For Buddhism

In the chronological biography of the year 1967 in the Complete Works of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the Master recorded this historical moment:

“I specially chartered a large bus to bring everyone to the site, intending to describe the ideal in my heart on the spot. To my surprise, when they saw the mountains covered with thorny bamboo and paths overgrown with wild weeds, they became even more terrified. Not only did they refuse to get off the bus, they even exclaimed, ‘Who on earth would ever come to a ghostly place like this? If you want to come, Master, you should just come by yourself!’

I got off the bus alone, strolled around the mountain once, and after a long deliberation, said to myself with absolute certainty: ‘I must found this mountain, no matter what!’ ...

Looking back on my life, I have never had grand ambitions to revitalize Buddhism or benefit the world; I dare not claim such immense compassion and vows. However, ever since I became a monastic, what has always been at the forefront of my mind and in every single thought is indeed: ‘For Buddhism.’”

The Ten Periods of Venerable Master Hsing Yun's Life

A life of growth, a life of learning, a life of travel and learn, a life of literature, a life of history, a life of philosophy, a life of ethics, a life of Buddhology, a life of according with conditions, a life of perfection.

Chronological Biography of Venerable Master Hsing Yun (1927–2023)

"Trees have roots, and waters have a source." Buddhism originated in India, and monastics diffused eastward along the Silk Road and maritime routes, forming the two major systems of Southern and Northern Buddhism. Northern Buddhism further branched into Han (Chinese) and Tibetan Buddhism. Integrating with local cultures, Buddhism developed a multifaceted and diverse presence, profoundly influencing the entire world.

At the Vulture Peak assembly, Sakyamuni Buddha held up a flower and smiled, entrusting the essence of the Buddha Dharma to Mahakasyapa. This mind-to-mind transmission continued until Bodhidharma, the 28th Patriarch of the West, traveled east to China and transmitted the Dharma to Huike, enabling Buddhism to flourish and radiate brilliant splendor in the land of China.

Venerable Master Hsing Yun is the 48th-generation lineage holder of the Linji Chan School. Dedicating his entire life to Buddhism, his footprints of Dharma propagation spanned across the five continents, yielding monumental and immeasurable merits. His extraordinary life and milestones—encompassing his family background, lineage succession, Dharma names and pen names, ancestral tonsure temple, academic studies, global propagation, and the establishment of Fo Guang Shan and Humanistic Buddhism—have been meticulously compiled into the Chronological Biography of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, spanning eight comprehensive volumes within the Complete Works of Venerable Master Hsing Yun.

This video provides a brief, chronological chronicle of the Master's lifelong journey of Dharma propagation. We warmly invite you to follow the footsteps of Venerable Master Hsing Yun and embark on a journey across time and space!

The Four Objectives of Fo Guang Shan

The assembly of so many Fo Guang members at Fo Guang Shan is not a mere gathering without purpose! We harbor the ideal to revitalize Buddhism, and we possess the vow to universally benefit society. We understand that the future wisdom-life of Buddhism rests entirely upon Dharma enterprises. Buddhist endeavors in education, culture, and charity are all skillful means (upaya) for propagating the Dharma. Over the decades, we have fostered talents for Buddhism, and these individuals have established senior citizen homes, orphanages, nurseries, kindergartens, high schools, universities, magazines, newspapers, radio stations, television networks, lecture halls, hospitals, publishing houses, and libraries. It can be truly said that our enterprises have driven the development of modern Buddhism.

Excerpt from the "Complete Works of Venerable Master Hsing Yun: How to be a Fo Guang Member"

To Propagate the Dharma Through Culture

From the Awakening the World Periodical to the Merit Times ; from Universal Gate Magazine and Universal Gate Buddhist Journal to the Journal of Humanistic Buddhism; from the Arts & Cultural Service Center to the Fo Guang Cultural Enterprise, and from the Fo Guang Dictionary of the Buddhism to the Fo Guang Buddhist Canon; from broadcasting the Dharma on television to founding Beautiful Life Television (BLTV), establishing the Fo Guang Yuan (FGY) Art Galleries—which now span 27 branches worldwide—and the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum, to founding 26 libraries and the Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center (FGSITC), the Master's cultural endeavors have been vast and monumental.

Venerable Master Hsing Yun emphasized that all of these enterprises were created for a single purpose: to propagate the Buddha Dharma in a more accessible and easily understandable way to every corner of the world. Therefore, even though Fo Guang Shan's cultural units have often faced financial deficits over the past decades, such financial hardships have never wavered the Master’s resolute determination to sustain and flourish these Buddhist cultural enterprises.

To Foster Talents Through Education

Venerable Master Hsing Yun deeply recognized the profound importance of education in character formation, devoting his entire life to honoring and implementing the philosophy of fostering talents through education. In his early years, the Master established the Ci-Ai Kindergarten and various adult evening tutoring classes in Yilan, which served as the pioneering precursors to his lifelong educational mission. To nurture Buddhist talents, he founded the Fo Guang Shan Tsung Lin University; over the past sixty years, the sounds of learning and chanting have never ceased within its halls. Furthermore, he established 17 Buddhist colleges globally, spanning overseas locations such as Malaysia, Australia, Hong Kong, and India.

