I just received word that Chan Master Sheng Yen passed away in a hospital in Taiwan last night at 4 A.M. (Taiwan time). A wonderful and sincere teacher. Of course, he has gone no where ... or perhaps somewhere good. Of that I am sure.
You can read a little more here:
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=5901#more-5901
He departs with the respect of many people for many
things, not least of all that, faced with kidney failure, he declined offers
of a life-prolonging transplant, saying "Using a good kidney on an old man
would be a waste...." That appeared in Chan Magazine (spring, 2008). He was
79 at the time.
His death poem (composed shortly before his death)
>
> ç?¡äº?å¿?ä¸è?ï¼?
>
> 空裡æ??å?ç¬ï¼?
>
> æ?¬ä¾?æ²'æ??æ?ï¼?
>
> ç??æ»ç??å¯æ??ã??
>
> Busy with nothing, growing old.
>
> Within emptiness, weeping, laughing.
>
> Intrinsically, there is no "I."
>
> Life and death, thus cast aside.
>
(JUNDO: The above resonates with other themes we were discussing here today. Thank you for the teaching Master Sheng Yen!)
His biography
You can read a little more here:
http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=5901#more-5901
He departs with the respect of many people for many
things, not least of all that, faced with kidney failure, he declined offers
of a life-prolonging transplant, saying "Using a good kidney on an old man
would be a waste...." That appeared in Chan Magazine (spring, 2008). He was
79 at the time.
His death poem (composed shortly before his death)
>
> ç?¡äº?å¿?ä¸è?ï¼?
>
> 空裡æ??å?ç¬ï¼?
>
> æ?¬ä¾?æ²'æ??æ?ï¼?
>
> ç??æ»ç??å¯æ??ã??
>
> Busy with nothing, growing old.
>
> Within emptiness, weeping, laughing.
>
> Intrinsically, there is no "I."
>
> Life and death, thus cast aside.
>
(JUNDO: The above resonates with other themes we were discussing here today. Thank you for the teaching Master Sheng Yen!)
His biography
I am saddened to inform you that Venerable Master Sheng Yen of the
> Dharma Drum Mountain in Taiwan and the Chan Meditation Center of New
> York passed into Nirvanic bliss in Taipei on February 3rd, 2009, 3 am
> (Taiwan time: February 2nd, 4 pm) at National Taiwan University
> Hospital at the age of 79.
>
> Master Sheng Yen was born into a humble farming family in Nantong
> County, near Xiaoniang Harbor, in Jiangsu Province on January 22, 1930
> (December 4 in lunar calendar). Master Sheng Yen became a monk at age
> thirteen. He began as a frail novice, yet he was destined to become
> one
> of the most influential Buddhist clerics in modern Chinese history and
> in the renaissance of Western Buddhism. Master Sheng Yen was a Chinese
> lineage holder of both the Linji and Caodong Chan Buddhist schools,
> the
> founder of the Dharma Drum Order of Chan Buddhism, the founder of the
> Dharma Drum Mountain Center for World Education, the first Chinese
> cleric who received a Ph.D. degree in Buddhist studies from Rissho
> University in Japan, a stellar Buddhist scholar of Ming Buddhism
> and of
> Master Ouyi Zhixu (1599-1655), and an active advocate of environmental
> protection.
>
> Master Sheng Yen came to New York in 1976, soon after receiving his
> Ph.D. He might have confined his activities to the pastoral
> guidance of
> the immigrant Chinese community. Instead, he embarked upon the more
> difficult challenge of teaching Chan to Americans. He overcame many
> obstacles: language, culture, prejudice, logistics and financial
> difficulties. Until 2006 when he became ill, he divided his time
> between New York and Taipei, training generations of Chan
> practitioners
> with methods skillfully adapted to the contemporary problems facing
> his
> students.
>
> Master Sheng Yen was a dedicated scholar and prolific writer. His
> collected work, /Fagu Chuanji/, amounts to over 100 volumes, covering
> topics as diverse as Tiantai and Huayan philosophies, vinaya, Buddhist
> scriptural commentaries, Indo-Tibetan and East Asian Buddhist
> histories, Chan Buddhist studies, and comparative religions. He also
> wrote many popular books introducing Buddhist teachings to both
> beginners and those with a more advanced understanding of Buddhism.
