Venerable Master Wu Dao

Venerable Wudao, whose surname is Lin and whose given name is Zhengdao, was born on December 1, 1951, in Taipei County, Taiwan. He grew up in Xizhi and Wudu. Even at a young age, he felt the impermanence of life and the weight of death.

In 1966, after being introduced to Buddhism by his elder brother, he developed a deep interest in the Dharma and abandoned worldly studies to pursue his own studies. In his early years, he took refuge in the Three Jewels under Venerable Hsing Yun at Shoushan Temple in Kaohsiung, receiving the Dharma name Huiming. He then listened to radio lectures by Venerables such as Xiandun and Jingxin on the Agama Sutra and the Dhammapada.

In 1969, at the Lotus Friends Buddhist Chanting Group on Longjiang Street in Taipei, I listened to Venerable Jingkong lecture on the Shurangama Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Commentary on the Amitabha Sutra, the Essentials of the Amitabha Sutra, the General Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, the Ksitigarbha Sutra, the Questions of Ananda to the Buddha on Good and Bad Omens, the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana, the Five Pure Land Sutras and One Treatise, etc., totaling about fifteen years of Mahayana and Hinayana sutras and treatises.

In 1984, he was ordained by Venerable Master Jingkong at the Buddha Education Foundation in Taipei City, and was given the Dharma name Wudao and the courtesy name Xincheng.

In 1985, he received full ordination from Venerable Guangqin at Miaotong Temple in Liugui Township, Kaohsiung County. In 1986, he was invited by Director Han Yan of the Jingmei Huazang Buddhist Library in Taipei City to serve as the head monk, legal affairs officer, personnel manager, and sutra printing officer.

Since 1990, with the compassionate encouragement of Venerable Master Jingkong and Director Han, he accepted invitations from Buddhist groups and Pure Land Societies in various places to give lectures, and repeated in Mandarin and Taiwanese more than ten kinds of texts lectured by Venerable Master Jingkong, including "The Sutra of Infinite Life", "The Essentials of the Sutra of Amitabha", "The Commentary on the Sutra of Contemplation of the Buddha of Infinite Life", "The Essence of the Chapter on the Perfect Enlightenment of Mahasthamaprapta", "The Sutra of the Eight Great Awakenings", "The Sutra of the Ten Good Deeds", "The Sutra of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva", "The Treatise on Rebirth", and "The Four Lessons of Life".

In 1996, at the invitation of the Pure Land Society of Singapore and the Buddhist Laymen's Association, he re-lectured the "Amitabha Sutra" in Taiwanese.

After attending the third Dharma propagation training course of the Singapore Pure Land Society in 1997, he began to spread the Dharma abroad, learning from Venerable Master Jingkong's specialization in practicing and propagating the Pure Land School around the world, and persuading fellow practitioners at home and abroad to sincerely recite the Buddha's name and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

In 1998, he served as the president of the Changhua Pure Land Society and the president of the Seattle Pure Land Society in the United States.

In 1999, he was established and elected as the first chairman of the Huazang Pure Land Buddhism Society, a corporate entity registered with the Ministry of the Interior.

In 2000, he was appointed Honorary President of the Pure Land Society of New York, the Honorary President of the Pure Land Society of Michigan, and a lecturer at the Pure Land Society of Spain.

In 2001, he was kindly ordered by Master Jing Gong to be the abbot of the Bao En Buddhist Hall in Kuching, Malaysia.

In 2002, he was re-elected as the second chairman of the Huazang Pure Land Buddhist Association. In the same year, in order to pray for the elimination of disasters and world peace, he printed and cataloged the "Qianlong Tripitaka" at the request of Venerable Master Jingkong. Ten thousand copies were printed and donated to relevant university libraries or national libraries around the world.

On June 30, 2003, the Master Jingkong Collection website was established in English, providing information on Master Jingkong's multicultural lectures and teachings, as well as reports on his international visits and other activities. On October 1, the Huazang Pure Land Society website was established to promote Buddhist education and expand the Society's multicultural approach to Dharma propagation. It is available in both Mandarin and Taiwanese for easy reference.

On January 25, 2004, he accompanied Master Jingkong to Japan to attend the "Pray for World Peace" conference hosted by the United Nations. From November 13 to 21, he hosted an exhibition of paintings by Jiang Yizi at Komyoji Temple in Kyoto, Japan, featuring "Hell Transformations."

In May 2005, I was invited by fellow practitioners from the United States and Canada to give lectures on the Buddhist Seven-Day Retreat and the Buddhist Recitation Ceremony.

In October 2006, we participated in supporting the 2550 Vesak Day celebrations organized by UNESCO in Paris, France.

In November 2006, he took over the leadership of the Guanyin Buddhist Association of the Republic of China and served as the chairman of the 6th, 7th, 9th and 10th terms.

On May 30, 2007, I was honored to be appointed Abbot of Gongbei Temple in Xizhi City, Taipei County, Taiwan Province. I hope that this opportunity will help me to promote the traditional multicultural education spirit of Gongbei Temple, which integrates Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.

On April 1, 2008 (Heisei 20), the Hua Zang Pure Land Society Tokyo Office was established in Tokyo.

