Master Hsing Yun (星雲法師), founder of Buddhist organization Fo Guang Shan, is in stable condition after suffering a stroke, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital said yesterday.
The master was rushed to the hospital by his followers on Monday night after he felt numbness on his left side, including his hand and foot.
The hospital immediately formed a team to treat him and confirmed that he was suffering from blood-vessel sclerosis in his brain and an ischemic stroke.
The hospital said that Master Hsing Yun, 84, has a history of high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high blood lipids and heart disease.
He checked into the hospital after a stroke in October and had recovered from that, but he had been fatigued in recent days from activities related to the opening of a Buddha Memorial Center in Greater Kaohsiung, Fo Guang Shan Monastery said.
The hospital said although he was in stable condition, he would remain there for observation for the time being.
Both President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) sent Master Hsing Yun their regards yesterday, expressing their concern.
In related news, Tsai and first lady Chow Mei-ching (周美青) yesterday visited the Buddha Memorial Center.
The five-story memorial hall was unveiled on Sunday after nine years of construction. The 4,000 ping (13,223m2) complex has eight stupas, 48 underground palaces and the nation’s tallest Buddha statue at 108m high.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,