Handing Down the Light: The Biography of Venerable Master Hsing Yun

Back in 1927, in a small village in Jiangsu Province, China, a marvelous boy was born. Remarkable for his compassion and generosity, he was the object of teasing among the neighbors. Because of his habit of sharing the family’s candy with the neighborhood children, it was said that he knew little else but how to give everything away to others. Small wonder that such a boy would grow up to be a man who selflessly gives his life to spread the teachings of the Buddha! From his boyhood and early monastic training on the Chinese Mainland: through his emigration to Taiwan; to the extraordinary spread of his monastic foundation, Fo Guang Shan, to all of the world’s inhabited continents–this book shows the causes and conditions that resulted in the boy Li Guoshen developing into Venerable Master Hsing Yun, associate of world leaders and beloved teacher of millions. One of the hallmarks of his mission, from its earliest days, has been the writing and dissemination of deeply profound yet simply expressed works on the Dharma, and their application to the needs and concerns of people living in the modern world. The catalog you hold in your hand is one of the myriad fruits of this effort. As a religious reformer, an innovator in monastic method, and a caring educator. Venerable Master Hsing Yun has lived a life that can serve as an example to all of how to follow the bodhisattva path in the modern world.