Brother ChiSing, M.Div., M.A. was an Interfaith retreat facilitator, spiritual director, ritual artist, musician, and the founder of “Awakening Heart.” He was also a former Community College adjunct professor of World Religions. He was born and raised in Texas, lived in California for ten years, and spent the last ten years of his life in Dallas, Texas, near his family. He received a B.A. in Religion from a Protestant university, an M.A. in Spirituality from a Catholic college, and a Master of Divinity degree from a Unitarian Universalist seminary.

His primary meditation teacher was the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, and he was ordained by him into the “Order of Interbeing”(Unified Buddhist Church) in 2003 with the spiritual name of “True Wonderful Happiness.” The Order of Interbeing is an organization established by Thich Nhat Hanh in 1963, during the Vietnamese War. His aim was to create a community of monks, nuns, and laypeople who would work to create peace, love, and compassion in our fractured world. The Order now includes thousands of people from all walks of life and all parts of the globe. 

Brother ChiSing was also commissioned into ministry by a congregation of the United Church of Christ (UCC) in 1995.

Brother ChiSing collaborated on several events and retreats with S.F. Bay Area spiritual teachers Matthew Fox (Creation Spirituality, Original Blessing, Techno Cosmic Mass) and Christian de la Huerta (Q-Spirit, Coming Out Spiritually, Revolutionary Wisdom). He led and spoke at several retreats for Interfaith, Buddhist, and Christian communities from as small as 10 to 80 persons to as large as 300 to 800 persons, and he founded three young adult spiritual/social/discussion groups in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Los Angeles, as well as a large meditation community in San Francisco. He served as a Youth Director, Children’s Director, and Religious Education Director at various churches. He founded the Dallas Meditation Center and the Awakening Heart (Community of Mindful Living).

Brother ChiSing’s ultimate vision was to bring mindfulness and meditation practice to people of all faith and non-faith backgrounds in an Earth-based way, with an emphasis on creativity, music, and the arts. This vision came to fruition as the non-profit One Dharma Awakening Heart, Dallas Meditation Center, in Dallas, Texas.

On the morning of March 8, 2016, after living with nasopharyngeal carcinoma for two and a half years, Brother ChiSing passed from this physical life at home in his sleep.

See Brother ChiSing’s website with his music and books