Heng Sure (恆實法師,

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

: ''Héng Shí'', birth name Christopher R. Clowery;
/ref> born October 31, 1949) is an American Chan Buddhism, Chan Buddhist monk and a senior disciple of Venerable Hsuan Hua. He serves as the managing director of Berkeley Buddhist monastery, the president of the board of directors of Dharma Realm Buddhist AssociationLee et al (2015). ''Asian American Religious Cultures'' Volume 2, p. 210. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. and a member of the board of trustees at

Dharma Realm Buddhist University Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU) is an American Private university, private nonprofit university located in Ukiah, California, just over 100 miles north of San Francisco, in Mendocino County. It was established in 1976 by Hsuan Hua, Venera ...

. He has previously taught at the Graduate Theological Union, Bond University, an
Dharma Realm Buddhist University
as a professor. He has released several albums of Buddhist folk music including "Paramita: American Buddhist Folk Songs" (2008). Heng Sure has also been active in interfaith organizations, serving as a long-time trustee for the Interfaith Center at the Presidio and United Religions Initiative and regularly presenting at Parliament of the World’s Religions.Mitchell, Scott A. (2016). ''Buddhism in America: Global Religion, Local Contexts,'' Bloomsbury Publishing. He is probably best known for a two-years and six-months three steps, one bow pilgrimage from 1977 to 1979. Heng Sure and his companion Heng Chau ( Martin Verhoeven), bowed from South Pasadena to Ukiah, California, a distance of 800 miles, wishing for world peace. Born in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

, Ven. Heng Sure grew up with an early exposure to Chinese language and culture, influenced by his high school studies and his sister's work with the

U.S. Information Agency The United States Information Agency (USIA) was a United States government agency devoted to propaganda which operated from 1953 to 1999. Previously existing United States Information Service (USIS) posts operating out of U.S. embassies wor ...

. He attended DeVilbiss High School and pursued higher education at

Oakland University Oakland University (OU or Oakland) is a public university, public research university in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1957 through a donation of Matilda Dodge Wilson and husband ...

in Rochester, Michigan, before attending the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

, where he studied from 1971 to 1976. During this time, he deepened his interest in Oriental languages and earned a master's degree in the field in 1976. That same year, Heng Sure met Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, who would later ordain him at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas and received the Dharma name "Heng Sure," meaning "Constantly Real." In 2003, he furthered his academic journey by earning a PhD in Religion from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. In October 2024, Rev. Heng Sure participated in the Sixth World Buddhist Forum held in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China, where he emphasized gratitude and interconnectedness, reflecting on Buddhism's shared spiritual heritage.

Three Step One Bow Pilgrimage

In 1977, Reverend Heng Sure and his companion, Heng Chau (formerly Marty Verhoeven), began the ''Three Steps, One Bow'' pilgrimage from South Pasadena to Ukiah, California. This journey, dedicated to world peace, involved taking three steps followed by a full prostration to the ground, covering approximately one mile per day and lasting two years and nine months. Heng Sure observed a vow of silence throughout the pilgrimage, relying on the kindness of strangers for sustenance and sleeping in their station wagon to remain outdoors. The pilgrimage was inspired by their teacher, Hsuan Hua, who instructed them to transform their inner greed, anger, and delusions to bring peace to the world starting with their minds. Their experiences, challenges, and reflections were later compiled in the book ''Highway Dharma Letters: Two Buddhist Pilgrims Write to Their Teacher'', documenting their spiritual journey and insights.

References

External links

Rev. Heng Sure's blog

Rev. Heng Sure on Facebook

Dharma Radio
��lectures and music.
Bowing Journals and Photos

With One Heart Bowing
—essay on the first time they publicly shared stories about their pilgrimage
American Pilgrimage - Three Steps, One Bow for Peace
Chan Buddhist monks American Zen Buddhists Dharma Realm Buddhist Association Oakland University alumni Musicians from Toledo, Ohio Performers of Buddhist music University of California, Berkeley alumni Converts to Buddhism 1949 births Living people Guitarists from Ohio American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians {{US-reli-bio-stub