Evelyn Odom
The son of a poor family, Venerable Master Hsing Yun was born in 1927 in Jiangdu, Jiangsu Province, China. With a missing father, Master Zhu Kai of Qixia Temple in Yixing, Jiangsu Province, mentored him in monastic life. Venerable Master Hsing Yun continued his Buddhist studies at Jiaoshan Buddhist College. Afterwards, he became the principal of Baita Elementary School, which inspired in him a love of education that would lead him to establish sixteen Buddhist colleges, including one in the United States called University of the West. He also established a children’s home and nursing home.
All of these establishments served the modern concept of Humanistic Buddhism. The goal of Humanistic Buddhism is to unite all Buddhist sects and promote interfaith dialogue across all religions through symposia, conferences, and services. Humanistic Buddhism is committed to equality, respect for others, social progress, and support of the community. Humanistic Buddhism, as practiced by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, has been instrumental in promoting religious freedom in Asia, because of the support given to the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order. This Chinese Mahayana monastic order that belongs to the Linji Chan School was founded by the Venerable Master himself in 1967. The Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order is the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan and houses over one-thousand monastics, though its number of lay supporters are larger.
The Chinese government is one of Fo Guang Shan’s largest supporters. Typically the Chinese government restricts religious activity, particularly Abrahamic religious activity, as a result of the Chinese communist revolution in the second half of the twentieth century. Fo Guang Shan, however, has received substantial government support because of the Venerable Master’s support for the Chinese government. “We Buddhists uphold whoever is in charge. Buddhists don’t get involved in politics.” For the most part, the Venerable Master holds true to this philosophy, but he does support the unification of Taiwan and China, a priority for the communist party. Because of his support, the Chinese government has begun to favor the Venerable Master and Fo Guang Shan, so much so that the current Chinese President Xi has met with Venerable Master Hsing Yun four times since 2012 as part of an effort to promote traditional Chinese faiths to rejuvenate the country. Though the campaign wishes to promote faiths, the actions appear to promote the values of those faiths, not the faiths themselves. Fo Guang Shan still sees this as promoting Buddhism, however, because people will live more pure lives by practicing charity and compassion.
Though Fo Guang Shan cannot create social or religious programs to promote Buddhism in China, they can in the United States. The objectives of Fo Guang Shan at the Hsi Lai temple in Hacienda Heights, California are the following: foster talents through education, propagate Buddhism through cultural activities, benefit society through charitable programs, and purify people’s hearts and minds through Buddhist practices.
For education, Fo Guang Shan fosters multiple universities. The University of the West, located outside of Los Angeles, California, is committed to “providing a whole-person education, nourishing mind, body, and spirit, and facilitating cultural understanding and appreciation between East and West.” Besides higher education, Fo Guang Shan provides curriculum for high school students and grade school students. The Dharma School for Kids (aged seven through ten) aims to teach children how to plant seeds of goodness, be confident, and meditate. The Dharma School for Youth (aged eleven through seventeen) aims to use the fundamental values of life to help youth navigate tough times.
Cultural activities at Hsi Lai temple are mostly services. Many followers wake up at 05:30 for morning services of chanting and prostration. There is also a weekly Sunday Dharma service. Throughout the year are special dharma services. November includes the Medicine Buddha Dharma service that celebrates the birthday of the Medicine Buddha. The service includes recitation of the Medicine Buddha Sutra and lighting of lamps to connect practitioners with the Medicine Buddha.
Health is an important topic for the Hsi Lai temple, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Hsi Lai temple has hosted virtual lectures educating the public on how to boost immunity and a drive-through school book pick up. The temple also aims to assist the poor, sick and homeless; Fo Guang Shan’s main monastery in Taiwan provides free medical care to those who need it. The American Hsi Lai temple organizes Winter Relief Projects, the Handicapped Children’s Fund, and the Poor Children’s Fund.
To purify people’s hearts and minds, the Hsi Lai temple hosts virtual classes during the pandemic (in-person during other times) on core Buddhist teachings, sutras, meditation, and yoga. The Hsi Lai temple aims to purify others’ lives through more than strict Buddhist education, however. The Hsi Lai temple hosts Boy Scouts of America Troop 8888. The boys of this troop aim to practice Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s “Three Acts of Goodness”: Do good deeds, speak good words, and think good thoughts.
Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s Three Acts of Goodness are similar to John Wesley’s, the founder of Methodism’s, mantra: Do all the good you can to all the people you can, every day that you can, for as long as you can. Though John Wesley and Venerable Master Hsing Yun came from opposite parts of the world at different times, the similarity demonstrates the interfaith religiosity of Humanistic Buddhism. In practice, the Hsi Lai temple has participated in the National Day of Prayer Interfaith Virtual Gathering this past May seventh. The Buddha’s Light Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Hsi Lai temple, which combines Buddhist music with classical Western music, participated in An Interfaith Concert Celebrating Diversity and Unity Through Music. The concert was performed at the Willshire Christian Church, the Pacific Asia Museum, and the Chinese Cultural Center.
The concert is one example of universality, one of three fundamental Buddhist concepts, according to Venerable Master Hsing Yun. Universality ties in with Humanistic Buddhism, and it is demonstrated by the Hsing Lai temple’s open arms. Anyone may visit the temple or participate in the temple’s activities, and have a vegetarian lunch, which are free after Sunday services. Activities of the Hsi Lai temple are taught in English and Chinese, so that everyone can participate.
The other two fundamental Buddhist concepts, according to the Venerable Master, are altruism and joyfulness. Venerable Master Hsing Yun said, “A joyous mind delights in the success of others…When one treats others with a joyful mind, others will feel warm and assured…Nothing is as valuable as joy in this world.” A division of the Fo Guan Shan Buddhist Order spoke of joy in a 1992 speech in San Diego. Joy can cure the disease of suffering, which is why people must share joy with each other. Joy replaces pessimism with optimism, which can be attained through practicing Buddhism. Sharing joy with others is an altruistic action. It is not only attained through teaching but actions, music, and charity. Joy is attained though prevailing in a country where religion is censored. It is attained through practicing kindness, compassion, and sympathy. Joy can be attained by strolling through the tranquil grounds of a temple and contemplating life.
More information about the Hsi Lai temple can be found at http://www.hsilai.org/en/index.php
Information on Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order can be found here: https://www.fgs.org.tw/en/
An informative article on Fo Guang Shan in China: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/24/world/asia/china-buddhism-fo-guang-shan.html