Hsing Yun was a Chinese Buddhist monk, teacher, and philanthropist based in Taiwan famous for establishing a modern brand of Buddhism in Taiwan and opened temples around the world, becoming the rare religious figure backed by Beijing. Yun was first exposed to Buddhism by his grandmother who was a practicing Buddhist and meditator. At 12 years old in 1938 he entered the monastic life ordained as a novice at Qixia Temple under Zhikai. After taking the full precepts in 1945, Yun became inspired by ... moreHsing Yun was a Chinese Buddhist monk, teacher, and philanthropist based in Taiwan famous for establishing a modern brand of Buddhism in Taiwan and opened temples around the world, becoming the rare religious figure backed by Beijing. Yun was first exposed to Buddhism by his grandmother who was a practicing Buddhist and meditator. At 12 years old in 1938 he entered the monastic life ordained as a novice at Qixia Temple under Zhikai. After taking the full precepts in 1945, Yun became inspired by Buddhist modernism. Following this Yun changed his name to Hsing Yun to reflect his new belief. In 1949 after the communist won the civil war, Yun was arrested and released after 23 days. Yun spent the next several years developing and opening new temples around the world. He managed to establish 300 monasteries and five universities around the world, as well as communion and cooperation with all of the world’s major religions. He grew popular so much that he was referred to as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Taiwanese Buddhism, along with his contemporaries: Master Sheng-yen of Dharma Drum Mountain, Master Cheng Yen of Tzu Chi and Master Wei Chueh of Chung Tai Shan. Yun was awarded the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) from Whittier College in 2008.
