Venerable Guan Cheng is abbot of the International Buddhist Temple in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, which he founded in 1981. The temple, featuring seven authentic and traditional Buddhist buildings, is spread across thirteen acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, surrounded by bonsai and rock gardens.
The Venerable holds a BA in Economics and an MBA from the University of Toronto and was formerly a Chartered Professional Accountant. In 1999, he was ordained as a Buddhist monk under Venerable Xulang at Miaofa Monastery in the United States, and in the same year, he received the threefold ordination precepts. Since then, the Venerable has travelled to many countries, holding lectures in different languages to promote the dharma.
In 2010, he established the Vinaya Samadhi & Prajna Lecture Hall in Kowloon, Hong Kong, which functions as a center for his philanthropic initiatives across southeast Asia. These include hosting dharma talks, participating in wildlife release programs, supporting education for underprivileged children, addressing poverty, engaging in book fairs, and producing a range of Buddhist publications, and audio and video recordings.
Over the years, the Venerable has been actively promoting dharma by authoring and publishing articles, hosting dharma talks on radio and online platforms, and organizing chanting ceremonies and retreats. He also has authored and published eight books in Chinese, including Happiness Originates from the Mind and Purify the Mind and Attain Happiness.
The Venerable has hosted dharma lectures, workshops, and retreats at the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Chinese University of Hong Kong, as well as at primary and secondary schools throughout Hong Kong. He has also lectured extensively in Singapore, Malaysia, and Canada.
