Master Hsing Yun on the Monkey

Written by Peter Li-Chang Kuo

(Chinese)

In 1983, at Pumen Temple on Minquan East Road in Taipei, Venerable Master Hsing Yun (before he began referring to himself as “Great Master”) suddenly said: “The King of Hell asked a monkey whether it wanted to be reborn as a human. ‘First, pluck the fur from your body,’ he told it. The monkey plucked just a bit and immediately cried out in pain. The King rebuked it: ‘Not willing to part with a single hair, yet you wish to become human? Away — to the Avīci Hell!’”

Master Hsing Yun said he wanted to “build temples to support monks, spread the Dharma, and benefit all beings.” He believed everyone should contribute according to their means: those with money should give money, those with ability should give effort; and those with neither should at least offer a kind heart and kind words. We helped promote his “Northern Sea Merit Certificate,” which enabled the rise of a religious kingdom.

Fig 1: “Northern Sea Merit Certificate”

I—Li Chang Kuo — was called “Dr. Blacksmith” in 1967 by President Lane of the American firm Transworld Electronics (Avnet Taiwan Ltd.). To keep this foreign company in Taiwan, I freely developed custom products worth millions of U.S. dollars and gave them to him. This finally allowed Taiwan to avoid relying on banana exports and being strangled by Japanese merchants.

In 1974, Chiang Ching-Kuo called me the “Father of Taiwan’s Precision Industry” and encouraged me to “utilize resources to benefit the people” (利用厚生). I indeed helped Mr. Chang Li-Tang, then mayor of Tainan, establish a sister-city relationship with San Jose, building a direct bridge from Taiwan to Silicon Valley.

In 1978, U.S. President Jimmy Carter insisted on severing ties with Taiwan, leaving the island seemingly doomed — yet President Chiang Ching-Kuo refused to accept this fate. He came to see me personally, saying, “The nation needs you,” and arranged for my early discharge from Chengkungling (a millitary camp) three months ahead of schedule so I could settle my affairs. I gave NT$ 6 million to A-Jin, and I departed for the United States precisely on the day of the U.S.–Taiwan diplomatic break, to develop “satellite receiver and PC,” ultimately rescuing the economies of both Taiwan and the U.S. in the 1980s.

Fig 2: Before leaving Chengkungling in 1978

Gaze upon Fig 3: these two pieces of ironclad evidence, washed by time yet shining ever brighter. On the left: January 23, 1979—38 days after the U.S.–Taiwan diplomatic break — I stood before the frozen Niagara Falls, having narrowly crossed the border just before the full lowering of flags and withdrawal from the U.S. Embassy in Taipei, under the exhortation that “the nation needs you.” On the right: March 13 of the same year, the official business license for “BLACK STONE CO.” issued by the State of New York.

Fig 3: Ironclad proof that Li-Chang Kuo went to the U.S. to serve and save the nation

This is no ordinary photograph; it is the ultimate triumph in a race against the nation’s destiny! Without Chiang Ching-Kuo’s special approval for my early military discharge — those crucial 90 days — all this “cause-and-effect of saving the nation” would have been confiscated by history amid the diplomatic storm. While all of Taiwan was plunged into panic over the break in relations, I had already laid the first cornerstone in New York for Taiwan’s precision industry and the global digital financial mechanism. (This deserves a separate, detailed account.)

Today, those juniors, clutching smartphones and enjoying the fruits of decades of technological prosperity, with every tap on their screens, absorbs the welfare nutrients that the great benefactor once risked his life and invested tens of millions of dollars to establish. Yet not only do these juniors fail to be grateful, they willingly become the minions of gorillas — their sin far graver than the monkeys described in Master Hsing Yun’s teachings.

In 1984, I was named “Gadget Master” by Mrs. Ruth Handler — creator of the Barbie doll and a member of the U.S. Inventors Hall of Fame. With absolutely no rivals worldwide, I had originally planned to use funds equivalent to buying 30 houses in Taipei to dominate the world.

However, Linda Din )Ding Lin-Hong), granddaughter of “Sister Ping” (Venerable Master Chuan-Chih, aka TranSmart), whom Master Hsing Yun most respected, considered “Taiwan First” and treated tens of millions of U.S. dollars as if they were one Taiwanese dollar, pouring everything into “Social Responsibility Investment” (SRI).

