Life: Politics, Human Rights, and What the Buddha Said About Life

In Life, Master Hsing Yun articulates the Buddhist view of the meaning, grandeur, and mystery of life, while applying those views in different arenas of contemporary society. Embracing a style that is both well-informed and down-to-earth, Life flows effortlessly between Buddhist theory and practice, and between history and personal expose, while entering a deep exploration of topics that few Buddhist leaders dare to investigate: human rights, education, politics, and freedom. Delving into these weighty topics, Life is both beautifully reverent and hopeful for humanity and all life in the world.

Venerable Master Hsing Yun is a Chinese Buddhist monk, author, philanthropist, and founder of the Fo Guang Shan monastic order, which has branches throughout Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Ordained at the age of twelve in Jiangsu Province, China, Master Hsing Yun has spent his over seventy years as a Buddhist monk building what he calls Humanistic Buddhism: Buddhism that meets the needs of people and is integrated into all aspects of life.

In 1949, Master Hsing Yun came to Taiwan and began to nurture the new burgeoning Buddhist culture in Taiwan. He served as an editor and contributor to many Buddhist magazines and periodicals, authoring the daily columns Between Ignorance and Enlightenment, Dharma Words, and Hsing Yun's Chan Talk, as well as starting his own Buddhist magazine, Awakening the World, in 1957, and the first daily Buddhist newspaper, the Merit Times, in 2000. Master Hsing Yun authored many important works including the Song of Silence, the Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha, and National Master Yulin. Master Hsing Yun also edited and sponsored the Fo Guang Encyclopedia, the most authoritative Buddhist reference work in the Chinese language. His contributions have reached as far as sponsoring Buddhist music and art, to creating Buddhist programming for television, radio, and the stage.