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Footprints in the Snow: Autobiography of a Chinese Buddhist Monk

Chan Master Sheng Yen
Doubleday (2008)
ISBN 9780385513302
Reviewed by Randy A. Lakin for RebeccasReads (2/09)

I have to say that Sheng Yen’s book, “Footprints in the Snow” is truly amazing.  I normally do not care for autobiographies; however “Footprints in the Snow” really captivated me.  The author was born in 1930, the year of the Horse, in a house near Xiaoniang Harbor.  The Xiaoniang Harbor is just west of where the Yangzi River empties into the East China Sea.  The author talks about life under Japanese rule and how the soldiers would rape girls and kill other people with their bayonets.  The author had a life-changing event when in the summer of 1943 when a neighbor by the name of Dai Hanqing dropped by their house.  During a conversation with the neighbor, Sheng Yen’s mother stated, half joking, that with his poor health and lack of money, he should become a monk.  Their neighbor asked if she was serious about him becoming a monk.  It turned out that Dai Hanqing was on good terms with the monks at White Mountain Monastery and knew they were looking for an infusion of fresh young blood into the monastery.  This was the start of his life as a monk and on his way as a gift to the world.

The author tells how hard it was to be a monk after the Japanese left because of the fighting between the Nationalists and the Communists that started.  The Communists took up residence at the monastery and they were polite at first, nothing like the Japanese.  Then just a novice, “Master Sheng Yen,” knew nothing about the Communists at the time.  He tells in the book how things started to change with gunshots in the night and then the local government officials disappeared one by one.  The Communists where lead by a man named “Mao.”  He tells how unsafe the monastery became, so he left with his master for Shanghai.  This was a turning point for him and his life as a monk: the little country boy comes to the big city.

The author explains how he studied under different masters and what he learned from them.  During this time he started to get published in newsletters and eventually into writing books.  This book lays out the whole story of Master Sheng Yen’s life from a sickly little boy to a man who wanted to spread Buddhism and Dharma to the world.  I have to say that the author does a fantastic job of relaying his life experiences to us.  I think you will want to read more by Master Sheng Yen after reading this book; I know I do.  This book is a must for anyone interested in Buddhism, Asian lifestyles or life in general.  I thought this book was great and it kept my interest the whole way through.

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