President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) were among the thousands of people who gathered in Kaohsiung yesterday for the funeral of Buddhist master Hsing Yun (星雲法師), the founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist organization.
Hsing Yun, who died on Feb. 5 at the age of 95, founded Fo Guang Shan as a monastery in 1967 and gradually grew it into an international religious organization with influence in education, charity and the media.
Police had anticipated that about 30,000 people would attend the event, many of whom ended up watching the proceedings on large screens set up outside Fo Guang Shan’s Cloud Dwelling Building, where the funeral took place.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
During the ceremony, which began at 9am, Tsai awarded Hsing Yun with a posthumous presidential citation in recognition of his “far-reaching impact and contributions to the state, society and religious life” of Taiwan.
Other political figures attending the event included Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Minister of the Interior Lin Yu-chang (林右昌).
An attendee who gave her name as Lee (李) said she had taken the day off work to pay her respects to the late religious leader, whom she admired for his “contributions to society and efforts to bring people closer to Buddhism.”
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
Hsing Yun’s funeral also included a procession around the Fo Guang Shan grounds, during which many of his followers pressed their palms together, knelt or prostrated themselves as the vessel containing his body passed.
Following the funeral, Hsing Yun’s remains were scheduled to be taken to Tainan’s Dasian Temple (大仙寺) for cremation and interred at Fo Guang Shan’s Wanshou Garden.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
Passengers on Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) will be required to use headphones and make phone calls in gangways under new “quiet travel” rules starting Sept. 22. THSR Chairman Shih Che (史哲) told media that THSR will run a three-month promotional campaign to ensure widespread adoption of the new rules. Those repeatedly ignoring the guidance face the potential termination of their transport contract, which can result in them getting escorted off the train, according to THSR. Shih shared his hope to cultivate an environment conducive to rest and reading for the train’s passengers, stating that these changes aim to “promote self-discipline” among passengers
RSS