Inheriting the Past, Inspiring the Future.
Venerable Ru Chang, Director-General, Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery
Sixty years ago in 1967, Venerable Master Hsing Yun chose a piece of barren wasteland in Dashu District—a place so desolate that people said even ghosts would not venture there—to found Fo Guang Shan. Today, sixty years later, Fo Guang Shan attracts over ten million pilgrims annually and has fulfilled the grand vow: “May the Buddha's Light shine upon the three thousand realms; may the Dharma water flow across the five continents.” This stands as a powerful testament to the Master’s unwavering conviction back then: “As long as the Buddha comes, the people will come.”
Venerable Master Hsing Yun founded Fo Guang Shan for the purpose of education. In the complete absence of experts, engineers, or architects, he worked alongside Mr. Hsiao Ting-shun, a carpenter who had only a junior high school education and could not read architectural blueprints. The two of them used tree branches to sketch designs on the ground, discussing as they built the temple. The Fo Guang Shan architectural complex we see today was not created overnight; it was built step by step over fifty years, overcoming hardships beyond words. While Fo Guang Shan may not be opulent or grand, it possesses the profound sacredness and solemnity of religion, serving as the spiritual center for Fo Guang members worldwide.
During the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican era, Buddhism in China was on the brink of collapse. Born into a chaotic era, the young Master witnessed this decline. Although reform-minded individuals at the time called for new Buddhist thought, their ideas were never fully put into practice. Realizing that Buddhism desperately needed revitalization, the Master resolved to act. Though his resources were initially limited, he seized every opportunity to speak up for Buddhism—whether editing magazines, writing articles, actively participating in domestic and international Buddhist activities, or founding Fo Guang Shan to develop global propagation through culture, education, charity, and spiritual cultivation. All of this stemmed from his noble ideal and resolute conviction: "For Buddhism"—a responsibility he felt uniquely chosen to bear.
“Building temples to set the Sanga, and propagation the Dharma across the five continents is like a lotus that stays clean and dry in water ;Traveling the world to form affinities in the ten directionsis like the sun and moon that abide in the void.” This couplet, gracing the main entrance of Fo Guang Shan Patriarch's Shrine, is the verse Venerable Master Hsing Yun used to summarize his lifelong propagation of the Dharma. The Master’s monumental merits are truly immeasurable, and Fo Guang members must carry forward this legacy and forge ahead into the future, striving to bring honor to Buddhism.
On the auspicious occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of Fo Guang Shan and the centennial birth anniversary of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, this exhibition, themed “60 Years of Passing the Lamp and Honoring a 100-Year Legacy,” briefly outlines the Master’s lifelong contributions dedicated entirely “For Buddhism.”
