Venerable Yanqi joined the Dharma Drum Mountain San Francisco Bay Area Center (Fremont Meditation Center) as a Dharma Master in December 2024. He began a six-year meditation training program at the Dharma Drum Mountain Sangha University in 2018. During this time, he learned how to organize and operate a meditation center, lead meditation workshops and activities, and teach Buddhism in both Chinese and English.
The Venerable was ordained as a novice monk at Dharma Drum Mountain in 2019 and received full ordination as a Bhikkhu at Yuantong Temple in Puli, Taiwan in 2022. During his ordination period, he was honored to be selected as the head novice monk. During his ordination, he not only served the novices but also diligently studied the Vinaya Pitaka and the Bodhisattva Precepts of the Brahma Net Sutra.
Prior to ordination, he earned a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering in 2015, specializing in hearing aids, hearing loss, psychoacoustics, and medical device validation. Despite his engineering background, he believes that while technology can make our lives more convenient, it cannot bring true happiness. Practicing Buddhism and meditation can bring true happiness. Therefore, he vowed to study and share Buddhism, persevering in his efforts to awaken the same compassion and wisdom in everyone as in the Buddha.