This paper aims to accomplish two tasks. First, to explore Venerable Sheng Yen’s (1930-2009) contribution to Buddhist studies through his study of Ouyi Zhixu 澫益智旭 (1599-1655), who was one of the four eminent clerics of the late Ming period (16th-17th centuries). I argue that in the context of the 1970s, Sheng Yen’s work not only spearheaded the study of late imperial Chinese Buddhism, but also contributed to a greater understanding of modern forms of Buddhism. Second, and more importantly, this paper examines how Sheng Yen’s scholarship has impacted his own formulation of and approach to the teaching of Buddhism that is oriented towards the modern world. I focus on three aspects of Sheng Yen’s thought—his doctrinal synthesis of Chinese Buddhism, his Chan teaching grounded in Buddhist doctrine, and his promotion of the bodhisattva precepts—and divide the development of his thoughts on doctrine and practice into four periods in order to show how they can be traced back to his study of and response to Ouyi’s life work. While the evidence culled for this paper needs to be further studied and that my conclusions are tentative, the general thrust of the argument is highly conceivable.