On April 25, 2008, at the invitation of Master Mangong, the abbot of Lujiang Shiji Zen Temple in Master Jingkong's hometown, and his Dharma protectors, he initiated the "100-seven Grand Ceremony for Protecting the Nation and Relieving Disasters." Master Jingkong personally wrote the invitation and bestowed upon him the nickname "Ceremony Master." By March 25, 2010, he had completed 700 Ceremony sessions for Protecting the Nation and Relieving Disasters, praying for national prosperity, favorable weather, and world peace.

On March 11, 2008, with the approval of the Taipei City Government’s Civil Affairs Bureau, the Huazang Pure Land Buddhism Foundation was established, and he was honored to serve as the first chairman.

On January 30, 2010, the "One Hundred and Seven Three-Hour Recitation Ceremony for Protecting the Nation and Relieving Disasters" commenced at the Shuangxi Xiaozhu Temple in Taipei. The 700th session of the ceremony was completed on December 30, 2011. The "One Hundred and Seven Three-Hour Recitation Ceremony for Protecting the Nation and Relieving Disasters" was repeated on January 1, 2012, concluding on November 30, 2013. Following Venerable Master Jing's kind instructions to perform seven hundred sevens, the Shuangxi Xiaozhu Temple in Taipei continues to hold the Three-Hour Recitation Ceremony for Protecting the Nation and Relieving Disasters.

On November 2, 2012, a 49-day chanting ceremony to alleviate disasters was launched, concluding on December 20th. From the 21st to the 23rd, a three-day chanting ceremony to alleviate disasters was held at the Shuangxi Xiaozhu Temple of Lingyan Mountain Temple in Taipei. The ceremony sought the Buddha's blessing and gathered the compassionate thoughts and energy of all to avert disasters, transforming calamities and bringing harmony to the universe, peace and tranquility, prosperity to the nation, and world peace. The ceremony was jointly led by the Huazang Pure Land Buddhist Association of China, the Sanchong Pure Land Buddhist Association, the Sanchong Pure Land Buddhist Branch of the Shuangxi Xiaozhu Temple of Lingyan Mountain Temple in Taipei, the Huazang Pure Land Buddhist Foundation, the Pingzhen Pure Land Buddhist Bodhi Chanting Association, the Huazang Yilan Chanting Hall, and the Tainan Huazang Lotus Society. The entire ceremony was live-streamed online, allowing Buddhist practitioners worldwide to join in the practice.

In September 2013, he was invited by the Tainan City National Studies Academy Traditional Culture Foundation to serve as a lecturer.

In January 2014, he assumed the third term of the Cuihengxin Experimental Education Association of the Republic of China, amending the organization's charter and changing its name to the Chinese Traditional Culture Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism Education Society. He is dedicated to promoting traditional Chinese culture, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism education.

On February 3, 2014 (Heisei 26), the Japanese Ministry of Justice officially recognized the activities of Hua Zang religious groups in Japan.

In 2015, Venerable Master Jing accepted an invitation from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David to co-found a Chinese Academy to promote the teaching of Chinese characters and classical Chinese. He aspires to use Chinese characters and classical Chinese as a vehicle for global culture, thereby disseminating the essence of traditional Chinese culture and the wisdom treasures left by ancient sages: "Qunshu Zhiyao," "Guoxue Zhiyao," and "Siku Quanshu." To fulfill this ambitious vision, Venerable Master Jing traveled to London in October to establish the "UK Huazang Pure Land Society." This initiative aims to unite Pure Land societies across Europe, organize volunteer Dharma protectors, and jointly support the Chinese Academy.

On July 15, 2016 (Heisei 28), the Japanese government officially approved the establishment of the "Japan Huazang Pure Land Buddhism Society" and officially registered it with the Legal Affairs Bureau on the same day.

In September 2016, he was appointed as an honorary consultant by Sri Lanka's Longxi International Buddhist University and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature degree by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in the United Kingdom.

On January 23, 2019, he became the abbot of Taihe Prajna Temple in Tainan.

On March 28, 2019, the New Taipei City Government appointed a municipal advisor (term until December 24, 2022).

Previous positions include: Chairman of the Huazang Pure Land Buddhist Foundation, Chairman of the Chinese Huazang Pure Land Society, President of the Changhua Pure Land Society, Abbot of the Huazang Yilan Buddha Hall, Abbot of the Shuangxi Cottage of Lingyan Mountain Temple in Taipei, Honorary President of the Seattle Pure Land Society, Honorary President of the New York Pure Land Society, Advisor of the Spanish Pure Land Society, Lecturer at the Australian Pure Land College, Director and Abbot of the Gongbei Temple in Xizhi City, Abbot of the Sanchong Pure Land Branch of Lingyan Mountain Temple in Taipei, President of the Tainan Huazang Lotus Society, Chairman of the Guanyin Buddhist Society of the Republic of China, Lecturer at the Tainan National Studies Academy, Chairman of the Chinese Traditional Culture Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism Education Society, Abbot of the Zhulin Branch of Lingyan Mountain Temple in Taipei, President of the UK Huazang Pure Land Society, President of the Japan Huazang Pure Land Society, Honorary Advisor of the Longxi International Buddhist University in Sri Lanka, and Abbot of the Taihe Prajna Temple in Tainan.