>
> He spoke out for what he called spiritual environmentalism: the
> essential task of purifying our environment by first purifying our
> minds. This is more than just philosophy. It is a call for personal
> commitment coupled with practical goals that will benefit all the
> peoples of the world. Many in Taiwan and in other countries have
> responded to this exhortation with great enthusiasm.
>
> Master Sheng Yen was one of the foremost contributors to the vital
> Humanistic Buddhism of Taiwan that blossomed in the 20^th century. He
> was an exemplary leader of contemporary Chinese Buddhism, combining a
> deep understanding of Buddhadharma with an equally profound concern
> for
> the welfare of all sentient beings. He was a warm, insightful, and
> inspirational teacher to his many students around the world. All who
> encountered him were touched by his personal concern and his
> remarkable
> ability to communicate difficult ideas simplyâ??always with wit,
> compassion, and a profound sense of humor. Master Sheng Yen will be
> deeply missed by Buddhist practitioners, scholars of Chinese Buddhism,
> and everyone who had the good fortune to meet him.
>
> Dharma Drum Mountain in Taiwan and the Chan Meditation Center of New
> York passed into Nirvanic bliss in Taipei on February 3rd, 2009, 3 am
> (Taiwan time: February 2nd, 4 pm) at National Taiwan University
> Hospital at the age of 79.
>
> Master Sheng Yen was born into a humble farming family in Nantong
> County, near Xiaoniang Harbor, in Jiangsu Province on January 22, 1930
> (December 4 in lunar calendar). Master Sheng Yen became a monk at age
> thirteen. He began as a frail novice, yet he was destined to become
> one
> of the most influential Buddhist clerics in modern Chinese history and
> in the renaissance of Western Buddhism. Master Sheng Yen was a Chinese
> lineage holder of both the Linji and Caodong Chan Buddhist schools,
> the
> founder of the Dharma Drum Order of Chan Buddhism, the founder of the
> Dharma Drum Mountain Center for World Education, the first Chinese
> cleric who received a Ph.D. degree in Buddhist studies from Rissho
> University in Japan, a stellar Buddhist scholar of Ming Buddhism
> and of
> Master Ouyi Zhixu (1599-1655), and an active advocate of environmental
> protection.
>
> Master Sheng Yen came to New York in 1976, soon after receiving his
> Ph.D. He might have confined his activities to the pastoral
> guidance of
> the immigrant Chinese community. Instead, he embarked upon the more
> difficult challenge of teaching Chan to Americans. He overcame many
> obstacles: language, culture, prejudice, logistics and financial
> difficulties. Until 2006 when he became ill, he divided his time
> between New York and Taipei, training generations of Chan
> practitioners
> with methods skillfully adapted to the contemporary problems facing
> his
> students.
>
> Master Sheng Yen was a dedicated scholar and prolific writer. His
> collected work, /Fagu Chuanji/, amounts to over 100 volumes, covering
> topics as diverse as Tiantai and Huayan philosophies, vinaya, Buddhist
> scriptural commentaries, Indo-Tibetan and East Asian Buddhist
> histories, Chan Buddhist studies, and comparative religions. He also
> wrote many popular books introducing Buddhist teachings to both
> beginners and those with a more advanced understanding of Buddhism.
>
> He spoke out for what he called spiritual environmentalism: the
> essential task of purifying our environment by first purifying our
> minds. This is more than just philosophy. It is a call for personal
> commitment coupled with practical goals that will benefit all the
> peoples of the world. Many in Taiwan and in other countries have
> responded to this exhortation with great enthusiasm.
>
> Master Sheng Yen was one of the foremost contributors to the vital
> Humanistic Buddhism of Taiwan that blossomed in the 20^th century. He
> was an exemplary leader of contemporary Chinese Buddhism, combining a
> deep understanding of Buddhadharma with an equally profound concern
> for
> the welfare of all sentient beings. He was a warm, insightful, and
> inspirational teacher to his many students around the world. All who
> encountered him were touched by his personal concern and his
> remarkable
> ability to communicate difficult ideas simplyâ??always with wit,
> compassion, and a profound sense of humor. Master Sheng Yen will be
> deeply missed by Buddhist practitioners, scholars of Chinese Buddhism,
> and everyone who had the good fortune to meet him.
>
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