. With the exception of a single existing structure, Ven. Jiru, along with the other monastics and laypersons, built MABA brick by brick into the amazing place it is today.
Although not specifically a “Buddhist” art, Grandmaster Sam Chin desired students of Zhong Xin Dao I Liq Chuan to receive deeper guidance in concentration and mindfulness practice from a true teacher like Ven. Jiru, but until the monastery was ready to support large retreats, it would have to wait.
Finally, in August of 2017, MABA was ready. Upon Grandmaster Sam Chin’s request, Ven. Jiru agreed to host the first annual meditation retreat for I Liq Chuan students, guiding them in the “Four Foundations of Mindfulness”, using the four main postures of sitting, standing, walking and laying down. Ven. Jiru has a very unique and practical approach to teaching mindfulness.
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