The Master also founded Chih-Kwong Commercial and Industrial Vocational High School, Pumen Senior High School, and the Jun-Tou and Jun-Yi bilingual elementary and junior high schools. Most notably, he established five comprehensive universities worldwide: University of the West in the USA, Nanhua University and Fo Guang University in Taiwan, Nan Tien Institute in Australia, and Fo Guang Shan College of Kuang Ming University in Philippines. These institutions are integrated into the first transcontinental network of its kind: the "Fo Guang Shan United University System". Venerable Master Hsing Yun firmly believed that education is the most direct and effective vehicle for changing a nation’s destiny, driving societal progress, and elevating the quality of human life.

To Benefit Society Through Charity

The Compassionate Foundation established by Fo Guang Shan promotes charitable work encompassing childcare, elderly care, medical care, and even end-of-life care. This includes establishing orphanages, senior apartments, emergency relief, Fo Guang Shan joint clinics, and mobile hospitals providing free medical services to residents in remote areas. Simultaneously, through its various branch temples, it leads believers in establishing emergency relief associations, winter relief associations, and charity service teams to carry out various charitable relief efforts according to the needs of all beings. Whenever major disasters occur domestically or internationally, adhering to the principle of "emergency relief is more important than poverty alleviation," it promptly engages in disaster relief activities and even provides psychological counseling. It provides comprehensive care for people throughout their lives, from aging and illness to death.

To Purify People's Minds Through Spiritual Cultivation

Following the founding of Fo Guang Shan, Venerable Master Hsing Yun not only established regular Saturday evening "Spiritual Cultivation" services across all branch temples, but also pioneered diverse modern approaches, including Buddhist lecture series and symposiums. Annually, various branch temples host Sangha Day Offerings, Blessing Dharma Services, Light Offering Dharma Services, the Emperor Liang Repentance Service (Water and Land Dharma Service), and Medicine Buddha Dharma Services.

The Master advocated the integration of tradition and modernity, envisioning temples as life’s refueling stations, schools, department stores, and cultural centers. He seamlessly incorporated Buddhist rituals into the daily lives of devotees, encompassing full-month naming ceremonies, school enrollment blessings, coming-of-age rituals, Buddhist weddings, longevity celebrations, housewarming blessings, consecration ceremonies, and memorial services. Consequently, Buddhism was transformed from a religion perceived as only serving the deceased, to a living faith where individuals receive Buddhist blessings from birth to the very end of life’s journey.

Global Distribution Map of Fo Guang Shan

Venerable Master Hsing Yun founded Fo Guang Shan in 1967. Over the past sixty years, he established nearly 300 temples and wayplaces globally—including Hsi Lai Temple in the USA, Nan Tien Temple in Australia, Nan Hua Temple in Africa, and Zu Lai Temple in Brazil—each becoming the largest Buddhist temple in its respective region. The Master's teachings spread far and wide, inspiring over 2,000 disciples from all corners of the world to join the monastic order, and attracting millions of devotees worldwide.

In 1992, the Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA) was officially inaugurated in Los Angeles, USA, with the Venerable Master elected as the World Headquarters President. To date, BLIA chapters have been established in over 170 countries and regions across five continents, evolving into the largest organization for global Chinese communities and fully realizing his grand ideal: "May the Buddha's Light shine upon the three thousand realms; may the Dharma water flow across the five continents."

Conclusion

In the concluding passages of An Honest Confession: My Last Instructions, Venerable Master Hsing Yun wrote:

“Ultimately, what remains closest to my heart, besides the happiness and peace of our devotees, is the emphasis that must be placed on the universities we have established worldwide; they are our foundational roots. As for the assembly on our mountain, especially the faculty and students of the Tsung Lin University, they are the future seeds of Bodhi for Fo Guang Shan. Only when they are wholesome and have given rise to the bodhicitta can Humanistic Buddhism endure eternally with the universe and coexist with all people.

The banner of Dharma must never fall; the lamp of wisdom must never extinguish. It is my sincere hope that everyone will continue to forge ahead diligently on the grand path of Humanistic Buddhism, encouraging one another and together, treasuring themselves for the sake of Buddhism.”

Just as the Buddha delivered his profound and earnest exhortations to his disciples in the Sutra on the Buddha's Bequeathed Teaching, Venerable Master Hsing Yun expressed his deep care for all sentient beings through An Honest Confession. He instructed his disciples to practice diligence and dedicate themselves to the development of Humanistic Buddhism with his self-written verse:

“A mind of compassion, A body unbound, My only wish? Peace and Happiness for all”

This vow ensures that all sentient beings may be liberated from suffering and attain happiness. This is the Master’s original vow, and it stands as the profound responsibility and mission of every Fo Guang member!

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse