Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center

佛光山國際翻譯中心

Dear Dharma friends,

We are saddened to announce the passing of our beloved Venerable Master. His wise words are the inspiration for all we do here at the translation center, and we will honor his legacy and memory by continuing to spread the Dharma and share it with you.

The Passing Away of Fo Guang Shan Founder — Venerable Master Hsing Yun at Age 97

Merit Times, February 6, 2023

On the morning of February 6th, 2023, at 5 AM, 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 PM, amidst the solemn chanting of the Buddha’s name in the Founders Quarters at the Fo Guang Shan Light Transmission Building. With great sadness and sorrow, the congregation mourned the loss of such an eminent Buddhist Master. Faced with the reality that his heavenly and human eyes of of wisdom have now closed, and his ferry of wisdom has now sunk, they prayed for his swift rebirth into this world.

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’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.
Born in Jiangdu, Jiangsu, he lived as a global citizen
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. 
… Read more

An Honest Revelation — An Open Letter
by Ven. Master Hsing Yun, 1927-2023

All my life, many have thought of me as rich, but the truth is, staying poor has always been my motto. I grew up in a poverty-stricken family, yet I never saw myself as poor, because I always felt rich in heart. Till my old age, many have thought of me as very wealthy because they believe I own many education institutes, cultural enterprises, publishing houses, and foundations; however, I never felt that I owned anything because these belong to the public, not to me. Although I have constructed many temples around the world, none of these houses, buildings, or even any of the furniture were intended for me.

I own not a single piece of the tiles above my head or a single mound of the dirt beneath my feet. Every object within the Buddhist community belongs to the world, so how can there be such a thing as individual possessions? Nonetheless, in my mind, I can still feel that the entire world is mine.
All my life, I have owned neither a desk nor a cupboard. Even though my disciples have considerately prepared them for me, I still never used them. All my life, I seldom went out to the streets to shop, nor have I ever kept any savings. Everything that I have belongs to the public, the Fo Guang Shan Order, and the monastery. Likewise, all my disciples should follow the same example in dedicating one’s body and mind to the monastery, and live by following conditions.
… Read more

Link to Chinese Text: http://books.masterhsingyun.org/ArticleDetail/artcle1114

Prayers and Wishes for the Most Venerable Hsing Yun of Fo Guang Shan
《佛光星公祈願文》

O great compassionate Buddha,
Ven. Master Hsing Yun,
Born in Jiangsu, tonsured at Qixia,
Trained in Tsunglin Monastery then
Crossed the sea to Taiwan.
He who,
Endeavored to build a
Humanistic Pure Land to benefit all beings,

Propagated the Dharma on the Five Continents,
Has now come to the end of the journey,
Accomplished the goals of his life.
Ready to let go of his worldly ties
To reach the end of this lifetime.
O great compassionate Buddha, As his disciples, devotees, and friends Gather before you. We seek your compassion and blessings, We seek your guidance and teachings.
We would like to say to you,
O great compassionate Buddha,
The esteemed Ven. Master Hsing Yun was
A Humanistic Buddhist practitioner,
A patriarch who taught and benefited,
A bodhisattva who delivered all,
A teacher respected by heaven and humanity,
A most venerable of compassion and wisdom.
.… Read more

The Passing Away of Fo Guang Shan Founder_format2

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Source: https://www.merit-times.com/NewsPage.aspx?unid=829185

An Honest Revelation — An Open Letter
by Ven. Master Hsing Yun, 1927-2023

Dear Dharma protectors, friends, and disciples,

I am taking this opportunity to make an honest revelation to you all.

All my life, many have thought of me as rich, but the truth is, staying poor has always been my motto. I grew up in a poverty-stricken family, yet I never saw myself as poor, because I always felt rich in heart. Till my old age, many have thought of me as very wealthy because they believe I own many education institutes, cultural enterprises, publishing houses, and foundations; however, I never felt that I owned anything because these belong to the public, not to me. Although I have constructed many temples around the world, none of these houses, buildings, or even any of the furniture were intended for me. I own not a single piece of the tiles above my head or a single mound of the dirt beneath my feet. Every object within the Buddhist community belongs to the world, so how can there be such a thing as individual possessions? Nonetheless, in my mind, I can still feel that the entire world is mine.

All my life, I have owned neither a desk nor a cupboard. Even though my disciples have considerately prepared them for me, I still never used them. All my life, I seldom went out to the streets to shop, nor have I ever kept any savings. Everything that I have belongs to the public, the Fo Guang Shan Order, and the monastery. Likewise, all my disciples should follow the same example in dedicating one’s body and mind to the monastery, and live by following conditions. … Read more
 

Link to Chinese Text: http://books.masterhsingyun.org/ArticleDetail/artcle1114

Prayers and Wishes for the Most Venerable Hsing Yun of Fo Guang Shan
《佛光星公祈願文》

O great compassionate Buddha,
Ven. Master Hsing Yun,
Born in Jiangsu, tonsured at Qixia,
Trained in Tsunglin Monastery then
Crossed the sea to Taiwan.
He who,
Endeavored to build a
Humanistic Pure Land to benefit all beings,
Propagated the Dharma on the Five Continents,
Has now come to the end of the journey,
Accomplished the goals of his life.
Ready to let go of his worldly ties
To reach the end of this lifetime.
O great compassionate Buddha, As his disciples, devotees, and friends Gather before you. We seek your compassion and blessings, We seek your guidance and teachings.
We would like to say to you,
O great compassionate Buddha,
The esteemed Ven. Master Hsing Yun was
A Humanistic Buddhist practitioner,
A patriarch who taught and benefited,
A bodhisattva who delivered all,
A teacher respected by heaven and humanity,
A most venerable of compassion and wisdom.
.… Read more

Fall 2022 Updates

A new publication we are excited to be offering is the English translation of I Am Not a Monk “Sponging Off” Buddhism.

The original Chinese version was published in 2019. It is a collection of writings by Venerable Master Hsing Yun on his life covering a wide variety of topics, from childhood memories and surviving multiple wars to his journey as a monk, philanthropist, author, and founder of Fo Guang Shan monastic order: heartwarming, thought-provoking autobiographical essays that readers everywhere are sure to enjoy. Additionally, this title is packed with color photos and detailed captions that bring his words to life.

Print copies are available now!

Get a sneak peak inside!

The next volume of The Great Perfection of Wisdom Treatise (fascicles 16–20) is also available!

Fascicles 16–20 guide us through the perfections of diligence, meditative concentration, and prajna wisdom, respectively, and explain that the four bases of mindfulness, the four right efforts, and so forth (collectively known as the thirty-seven aspects of awakening) are the path to nirvana… Read more

The Treatise is a commentary by the legendary Nagarjuna (c. 150 – c. 250 CE) of The Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra. It builds on the ancient traditions of early Buddhism, adds scholastic systematic analysis, and rallies together the sutras and treatises of Mahayana Buddhism while describing the bodhisattva’s spiritual path to the omniscience of a fully awakened Buddha.

Fascicles 1–5, 6–10, 11–15, and 16–20 are available by request. (Note: each boxset contains 5 fascicles)