Albert Lin, The Merit Times staff writer
May 18, 2023

On May 15th, Venerable Miao Xi, Superintendent of the Fo Guang Buddhist Temple Boston, Ms. Lai Shu-chen, the Vice President of Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA) Boston, and BLIA executives visited Harvard University to donate 395 volumes of the revised edition of "Complete Works of Venerable Master Hsing Yun" to Harvard–Yenching Library.

Venerable Miao Xi(3rd from left) and BLIA executives visited Harvard University. photo／The Life News Agency

Dr. Jidong Yang, the director of the Yanjing Library, accepted the donation on behalf of the library. The ceremony was attended by Professor Park Yong-hwan from South Korea, as well as seven other researchers and librarians.

Ms. Lai Shu-chen introduced that "The Complete Works of Venerable Master Hsing Yun" was first published in 2017, and this year, the revised edition with a total of 395 volumes has been released. Venerable Miao Xi stated that "The Complete Works of Venerable Master Hsing Yun" represents the lifelong propagation efforts of Venerable Master Hsing Yun and serves as a treasury of wisdom for Humanistic Buddhism. Venerable Miao Xi also introduced the Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism to the scholars present and welcomed them to engage in academic exchanges.

Dr. Jidong Yang expressed that Venerable Master Hsing Yun is an immensely significant figure in contemporary Buddhist history, with influence extending beyond Taiwan to various parts of the world. Although Venerable Master Hsing Yun has passed away, his thoughts, teachings, compassion, and writings will continue to propagate dharma.

Dr. Jidong Yang pointed out that Harvard University is an important hub for Buddhist studies in the Western world, and the Harvard–Yenching Library is a crucial repository of Buddhist resources, attracting professors from around the world to conduct research on Buddhism. Therefore, the donation of "The Complete Works of Venerable Master Hsing Yun" by Fo Guang Shan holds great significance for the Buddhist studies at Harvard University and the Harvard–Yenching Library.