About Four Great Mountains (Taiwan)

The Four Great Mountains of Taiwan refers to a group of four prominent organizations in Taiwanese Buddhism. The term draws its name from the Four Sacred Mountains of China, four mountains in mainland China that each hold sacred Chinese Buddhist sites. The founders of the institutions are collectively referred to as the Four Heavenly Kings of Taiwanese Buddhism. Each of the "Four Heavenly Kings" corresponds to one cardinal direction, based on where their organization is located in Taiwan. The institutions that make up the "Four Great Mountains" of Taiwanese Buddhism are:North (Jinshan): Dharma Drum Mountain (法鼓山) founded by Master Sheng-yen South (Dashu): Fo Guang Shan (佛光山) founded by Master Hsing Yun (星雲) East (Hualien): Tzu Chi Foundation (慈濟基金會) founded by Master Cheng Yen (證嚴) West (Nantou): Chung Tai Shan (中台山) founded by Master Wei Chueh
Main sanctuary of Fo Guang Shan Monastery near Kaohsiung

Established Buddhist organizations in Taiwan

The growth of Buddhism in Taiwan was spearheaded by a number of organizations developing during this period led by various teachers who took a socially engaged approach in accordance with Humanistic Buddhist philosophy. As Buddhist groups become more involved in people's everyday lives there has been a general push to make the teachings of Buddhism more relevant and applicable to modern- day issues such as environmental protection, human rights and stress management. These developments helped .