Fig 4: Venerable Master Chuan-Chih

Even though SRI kept burning through money, she still lent funds to banks needing overnight liquidity and to enterprises on the verge of default. When borrowers couldn’t repay, she would lend another NTD 2 million and assist them in improving their operations. This fully embodied the teachings of “giving wealth, giving Dharma, and giving fearlessness,” said to stabilize society.

Fig 5: Lending to banks and enterprises to stabilize society

In Buddhism’s “Perfection of Giving” (Dāna pāramitā), when a borrower is unable to repay, we not only refrain from pressing for repayment, but instead extend an additional NTD 2 million in substantive financial rescue, even dispatching professionals to help improve management until profitability returns. This ultimate compassion and wisdom perfectly fulfills the three realms of “giving wealth, giving Dharma, and giving fearlessness.”

It is said, “If you have the power to do good, do not refuse.” With a simple reach hands, we can assist government industrial transformation, help companies secure orders, and enable the underprivileged to earn with peace of mind. By 1989, SRI had already produced R&D results, yet it took another 20 years — from the island to the international APEC stage — to promote various bills and policies, helping “little devils” grow into “big gorillas.”

Fig 6: R&D results reported in 1989

In 1950, Chiang Ching kuo, to consolidate border defenses, ruthlessly purged alleged spies; no one dared speak out. My father saved an alleged spy, yet became entangled in protracted litigation and was mocked by relatives in Tainan as a fool. In 1972, when Chiang Ching-Kuo sought to develop Taiwan and softened his stance, a group of the cowardly and self preserving immediately grew arrogant, presuming themselves righteous. This opportunism and hypocrisy —“cowering before power, yet striking the virtuous”— is the true portrait of the Taiwanese people.

Venerable Master Hsing Yun cited this “Monkey Plucking Fur” fable from Xiaolin Guangji mainly because, in 1983, while raising funds to “build temples, support monks, spread the Dharma, and benefit beings,” he faced accusations from rivals and thus spoke from the heart, urging the public to adopt the spirit of “giving” to achieve the virtuous karma of “benefiting others.”

Master Hsing Yun emphasized: “Those with money give money; those with ability give effort; those with neither should at least offer a kind heart and kind words.” This breaks down the threshold for giving — merit is not the exclusive domain of the wealthy. Kind words and a good heart are also forms of giving; even if one cannot give materially, offering encouragement or support through good thoughts and speech constitutes immense “merit of rejoicing in others’ good deeds” and “giving through words.”

Today, we face a critical moment testing the collective power of truly “spreading the teaching and benefiting beings.” In 2009, leaders of two nations invited me to the APEC CEO Summit in Singapore to contribute the way of “Rebuilding the Global Economy.” In a closed door session on the 25th floor of the Fairmont Hotel, I urged the U.S. delegation to release “satellite support.”

Fig 7: Contribution at APEC CEO Summit 2009

On June 28, 2010, President Obama indeed issued the "President’s Plan to Increase the Spectrum." What had been a dying fruit stand suddenly received heavenly nourishment, growing into an 800 pound gorilla — just as Hillary Clinton warned: “eating all the food and smashing the kitchen.”

Wang Chien-Hsuan, President of the Control Yuan and a henchman of the island cartel, classified the investigation report as confidential until “August 16, 2017”—they must have assumed we wouldn’t live to see that day. During the period, a certain junior named Cook, in 2014, took our R&D results from Fig 4 and, in blatant disregard for law and order, boasted about “xPay.”

Fig 8: Cartel Henchman Wang Chien-Hsuan's Letter

Thus, the “gorilla” gorged itself to a staggering USD 4.8 trillion, becoming the idol worshipped by the island cartel’s henchmen — while our enterprises in Taiwan were utterly annihilated. In 2023, we broke through to New York and negotiated “USD 2.4 billion” in infringement damages, preparing to take action. Upon returning to Taiwan, Taiwan Bank cleaned my balance to "zero" —attempting either to infuriate me to death or starve me to death. Unexpectedly, I am still alive in 2026, but this “zeroing out” is truly a poison move that kills multiple birds with one stone.

Because the USD 2.4 billion is merely the beginning of establishing an “Accounts Receivable” (AR) mechanism; thereafter, the USD 380,000 accruing every minute will become the nourishment for Taiwan’s future national development. USD 2.4 billion converts to roughly NT$77 billion. If this capital were “fully invested in a single domain,” it could yield at least the following impacts:

1. If fully allocated to “schoolchildren”:

1) Nationwide free nutritious school lunches: Based on New Taipei City’s estimates of nationwide student needs, this sum would suffice to provide free nutritious lunches to all elementary and junior high school students across Taiwan for nearly 5 years.

