Ling Yuan

CHINA, Zhejiang, Taizhou

Ling Yuan was a monk and painter, who in 1932 transcribed and mended the Tripitaka at Yongquan Temple in Fuzhou. Born in Linhai, Taizhou, he renounced under Chan Master Xuyun and belonged to the 57th generation of the Linji school of Chen Buddhism. He was an earnest monk who lived a frugal life, upheld the precepts, and diligently performed the dual practices of meditation and recitation.
In 1948, he assisted Master Xuyun in the renovation of Yunmen Temple in Guangdong. In 1953, he was invited to propagate the Dharma in Taiwan, and in 1954 he undertook the task of building Shifang Dajue Chan Monastery. Lingyuan’s influence in Taiwan was vast and his disciples, Masters Chien-Hsing, Wei Chueh, and Sheng Yen were the abbots of Dajue Chan Monastery, Chung Tai Chan Monastery, and Dharma Drum Mountain, respectively. He authored Essence of Cultivating Pure Conducts, Annotation of the Brahmajala Sutra, Annotation of the Heart Sutra, and Painting Collection of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Ling Yuan was adept in painting images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and eminent monks. His painting of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is kept at Zhai Ming Temple in Taiwan.