Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-09
By: Lu Kang-chun, Jay Chen and Lilian Wu, Central News Agency

Taipei, April 9 (CNA) Wei Chueh, the Buddhist monk who founded Chung Tai Chan Monastery in the town of Puli in central Taiwan, has passed away, the monastery announced early Saturday. He was 88.

The grand master passed away at 10:31 p.m. Friday, the monastery said. His death was due to a regression of marrow regeneration, which resulted in complications.

The monastery was closed Saturday, shutting out buses carrying mainland Chinese tourists.

It plans to have a scripture reciting assembly from April 11-17 in remembrance of the grand master.

Born in Sichuan, China in 1928, Wei Chueh was one of the most important religious figures in Taiwan in recent decades, with more than 1,000 monk disciples and hundreds of thousands of followers in Taiwan and around the world.     [FULL  STORY]