Reported by Chung Shu-chen, Yilan

On the evening of June 21, the melodious and elegant sounds of Buddhist chanting resonated through the Main Auditorium of Fo Guang Shan Lanyang Temple. “Zen Sounds of Clouds and Water—An Evening of Guzheng and Buddhist Chanting Appreciation 2026” made its grand debut. Jointly presented by the Guzheng Club of the Department of Buddhist Studies, the Lanyang Guzheng Ensemble, and the 1953 Buddhist Youth Choir, the event drew a distinguished crowd. Honored guests included Tseng Shu-hsien, Director of the Venerable Master Hsing Yun Digital Humanities Research and Development Center; Prof Kan Cheng-Tsung, Chair of the Department of Buddhist Studies; and Venerable Miao Chin, Abbot of Lanyang Temple. On a restless midsummer night, the performers delivered an indescribable sense of harmony and peace through their pure, solemn zither melodies and Buddhist chants, brushing away the summer heat and bringing supreme spiritual coolness to the audience.

■ A Decade in the Making: A Musical Miracle Built from Scratch

This high-caliber performance was not only a showcase of the Guzheng Club's achievements over its ten-year history, but also a tangible realization of the department’s long-standing educational philosophy of "emphasizing both understanding and practice" (jie xing bing zhong). Formed in 2015 under the guidance and planning of Venerable Jue Guan, the ensemble comprises undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students from the department. Remarkably, most members had absolutely no background in the guzheng (Chinese zither) or music theory before entering the university, meaning they essentially started from scratch.

While the academic workload in the Department of Buddhist Studies is rigorous and intensive, the curriculum is masterfully designed to emphasize the application and daily practice of the Dharma. Through diverse artistic cultivation—including zither music, Buddhist chanting, calligraphy, painting, and the tea ceremony—students not only find emotional refinement amidst tight schedules, but also internalize Buddhist teachings to anchor their bodies and minds. Inspired by Venerable Jue Guan and meticulously guided by Instructor Chang Ting-ya, the students supported one another and practiced relentlessly in a harmonious atmosphere of collective causes and conditions, ultimately achieving the musical miracle of going "from zero background to the grand stage."

■ Honoring Masters Through Music: A Cross-Border Dialogue Between Tradition and Modernity

The evening's program was splendid and filled with highlights. The opening piece, “Yearning Across Time and Space,” was specially selected and dedicated to Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the founder of Fo Guang University. The lingering, profound melodies deeply expressed the eternal gratitude of the faculty and students for the Master's compassionate teachings and educational legacy. Aside from the brisk and lively encore piece, “The Buddha's Birthday Song,” the remaining seven pieces were pious and solemn, praising Amitabha Buddha and the Four Great Bodhisattvas, and translating Chan enlightenment verses into musical expressions.

Another major highlight of the performance was the bold and ingenious integration of traditional Buddhist instruments (the grand drum, large bowl bell, wooden fish, and hand bells) with modern healing instruments (tubular chimes, rainsticks, and ocean drums), breaking the boundaries between the traditional and the contemporary. Simultaneously, the large screen on stage displayed the lyrics and Dharma verses, allowing the audience to quietly contemplate the teachings amidst the melodious sounds. Deeply moved, the audience began to chant along, seamlessly blending the stage and the auditorium into one.

Professor Wang Ya-ting, who has taught music therapy for many years, praised the concert highly after the show: "This was a high-level concert that touched the depths of the soul and cleansed worldly dust. The musical language and atmosphere presented were incredibly pure; you could feel that everyone's mind at that moment was serene and unpolluted."

Furthermore, the stage vividly reflected the department’s daily ethos of "equality between monastics and the laity" and "intergenerational learning." In the Department of Buddhist Studies, monastic venerables and lay students attend classes, work, and take shifts together, supporting one another without distinction of hierarchy. That evening, several monastics performed alongside the students, seeking inner peace through music and perfectly integrating life cultivation and aesthetics into their playing.

 

■ Unity On and Off Stage: Rolling Up Sleeves to Practice Humanistic Buddhism

While the front of the stage was pure and pious, backstage was a battle of immense organizational skill and tacit teamwork. The success of this performance perfectly demonstrated the department’s powerful capacity for collective creation and devoted responsibility. From packing and transporting a massive number of instruments beforehand to frequently rearranging the guzheng layouts between pieces and rapidly tuning the instruments backstage within minutes—all of these tedious tasks were executed efficiently and orderly by the ensemble members and the unsung heroes among the volunteer Bodhisattvas.

After the curtains fell, the entire team once again pooled their efforts to independently pack up the stage, working together to clean and restore the venue to its original state. The sight of young students and silver-haired elders working hand-in-hand without distinction, seeing the task through from start to finish, is the most moving and down-to-earth practice of Humanistic Buddhism in daily life.

The resounding success of this 10th-anniversary concert proves that the department's students can not only delve deeply into the Buddhist sutras and cultivate their character, but also possess the practical ability to solve problems independently. With steady and calm steps, these students listen to the Dharma amidst the cool breezes of Mt. Linmei to transform their lives. They hope to use this beautiful stream of guzheng melodies and Buddhist chanting to continue anchoring society and purifying human hearts.

Originally reported by The Merit Times (LNANews): "Zen Sounds of Clouds and Water" Resounds Melodiously: FGU Guzheng Ensemble's Moving 10th Anniversary Debut Source: https://www.lnanews.com/news/178452