Introduction to Venerable Yin Liang
Venerable Yin Liang was born in Tianjin in 1974. His dharma name is Tianji, his courtesy name is Yin Liang, and he is also known by the alias Abbot of Lanshan Studio. He serves as the abbot of Tianjin Leshan Miaoju Monastery and Wuyi Mou...
Introduction to Venerable Yin Liang
Venerable Yin Liang was born in Tianjin in 1974. His dharma name is Tianji, his courtesy name is Yin Liang, and he is also known by the alias Abbot of Lanshan Studio. He serves as the abbot of Tianjin Leshan Miaoju Monastery and Wuyi Mountain Leshan Fu’an Temple, and is a modern Buddhist vocalist and musician. He comes from a family with a generations-long legacy in medicine and I Ching scholarship, and grew up immersed in Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist traditions. He studied the four major schools of Buddhist thought: Chan (Zen), Vinaya, Pure Land, and Esoteric, took Buddhist refuge in childhood, received full monastic tonsure at Tianxin Yongle Chan Monastery on Wuyi Mountain at the age of 30, and took full Bhikṣu precepts at the Vinaya ordination platform of Pingxing Monastery on Taimu Mountain. For decades, he’s worked tirelessly to share Buddhist teachings and traditional culture, leading by quiet example rather than empty words. He upholds the legacy of the Tathāgata and has vowed to bring ease and joy to all sentient beings.
Venerable Yin Liang personally wrote the lyrics, composed, performed, and produced the original album Riding the Vow of Auspiciousness (Cheng Yuan Jixiang). Riding the Vow of Auspiciousness flows from the heart, walks the path of peace, and offers lasting nourishment. Hold one thought of kindness, speak one word of kindness, practice one act of kindness, and reap one fruit of kindness — may the grace of compassion benefit all beings far and wide.
Life and Achievements
In 2001, he founded the Chinese Xuan Yi Culture Communication Center.
In 2003, he founded the Zhi’en Tang I Ching Cultural Reception Center.
From 2005 to 2007, Venerable Yin Liang spent two years conceiving and creating the traditional Chinese Gongbi (meticulous brushwork) painting Lilies in a Flourishing Age as a tribute to the Cultural Olympiad. The scroll stretches 18 meters long and 2.5 meters tall. It was consecrated through sutra chanting and blessings by 300 respected monastics from across the Taiwan Strait and the four regions of China, and stamped with official Dharma seals. He then journeyed 19,800 li, stopping at the Great Compassion Hall on Mount Jiuhua, Puji Chan Monastery on Mount Putuo, Baoguo Temple on Mount Emei, the Manjushri Hall on Mount Wutai, Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, and White Horse Temple in Luoyang, to receive Dharma blessings and official seals for the monumental work. The piece celebrates a thriving China, the stable foundation of all its flourishing transformations. Its creative framework draws on traditional Chinese theories of harmonious culture: the I Ching as its guiding principle, Confucianism as its core foundation, Daoism as its practical application, and Buddhism as its guiding path.
In June 2005, he established the International Huaxia Zhou Yi Association and the International Institute of Architectural Design and Feng Shui.
From December 1 to 4, 2006, he hosted the first International Huaxia I Ching Culture Conference on Wuyi Mountain, dedicated to promoting traditional Huaxia culture and advancing the shared integration of Confucian, Buddhist, Daoist, and I Ching traditions. More than 300 scholars from around the world attended the conference.
From June 15 to 18, 2007, he hosted the second International Huaxia I Ching Culture Conference and the Forum on the Harmonious Culture of Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, the I Ching, and Tai Chi at the Tianjin Auditorium on the Bohai Sea coast. More than 400 attendees from around the world took part, with the goal of building an integrated platform for academic exchange and resource sharing.
From May 16 to 19, 2008, he hosted the third International Huaxia I Ching Culture Conference and the Forum on Eastern Architectural Culture and Harmonious Real Estate in Beijing. The event drew more than 500 participants from around the world and over 90 major Chinese real estate developers, making it the largest and most successful gathering in the conference’s history.
