A Vietnamese nun who came to the United States in 1980 as a refugee with less than $20 and no knowledge of English, Venerable Dam Luu became a respected figure in the Vietnamese community and and benefitted society at large in many positive ways. Her innovative work teaching Buddhism, training nuns, and nurturing the evolution of the Vietnamese tradition has had a strong impact on the development of Vietnamese Buddhism in the United States.

Dam Luu was born into a Buddhist family on August 4, 1932, in Ha Dong province, northern Vietnam. When she was 2 years old, her parents took her to visit Cu Da Temple. When it was time to leave, the child refused to go home with her parents and insisted on staying at the temple, where she came under the care of the abbess, Bhiksuni Dam Soan.

Dam Luu was ordained as a novice (sramanerika) in 1948 and as a bhiksuni in Hanoi in 1951. She graduated from Duoc Su Seminary in 1960 and directed Lam Ty Ni Orphanage until April 1975, when the Communists took over the Saigon government.

After four unsuccessful attempts, she escaped Vietnam when she was 46 and, after a stint in a refugee camp, eventually arrived in California. By collecting cans and newspapers, she gathered the resources to establish Duc Vien Temple in San Jose in 1981. "Vietnamese Nuns Bring Calm to Neighborhood," a newspaper article paying tribute to "the only Buddhist temple in Northern California run by women," was reprinted in the Winter 1994 Sakyadhita newsletter.

Venerable Dam Luu was a long-time member of Sakyadhita and offered her temple for monastic training programs and conferences for Buddhist women. After she passed away on March 26, 1999, and her body was cremated, numerous relics (sarira) in various colors were discovered, signifying a high level of spiritual attainment. Her life story, told by Ven. Thich Minh Duc, will soon appear in Swimming Against the Stream: Innovative Buddhist Women (Curzon Press, 1999).

Visitors are welcome at her temple:
Duc Vien Temple
2420 McLaughlin Avenue
San Jose, CA 95121