Master Sheng Yen’s life is often contemplated beginning with his entry into the world on January 22, 1930. This specific date, shared in careful biographical accounts, offers a concrete point of origin for a teacher whose later influence would extend far beyond his birthplace. The precision of the date allows students of his life and teachings to situate him within a particular historical and cultural moment, even as his teachings themselves point beyond time-bound identities. In reflecting on this, one can sense how the clarity of such details mirrors the Chan emphasis on seeing things as they are, without embellishment or confusion.

Equally significant is the indication that he was born in Nantong, in Jiangsu Province, China. This geographical setting evokes a region steeped in classical Chinese culture, which has long nourished various currents of Buddhist thought and practice. To note that his roots lie in Jiangsu Province is to recognize a cultural and spiritual soil from which his later Chan realization could naturally emerge. The convergence of a precise birth date and a clearly identified birthplace forms a simple yet meaningful frame, within which his subsequent journey as a Chan master can be contemplated with both respect and clarity.