27 Facts About Chin Kung

Chin Kung AM was a Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar from the Mahayana tradition.

Chin Kung was the founder of the Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation, an organization based on the teachings of Pure Land Buddhism.

Chin Kung was known for his teaching of Pure Land Buddhism and work in promoting inter-faith harmony in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

Chin Kung was born in Lujiang County, Anhui, China as Hsu Yeh-hung, and received some classical Confucian education from a tutor in his hometown.

Chin Kung studied at the National Third Kuichou High School during the Second World War, and then at Nanking First Municipal High School following the war.

Chin Kung entered the monastic life in 1959, and was ordained at Lintzi Temple at Yuanshan in Taipei, Taiwan.

Chin Kung started studying under Lee Ping-nan in Taichung in 1958 and trained under him for ten years.

Chin Kung was unsuccessful in finding a temple in Taipei, so in 1966, he accepted the offer of lay supporter Han Ying, and moved into her family home for 17 years.

Han helped Chin Kung by renting venues for him to give dharma talks, and he travelled to the south of the island to give teachings, including at Buddhist institutions run by Hsing Yun.

Chin Kung taught at the Chinese Culture University from 1975 to 1980.

In 1979, with the help of Han, Chin Kung set up the Hwa Dzan Buddhist Library in Taipei, allowing him a stable physical base for his activities.

Chin Kung became well known for using modern technology to spread the Buddha's teachings.

Chin Kung is known for in-depth exposition series on many core Mahayana texts, such as the Avatamsaka Sutra, Surangama Sutra, Lotus Sutra, Diamond Sutra, Platform Sutra, and Infinite Life Sutra.

Chin Kung's teaching style comprised focusing on one sutra at a time, and explaining it verse by verse, covering a few passages in each lecture, meaning that a complete lecture series on any given sutra can take several months or more than a year.

Chin Kung was known to study the teachings of other philosophical and religious traditions, and was known for emphasising the philosophy of "kindness, fraternity, sincerity, and humility".

Since the late 1990s, Chin Kung organised and participated in interfaith forums across the globe, emphasising the importance of education and exhorting religious teachers to set an example by practicing the teachings of the sages and saints in their daily lives, and humbly learning from other religions.

Chin Kung founded and led the Hwa Dzan Society of Propagating Teachings, Hwa Dzan Monastery, Hwa Dzan Buddhist Library, Hwa Dzan Lecture Hall, and The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation.

Chin Kung sponsored the printing and the distribution of Buddhist texts worldwide, as well as portraits and pictures of various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, free of charge.

Chin Kung resided in Australia for many years and was based in the regional city of Toowoomba, near the Queensland state capital of Brisbane.

Chin Kung supported the Buddhist Educational Foundation at the University of Sydney and sponsored the Institution for Peace and Conflict Resolution at the University of Queensland.

Chin Kung travelled many times to Hong Kong, Singapore, mainland China, to teach Mahayana Buddhism.

In 2002, Chin Kung he was awarded an honorary professorship from the University of Queensland and an honorary doctorate from Griffith University, both in Brisbane, Australia.

In June 2005, the Most Venerable Chin Kung was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the General Division.

Chin Kung was recognised for "service to the Buddhist community in Queensland, particularly through the promotion of Buddhism and the fostering of interfaith activities between diverse ethnic groups, and to the community through support for educational and health institutions".

Chin Kung categorized Buddhism in practice into four different types.

Chin Kung tried to correct these misunderstandings and lead the public back to the original form of Buddhism as taught by Sakyamuni Buddha.

Chin Kung died at the age of 95 on 26 July 2022 in Tainan, Taiwan.