Ven. Master Hsing Yun

Founder, Fo Guang Shan

The following is an excerpt from Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s diary, which can be found in Chinese within the Complete Works of Venerable Master Hsing Yun. The title “Joy and Harmony” was the theme of the first general conference of the Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA), which was held at Hsi Lai Temple in California. The “Gate of Non-Duality” refers specifically to the gate at the entrance to Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Taiwan, and more generally to the concept of awareness beyond dichotomies. A couplet above the entryway reads, “This gate is called ‘non-duality,’ duality or non-duality, both are one’s true face. This mountain is Vulture Peak, mountain or no mountain, nothing is not my pure body.” The diary entries provide an intimate look at Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s thoughts and activities over a period of two weeks. Seeing the amount of events he attended, and the number of guests he met, we get a sense of how a “humble monk” was able to create something as great as Fo Guang Shan. Among the mundane details he documented, there are also spiritual gems he left for us to discover. -Ed.

Ven. Master Hsing Yun,Studies on Humanistic Buddhism VI : Humanistic Buddhism: Wisdom and Compassion in Action(2024)1-62.COPY