Neng Hsueh

TAIWAN, Chiayi

Neng Hsueh is a monk and painter. In 1953, he renounced under Master Hsin-Ching at Daxian Temple, and in 1965, he became the 4th abbot of New Chaofeng Temple in Kaohsiung. Naturally gifted, Neng Hsueh became an accomplished painter through self-learning. He is known to have painted a monumental portrait of Amitabha Buddha when he was only 16 years old. Additionally, Neng Hsueh is notable for his skill in painting landscapes in ink.
To render profound Buddhist doctrines easy for the general populace to understand and propagate the Dharma in a unique way, he created a Buddhist comics series. He was invited by magazines from Malaysia, the Philippines, and Fo Guang Shan Monastery to publish his comic strips. His popular cartoon character, Buddhist Henry, is meant to be a figure who exemplifies virtuous practice and serves as an inspiration.
Neng Hsueh has been acclaimed as the contemporary monastic painter. In 1985 when New Chaofeng Temple was built, he drew the images of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva onto the walls of the Avalokitesvara Hall for engraving. The exterior walls are also carved with images based on the Landscape paintings he completed when he studied at the Hong Kong Buddhist College and Chu Hai University.