The Grand Master was a native of Yingshan in Sichuan Province, China. In 1963, he was ordained as a novice under Venerable Master Lingyuan—a Dharma heir of the renowned Master Xuyun (Empty Cloud)—at the Shi Fang Da Jue (Great Enlightenment) Chan Monastery in Keelung, Taiwan. He received the Dharma name Zhi’an Weichueh. Following his ordination, the Grand Master spent over a decade in solitary practice, residing in various monasteries and eventually retreating to a self-built hut in the remote mountains of Wanli in northern Taiwan.

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In 1987, at the urging of his followers to share the Dharma more widely, he resolved to build a monastery. Together with his disciples, he undertook the arduous work himself—clearing weeds, leveling the ground, hauling bricks, and laying stones—until thick calluses formed on their hands and feet. From this humble effort, Ling Quan Monastery rose on the very site of his former hut. Shortly after its completion, he led his first “Chan-7,” a seven-day intensive Chinese Zen meditation retreat, reviving a powerful practice that had long been in decline. In 1991, he further renewed the Chan tradition in Taiwan by conducting seven consecutive Chan-7 retreats over a span of 49 days.

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As the number of practitioners continued to grow, Ling Quan Monastery could no longer accommodate them all. The Grand Master began planning a larger monastery in Puli, Nantou County, in central Taiwan. After three years of planning and seven years of construction, Chung Tai Chan Monastery was officially inaugurated in 2001.

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The Grand Master introduced many far-reaching programs to prepare monastics to turn the Dharma Wheel. He initiated the “Three Links of Cultivation,” a comprehensive spiritual practice that integrates service, scripture study, and meditation. This framework became the foundation for advancing Sangha education, social education, and school-based education. From practicing in seclusion to actively spreading the Dharma, the Grand Master consistently embodied the teachings of the Buddha, guiding his disciples along the bodhisattva path. Abiding by the motto, “When at rest, rest all thoughts; when in action, perfect all actions,” he served as a living example of steadfast Buddhist cultivation.

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While Chung Tai Chan Monastery was still under construction, the Grand Master concurrently founded the Chung Tai Buddhist Institute and began laying the groundwork for 108 meditation centers throughout Taiwan and abroad. He also led large-scale Dharma ceremonies, delivered hundreds of Dharma lectures, conducted ten Chan-7 meditation retreats each year, and regularly transmitted the Three Refuges, the Five Precepts, the Eight Prohibitive and Fasting Precepts, the Triple Platform Ordination, and the Bodhisattva Precepts. Through his profound teachings on Dharma, meditation, and precepts, the Grand Master touched countless lives, offering the purifying and transformative power of Buddhism to all.

 

For thirty years, the Grand Master led his disciples in building the Chung Tai World—one step, one footprint at a time. Having originated the Four Tenets of Chung Tai—to our elders be respectful, to our juniors be kind, with all humanity be harmonious, in all endeavors be true—he laid down the core principles for Buddhist practice and Sangha integrity. By connecting Buddhism with academia, education, art, science, and daily life, he brought the Dharma to a broad spectrum of people, kindling the light of each person’s original nature.

 

He also actively promoted Buddhist and cultural exchange across the Taiwan Strait, fostering mutual prosperity and contributing to peace in the world. Grounded in the Buddhist vision of education through enlightenment, he founded Pu Tai elementary, junior high, and senior high schools, setting a model for holistic education. To bear witness to the development of Buddhism and preserve traditional Chinese culture, he dedicated himself to the creation of the Chung Tai World Museum, opening a platform for spreading the Dharma through the transformative power of art.

 

On April 8, 2016, the Grand Master peacefully completed his lifelong journey of bodhisattva work, surrounded by his monastic disciples. He passed away at the age of 90. On the day of his cremation, more than 30,000 disciples gathered to bid a final farewell to their beloved teacher.

 

Outwardly manifest as an ordained monk,

       Inwardly accord with the supreme Buddha seal;

       Unwaveringly practice the bodhisattva way,

       Guiding all sentient beings to enlightenment.

 

These are not only the Grand Master’s aspirations for his monastic disciples, but also a reflection of his own life and practice. From his legacy—Chung Tai—Chan continues to spread far and wide, taking root wherever it lands. In honor of the Grand Master’s profound spiritual guidance, members of Chung Tai vow to uphold his vision: to bring purity and inner peace to all walks of life through Buddhism, thus fulfilling the bodhisattva path of benefitting others and, in turn, perfecting the self.