Chuanyin (; 30 January 1927 – 11 March 2023) was a Chinese Buddhist monk, Chan master and

religious leader Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

. He was best known as Venerable Master of the

Buddhist Association of China The Buddhist Association of China (BCA, zh, 中国佛教协会) is the official government supervisory organ of Buddhism in the People's Republic of China. The association has been overseen by the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Centra ...

Early life

Chuanyin was born Lü Yudai () in

Zhuanghe Zhuanghe () is one of the two "northern county-level cities", the other being Wafangdian, under the administration of Dalian, located in the south of Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. Its area is and its permanent population is 7 ...

Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...

, on 30 January 1927.

Religious life

In 1947, he took refuge in the Three Jewels under the master Chongren (), and received complete ordination under

Xuyun Xuyun or Hsu Yun (; 5 September 1840? – 13 October 1959) was a renowned Chinese Chan Buddhist master and an influential Buddhist teacher of the 19th and 20th centuries. Early life Xuyun was purportedly born on 5 September 1840 in Fujian, Qing ...

, in Zhenru Chan Temple, in 1955, as the 9th generation of the

Guiyang school The Guiyang school (, also read Weiyang School) is one of the schools of Chan Buddhism. History The Guiyang school was the first established house of the Five Houses of Chán. Guiyang is named after master Guishan Lingyou (771–854) and his di ...

. In September 1960, he entered the

Buddhist Academy of China Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, where he graduated in September 1965. After graduation, he was assigned to Zhenru Chan Temple. In 1966, the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

was launched by

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...

, he was transferred to a reclamation farm in Yunjushan as a farmer. After the Cultural Revolution, he regained his identity as a monk. In the autumn of 1978, he settled at

Guoqing Temple The Guoqing Temple (, "Monastery of National Purity") is a Buddhist temple on Mount Tiantai, in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, China. Originally built in 598 CE during the Sui dynasty, and renovated during the reign of the Qing Yongzheng Emperor (r ...

Tiantai County Tiantai County ( Tai-chow dialect: T'in-t'e yön; ) is located in Taizhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China. Residents mainly speak the Tiantai dialect. The county is noted for its scenic Mount Tiantai, which is also an important Tiantai ...

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

. In December 1979, he was transferred to the

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. In the Spring of 1981, he pursued advanced studies in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, where he graduated from

Bukkyo University is a private university in Kita-ku, Kyoto in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The university began as an organization within the Chion-in, Chion-in Temple for the lecturing and study of Buddhism in 1868. The school's official predecessor was founded in ...

in December 1983. He was appointed dean of the Buddhist Academy of China, in 1984, becoming vice president in 1986. In August 1991, he resided in

Fangguang Temple Fangguang Temple () is a Buddhist temple located on Mount Tiantai in Taizhou, Zhejiang, China. The temple is the Bodhimanda of Five Hundred Arhats. History Eastern Jin dynasty The original temple dates back to the Xingning period (363–365) of ...

Mount Tiantai Tiantai Mountain (also Tí Taî in the local language) is a mountain in Tiantai County, Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, China. Its highest peak, Huading, reaches a height of . The mountain was made a national park on 1 August 1988. One of nine r ...

. Three years later, he served as abbot of Donglin Temple in

Mount Lu Mount Lu or Lushan ( zh, s=庐山, t=, p=Lúshān, Gan: Lu-san) is a mountain situated in Jiujiang, China. It was also known as Kuanglu () in ancient times. The mountain and its immediate area are officially designated as the Lushan National ...

. In February 1999, he became the president of the Buddhist Association of Beijing. On 3 February 2010, Chuanyin replaced Yicheng to become Venerable Master of the

. On 22 October that same year, he was elected a member of the 11th National Committee of the

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s United front (China), united front system. Its members adv ...

. In March 2013, he was elected a Standing Committee member of the 12th National Committee of the

Death

Chuanyin died on 11 March 2023, at Donglin Temple, in

Jiujiang Jiujiang, formerly transliterated Kiukiang and Kew-Keang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level ...

Jiangxi ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

, at the age of 96.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chuanyin 1927 births 2023 deaths Chinese Buddhist monks 20th-century Buddhist monks 21st-century Buddhist monks Chan Buddhists People from Dalian 20th-century Chinese people Bukkyo University alumni Religious leaders in China