Master Yin Shun and Master Cheng Yen are the well-known Buddhists in Taiwan’s Buddhist circles. They met each other and formed a relationship of masters and apprentices, and each had a significant impact on the development of Buddhism. However, how do we understand the connection between the two masters? Is Cheng Yan a member of the so-calledYin Shun School? This article attempts to discuss in four parts: (1) briefly recount the special meeting of the two masters; (2) discuss whether Cheng Yen belongs to the Yin Shun School or not; (3) discuss how Cheng Yen’s belonging to the Yin Shun School or not depends on the scope of the concept itself and its possible meanings; (4) discuss the continuation and development of Yin Shun’s Humanistic Buddhism in Cheng Yen. Finally, this paper suggests that Humanistic Buddhism, as the contemporary development of Mahayana Buddhism, is characterized by the inclusion of many schools of thought, Yin Shun and Cheng Yen can be regarded as the epitome of sharing the same lineage yet diversified in its development. Both of the Yin Shun School and the Tzu Chi Path have their distinguishing features, and thus mutual understanding and cooperation are expected to enrich the theory and practice of Humanistic Buddhism.
