The Way to Buddhahood is a compendium of two thousand years of Chinese practice in assimilating and understanding the Buddhist experience of enlightenment. It is the first in-depth explanation of Chinese Buddhism by Yin-shun, the greatest living master of the Chinese scholar-monk tradition. The master's broad scope not only includes the traditional Chinese experience but also ideas from the Tibetan monastic tradition. This is one of those rare classic books that authentically captures an entire Buddhist tradition between its covers. Way to Buddhahood, Venerable Yin-shun, Wisdom Publications, Paperback, 393 pages, $19.95
Remembering Master Yin Shun The Dharma Master Yin Shun passed away at 10:07 a.m. on June 4 (Taiwan time), 2005 at Tzu Chi Hospital in Hualian, Taiwan due to heart failure. According to traditional Chinese counting, which calculates a person's age from the time of conception, he was 100 years old. It was reported that in his sleep in the hospital, Master Yin Shun said, "Not this, not that, everything is empty." After he passed away, his disciples chanted the name of Sakyamuni Buddha.
Master Yin Shun's life was dedicated to Buddhism. He was born in 1906 and became a Buddhist monk in 1930. During his lifetime, he wrote over seven million words in over forty books. Being a student of Master Taixu (1890-1947), he expanded the teaching of "Human-oriented Buddhism" (Renjian Fojiao). In 1973, he received a PhD from Taisho University of Japan (this was not an honorary degree) based on his work on Zhongguo Chanzong shi (The History of Chinese Chan Buddhism). He became the first Chinese Buddhist monk to receive a Ph.D.
Professor Whalen Lai of UC Davis has commented, "The Master speaks with the authority of one who has learned through a total immersion in the texts of the tradition, an immersion that has become increasingly rare in the modern educational system. Ironically, the erudition exemplified by this modern scholar-monk may be both the first and the last of its kind."
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