Unimposing physically, Master Sheng Yen was an eloquent speaker. Describing himself as "a wandering monk in a snowstorm," he had a strong desire to save others. He established Dharma Drum Mountain at age 59 and worked hard to propagate Buddhism, both in Taiwan and abroad, as he got older. He witnessed the chaos and misery of contemporary Chinese history, and made every effort to apply the principles of Buddhism to his own life.

Master Sheng Yen was born to a family of peasants in Jiangsu Province in 1930. He entered Guangjiao Monastery on Mt. Lang at age 13 and came to Taiwan with the Nationalist Army in 1949. After ten years in the military, he took up his Buddhist robes to become a disciple of Master Dong Chu. He sequestered himself at Chaoyuan Temple in the mountains near Meinong in Kaohsiung.

During his six years of seclusion, he meditated and studied Buddhism's vast library of scriptures and penned nine works, including Comparative Religion and Orthodox Chinese Buddhism, thus laying the foundation for his later propagation of Buddhism.

After leaving his sequestered life, he first became a "wandering monk," setting up and teaching classes in a number of places as he encouraged the modernization of Buddhism and its spread into the secular world.

At the time, however, most intellectuals in Taiwan viewed Buddhism as a superstition of the poorly educated. What's more, the primary objectives of temples were chanting sutras and chanting on behalf of the dead. Very few were concerned with expounding on Buddhist scripture or training. Determined to change this trend, Master Sheng Yen pursued advanced studies in Japan at age 39. After receiving a doctorate in late-Ming Chinese Buddhism from Rissho University in 1975, he became a Zen master in New York.

In 1977, in response to Master Dong Chu's dying instructions, Master Sheng Yen returned to Taiwan to take over as administrator for monastic affairs at the Chung-Hwa Buddhist Cultural Institute as well as the Nung Chan Monastery and Temple. In 1979, he founded the Chan Meditation Center in New York and in 1985, the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies in Taipei. Henceforth, he would frequent countries in Asia, the Americas, and Europe to teach Zen.

He established Dharma Drum Mountain in 1989 and called on the faithful to "uplift humanity and create pure land on earth." He directed the planning and building of the Dharma Drum Mountain World Center for Buddhist Education in Jinshan Township, Taipei County. The center finally opened its doors after 16 years of construction.

During the opening ceremony in 2005, Master Sheng Yen, who was seriously ill with kidney problems, smiled and made a promise to believers everywhere saying, "The universe may one day perish, yet my vows are eternal." He continued to train Buddhist scholars and ordinary citizens, and set up of a monastic system and rules governing it.

Master Sheng Yen played a key role in reforming and developing Zen Buddhism, blurring boundaries between religion and society and between researching and propagation, to develop a system that embraces believers of different cultural backgrounds and educational levels. He took the initiative to pursue dialog with different sects and religions, even carrying out exchanges on Buddhist mandala with the Dalai Lama. He also worked tirelessly to promote Buddhist exchanges across the Taiwan Strait.

In addition to Dharma Drum Mountain, other large-scale religious organizations in Taiwan include the Tzu Chi Foundation, Fo Guang Shan, and Chung Tai Chan Monastery. These organizations seek to practice the ideals of Buddhism through a variety of missions, such as disaster relief, helping the poor, providing medical care and education, publishing, and radio and television. All are faced with the problem of who will lead them when one day their founders pass on. The master has achieved nirvana, but will his legacy continue? Even as we remember Master Sheng Yen, the Buddhist community is faced with difficult challenges ahead.