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

Fu Chi-ying (Author), Amy Lui-Ma (Translator) (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

Now in its third edition in English, Handing Down the Light, the inspirational biography of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, traces the extraordinary life and mission of one of the most influential spiritual leaders in the world today. In doing so, it sheds light on the indomitable spirit that distinguished him even at a young age. Full of lively anecdotes, penetrating insights and rich visual documentation, Handing Down the Light is a biography that itself transmits the light of an exemplary spiritual leader for the 21st century.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"No future histories of Chinese Buddhism will be complete without reference to the influences of this leader." --Professor Lewis R. Lancaster, University of California, Berkeley

About the Author

Author Fu Chi-Ying majored in journalism at National Cheng Chi University and is one of Taiwan's brightest new breed of editors in the publication of journals and newspapers. She was the managing editor at Commonwealth Publishing Company, Taiwan and is currently on special assignments. With this book, she hopes to hand down all good attributes of society to future generations. Amy Lui-Ma is the English translator of this biography.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 338 pages
• Publisher: Buddha's Light Publishing; Revised Edition edition (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932293094
• ISBN-13: 978-1932293098
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,447,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The inspiring life of a great Buddhist leader, December 21, 2001

By 

Dr. Richard Kimball (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Handing Down the Light : The Biography of Venerable Master Hsing Yun (Paperback)

This book documents the life of one of the most influential Buddhist teachers of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Venerable Master Hsing Yun of the Fo Guang Shan (Buddha's Light Mountain) Buddhist Order, Taiwan, has been a Buddhist scholar and writer for more than 55 years. This biography documents his early struggles to survive in China during the Japanese invasion of the late 1930s, through his equally difficult times after coming to Taiwan in 1949, to the development of one of the largest and most influential Chinese Buddhist Orders in today's world.

Venerable Master Hsing Yun is seen as a reformer (if not revolutionary) of Buddhism which in China had for many centuries retreated to the "Mountains and Forests." Through his remarkable resolve and diligent practice, he has brought a renaissance of the essence of original Buddhism to the every day lives of today's laity. Through a system of over 200 temples world-wide and a lay-Buddhist organization (Buddha's Light International Association), millions of people in many countries have been introduced to the teachings of the Buddha. Through his innovative methods as well as compassion, he has popularized the Buddha's teachings in a realistic and practical way for both personal and social transformation. Master Hsing Yun has inspired so many people though his work to "localize" Buddhism for the benefit of all sentient beings. As a caring and pragmatic educator, he continues into his 75th year to be a catalyst to so many people for both personal development and service to this world. The reader will not only clearly understand the causes and conditions out of which Venerable Master Hsing Yun arose, but also the benefits he continues to offer.