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FAREWELL CEREMONY OF GRAND MASTER HUNYUAN CHANSHI, FOUNDING PATRIARCH OF WEIXIN SHENGJIAO TAIWAN

FAREWELL CEREMONY OF GRAND MASTER HUNYUAN CHANSHI, FOUNDING PATRIARCH OF WEIXIN SHENGJIAO TAIWAN

Updated 2026-03-16 19:28:00

(Taipei, Taiwan, March 14, 2026 – Reported by CaodaiTV – Photos courtesy of Weixin Shengjiao)

At 9:00 a.m. on the 26th day of the first lunar month of the year Bính Ngọ (corresponding to March 14, 2026), Rev. Thượng Cảnh Thanh (Trần Quang Cảnh), former Head of the Caodai Overseas Missionary, represented the Sacerdotal Council of Cao Đài Tay Ninh Holy See (Hội Thánh Cao Đài Tòa Thánh Tây Ninh), together with seven Cao Đài followers currently living and working in Taiwan, to attend the Farewell Ceremony of Grand Master Hunyuan Chanshi, the late Supreme Leader of Weixin Shengjiao in Taiwan.

This Ceremony was solemnly held at the ancestral temple HsianFo Si – Chanji Shan, located in Nantou County, Taiwan, to commemorate and bid farewell to Grand Master Hunyuan Chanshi as he returned to the eternal realm. Due to old age and declining health, the Grand Master peacefully passed away on the 25th day of the 11th lunar month of the year Ất Tỵ (January 13, 2026), at the age of 82.

Also attending the ceremony were Her Excellency Liu Shih-fang, Minister of the Interior, representing the President of Taiwan Lai Ching-te; Her Excellency Lu Hsiu-lien, former Vice President of Taiwan; officials from various provinces and cities; and thousands of followers from more than 50 religious branches of Weixin Shengjiao across Taiwan and overseas. In addition, representatives from cultural institutions, universities, and various religious organizations from Taiwan and abroad came to offer incense and pay their respects to the Founding Patriarch of Weixin Shengjiao.

Following the opening address of the Farewell Ceremony delivered by Professor Fiona Hsin-Fang Chang, eldest daughter and representative of the family of Hunyuan Chanshi, H.E Liu Shih-fang, Minister of the Interior, read and presented the Presidential Commendation Order issued by President Lai Ching-te, honoring the contributions and achievements of Grand Master Hunyuan Chanshi.

Throughout more than 40 years of religious mission, Grand Master Hunyuan Chanshi steadfastly upheld the guiding principles of: “Nurturing virtuous talents, accumulating capable individuals, revitalizing the people, cultivating moral virtues, elevating aspirations, and bringing peace to the world.” He was a highly influential figure in promoting traditional Chinese culture, employing the teachings of the I Ching, Feng shui, and various religious methods to guide and transform sentient beings, with the aspiration that humanity might live in peace and harmony.

Over the past decade, the Sacerdotal Council of Cao Đài Tay Ninh Holy See and Weixin Shengjiao of Taiwan have maintained a close relationship, frequently organizing religious and academic exchanges. The high point of this fruitful relationship was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2018 among three new religious traditions—Cao Đài Religion of Vietnam, Weixin Shengjiao of Taiwan, and Daesoon Jinrihoe of Korea—serving as a foundation for the future establishment of an Association of East Asian New Religions.

At the ceremony, Rev. Thượng Cảnh Thanh conveyed, on behalf of the Sacerdotal Council of Cao Đài Tay Ninh Holy See, the deepest condolences of H.E Cardinal Thượng Tám Thanh and the Cao Dai Sacerdotal Council to the wife of Grand Master Hunyuan Chanshi and to his eldest daughter, Professor Fiona Hsin-Fang Chang. The Cao Đài delegation also offered incense in remembrance and respectfully bid farewell to Grand Master Hunyuan Chanshi, wishing him a peaceful journey to the Holy Land, thus expressing the warm spiritual bond between the two new religious traditions.

The ceremony concluded at 11:30 a.m. on the same day.

Below are some selected photos from the ceremony.