Fo Guang Shan

Fo Guang Shan
佛光山
Established1967
FounderHsing Yun
TypeBuddhist Monastic Order
PurposeDissemination of Humanistic Buddhism in daily life
HeadquartersFo Guang Shan Monastery, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Region served
Worldwide
Head Abbot
Most Ven. Hsin Bau
Main organ
FGS Board of Directors
FGS Sangha Affairs Committee
Websitewww.fgs.org.tw/en
Fo Guang Shan
Chinese
Literal meaningBuddha's Light Mountain
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinFóguāngshān
Bopomofoㄈㄛˊ ㄍㄨㄤ ㄕㄢ
Gwoyeu RomatzyhForguangshan
IPA[fwǒ.kwáŋ.ʂán]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJHu̍t-kong-san

Fo Guang Shan (FGS) (Chinese: 佛光山; pinyin: Fó guāng shān; lit. 'Buddha's Light Mountain') is an international Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhist organization and monastic order based in Taiwan that practices Humanistic Buddhism whose roots are traced to the Linji school of Chan Buddhism. The headquarters, Fo Guang Shan Monastery, is located in Dashu District, Kaohsiung, and is the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. The organization is also one of the largest charity organizations in Taiwan. The organization's counterpart for laypeople is known as the Buddha's Light International Association.

Founded in 1967 by Hsing Yun, the order promotes Humanistic Buddhism and is known for its efforts in the modernization of Chinese Buddhism. The order is famous for its use of technology and its temples are often furnished with the latest equipment.[1][2] Hsing Yun's stated position for Fo Guang Shan is that it is an "amalgam of all Eight Schools of Chinese Buddhism" (Chinese: 八宗兼弘; pinyin: bāzōng jiānhóng). The Fo Guang Shan order has several associated colleges, among them Fo Guang University in Taiwan and University of the West in the United States, which offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in both Buddhist Studies and secular fields.

In Taiwan, Hsing Yun is popularly referred to as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" and Fo Guang Shan is considered one of the "Four Great Mountains" or four major Buddhist organizations of Taiwanese Buddhism, along with Dharma Drum Mountain, Tzu Chi, and Chung Tai Shan.[3][4][5]

  1. ^ Harding, John S.; Hori, Victor Sōgen; Soucy, Alexander (29 March 2010). Wild Geese: Buddhism in Canada. McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP. p. 283. ISBN 9780773591080.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Come to Taiwan,Return with good memories". Info.taiwan.net.tw. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  4. ^ Shuai, J. J.; Chen, H. C.; Chang, C. H. (1 December 2010). "Visualization of the Taiwaness Buddhism web based on social network analysis". 2010 International Computer Symposium (ICS2010). pp. 187–191. doi:10.1109/COMPSYM.2010.5685523. ISBN 978-1-4244-7639-8. S2CID 18858823.
  5. ^ Abeynayake, Oliver; Tilakaratne, Asanga (1 January 2011). 2600 Years of Sambuddhatva: Global Journey of Awakening. Ministry of Buddhasasana and Religious Affairs, Government of Sri Lanka. p. 282. ISBN 9789559349334.