Audience Reception and Translation of Fo Guang Cai Gen Tan for Malaysian Youth

Project Title:
Audience Reception and Translation of Fo Guang Cai Gen Tan for Malaysian Youth

Reserach Team:

Principal Investigator: Associate Prof Dr Chew Fong Peng 

Co-Researchers: Venerable You Deng, Associate Professor Dr. Fonny Dameaty Hutagalung

Introduction
Master Hsing Yun, one of the most influential Dharma masters of Mahayana Buddhism from Taiwan, devoted his life to promoting Buddhism. Among his many written works, Fo Guang Cai Gen Tan (Humble Table, Wise Fare) stands out for its unique combination of Buddhist wisdom and inspiration from the Ming Dynasty’s Cai Gen Tan by Hong Yingming, a Confucian scholar. Master Hsing Yun adapted the Cai Gen Tan style to integrate Buddhist values, focusing on practical wisdom, altruism, and socially engaged practices. 

Since its publication between 1998 and 2004, Fo Guang Cai Gen Tan has gained widespread recognition and has been translated into various languages, including English, Japanese, and Thai, with over 1 million copies distributed globally. In Malaysia, the book is available in Simplified Chinese and English and is widely used as a teaching resource in schools, religious institutions, and youth programs. However, no field studies have explored the reception and understanding of this work among Malaysian readers, especially youth, making this study both pioneering and essential.