Buddhism goes through periods of flourishing and decline. It flourishes when living beings have abundant blessings and declines and disappears as their blessings become scarce. At present Buddhism has virtually disappeared from Asia because the blessings of Asians are becoming fewer and fewer.

The advent of Buddhism in the West marks a new beginning for Buddhism and the start of a new life for Westerners. Because Westerners have abundant blessings, this "field of blessings" has come to the West. The beginning of Buddhism in the West will be different from in the East. Buddhism developed on a small scale in the East, but in the West there needs to be a large place for it to develop. That's why we have purchased the former State Hospital. This place will become the birthplace of Buddhism, the source of world Buddhism. We need everyone's support. Each person should contribute his or her strength and energy to protect Buddhism and support the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.

When Buddhism started out in China, it was sponsored by the emperor himself and his high ministers. At one point, Chinese Buddhism became so prosperous that Daxingshan (Great Flourishing of Goodness) Monastery housed 200,000 monks and, in one county, over 3,000 people left the home-life in a single day. Buddhism in the West has only just begun and is like a newborn infant who needs his mother's care and the protection of those around him.

Why has the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas been founded in the West? It's because this is exactly the time for such a place to come into existence. When I first arrived in America, I stayed in a windowless basement about 150 square feet in area. It had only one door, and once the door was shut, it was like being in a vacuum. After living there for a while, I moved to Sacramento Street. Later, when I felt it was too complicated to propagate Buddhism in Chinatown, I moved to Sutter Street temporarily, and then to Waverly Street. In 1970 we moved to Gold Mountain Monastery.

We began translating Sutras in 1968. In all these thousands of years, no one in China thought of translating Sutras from Chinese into other languages; no one could conceive of undertaking such an immense project, which would have required the support of the government to be carried out successfully. When Dharma Master Kumarajiva was translating the Sutras into Chinese, sometimes he had over 3,000 people helping him; at the very least he always had 800 people working on translation.

Now in America, how can I do this work all alone? None of the great monks in Chinese history dared to think of translating the entire Chinese Tripitaka (Buddhist canon) into foreign languages. Why not? Because there was no one who could do it. Although the situation is better now, over a hundred years ago people who understood foreign languages were extremely rare in China.

Not knowing my own limitations, I am now attempting this project which no one in China dared undertake for several thousand years. After the thirty some American students who came to study Buddhadharma completed the 1968 summer session, they began translating the Sutras. Our translators are all volunteers who seek no reward or compensation of any kind.

In the beginning, everyone was arguing instead of translating. They each proposed their own translation for everything, starting from the very first phrase, "Thus have I heard," and criticized everyone else's translation as wrong. Progress was very slow.

Later, I thought of a way. I gave each person his or her own Sutra to translate. After he or she completed his draft of a primary translation, another person would review it. The translation would then be edited and finally, it would be certified as correct. When the work was broken into these four stages, everything proceeded smoothly.

Ever since we began in 1968, I have required that each Sutra translation be examined by one hundred pairs of eyes. That is, one hundred people have to go over the Sutra until they feel there are no major problems with it. That's the best we can do with the wisdom we have, so after that we go ahead and publish the translation. In the future, people can make further revisions. If we waited until we had a perfect translation, two hundred years would pass before we could print anything. Since we can't wait that long, we publish our translations knowing that they are bound to contain minor problems and errors. Two hundred years from now, people can revise them as they see fit. That's our method of translating Sutras.

Since we were translating Sutras, we founded Gold Mountain Monastery. In 1973 Mr. C.T. Shen loaned us a house because we were running out of room. At that time the men and the women were both living at Gold Mountain Monastery, the women on the second floor and the men on the third floor. There were rumors that in Gold Mountain Monastery where the rules were supposedly very strict, the men and women were mixing together in total disregard of the precepts. Many people outside were eager to find fault with us.

In 1975 when our place became too small again, we began to search for another place and came upon what is now the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. You could say the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas appeared because we needed a bigger place. Now all of you who have taken refuge with me should make a resolve to support the City.

You should all know how we came to have the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. The first time I visited the place, I didn't dare to think of buying it, because it was simply immense! I didn't even dare to dream about the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. When I came a second time and looked at the hospital, which I hadn't seen the first time, I thought to myself, "This hospital alone is worth much more than the price they're asking for. Even with that much money, we couldn't build such a hospital or buy one like it now." Then I decided to go for broke, to lay it on the line. I said, "We definitely have to buy this place. If we don't, then I'm going to take this 'cane of birth and death' and beat every one of my disciples to death, regardless of whether you are Chinese or American, left-home or lay people. I won't spare a single one. Why should I spare you if you are totally useless and can't do a single thing for Buddhism?" After that, we entered into negotiations and bought the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.

Right now the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is still a baby that needs to drink milk and be cared for by its mother and nanny. It needs all kinds of care and protection in order to grow up. If any of you are afraid of taking losses together with your teacher, then you can leave right now and go 108,000 miles away. If you aren't afraid of taking a loss with your teacher, then come and support the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.

What I'm saying to you now is important! No one is allowed to retreat. Everyone has to go forward with courageous vigor.