Venerable Jan Hai

After studying at Tianning Temple Buddhist Academy, Ven. Jan Hai went to Taiwan in 1949, where he became a disciple of the late great Buddhist master, Ven. Tsi-Hung.

In the summer of 1960, Ven. Jan Hai went to Thailand to study Thai and Pali languages. He entered Juralongon Buddhist University. In 1969, he went to Japan and received his master's degree in Buddhism from Tokyo's Risho University. He wrote a thesis entitled An Analysis of Dhammapada.

In 1972, Ven. Jan Hai was invited to the United States. In 1978, he established Texas Buddha Light Temple with Ven. Wing Sing. In 1989, Ven. Jan Hai, along with Ven. Wing Sing and Ven. Hung I, built Jade Buddha Temple. Since 2002, Ven. Jan Hai and Ven. Hung I have been promoting the building of the American Bodhi Center. Despite the fact that he has reached retirement age, Ven. Jan Hai has never stopped teaching the Dharma. He is currently president of Texas Buddhist Association and Texas Buddhist Academy. He has authored two books, The History of Theravada Buddhism and The Sea of Enlightenment. Being a major resource for the study of Theravada Buddhism, The History of Theravada Buddhism has been republished by the Religious Research Institute of China. He has also translated The Dhammapada (“The way of the Truth”) and A Pictorial Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha.