This year (2016) marks the 50^th anniversary of the founding of Fo Guang Shan Monastery. Previously, we published the Awakening the World Periodical, Buddhism Today Magazine, Sutra of the Month, and other publications. Fo Guang Buddhist Journal was published in 1976, following the establishment of Fo Guang Shan. The Universal Gate Buddhist Journal was published in 2002. We will publish the Humanistic Buddhism: Journal, Arts, and Culture this year to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of Fo Guang Shan.

During this time, Fo Guang Shan’s Dharma propagation through culture included Universal Gate Magazine, A Collection of Selected Chinese Buddhist Texts in Modern Writing, A Collection of Contemporary Buddhist Works and The Merit Times, a four-large page daily newspaper that has been published continuously for more than a decade, as well as the Encyclopedia of World Buddhist Arts, which was launched in 2013. Through the power of words, these Chinese and English publications have spread the history, doctrine, ideology, culture, and art of Buddhism to every corner of the world in various ways.

Fo Guang Shan established the Fo Guang Publishing House, Fo Guang Cultural Enterprise, Gandha Samudra Culture Company, Shanghai Da Jue Culture, and Fo Guang Publications Sdn. Bhd. in Malaysia to promote the long-term dissemination of Buddhist culture. Books have been translated into a variety of languages by the Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center. All of these publications, which serve to cleanse the minds of the readers, have been widely distributed.

Furthermore, the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Canon Committee has been working for over 30 years, publishing not only the Fo Guang Dictionary of Buddhism and the Chronological Chart of the History of Buddhism, but also the Agama Canon, Chan Canon, Prajna Canon, Pure Land Canon, and Lotus Canon, totaling over 200 volumes. Yogacara Canon, Jataka Canon, Sravaka Canon, Avatamsaka Canon, and Literature and Arts Canon are currently in editorial and will be published in the near future.

The 1,000-volume Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Canon has been reorganized, sectioned, punctuated, proofread, and corrected, and terminology explanations have been included. We are not concerned with the number of copies distributed; we simply want people to know that Buddhist publications are keeping up with the times. This is also an opportunity for Buddhist culture to leave a legacy. In addition, we hope that by utilizing various cultural publications, we will be able to reach out to a variety of academic institutions and families, enabling the Buddha’s teachings to be integrated into society.

A Christian is someone who was born into a Christian family. A Catholic is someone who was born into a Catholic family. A Muslim is someone who was born into a Muslim family. Buddhism, up until now, should have been the same. As the saying goes, “All roads lead to Rome.” Buddhism must be united in order to be strong, regardless of school of thought, sect, or practice. Whether it is Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, Chinese Buddhism, or Tibetan Buddhism, all in all, there is only one teacher, Three Dharma Seals, and religious order unified into the one “Humanistic Buddhism.” Seeing the Buddha as a human Buddha and Buddhism as Buddhism in this human world. In this way, the Buddha’s teachings can have a far-reaching impact. In other words, one can produce many within the vast emptiness, many can produce infinity, and infinity returns to oneness. This is the Huayan concept of one is all and all is one.

Everything we do is to promote Humanistic Buddhism, which adheres to the original intents of the Buddha, the current achievement, and the light of the world. Throughout history, the goal of today’s Buddhism has been to integrate and unify all schools of Buddhism as Humanistic Buddhism. As a result, the previously published Universal Gate Buddhist Journal will resume publication in January 2016 as Humanistic Buddhism: Journal, Arts, and Culture.

Humanistic Buddhism: Journal, Arts, and Culture is a bimonthly publication. Aside from academic articles, there are essays, fiction, reportage literature, and even comics. It also seeks to promote the spirit of Humanistic Buddhism, which is defined as “what the Buddha taught, what is essential to humans, what purifies, what is virtuous and beautiful.” We consider all that is righteous, combining theory and practice, traditional and modern to be Humanistic Buddhism, whether they are in the forest, giving talks, temples, multimedia, this-world ideology, or engaging in worldly endeavors.  My hope is that everyone will recognize that in order for Buddhism to be sustainable, it must follow the path of Humanistic Buddhism. Therefore, Buddhism must be accepted and respected by all in the future.

The first six issues of the bimonthly publication, Humanistic Buddhism: Journal, Arts, and Culture, were donated by the Venerable Master Hsing Yun Public Education Trust (a public trust founded by Fo Guang Shan) and aspiring devotees. They were offered completely free of charge.

We hope that this journal will bring together all Buddhist communities and serve as a unified voice for Buddhism. We invite all readers and scholars to submit articles and participate in this publication. We are willing to pay the remuneration. We hope to hear from all Buddhist publishers so that all writings can be published here. We also want to see Buddhist culture flourish and all Buddhas born. I would like to invite all readers to provide valuable feedback so that we can continue to improve. Furthermore, please help to spread the word about this journal so that Buddhism’s influence can grow.

I encourage my disciples to continue publishing this journal after one year, regardless of whether it is financially viable or whether a printing fee is required. I hope that everyone will get a copy of this publication, which is suitable for both young and old people and has both deep and shallow content. I sincerely hope that Buddhism today will become one “Humanistic Buddhism” in the world. In the same way as Catholicism, Christianity, and Islam, the only Buddhism that everyone accepts is Humanistic Buddhism.

On this day of publication, I wish you all peace and happiness.

Auspicious blessings to you.

January, 1, 2016, Fo Guang Shan Residence of the Founding Master