An Ordinary Monk with No Great Ambitions

An Ordinary Monk with No Great Ambitions reveals the central thread that has guided Venerable Chi Chern throughout his life: though never driven by grand ambitions, he has remained steadfast in a lifetime of quiet dedication and meaningful action.

As a young man, he helped support his family’s fish business and dreamed of becoming a schoolteacher. His path changed after hearing Venerable Zhu Mo remark that few monastics aspired to devote themselves to the study of the Buddhadharma. Inspired by those words, he chose the monastic life—not out of lofty ambition, but simply to fill a need where one existed.

During his years of study in Taiwan, he learned under eminent Buddhist masters including Venerable Hsing Yun, Venerable Sheng Yen, and Venerable Yin Shun. Under the guidance of Venerable Sheng Yen, he received systematic Chan training and was entrusted to teach introductory meditation courses, laying the foundation for his lifelong work in Chan practice and teaching.

After returning to Malaysia, Venerable Chi Chern dedicated himself to Buddhist education, Dharma propagation, and meditation instruction. Amid his many responsibilities, he quietly established meditation programmes, leading seven-day retreats, university meditation camps, ten-day retreats, and even forty-nine-day intensive retreats. His teaching later reached countries such as Poland and the United States, bringing the tradition of Chinese Chan to an international audience.

His cultivation also found expression through writing and artistic creation. During meditation retreats, he composed numerous contemporary Chan verses and Buddhist song lyrics, publishing collections such as the Tou (Head) series, Beyond Chan, Beyond Chan Again, and Beyond Chan Once More, together with more than a hundred Buddhist lyrics. He regarded these creative works as an integral part of his yearly cultivation. His writings also inspired the Hai Chao Hui Buddhist choral movement, which has grown into more than a decade of concerts and choir training, becoming an important milestone in the development of Buddhist music as a means of Dharma propagation in Malaysia.

Throughout the book, readers encounter the essence of his practice: the true place of cultivation is not found in carefully laid plans, but in everyday life; true vows are not proclaimed through grand declarations, but fulfilled through steadfast perseverance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he chose to remain focused on practice and simplicity, responding to an increasingly noisy world by quietly attending to what needed to be done. His example reminds us that, in times of uncertainty, practitioners are called to cultivate stability, serenity, and inner composure.

From education and Dharma teaching to meditation, writing, and artistic creation, Venerable Chi Chern has accomplished extraordinary work through an ordinary mind. His life demonstrates that the greatest aspirations are not those proclaimed most loudly, but those lived faithfully over a lifetime.

An Ordinary Monk with No Great Ambitions may appear to speak of a life without lofty ambitions, yet it reveals a profound and enduring Bodhisattva path. What seems ordinary is, in truth, an extraordinary testament to lifelong Dharma practice and compassionate service.