In May 2006, the Global Chinese Federation named him one of the “World’s 100 Most Renowned I Ching Figures.”
In January 2008, he was honored as one of the “Top Ten Harmonious Chinese Philanthropists” at the Asia-Pacific Economic Ceremony.
On May 18, 2008, at the China Railway Auditorium in Beijing, Venerable Yin Liang donated a collection of celebrity calligraphy and paintings he had carefully preserved over the years for a charity auction supporting survivors of the Sichuan Wenchuan earthquake. The auction raised 100,000 RMB on-site, all of which was donated to the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation. For his contribution, he was named a council member of the foundation.
From 2006 to 2008, Venerable Yin Liang spent two years traveling across the country, and through a harmonious convergence of causes and conditions, succeeded in bringing the ancient Kapok Kasaya back into the world, fulfilling the long-held wish to restore the Śākyamuni patriarchal robe. It was exhibited at the Third World Buddhist Articles Exhibition, where it received the full support and blessings of elders from many renowned monasteries.
In 2009, he invested 15 million RMB to establish the Haihui Lianchi Buddhist Culture and Meditation Center in Tianjin, a holistic space focused on meditation instruction, Zen tea culture, and wellness yoga to support mind-body harmony.
In October 2009, with the support of the Tianjin Hebei District Federation of Trade Unions, Venerable Yin Liang covered all three years of high school costs for three students from extremely low-income families.
In January 2010, he invested 1 million RMB to produce contemporary Buddhist music, including a 150,000-word memoir he authored titled Grateful Return Home and a VCD of 16 original Buddhist tracks he composed and performed. The collection was scheduled for nationwide release in October 2010.
In March 2010, he invested 5 million RMB to launch a traditional culture book and video series. The first installment, Three-Medicine Wellness, a 400,000-word book paired with a 12-episode Gongbi-style color-illustrated VCD lecture series, was scheduled for nationwide release in December 2010. The second installment, Chinese Buddhist Canon Collection, a 5-million-word book paired with a 150-episode Gongbi-style color-illustrated VCD lecture series, was planned for nationwide release in October 2011.
In May 2010, his work was designated by the China Work and Public Welfare Association as a national gift for the World Expo, to be presented to international guests.
On April 6, 2015, the opening ceremony of Tianjin’s Leshan Miaoju Monastery was held, alongside the plaque presentation for the Tianjin Research Base of the Senior Art Research Institute of the China Leadership Science Research Association. Venerable Yin Liang serves as the monastery’s abbot.
In 2016, he released his third Buddhist music album, Virtuous Vows of Auspiciousness, featuring the lead tracks “Monk’s Words,” “Falling Flowers Without Intent,” and “The Great Bodhi Path.”
In 2017, he served as chief editor for the publication of four Buddhist practice texts: Mahayana Exoteric-Esoteric Preliminary Practice Text, Mahayana Exoteric Medicine Buddha Group Practice Text, Mahayana Exoteric Amitabha Group Practice Text, and Mahayana Exoteric Three-Period Group Practice Text.
In 2018, he led the Han-transmission Exoteric-Esoteric preliminary Dharma transmission and group practice, guiding participants through 1,000 practice sessions completed over three years, and conferred expedient Dharma transmission and auspicious empowerment. He also partnered with the Wuyi Mountain Water Show Theater to develop Encountering Wuyi · Zen Show, a large-scale cultural tourism performance and outdoor landscape Zen drama. The Wuyi Mountain City Buddhist Association and local Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission invited him to serve as abbot of Lang Valley Fu’an Temple on Wuyi Mountain, and he oversaw the temple’s expansion project.
In 2019, the large-scale cultural tourism performance Encountering Wuyi · Zen Show, with Zhang Jizhong as chief consultant and Venerable Yin Liang as chief director, premiered successfully. He also released his fourth Buddhist music album, Practice and Vow of Auspiciousness, featuring the lead tracks “Mindfully Chanting Amitabha,” “Flower of the Other Shore,” “Following,” and “Sole Vow.”
Representative Works
Riding the Vow of Auspiciousness music album Wondrous Music of Auspiciousness music album