Rev. Heng Sure, an American Buddhist Monk grew up in a Methodist Scots-Irish family in Ohio before converting to Buddhism. He went for a 6 year without saying a word in 1977 after being ordained as a Mahayana Monk. Rev. Heng Sure also embarked on a 2 year walking pilgrimage from downtown Los Angeles to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, in Talamage, near Ukiah, with a fellow monk. Along the way, he completed a full prostration, or bow to the ground, every three steps.
It is amazing that such pilgrimage and silent retreat can be achieved to promote world peace. I wonder a person on silent retreat communicates? Can they use sign languages and write notes? Or They are supposed to be silent through out the retreat?
Source:
http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma9/findreligion.html
