Chin Kung AM (淨空; pinyin: Jìngkōng; 13 March 1927 – 26 July 2022)[1] was a Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar from the Mahayana tradition.

He was born in Lujiang County, Anhui, China as Hsu Yeh-hong (徐業鴻, Xú Yèhóng),[2] and received some classical Confucian education from a tutor in his hometown.

[3] In 1949, after the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War,[3] he moved to Taiwan and spent thirteen years as a clerk at the Shihchien Institute, a training institution for military officers,[3] studying Buddhism and Philosophy in his spare time under the guidance of Professor Fang Tung-mei (方東美), Changkya Khutukhtu (章嘉呼圖克圖 a master in Mongolian Buddhism), and lay teacher Lee Ping-nan (李炳南).

[5] Chin Kung was unsuccessful in finding a temple in Taipei, so in 1966, he accepted the offer of lay supporter Han Ying, and moved into her family home for 17 years.

In 1979, with the help of Han, Chin Kung set up the Hwa Dzan Buddhist Library in Taipei, allowing him a stable physical base for his activities.

Starting in the 1970s, his lectures were recorded on audio, videotapes, and then later on CDs and DVDs and the internet for wide distribution in many temples, where they can be freely passed on, at a time when Buddhist teachings were not readily available in electronic formats.

[6] According to Chinese Buddhism researcher Sun Yafei, Chin Kung has "an exceptional ability to communicate doctrinal points [in] language comprehensible even to people with little education" and credits his "skillful use of ... life experience ... to hold the attention of the audience, and lends his messages persuasive power.

"[6] Chin Kung was also known to study the teachings of other philosophical and religious traditions, and was known for emphasising the philosophy of "kindness, fraternity, sincerity, and humility".

[7] Since the late 1990s, Chin Kung organised and participated in interfaith forums across the globe, emphasising the importance of education and exhorting religious teachers to set an example by practicing the teachings of the sages and saints in their daily lives, and humbly learning from other religions.

[7] In 2016, he worked with the British government and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David to promote study in Sinology in order to revitalize the teaching of the ancient sages of China.

Chin Kung tried to correct these misunderstandings and lead the public back to the original form of Buddhism as taught by Sakyamuni Buddha.