Venerable Master Hsuan Hua

One of the most eminent Chinese Buddhist masters of the twentieth century, the Venerable Master Hsüan Hua (Xuanhua, 1918-1995) was a monastic reformer and the first Chinese master to teach Buddhism to large numbers of Westerners. During his long career he emphasized the primacy of the monastic tradition, the essential role of moral education, the need for Buddhists to ground themselves in traditional spiritual practice and authentic scripture, and the importance of respect and understanding among religions. To attain these goals, he focused on clarifying the essential principles of the Buddha’s original teachings, on establishing  a properly ordained monastic community, on organizing and supporting the translation of the Buddhist canon into English and other languages, and on the establishment of schools, religious training programs, and programs of academic research and teaching.