Miao Kuo

TAIWAN, Taoyuan

Miao Kuo, whose Dharma name was Teng-Wu, was a monk and artist of the Caodong Chan school of Buddhism. He renounced in 1909 under Chan Master Chueh-Li of Lingyun Temple. Miao built Fayun Temple with Master Chueh-Li in 1912, and after establishing Yuankuang Temple in 1917, his name became well-known throughout Japan. He received a golden monastic robe from Eiheiji and Sojiji temples in Japan, and was invited by the emperor to accept offerings in the imperial court. After an invitation from the headquarter of the Japanese Soto Zen school to propagate the Zen Dharma in Taiwan, Miao Kuo established the Yuan Kuang Buddhist College in 1948.
When he passed into parinirvana in 1963, over 700 pieces of colorful relics were found in his remains. His calligraphic work, Dharma Words to Awaken the World, is carved into the Stele Wall at Fo Guang Shan Monastery. Other works by Miao include inscribed wooden boards written with Poem About Self and Four-Character Poem, kept at Wanfo Temple. He also authored Annotation of Buddhist Doctrine.