Hsin Ting

Venerable Hsin Ting was the sixth abbot and director of Fo Guang Shan from 1997 to 2005. He served as acting abbot for three years after the sudden death of his predecessor, the Venerable Hsin Ping, in 1995. According to Fo Guang Shan's order of precedence, Hsin Ting is the third highest monastic in the order after the late Hsin Ping. Hsin Ting is speculated to succeed Venerable Master Hsing Yun, Fo Guang Shan's founder, in later years. Along with Hsin Ping, he is a forty-ninth of the Linji Chan school.

Hsin Ting was born in central Taiwan in Yunlin county. He was born into a family of farmers and grew up in the country. In 1968, he became a monastic under Master Hsing Yun and took full ordination the following year in Keelung. Hsin Ting graduated from the Eastern Buddhist College and the India Research Institute of the Chinese Cultural University. He further received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the Fo Guang Shan-affiliated University of the West in Rosemead, California in 1998.

Hsin Ting is known to be the carrier of the torch for Master Hsing Yun's ideal of Humanistic Buddhism. He has held a variety of posts, such as the secretary of Fo Guang Shan's Religious Affairs Committee, the Managing Director of the Ilan Buddhist Society, abbot of Long Hua Temple in Malaysia, abbot of Hsi Lai Temple in California, abbot of Taipei's Pu Men Temple, and of Kaohsiung's Pu Hsien Temple, President of the American Buddhist Youth Association, and Vice President of Buddha's Light International Association of R.O.C.

Upon the sudden death of Master Hsing Yun's eldest disciple and abbot, Venerable Hsin Ping, Hsin Ting was immediately promoted to the said position, and served the rest of Hsin Ping's term until 1997, when he was unanimously and officially elected abbot in 1997 as Fo Guang Shan's sixth abbot.

A multi-talented monastic, he is said to be well versed in speaking the Dharma, instruction in Chan meditation, construction projects, Buddhist chant, and the composition of music and lyrics.

He ended his term as abbot in 2005, when Venerable Hsin Pei was elected to the position of Abbot. Along with Master Hsing Yun, he is currently giving dharma lectures and presiding over Buddhist ceremonies around the world.