21 Facts About Hsing Yun

Hsing Yun was a Chinese Buddhist monk, teacher, and philanthropist based in Taiwan.

Hsing Yun was the founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist monastic order as well as the layperson-based Buddha's Light International Association.

Hsing Yun was considered a major proponent of Humanistic Buddhism and one of the most influential teachers of modern Taiwanese Buddhism.

Hsing Yun was born Lee Kuo-shen in 1927 in Jiangdu village, Kiangsu Province in the Republic of China.

Hsing Yun received the upasampada vinaya precepts under Ruoshun at the same temple in 1941, receiving the dharma name Wuche.

Shortly after taking the full precepts, Hsing Yun was first inspired by Buddhist modernism in 1945 while studying at Jiaoshan Buddhist College.

At a certain point, he adopted the name "Hsing Yun", literally meaning "nebula" in Chinese, to reflect his new philosophy.

Hsing Yun fled mainland China to Taiwan in 1949 following the communist victory in the civil war but was arrested along with several other Buddhist monastics.

In 1966, Hsing Yun bought some land in Kaohsiung and started building a large monastery.

Hsing Yun's Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order is a proponent of "Humanistic" Buddhism, and Hsing Yun himself was the abbot of the order until his resignation in 1985.

In Taiwan, Hsing Yun was notable for his activity in political affairs, particularly as a supporter of the One-China policy as well as government legislation supported by the Kuomintang, and was criticized for his views by those in favor of Taiwan independence and by religious figures, as being overtly political and "considerably far afield from traditional monastic concerns".

Hsing Yun encouraged reconciliation between China and the Dalai Lama, but tried hard to avoid causing rifts between him and his organisation and the Chinese government.

On 26 December 2011, Hsing Yun suffered a minor ischemic stroke, his second in that year.

Hsing Yun died at his residence in Fo Guang Shan monastery on the afternoon of 5 February 2023, after years of unstable health.

Hsing Yun was 95, having spent 85 years of his life as a monastic.

Hsing Yun had requested that no extravagant funeral arrangements be made, eschewing the traditional 49 day mourning period down to seven days.

Shortly after the formal announcement, Hsing Yun's body was placed in a seated position inside a dome-like container in the shape of the Parinirvana Stupa in Kushinagar, India.

Hsing Yun's body was placed upon a dais inside the Cloud Dwelling Building where he laid in state for seven days.

Hsing Yun's remains were cremated at Daxian Temple in nearby Tainan, Baihe District.

Hsing Yun's urn was returned to Fo Guang Shan's Longevity Memorial Park the same evening.

Several colorful sarira pearls were reported to have been found among Hsing Yun's remains following his cremation.