The Passing Away of Fo Guang Shan
FOUNDER – VENERABLE MASTER HSING YUN AT AGE 97
On the morning of February 6th, 2023, at 5 a.m., as dawn broke, a thousand monastic and lay members of the Fo Guang Shan Order knelt in the Main Shrine Courtyard of Fo Guang Shan Monastery, listening to the solemn announcement made by Most Ven. Hsin Bau, Chairperson of the Fo Guang Shan Board of Directors.
Ven. Master Hsing Yun, the founder of the Fo Guang Shan Order, passed away at age 97, on February 5th, 2023 at 5 p.m., amidst the solemn chanting of the Buddha’s name in the Founders Quarters at the Fo Guang Shan Light Transmission Building.
Venerable Master Hsing Yun devoted his life to the propagation of Humanistic Buddhism and the realization of the Fo Guang Pure Land. In the past 56 years since the founding of Fo Guang Shan, he had established over 300 temples worldwide and founded five universities in Taiwan, USA, Australia and the Philippines, as well as the Buddha’s Light International Association with millions of members. Countless people have benefited from his compassionate endeavors.
Venerable Master Hsing Yun was born in Jiangdu, Jiangsu Province, in 1927. He grew up in poverty and at the age of 12 accompanied his mother to Nanjing to search for his father but to no avail. As they passed Nanjing Qixia Monastery, he met Venerable Master Zhi Kai and became tonsured under him. At the age of 15, he received full ordination at the monastery under Most Venerable Ruoshun. His ancestral temple is Yixing Dajue Temple in Yixing, Jiangsu and he was given the Dharma name Wuche and the moniker Jingjue, as the 48th Patriarch of the Linji School and the founding Patriarch of the Fo Guang Order.
For over 80 years, Venerable Master endeavored to propagate the Dharma as a global citizen, inspiring and forever changing the lives of many. He was followed by over 2,000 monastic disciples and millions of followers worldwide. He had also ordained over one hundred Dharma heirs to continue his teachings.
In education, he founded the University of the West in the USA, Nanhua University and Fo Guang University in Taiwan, Nan Tien Institute in Australia and Guang Ming College in the Philippines. He also founded 16 Buddhist colleges, 27 art galleries, libraries, publishing houses, book stores, Water and Cloud Mobile Libraries, over 50 Chinese schools, Chih-Kuang Vocational High School, Pu-Men Senior High School, Juntou Junior High School, Junyi Experimental High School and several kindergartens. In philanthropy, since 1970, he successively established children’s homes, Fo Guang Senior Citizens’ Homes, the Compassion Foundation, Jen-Ai Senior Home, Water and Cloud Mobile Hospitals, Fo Guang Clinic, Mentality Protection Center Vehicles and supported the establishment of senior homes by the Kaohsiung County. He also sponsored Fo Guang Elementary and Junior High Schools, including dozens of Fo Guang Hospitals in mainland China, leading the Buddha’s Light members worldwide in donating wheelchairs and mobile homes, providing emergency relief and care as well as education for the young, the elderly and the disadvantaged. Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s life was a shining example of the teachings of Buddha. Throughout his lifetime, he dedicated himself to serving countless individuals, providing guidance and hope to Buddhists everywhere. Despite his passing, his achievements have left an indelible impact on the world and will continue to inspire future generations. The legacy of Venerable Master Hsing Yun will live on and his unwavering commitment to propagating Humanistic Buddhism and delivering sentient beings will always be remembered.
Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s life is epitomized in the following verse: With a heart filled with compassion and vows to save others,
My body is like the ocean of the dharma, unbound;
Should you ask what have I achieved in this lifetime?
Peace and happiness now shine over the five continents.