Lamp Transmission Record of Humanistic Buddhism by Venerable Master Hsing Yun presents the vision and contributions of a pivotal figure in modern Buddhism. Drawing from an extensive body of teachings, this work distills the essence of Humanistic Buddhism—an approach that brings the Dharma into everyday life through wisdom, compassion, and active practice.

Centered on the integration of insight and skillful means, Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s teachings emphasize that enlightenment arises through human effort and engagement with the world. This volume is organized around his “Ten Major Contributions,” offering a clear framework for understanding his role in shaping contemporary Buddhism across theory, practice, and global outreach.

The image of “lamp transmission” symbolizes the passing of wisdom across generations. This translation seeks to extend that light to a wider audience, inviting readers not only to understand Humanistic Buddhism, but to embody it in their own lives.

Translator’s Preface to the Lamp Transmission Record of Humanistic Buddhism 

by Venerable Master Hsing Yun 

It is with profound reverence and a deep sense of responsibility that we present the English translation of the Lamp Transmission Record of Humanistic Buddhism by Venerable Master Hsing Yun. Shortly after Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s peaceful passing in 2023, Fo Guang Shan’s Elder Venerable Tzu Hui and Professor Cheng Gongrang collaborated with Fo Guang Shan disciples to systematically distill the Venerable Master’s teachings from a massive corpus of over forty million words. This monumental compilation was structured around the “Ten Major Contributions of Venerable Master Hsing Yun to Humanistic Buddhism,” a framework designed to provide readers with a clear, comprehensive understanding of his lifelong dedication to humanizing the Dharma. For the translation team, bringing this crystallized wisdom into the English language was both a formidable linguistic challenge and a profound spiritual practice. 

Our primary objective as translators was to navigate the delicate balance between classical Buddhist doctrine and its modern, human-centric application, ensuring that the Venerable Master’s accessible tone was preserved without losing his philosophical depth. A central theme woven throughout this work is the seamless integration of Prajñā (transcendent wisdom) and Upāyakauśalya (skillful means). The Venerable Master frequently emphasized that wisdom without skillful means risks becoming detached, while skillful means without wisdom can devolve into mere worldly convention. As translators, our task was to ensure that his modern applications of skillful means, such as the Four Givings (give others faith, joy, hope, and convenience), retained their deep Mahāyāna roots in the English text, illustrating how the bodhisattva path is practically lived in our daily lives. 

Furthermore, we paid careful attention to translating the Venerable Master’s core philosophy of “self-awakening and practicing the Buddha’s way.” Venerable Master Hsing Yun consistently taught that “Buddhas arise from human beings,” highlighting that enlightenment is attained through human effort rather than divine intervention. He urged practitioners not to merely pray for blessings or view Buddhism as a passive faith, but to actively embody the bodhisattva path by taking responsibility for their own lives, “Rely on yourself, rely on the Dharma, rely on nothing else.” 

Capturing the proactive, engaged spirit of Humanistic Buddhism meant finding precise English expressions to convey action, compassion, and the fundamental equality of all beings. Venerable Master Hsing Yun was a steadfast advocate for equality, which he viewed as the true center of Buddhism. Whether discussing the pioneering gender equality established within the Fo Guang Shan monastic order, where men and women share equal seating and leadership roles, or the vital equality between monastics and laypeople through global organizations like the Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA), the Venerable Master redefined the landscape of modern Buddhism. Translating these sections required a vocabulary that honors traditional monastic structures while fully embracing the Venerable Master’s progressive, democratic reforms. 

Quotations appearing throughout this volume are drawn from a wide range of Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s writings, including both works that have already been translated into English and those that remain available only in Chinese. In order to support readers in locating these sources, the comprehensive Chinese catalogue of The Complete Works of Venerable Master Hsing Yun may be consulted at https://books.masterhsingyun.org. An English catalogue, covering both translated and currently untranslated works, is likewise available at https://www.fgs.org.tw/events/light-transmission-record/en. 

It should be noted that the translation of the Complete Works is an ongoing, long-term undertaking. As additional texts are translated and published, the catalogues—particularly the Chinese reference catalogue at https://www.fgs.org.tw/events/light-transmission-record/en—will continue to be updated accordingly. In the interim, if a cited work cannot be found in the English catalogue or among available translations, it may be assumed that the text presently exists only in its original Chinese form. 

The title of this compilation, the Lamp Transmission Record of Humanistic Buddhism by Venerable Master Hsing Yun (傳燈錄), carries profound historical and spiritual significance. In Buddhist tradition, the lamp is a powerful metaphor for wisdom dispelling the darkness of ignorance, and the “transmission of the lamp” symbolizes the unbroken lineage of enlightened teachings passed from generation to generation. As the Venerable Master himself noted, quoting the Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra, “A single lamp can dispel a thousand years of darkness.” Translating this text into English is, in essence, an act of transmitting the lamp. It extends the Venerable Master’s “inner lamp” of wisdom beyond the Chinese-speaking world, bringing his guidance to the global English-speaking community and ensuring that his teachings continue to illuminate the path for seekers across the world. 

This English edition is the fruit of a massive collective endeavor, reflecting the Fo Guang Shan ethos of “collective effort and institutional leadership.” We owe immense gratitude to the collaborative spirit of the contributing monastics and scholars, including Venerable Miao Guang, Venerable Juewei, Venerable You Zai, Michael Murphy, Joseph Fawley, William Chong, Sioh-yang Tan, and Yvonne Tan, whose meticulous research and drafting laid the foundation for this work. We are also deeply indebted to the broader editorial team who worked tirelessly over the past two years under the guidance of the Fo Guang Shan Board of Directors to bring this project to fruition. 

Venerable Master Hsing Yun dedicated his life to a grand and selfless vow, “May the Buddha’s light shine universally on the three thousand realms; let the Dharma stream flow across all five continents.” It is our sincerest hope that this English translation of the Lamp Transmission Record of Humanistic Buddhism by Venerable Master Hsing Yun serves as a vessel for those Dharma waters. May it bring the Venerable Master’s boundless compassion, resilience, and wisdom to readers across the globe, and may all who encounter this text find the liberating taste of the Dharma and discover the radiant treasure hidden within their own hearts.