The Four Heavenly Kings or Four Great Mountains 四大名山 of Taiwan refers to four Buddhist masters in Taiwanese Buddhism who each founded an influential Buddhist institution in the country.[1][2] The term draws its name from the Four Heavenly Kings who each rule over one of the heavenly realms in Buddhist cosmology. Like the Four Heavenly Kings mythology, each Buddhist teacher corresponds to one cardinal direction, based on where their organization is located in Taiwan. The corresponding institutions of the masters are referred to as the "Four Great Mountains".[3][4]
The four masters and their corresponding institutions are:
- North (Jinshan): Master Sheng-yen (聖嚴, d. 2009) of Dharma Drum Mountain (法鼓山)
- South (Dashu): Master Hsing Yun (星雲, d. 2023) of Fo Guang Shan (佛光山)
- East (Hualien): Master Cheng Yen (證嚴) of the Tzu Chi Foundation (慈濟基金會)
- West (Nantou): Master Wei Chueh (惟覺, d. 2016) of Chung Tai Shan (中台山)
- ^ Abeynayake, Oliver; Tilakaratne, Asanga (1 January 2011). 2600 Years of Sambuddhatva: Global Journey of Awakening. p. 282. ISBN 9789559349334. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
- ^ Sakya, Madhusudan (2011). Current Perspectives in Buddhism: Buddhism today : issues & global dimensions. Cyber Tech Publications. pp. 64, 95, 98.
- ^ Ling, Haicheng (2005). Buddhism in China. 五洲传播出版社. ISBN 9787508508405.
- ^ Watts, Jonathan S.; Tomatsu, Yoshiharu (19 November 2012). Buddhist Care for the Dying and Bereaved. Simon and Schuster. p. 111. ISBN 9781614290636.
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