China News Agency, Beijing, February 6th, title: "Cross-strait peace, lifelong hope" - Master Hsing Yun's journey in the world

  China News Agency reporter Zheng Qiao Wang Jiexian

  On February 5th, Master Hsing Yun, the founding patriarch of Taiwan's Fo Guang Shan and the founder of the International Buddha's Light Association, passed away in Kaohsiung.

  Master Hsing Yun, commonly known as Li Guoshen, was born in Jiangdu, Jiangsu in August 1927, and became a monk at Qixia Temple in Nanjing at the age of 12.

I even saw the term "nebula cluster" in the dictionary, which means "before the universe was formed, countless cloud-like stars combined, which were large, ancient, and boundless." The name "Xingyun" hopes that I can shine like a star in the dark, which also means "clouds floating in the sky without restraint".

  Throughout his life, Master Hsing Yun has encountered various tests in the great era, but he has always worked hard to fulfill his original intention.

He was born in the flames of war, and after going to Taiwan in 1949, he witnessed and participated in Taiwan's economic and social development.

In 1967, he founded Fo Guang Shan, which takes Humanistic Buddhism as its ancestry, and is committed to promoting education, culture, charity, and Dharma promotion, and spreading Humanistic Buddhism to a greater extent at home and abroad.

  Master Hsing Yun has made great contributions to cross-strait religious and cultural exchanges.

He has expressed emotionally on many occasions that cross-strait peace is his lifelong hope and greatest wish.

Born in troubled times

  Jiangdu, Jiangsu is the hometown of Master Xingyun.

He was born in the war-torn years. His father disappeared during the Nanjing Massacre, and he could not be found. He became a monk at Qixia Temple in Nanjing by chance. He is the 48th generation disciple of Linjizong.

  In 1947, he graduated from Jiaoshan Buddhist College.

In 1949, Master Hsing Yun led a monk rescue team of more than 70 people to Taiwan.

Because of being framed as spies, the group was arrested and imprisoned, and suffered a lot.

Afterwards, he visited Yuanguang Temple, Lingyin Temple, and Fayun Temple in Taiwan several times.

In a desperate situation, Master Hsing Yun opened up a road of "propagating the Dharma through culture". He wrote the book "Singing without Sound", edited the magazine "Life", and taught at the Taiwan Buddhist Seminar, spreading the view that "Buddhism must be reformed". That is to say, Buddhism should go out of the mountains and into the family and society.

  He also established the first Buddhist singing team in Taiwan based on the characteristics of young people who love to sing and make friends, and taught literary classics such as "Guwen Guanzhi".

In 1964, Master Hsing Yun founded Shoushan Buddhist Academy in Kaohsiung Shoushan Temple.

Three years later, he led his disciples to move rocks and earth, move mountains and fill ditches on a hilly land with poor land and inconvenient transportation in Dashu Township, Kaohsiung County. For ten years, he established the world-famous Fo Guang Shan.

Data map: Master Xingyun.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Lu Ming

Heart on both sides of the strait

  In 1987, exchanges between the two sides of the Strait, which had been isolated for decades, resumed.

In 1989, at the invitation of Mr. Zhao Puchu, then President of the Chinese Buddhist Association, Master Hsing Yun led a delegation of more than 500 people back to the mainland.

During the exchange, Zhao Puchu bluntly stated that he has an "important wish": he hopes that Master Hsing Yun can make more contributions to the cause of Buddhism in China and participate in the work of the Buddhist circle in mainland China.

  Since then, Master Hsing Yun has made many efforts to promote cross-strait religious and cultural exchanges.

In 2002, he joined forces with the Taiwanese Buddhist circles to welcome the finger relics from Famen Temple in Xi’an to Taiwan for enshrining, which was a major event in cross-strait exchanges. After that, he also participated in organizing the World Buddhist Forum, gave lectures at Yuelu Academy in Changsha, Hunan, and delivered a speech at the Boao Forum and rebuilt Dajue Temple in Yixing, Jiangsu, donated to build Yangzhou Jianzhen Library, sponsored Nanjing University to build Foguang Building, etc.

