Master Yin Shun

Immersed in the Ocean of the Dharma: Serenity and Inner Light

The Buddhist shrine inside Master Yin Shun’s retreat quarter enshrines Shakyamuni Buddha and was where he recited sutras each day. In his autobiography, Master Yin Shun recalled that when writing, he became completely immersed in the Dharma, like a student reciting and explaining a lesson before a teacher. In those quiet years, he felt no loneliness but instead experienced the joy of the Dharma.

On the desk to the right is a small tray holding a Buddha image and an incense burner. During his retreat, material resources were scarce and paper was expensive. Nevertheless, Master Yin Shun continued writing in small, meticulous characters on manuscript paper. Here, he compiled the Miaoyun Collection and completed several major works, including The Formation of the Original Buddhist Scriptures, A History of Chinese Chan Buddhism, and A Study of Ancient Chinese Ethnic Myths and Culture.

The bookcase to the left contains Master Yin Shun’s lifetime body of writings, totaling 7.5 million Chinese characters, together with the Tripitaka and numerous reference works. Nearby are his radio, watch, glasses, business cards, abacus, and other personal belongings—simple everyday objects that offer a glimpse into a life combining profound scholarship with remarkable simplicity.

A Distant Offering from Retreat: May the Lamp of Wisdom Shine Forever

Displayed on the wall is Master Yin Shun’s calligraphy of A Distant Offering from Retreat, a verse he composed upon entering retreat on May 26, 1964, the Buddha’s Birthday, to convey his thoughts to fellow Buddhists in Taiwan and abroad. The verse was later included in Fragrant Clouds and the Rain of Blossoms.

Having been a monk for thirty-five years and having spent twelve years in Taiwan, Master Yin Shun had endured many hardships, including the destruction of his writings and the need to rewrite them. Although saddened by these trials, he was even more deeply aware of the impermanence and swift passage of time. Reflecting on the hardships endured by great Buddhist masters of the past, including Paramartha and Kumarajiva, who continued to spread the Dharma despite adversity, he recognized that such difficulties had been shared by practitioners throughout history. Why, then, add further sorrow to the heart?

With his frail and impermanent body, Master Yin Shun placed his trust in the power of the Three Jewels and resolved to deepen both his understanding and practice of the Dharma for the benefit of sentient beings. Living simply and persevering day by day, he remained steadfast in his aspiration to spread the Dharma and benefit others, hoping that the Noble Path would illuminate the human world and that the true Dharma would long endure.

Living and Resting Space: Simplicity and Thoughtful Design

Master Yin Shun’s sleeping area was ingeniously separated from his bookcase by a simple wooden partition. His bed was fitted with two sliding doors covered with fine mosquito netting, allowing ventilation while keeping insects out. This modest yet thoughtful design reflects the simplicity and practical wisdom that characterized his daily life.

Daily Meals: Simple Food and a Kettle of Hot Water

During his retreat, Master Yin Shun’s daily meals consisted simply of peanuts, tofu, and vegetables. Because the same simple dishes were served day after day, they came to be jokingly known as the “Ten-Thousand-Year Vegetables.” A kettle of hot water was also kept on the table. Throughout these years of dedicated practice, Master Yin Shun lived a disciplined and simple life.

1. Searching for the Self on the Buddhist Path

In his youth, Master Yin Shun experienced the pain of separation and the loss of loved ones, which led him to grapple deeply with questions about the meaning of life. He searched earnestly through Confucianism, Daoism, and Christianity, but ultimately found in Buddhism a path toward liberation. He then resolutely renounced lay life and embarked on the monastic path, beginning a lifelong quest for truth.

2. The Gap Between the Dharma and Buddhism in Practice

After entering monastic life, Master Yin Shun encountered a Buddhist world increasingly centered on spirits and deities, ritual services, and abstract speculation. He was troubled by a fundamental question: Why was there such a wide gap between the Dharma he encountered in the scriptures and the Buddhism he saw in practice? This question set him on a lifelong quest to investigate Buddhism and recover the Buddha’s true teachings.

3. Studying the Buddhist Canon in Search of the True Dharma

Amid war, social upheaval, and the suffering of illness, Master Yin Shun devoted himself to studying the Buddhist canon, immersing himself in its vast collection of scriptures and treatises. Amid the rich diversity of Buddhist thought, he traced the development of Mahayana Buddhism and, through the lens of intellectual history, carefully examined and distinguished its major currents, including Madhyamaka, Yogacara, and Tathagata-garbha thought.

4. Tracing the Dharma Back to Its Origins

Master Yin Shun followed the principle of “studying Buddhism through Buddhism itself,” seeking to uncover the Dharma’s original foundations. He believed that, over the course of its long historical development, Buddhism had accumulated layers of interpretation that could obscure its original meaning. Only by tracing its development, critically examining its teachings, and carefully discerning what had been transmitted could the original spirit of the Dharma be recovered.

Through his study of the development of Indian Buddhist thought, he continually returned to its origins, determined never to lose sight of the true Dharma—to “remember the Buddha as a human being who lived and taught in this world, and to preserve the true Dharma.”