2)Top-tier digital education upgrade: According to Tainan City’s “Every Student Has a Tablet” and AI literacy education budget (NT$2.4 billion over 4 years), NT$77 billion could fully refresh digital equipment and upgrade AI-capable computers for all public elementary and junior high students across every county and city in Taiwan — up to 30 times over.

3) Comprehensive campus hardware improvements: According toTaichung City’s “Give Children an Auditorium” initiative (NT$2.4 billion raised to construct 25 school activity centers), this funding would be sufficient to build over 750 brand-new activity centers for schools in rural or underserved areas currently lacking auditoriums.

2. If fully allocated to “student loans”:

1) Taiwan currently has approximately 730,000 student loan borrowers. Annual government interest subsidies plus borrower-paid interest total between NT$2 billion and NT$4.4 billion (depending on interest rate fluctuations). NT$77 billion could fund a policy of “full, permanent government coverage of interest for all student loan borrowers during and after schooling” (interest-free student loans) for over 17 years.

2) Directly wipe out student loans for 250,000 graduates: Assuming an average student loan burden of NT$300,000 per borrowing university graduate, this sum could directly cancel the debts of approximately 256,000 recent graduates, completely liberating them from the anxiety of starting their careers already in debt.

3. If fully allocated to “industrial upgrading”:

Investing NT$77 billion into Taiwan’s economic and industrial hard power would generate enormous benefits, including:

1) Supporting over 10,000 enterprises in “dual-axis transformation”: According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ “Industrial Upgrading and Support Plan” designed to help Taiwanese industries respond to international tariff pressures, a budget of NT$25 billion was allocated to assist 10,000 businesses in technological upgrades and AI adoption. With NT$77 billion, over 30,000 Taiwanese SMEs could be comprehensively guided and subsidized to complete low-carbon and digital dual-axis transformations.

2) Building multiple world-class R&D and AI infrastructure hubs: In the global tech industry, USD 2.4 billion — NT$77 billion — is precisely the benchmark for top-tier startups and major corporate expansions. For example, AI infrastructure startup Volta reached a USD 2.4 billion valuation after investments from NVIDIA and Dell, enabling the construction of large-scale, cross-border AI data centers. Likewise, Visa spent USD 2.4 billion in cash in 2026 to acquire Israeli AI financial fraud-prevention company BioCatch, upgrading cybersecurity capabilities across the entire financial sector. If we channel this capital into “Social Responsibility Investment” (SRI), we could establish several world-class R&D cores.

In short, all three domains above are immensely valuable. Supporting schoolchildren invests in future fundamental human rights and compulsory education; relieving student loan burdens immediately liberates hundreds of thousands of young entrants to the workforce currently facing low wages and inflationary pressures; and upgrading industry creates more high-paying jobs, fundamentally solving the low-wage problem—thereby benefiting both future schoolchildren and future student loan borrowers alike.

In 1983, Master Hsing Yun, deeply troubled by the severe slander from his opponents, raised to me the fable of “The King of Hell and the Monkey.” In truth, the monkey had only committed the “sin of stinginess and greed”: it was unwilling to pay the price, yet desired the reward—wishing to become human but refusing to pluck out its fur. Today, the “gorilla” has surrounded and slaughtered this great benefactor until nothing remains, while the henchmen who worship it maliciously attack the very benefactor. Are their sins not even more deserving of the Avīci Hell than the monkey’s?—The Bible speaks of it as “the lake of fire burning with sulfur.”

Here is a benefactor who, over 40 years ago, had the capacity to save Barbie — hoping only that Mattel would remain in Taiwan and not trigger another wave of unemployment. This benefactor took tens of millions of U.S. dollars that could have dominated the world, turned them into Genesis invention, and tirelessly journeyed to APEC to carve out a path forward for Taiwan, bringing 16 years of prosperity to the island. Yet, this same benefactor was zeroed out by banks, reduced to surviving on the world’s cheapest mantou (steamed buns) —three for NT$20 — and still strives to open new pathways for Taiwan.