  Among them, a story about cross-strait Buddhist music exchanges is still being talked about with great interest.

In 2003, the Fo Guang Shan Fanbai Praise Troupe was invited to perform in Beijing and Shanghai for the first time. In the following year, the "Chinese Buddhist Music Performance Troupe" from both sides of the Taiwan Strait toured in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, the United States, Canada and other places, setting a new record for cross-strait Buddhist exchanges. new milestone.

Tian Qing, a professor at the China National Academy of Arts who contributed to this grand event, recalled that after performing in Shanghai, Master Hsing Yun lamented that fifty years ago, he brought the mainland's "Haichao Yinfanbai" to Taiwan, and fifty years later, he brought it to Taiwan. Bring it back to the mainland.

Although there is a vast strait between Taiwan and the mainland, the emotional exchanges between Chinese people whose blood is thicker than water cannot be blocked.

Data map: Master Xingyun.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhai Yujia

defend Chinese culture

  "I make no secret of my opposition to 'Taiwan independence', because I was born in troubled times... The suffering of the people at that time is still fresh in my memory after 80 years. Therefore, I advocate peace between the two sides of the strait, because the consequences of war will be It’s unimaginable.” In 2015, Master Hsing Yun was writing “Thoughts on Compassion?

When writing the preface to the book "The Way Out for Cross-Straits", it once again clearly expressed its views on cross-strait relations.

  He further pointed out, "All my life, I have promoted the practice of equality between monks and believers, men and women, self and others, and religious equality. For cross-strait peace and world peace, it is my lifelong hope."

  Worried about "de-Sinicization", Master Hsing Yun also appealed to the elites from all walks of life in Taiwan and the general public to stand up bravely and tell the next generation loudly that we are Chinese born in Taiwan, and we are proud to be descendants of the Chinese nation. Possess excellent Chinese culture.

  He even made a metaphor: Taiwan is like a human body, it cannot live without the heart of Chinese culture, otherwise it will not be able to beat on the world stage.

  In 2014, Master Hsing Yun, who visited Beijing again, made suggestions on "Chinese culture should strengthen the construction of soft power" under the title "Chinese Dream and Humanistic Buddhism".

He has also expressed his wish to promote Chinese culture many times: he hopes to organize the wonderful poems, lyrics and mottos since ancient times, so as to inspire the spirits of wandering Chinese and those who encounter setbacks and psychological distress.

Data map: Master Xingyun.

Photo by Cui Jiaming

Be an "Earthman"

  In Master Hsing Yun's view, he is Chinese, Taiwanese, and even "earthling".

"My philosophy is to create peace in the world together under equality, regardless of the size of the country, race or color, regardless of size, superiority, strength or weakness," he said.

  Master Hsing Yun has traveled all over the five continents and established hundreds of monasteries around the world, such as Xilai Temple in the United States, Nantian Temple in Australia, and Nanhua Temple in South Africa; he also founded Buddhist colleges, art galleries, libraries, publishing institutions, etc.; Founded many universities such as Xilai University in the United States and Nantian University in Australia.

Master Hsing Yun, who has been committed to promoting education, has received honorary doctorates from more than 30 universities around the world, including the University of Hong Kong, Eastern University in the United States, and the University of Santo Tomas in Chile.

  He has had many conversations with internationally renowned scholars.

In 2013, Master Hsing Yun shared the stage with Mo Yan, the Nobel Prize winner who visited Fo Guang Shan, and talked about the power of dreams.

He had talks with Swedish sinologist Ma Yueran, Sinologist Luo Duobi, Harvard University professor Vogel and other Western scholars, sharing his views on issues such as "Buddhism and Chinese literature" and "Buddhism and world peace".

  Being indifferent to life and death, Master Hsing Yun wrote his will "Sincere Confession" ten years ago. In more than 5,000 words, he recounted his life insights, expectations and love for Buddhism. He is sincere and touching.

He returned everything to society and demanded that all kinds of red tape be eliminated behind him.

  "I treat both sides of the strait as one family, and I treat the world as brothers and sisters." Master Xingyun left, but his great wisdom remained in people's hearts.

(over)