Historical Museum of Fo Guang Shan
Fo Guang Shan Founding Master, Venerable Master Hsing Yun

Star and Cloud

I love the starry sky at night,
And the fluttering clouds of the day.
No matter what kind of night we see,
No matter what kind of day we face,
There will always be stars in the sky,
There will always be clouds.
Sparks of starlight extend the boundaries of light;
The masses of clouds tell us about freedom in life.
The beautiful flowers are not always in blossom;
The shining moon cannot always be full.
Only the stars will be forever bright,
Shining and glittering high in the sky.
Blue skies cannot always be clear;
The warm sun will not remain forever.
Only the clouds—
They will never be halted.
At night, there are beautiful stars,
In the day, there are fluttering clouds.
Composed by Venerable Master Hsing Yun in 1951 at Qingcao Lake, Hsinchu

Venerable Master Hsing Yun described himself as having been born into adversity, raised in difficult times, yet living a life filled with joy. He was born in a poor town in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, where his childhood was marked by the constant threat of war, daily fear, and hardship, giving him a deep awareness of the impermanence of life. He said, “suffering is a condition that strengthens life; it is through suffering that I gain the strength to live.” After coming to Taiwan, during a time of social unrest, he used the power of Buddhism to bring stability to people’s hearts. Within a few decades, he promoted Humanistic Buddhism, integrating the Dharma into daily life, traveling across the world to benefit all beings, and continuing the transmission of a thousand-year lineage.

After arriving in Taiwan, Venerable Master Hsing Yun observed that Buddhism was largely confined to the role of a “funerary religion,” with insufficient monastic education and limited capacity to exert a positive influence on society. He believed that Buddhism must undergo reform with culture and education so that the Dharma could move outside of temples and truly be integrated into everyday life. To this end, he established Buddhist cultural service centers, promoted the modernization of Buddhist texts, and made extensive use of newspapers, radio, and television to propagate the Dharma. By advancing physical education, general education, and monastic education in parallel, he cultivated a new generation of talent and aligned Buddhism with the needs of the modern age. Venerable Master Hsing Yun often remarked, “My lifelong commitment to reforming Buddhism is my vocation. For a monastic, true fulfillment lies in dedicating everything to Buddhism.”

In 1967, Fo Guang Shan was founded, becoming a place for monastics to cultivate the path and propagate the Dharma—symbolizing the "Sangha Gem Mountain." In 2011, the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum, symbolizing the "Buddha Gem Mountain" was completed, with the enshrinement of the Buddha’s relic. In 2017, the Sutra Repository was completed, housing important Buddhist scriptures—symbolizing the "Dharma Gem Mountain." From founding the monastery and raising up generations of monastics, to preserving the Buddhist canon and advancing the propagation of the Dharma worldwide, Venerable Master Hsing Yun spent decades putting the ideal of Humanistic Buddhism into practice step by step, shaping Fo Guang Shan into a place of practice in this world complete with all Triple Gem: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

The Dharma that the Buddha realized upon attaining enlightenment is regarded as the wisdom that leads sentient beings away from suffering and toward happiness—and so, among the Triple Gem, the Dharma Gem is considered the most essential. Venerable Master Hsing Yun often said that for the lineage of the Dharma to endure, its waters must flow on without end—flowing south of the mountains and north, flowing to every corner of the world. As he traveled to spread the Dharma, people would often ask him: "Master, could you build a temple here?" And so, over the course of several decades, Fo Guang Shan gradually established temples around the world, numbering more than three hundred to this day. Venerable Master also urged his disciples to spread the Dharma abroad not to serve the Chinese community alone, but to give people of every culture and nation the opportunity to encounter the Dharma and experience the beauty of Humanistic Buddhism.

Venerable Master Hsing Yun was a scholar of profound learning and a visionary practitioner. With a broad outlook, great compassion, and a lifelong commitment to forging meaningful connections, he earned deep respect across cultures and communities. In the propagation of Buddhism, he upheld right understanding and advanced reform, making outstanding contributions to the academic development of Buddhism, the accessibility of Buddhist texts, and the promotion of education and cultural exchange. His achievements have been widely recognized internationally, and numerous universities have conferred honorary doctorates in acknowledgement of his significant contributions to society. He is regarded as one of the great religious leaders and thinkers of the modern era.

Venerable Master Hsing Yun passed away peacefully on February 5 2023, having fulfilled his life’s mission. Owing to his foresight in institutionalizing the administration of Fo Guang Shan, all operations have continued steadily. In 2013, Venerable Master composed “An Honest Revelation—An Open Letter,” expressing with clarity and composure the guiding principles of his life: a boundless vow of compassion, the philosophy of giving, and a way of engaging the world grounded in transcendence—advancing through humility, placing others before oneself, and transforming spiritual insight into worldly service. His final message encompasses his concerns and aspirations for the future, from the stewardship of resources to the development of institutions, education, and the continued promotion of Humanistic Buddhism. These are distilled in his concluding vow: “With a mind as vast and boundless as emptiness,
A body like an unbound boat that sails the ocean of Dharma.
What merit and virtue have I accomplished in this lifetime?
Peace and happiness shine upon the five continents.” A call for continued diligence, mutual encouragement, and devoted care for the Dharma.

Passing down the light refers to the transmission of the Dharma from one person to another, much like a flame being passed from one lamp to another, continuing on without end. Venerable Master Hsing Yun demonstrated this through term limits for abbots and the mindful transfer of leadership, ensuring an unbroken continuity across generations. Through writing, media, and museums, he further transformed the Dharma lamp into a shared cultural light accessible to all. He taught that each person is a lamp—one that illuminates oneself and others; not seeking to outshine, but to keep the light alive. When the fourfold assembly each becomes a source of light, the long night of the saha world is no longer dark, for Humanistic Buddhism continues to shine.