Buddhism began in India before migrating to other parts of Asia. Buddhists in the southern countries, such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar, carry on a practice known as the Theravada. The form of Buddhism that moved north and east, into China, Korea, and Japan, among others, is called the Mahayana. In a breathtaking display, Venerable Master Hsing Yun harmonizes the traditions of these two major branches of Buddhism, demonstrating that seemingly disparate ideals are in fact pointing us toward the same objectives. This book will be appreciated by Buddhists of all traditions, as well as by non-Buddhists, as a masterful synthesis of some of Buddhism's main teachings.
Venerable Master Hsing Yun is a Chinese Buddhist monk, author, philanthropist, and founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order, which has branches throughout Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Ordained at the age of twelve in Jiangsu Province, China, Master Hsing Yun has spent his over seventy years as a Buddhist monk building what he calls Humanistic Buddhism: Buddhism that meets the needs of people and is integrated into all aspects of life.
In 1949, Master Hsing Yun came to Taiwan and began to nurture the new burgeoning Buddhist culture in Taiwan. He served as an editor and contributor to many Buddhist magazines and periodicals, authoring the daily columns "Between Ignorance and Enlightenment," "Dharma Words," and "Hsing Yun's Chan Talk," as well as starting his own Buddhist magazine, "Awakening the World," in 1957, and the first daily Buddhist newspaper, the "Merit Times," in 2000. Master Hsing Yun authored many important works including the "Song of Silence," the "Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha," and "National Master Yulin." Master Hsing Yun also edited and sponsored the Fo Guang Encyclopedia, the most authoritative Buddhist reference work in the Chinese language. His contributions have reached as far as sponsoring Buddhist music and art, to creating Buddhist programming for television, radio, and the stage.
