While Humanistic Buddhism is a product of contemporary Chinese Buddhism, it is considered revolutionary and a historical turning point in moving towards teaching in response to respective needs and capacities. Thus, over the past century, it has been a great contributor to the development of Chinese Buddhism. The Humanistic Buddhism that Master Taixu founded was a new kind of Buddhist View and the teachings were categorized into complex components. This categorization included incorporating folk and national consciousness, responding to changes in era and society, expanding dialogues in culture and popular thought, and paying attention to the reflection of tradition. In contrast, Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s push for the actualization of Humanistic Buddhism was a more constructive approach. In returning to the true and original intents of the Buddha, he allowed the community a better appreciation of its historical significance, as well as its vision of humanity, societal direction, values and concerns, together with its future goals. The emphasis on Humanistic Buddhism’s return to the original intents of the Buddha further pushes forth the essence of contemporary Buddhist propagation and actualization. It simultaneously reveals Buddhism’s humanistic nature. The framework of Contemporary Humanistic Buddhism as a whole does not merely concern Humanistic Buddhism, but the future development of contemporary Buddhism as a whole.
