Zhao Puchu

CHINA, Anhui, Anqing

Born in Taihu county of Anqing, Zhao Puchu was a calligrapher, poet, and Buddhist scholar who devoted himself to the world-wide propagation of Chinese Buddhism. He was the co-founder of the Buddhist Association in China and became its president in 1980. Zhao led a group of religious representatives to participate in the Third World Assembly of Religions for Peace at Princeton University in New Jersey, USA in 1979, and in 1982, he was honored with an award for his contributions in promoting the Dharma from the Buddhist Promoting Foundation in Tokyo, Japan. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Bukkyo University in Kyoto, Japan. Versed in Buddhism, his written works were well-received and include Questions and Answers on Basic Buddhist Knowledge.
Zhao was skilled in composing poems and calligraphy and enjoyed a reputation in the cultural and artistic community of China. His calligraphy is elegant and can be seen on horizontal inscribed boards and columns in many temples. A stone carving of the Heart Sutra on the walls of the Buddha’s Tooth Relic Pagoda of the Lingguang Temple in Beijing is his work, and his Calligraphy Dedicated to Master Hsing Yun is collected in Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, whie his Memory of Jiangnan is carved on the Stele Wall of Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.