Humanistic Buddhism Special Interest Group Commemorates Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s Centenary

Life News Agency

The Humanistic Buddhism Special Interest Group (HB SIG) held a commemorative session on 13 October 2026 to honour the legacy of Venerable Master Hsing Yun (1927–2023) in conjunction with his centenary. Close to 40 participants gathered online and in person to hear from three presenters: Daniel Wu, President of BLIA Sydney; Reverend Dr Nathan Jishin Michon, a Shingon Buddhist priest based in California; and Venerable Juefang, General Manager of the Hsing Yun Education Foundation Australia. All three contributed to the recently published Volume 8 of Studies on Humanistic Buddhism, a special issue themed Venerable Master Hsing Yun: A Life Remembered.

Drawing on more than 20 years of involvement with BLIA Sydney, Daniel Wu reflected on Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s vision of transforming Buddhism from a predominantly monastic tradition into one accessible to all.

He highlighted the establishment of BLIA in 1992 as an innovative initiative that formalised Buddhist volunteerism through modern organisational structures and democratic principles. This enabled lay practitioners to study, serve and guide others while maintaining close collaboration with monastics as spiritual advisers.

More than three decades later, BLIA Sydney faces new challenges in an increasingly multicultural and diverse Australian society, including generational transition, language barriers and cultural differences between first-generation migrants and their descendants.

Daniel outlined how BLIA Sydney continues to engage the wider community through inclusive activities that transcend language, age and cultural backgrounds. These include the SDG Young Artist Awards, which will celebrate their tenth anniversary in 2027, VegRun, Vege Plan A, scouting programs, and ongoing participation in Clean Up Australia and other community initiatives.

Looking ahead, he identified closer alignment of BLIA’s activities with contemporary social needs, particularly in education, mental health, aged care and social enterprise, as a way forward. He also emphasised systematic training and clear development pathways for members, alongside expanding the BLIA Scouts program to engage more young people and strengthen their connection with the wider organisation.

Quoting Venerable Master Hsing Yun, Daniel reiterated the importance of collaboration between monastics and laypeople, likened to the two wings of a bird, in extending the reach of Humanistic Buddhism beyond temples and into society and households.

Reverend Dr Nathan Jishin Michon reflected on his experience co-authoring a biography of Venerable Master Hsing Yun with John Gill while working at Buddha’s Light Publishing at Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple and pursuing a Master of Divinity in Buddhist Chaplaincy at the University of the West.

He recalled the challenge of presenting the extraordinary life of a renowned Buddhist figure in a biography that was both comprehensive and engaging. The writing process involved balancing major milestones with personal stories, interviews and lesser-known experiences that revealed the person behind his public achievements.

Describing the project as a journey of discovery, Reverend Michon encouraged participants to read the freely available online biography to learn more about the remarkable life and legacy of Venerable Master Hsing Yun.

Bringing the discussion closer to home, Venerable Juefang presented the Nan Tien Temple 30th Anniversary Oral History Project, conducted with guidance from the State Library of New South Wales and now preserved in its archives.

Drawing on oral histories and photographs, she brought to life memories of Nan Tien Temple’s early days, sharing Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s vows and aspirations in establishing a major Buddhist temple in a country where Fo Guang Shan had yet to develop a substantial devotee base. His vision was grounded in compassion and service to society.

Conducted in English and Mandarin, the Oral History Project complements official historical records by capturing the experiences and memories of monastics, lay devotees, and civic and political figures involved in the temple’s development.

Among the interviewees was former Wollongong Mayor David Campbell, who recalled witnessing the establishment of both Nan Tien Temple and Nan Tien Institute. He recognised Fo Guang Shan’s commitment to Australian society beyond religion, affirming that the organisation was "here for real".

Venerable Juefang described the project as a community endeavour undertaken with care, offering valuable primary resources for future scholarship. Humanistic Buddhism, she reflected, is not merely a teaching but a lived practice embodied in places, relationships and shared memories.

During the discussion, Dr Cecile Manikan, Director of the Humanistic Buddhism Centre in the Philippines, commended the session for situating Fo Guang Shan’s propagation of Humanistic Buddhism within the broader context of Buddhism in Australia. She noted that this perspective offered valuable documentation of how Humanistic Buddhism continues to evolve and serve Australian society.

In closing, Venerable Juewei, Director of the Humanistic Buddhism Centre at Nan Tien Institute, reflected on how Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s concern for humanity continues to guide Fo Guang Shan’s Dharma endeavours, particularly in today’s digital age. She highlighted monastic–lay collaboration as a sign of the growing maturity of Humanistic Buddhism, reflecting the Centre’s direction as it enters its eleventh year of fostering Buddhist scholarship in the region.

The meeting was facilitated by Dr Michael Murphy, editor of Studies on Humanistic Buddhism. Among those present were Abbess Manko, Chief Abbess of Fo Guang Shan Australia and New Zealand, and Abbess Chueh Shan of Nan Tien Buddhist Temple Parramatta. The gathering brought together close to 40 scholars, practitioners and members of the public from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States.

Supported by the Hsing Yun Education Foundation Australia, the Humanistic Buddhism Special Interest Group will next convene on 16 March 2027.