5. All Buddhas Are Born in the Human World; They Do Not Attain Buddhahood in Heaven

Master Yin Shun sought to return to the authentic spirit of the Buddha as presented in the Agamas, challenging later tendencies to mythologize and divinize the Buddha. For him, Buddhist practice must remain grounded in the human world. Through the “human practice of the Bodhisattva”—cultivating the path of benefiting others in the midst of ordinary life—one can embody the central principle that “all Buddhas are born in the human world.”

What Do You See in Master Yin Shun’s Life Journey?

“The workings of dependent origination are so real, and yet so inconceivable.” Through a single falling leaf, Master Yin Shun revealed the impermanence and vastness of life. As you reflect on his life journey, do you also see the unfolding of the karmic conditions in your own life?

1. The Search for Meaning in Life (1906–1929)

Master Yin Shun’s Early Years and Search for Meaning

Master Yin Shun, whose lay name was Chang Lu-Chin, was born in Haining, Zhejiang Province. After experiencing the pain of separation from and loss of loved ones, along with periods of profound inner solitude, he began to ponder the ultimate questions of life and death. His encounter with the Dharma set him on a journey to unravel the fundamental questions of human existence.

2. Embarking on the Quest for the Dharma (1930–1940)

Ordination and Deep Study of the Buddhist Canon

After receiving ordination at Mount Putuo in 1930, Master Yin Shun traveled to southern Fujian and studied at the Wuchang Buddhist Institute and the Sino-Tibetan Institute of Buddhist Studies, immersing himself in the vast body of the Buddhist canon. Confronted by the worldly and superstitious practices prevalent in Buddhism at the time, he resolved to “trace the Dharma back to its origins” and clarify the Buddha’s original, pure intention in appearing in this world.

3. Discovering the Buddha in the Human World (1938–1951)

Exploring the Canon and a Turning Point in His Thought

As World War II spread and China was plunged into turmoil, Master Yin Shun was deeply drawn to the Agamas, whose teachings conveyed a sense of truth and immediacy that was closely connected to human life. This encounter profoundly influenced his thinking, inspiring him to ground Buddhism in human life and to develop the vision and aspiration of Humanistic Buddhism.

4. Spreading the Dharma with Compassion (1952–1963)

Bringing the Dharma to Taiwan and Laying the Foundations for His Thought

These were years of constant travel and tireless Dharma teaching. Over the course of twelve years, Master Yin Shun first moved to Hong Kong and later settled in Taiwan. He also traveled to Japan, Thailand, and other parts of Southeast Asia, spreading the Dharma through teaching, establishing temples, and other activities. During this period, he founded Fuyan Monastery and Hui Ri Lecture Hall, dedicating himself to the education and training of monastics and giving profound expression to the Bodhisattva aspiration to benefit and liberate all beings.

5. The Dharma Rain of Miaoyun Nourishing the Human World (1964–2005)

Major Works and the Enduring Legacy of His Thought

After years of teaching the Dharma at home and abroad, Master Yin Shun entered retreat and devoted himself to intensive study and writing. During this period, he compiled the Miaoyun Collection and received a doctoral degree from Taisho University in Japan for his landmark work, A History of Chinese Zen Buddhism. In his later years, he continued to write, completing other major works, including the Huayu Collection, and did not put down his pen until the age of ninety.

In 2005, Master Yin Shun passed away peacefully at the age of one hundred. His lifelong dedication to “offering body and mind for the benefit of all beings” continues to inspire and influence the Chinese Buddhist community.

A Brief Biography of Master Yin Shun

Master Yin Shun was born in Haining, Zhejiang Province, on the twelfth day of the third month of the lunar calendar in 1906. His lay name was Chang Lu-Chin. On October 11, 1930, he was ordained at Fuquan Monastery under Venerable Ching-Nien, receiving the Dharma name Yin Shun and the courtesy name Sheng-Cheng. He subsequently went to Tiantong Temple, where he received full monastic ordination.

Master Yin Shun was renowned for his profound learning and exemplary practice, earning the deep respect of Buddhists in Taiwan and abroad. In 1967, he received the honorary title of Philosopher from the China Academy. In 1973, Taisho University in Japan awarded him a doctoral degree for his original scholarship in A History of Chinese Chan Buddhism.

In his youth, Master Yin Shun studied and worked with Master Tai-Hsu, contributing to the advancement of Buddhist education. After coming to Taiwan, he served as a professor at Chinese Culture University, as abbot of Shandao Temple and Fuyan Monastery, and as a teacher at Fuyan Buddhist College, Hui Ri Lecture Hall, and Huayu Temple. He also traveled abroad on numerous occasions to teach and propagate the Dharma, serving as chairman of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association and principal of Neng-Jen Middle School in the Philippines, as well as a senior resident monk at Hsin-Yuan Temple and Hua-Tsang Temple.

For several decades, Master Yin Shun devoted himself tirelessly to Buddhist study and writing, producing dozens of books and earning widespread recognition in both Buddhist and academic circles. In his later years, he continued to publish major works that received particular acclaim from scholars in Taiwan and abroad. His distinctive insights into the interpretation and classification of Indian Buddhist thought, as well as his studies of the history of Chinese Chan Buddhism, were highly original and differed significantly from conventional scholarship. Few scholars since the late Tang dynasty had achieved comparable distinction.

Later, Master Yin Shun established Miaoyun Temple, where he entered retreat and devoted himself to further study and writing. His spiritual influence and scholarly stature continued to grow, and he came to be recognized internationally as a leading Buddhist scholar and a national treasure.