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Melodic Meditation: Buddhist Chant as a Vehicle for Choral Composition
During the 2017–2018 academic year, it was my good fortune to spend five months in Taiwan researching Buddhist chant as a U.S. Fulbright Senior Scholar. My primary host institution was the Institute of Humanistic Buddhism here at Fo Guang Shan and I worked closely with the capable leaders of the Institute, most notably Venerable Miao Guang. I spent a majority of those five months living in the residence attached to 普賢殿 (Samantabhadra Shrine) on these Fo Guang Shan headquarters monastic grounds. Morning and evening chanting services in the Main Shrine were a typical part of my routine, as was the thrice-daily mealtime chanting.
A Theoretical Analysis on the Possibility of Attaining Buddhahood Using the Mental Cultivation Methods of Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s “I am Buddha” and Chan Master Huangbo’s “This Mind is Buddha”
Humanistic Buddhism teaches the concept of “I am Buddha.” Engaging the spiritual attitude of a Buddha, many kinds of Buddhist activities can be undertaken in our daily lives. Subjectively, this attitude strengthens one’s resolve. Objectively, it leads to one making significant contributions to society. The Chan approach to spiritual cultivation is “This mind is Buddha.” Being in the state of mind where no thoughts arise, and having the mind of a Buddha, is a manifestation of “I am Buddha.” If one attains the former state, then no matter when one achieves Buddhahood, in this life one will do the Buddha’s work. If one attains the latter state, then no matter when one achieves Buddhahood, one will always be in the state of Buddha-mind. The former is the embodiment of bodhicitta and the latter an embodiment of prajñā. Both modes complement the other and combine to create one of Humanistic Buddhism’s most popular teachings: “I am Buddha.” It is not of the first importance when practitioners of this method actually attain Buddhahood. With confidence, application, and the abandonment of wrong views, the practitioner is already on the path to becoming a Buddha.
Call for Papers: A Life Remembered—Tribute Issue to Venerable Master Hsing Yun
Call for Papers: A Life Remembered—Tribute Issue to Venerable Master Hsing Yun We are pleased to announce that the 2026 issue of Studies on Humanistic Buddhism will be a tribute to.....
My Understanding about Humanistic Buddhism
Humanistic Buddhism inspires us to elevate and have faith in ourselves; because this self embodies the wisdom and virtue of the Buddha. Thus we must realize that we are all buddhas and be proud to say that “I am a buddha.” Such is the spirit of Humanistic Buddhism. Instead of placing our fate in the hands of divine entities, we should take responsibility for our own lives. The saying in the Āgamas, “Rely on the self, rely on the Dharma, rely on nothing else,” is a rendition of the faith of Humanistic Buddhism.
Issues of Acculturation and Globalization Faced by the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order
Ever since Buddhism began disseminating from India to other parts of the globe, it has had to find its way through a seemingly endless array of host cultures. As the world’s largest Buddhist order, Fo Guang Shan has successfully taken root in some 200 major cities across the five continents. How has Humanistic Buddhism as advocated by Fo Guang Shan’s founder Venerable Master Hsing Yun acculturated in a wide range of cultural locations across the world? This paper assesses the progress and acculturation of Fo Guang Shan, and discusses the factors of success and failures in terms of its acculturation strategies, changes in the approaches of Dharma propagation, and the acculturative stress experienced.
The Brilliant Achievements of Humanistic Buddhism in Australia
Venerable Master Hsing Yun has confidence in, awareness of, and a great aspiration to improve Buddhist teachings, and has for many years promoted the international spread of Humanistic Buddhism. With the establishment of more than three hundred temples worldwide, he has performed the first steps toward realizing his great vow of having “the Buddha’s light shining universally on the three thousand realms and the Dharma stream flowing across all five continents.” Among these worldwide temples, the construction works in Australia and the teaching of Buddhism in that country have been outstanding, drawing much praise for its speedy execution and extensive influence.
Historic Achievements of the Hsing Yun Model
At the core of religion is faith. Rebuilding faith is key to reversing the decline of traditional religion and to successfully realize modernization. True faith comes from the heart. In recent times, there have been two paths by which Chinese Buddhism has been rebuilding faith. The first method focuses on reconstructing Buddhist faith based on sūtras, i.e., on the authority of scripture. This has been adopted by the Faxiang school, among others.
Studies on Humanistic Buddhism VI : Humanistic Buddhism: Wisdom and Compassion in Action
Studies on Humanistic Buddhism VI : Humanistic Buddhism: Wisdom and Compassion in Action
Interpreting the “Humanistic” in Renjian Fojiao (人間佛教) as Advocated by Venerable Master Hsing Yun of Fo Guang Shan
Śākyamuni Buddha expounded the Four Noble Truths as his first teachings to demonstrate to human beings the causes of suffering, and more importantly, to give hope that suffering can end. For this reason, the Buddha is often referred to as the doctor who tends to human beings in their very fundamental need: fulfillment in attaining freedom from suffering. As human interests and values are given broader definitions, the Buddhist movement also becomes much more diverse in scope, giving Buddhism a humanistic character regarding various aspects of life.
