Buddhist Master Hsing Yun (星雲法師), founder of the Kaohsiung-based Buddhist organization Fo Guang Shan, died on Sunday at the age of 95.
Fo Guang Shan yesterday confirmed in a statement that Hsing Yun had passed away peacefully at 5pm the previous evening.
A memorial service is to be held at Fo Guang Shan’s Cloud Dwelling Building at 9am on Monday next week.
Photo: Chen Chia-yi, Taipei Times
Hsing Yun, born as Lee Kuo-shen (李國深) in 1927 to a poor family in China’s Jiangsu Province, became interested in Buddhism at age 12 after visiting Nanjing’s Qixia Temple while on a trip to the city with his mother in an unsuccessful effort to find his father.
After taking his religious vows, he graduated from Jiaoshan Buddhist Seminary in 1947. Two years later, he moved to Taiwan, where he taught and was editor-in-chief of the Buddhist publication Humanity Magazine.
In 1967, Hsing Yun founded Fo Guang Shan in Kaohsiung as a monastery with the purpose of promoting “the principles of humanistic Buddhism and foster[ing] peace and harmony among all peoples of the world.”
Fo Guang Shan gradually expanded into education, charity and media. It also founded more than 300 temples worldwide, as well as Buddhist seminaries, libraries and publishing companies.
Beginning in 1991, Hsing Yun established Fo Guang University and Nanhua University in Taiwan, University of the West in the US, Nan Tien Institute in Australia and Guang Ming College in the Philippines.
Since 2015, the five institutions have offered cross-enrollment and exchange programs as part of the Fo Guang Shan University Consortium.
In the past few decades, Hsing Yun also became increasingly involved in China, where he donated funds for the construction of temples and libraries, ran educational and cultural programs, and promoted cross-strait exchanges.
After suffering strokes in 2011 and 2016, Hsing Yun’s health deteriorated and he began making fewer public appearances.
He officially stepped down as director of Fo Guang Shan in 1985, but remained involved in its operations. The organization has been led by Hsin Bao (心保) since 2013.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) yesterday offered their condolences following Hsing Yun’s death, while expressing respect for his legacy of charity and compassion.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if the next president of that country decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said today. “We would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said during a legislative hearing. At the same time, Taiwan is paying close attention to the Central American region as a whole, in the wake of a visit there earlier this year by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lin said. Rubio visited Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala, during which he
RSS