
American Buddhist Fellowship (ABF) disciples Keith and Sissi share what they have learned from Venerable Xingren since volunteering at the temple, their Buddhist journeys, the upcoming Consecration Ceremony that ABF will host on December 25, 2025, and the teachings Venerable Xingren plans to resume after the New Year.
For more information about the American Buddhist Fellowship, please visit the following website: https://www.meifo.org/
Speakers introduction:
At 19 years old, Keith came from China to the United States and first encountered Buddhism through Master Chin-Kung’s Pure Land teachings. For 17 years his main practice has remained reciting Amitabha Buddha’s name and aspiring for rebirth in the Western Pure Land, even as he later studied other masters and methods. During his years in the U.S., Keith has lived in several cities, completing his studies and then working for over ten years. In July this year, Keith met Venerable Xingren through Dharma Sister Shen Yun, whom he had long admired for overcoming late-stage, metastasized cancer through unwavering recitation of Amitabha Buddha’s name. Sister Shen introduced Keith to the American Buddhist Fellowship and invited him to support its multimedia work. Since joining as a volunteer, Keith has built the temple’s website, secured Google Workspace for Nonprofits, and helped produce more than ten related videos.
Sissi has been studying Buddhism for 3 years and practicing Pure Land Buddhism for about 1.5 years. After learning that the American Buddhist Fellowship was raising funds to build and renovate its new temple in Covina, CA—and with the introduction from Dharma Sister Shen Yun—Sissi began volunteering in July 2025. Since then, she has humbly assisted with the shipping and customs clearance of the Buddha statues for the new temple, YouTube video editing, website development, and other projects assigned by Venerable Xingren of American Buddhist Fellowship.
We discussed the American Buddhist Fellowship and how community members connect digitally, aspirations and how ambitious vows can manifest, Pure Land Buddhist practice and the potential impact of reciting Amitabha’s name, and ABF's upcoming Consecration Ceremony.