Now, merely short NT$22,000 to pay an annual fee of KSI, I asked friends for support—following AI’s advice: if just ten people each donate NT$2,000 to NT$3,000, the fee can be covered. Yet, the benefactor was maliciously labeled a “fraud syndicate.” From the Buddhist perspective of “karmic retribution,” the evildoing of those accusers who falsely brand a benefactor in distress as a fraudster far exceeds that of the monkey. AI analysis follows:

1. The accusers’ evil karma—following malicious intent and severing the roots of goodness:

Even after being zeroed out by banks and placed in extreme adversity, the great benefactor still holds in their heart the desire to “open a path for Taiwan”— continuing to walk the Bodhisattva path. According to AI’s suggestion, simply messaging friends to seek modest support to sustain basic operations is an act of resilience and goodwill that should move anyone in this world. The accusers, however, maliciously linked the gorilla’s wicked intent and directly slapped on the label of “fraud syndicate.” This is not merely “active defamation”; it extinguishes goodwill in the world and obstructs great acts of virtue — constituting immense evil karma.

2. The disparity in karmic fortune between the monkey and the accusers:

The monkey, due to lack of cultivation in past lives, possessed insufficient karmic merit; its sin remained at the level of “haggling over a single hair,” rooted in “ignorance.” The accusers live in modern times and had the opportunity to witness the great benefactor’s virtuous deeds, yet — driven by their own “greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt”— they regard a benefactor who has saved countless people as a “thief.” In fact, if the accusers use a mobile phone, they are already infringing upon the benefactor’s rights — they are the thieves. In Buddhist terms, this is called “thin fortune”: before them lies a great field of merit (the chance to support this benefactor in distress), yet they push it away with their own hands, even using malicious words to churn the soil, turning merit into sin. Jesus also spoke words to this effect.

3.The karmic retribution to be received:

Master Hsing Yun said the monkey was cast into Avīci Hell for refusing to pluck out its fur—a sharp wake-up call to the stingy and greedy hearts of the masses. In reality, when a society begins to “force a great benefactor to subsist on mantou, and then falsely accuse him of fraud,” this constitutes an exceedingly terrifying collective karma. When goodness is stigmatized, fewer and fewer people will be willing to stand up and open pathways for the nation and the public. The accusers believe they are “preventing fraud” and defending justice, but in truth they are accelerating the collapse of social trust. This coldness and ignorance will (draw forth) future karmic consequences that are truly the boundless abyss worthy of lament.

Mr. Hsieh Tung-Min once encouraged us, saying: “Though the road is long, diligent practice will surely reach the destination.” After decades of effort, we truly helped those who had suffered a decade-long PDA nightmare in Silicon Valley escape from their abyss of suffering — yet they transformed into a gorilla repaying kindness with enmity. As for the island cartel’s henchmen, who worship this gorilla, their ignorant karmic obstacles are long-lasting; the lake of fire burning with sulfur is their destined end. Meanwhile, the “Chosen one’s” resolve to open a path for Taiwan remains unchanged; the mechanism to create breakthroughs beyond the limits of time and space for the underprivileged is already in ceaseless operation.

Conclusion

In 1983, Master Hsing Yun used the story of “the King of Hell and the Monkey” to criticize miserliness. The monkey wanted to become a human being, yet was unwilling to pluck even a single hair from its body — a symbol of greed without a willingness to give or sacrifice. Today, the “gorillas” that have consumed the nourishment I provided have destroyed those who helped rebuild the global economy, while their followers maliciously defame these benefactors as fraudsters. In this world, the only enduring principle is "cause and effect."

I helped bring Taiwan 16 years of economic prosperity, yet my bank accounts were eventually “zeroed out.” I once invested tens of millions of U.S. dollars to compensate for the government’s failure to act and to help save humanity from catastrophe. Today, because I was financially wiped out by cartels, I have to seek a small donation of NT$22,000 simply to pay an annual fee — yet I am accused of being part of a “fraud ring.” From the Buddhist perspective of "karma and retribution," those who make such false accusations have committed an offense even more serious than that of the monkey: they sever wholesome connections, obstruct virtuous deeds, and turn away from a vast “field of merit.”

Jesus said, in essence: “I knock at the door. If it is opened, blessings will enter; otherwise, I will stamp my feet three times and take the blessings away.” Stigmatizing those who give and contribute only deepens social distrust and may bring about dreadful consequences — like the “lake of fire burning with sulfur” described in the Bible. Nevertheless, no matter how severe the adversity may be, my resolve remains unwavering. I will continue to build mechanisms that help vulnerable people, and work toward creating a more trustworthy and dependable future.

Peter Li-Chang Kuo, the author created Taiwan's Precision Industry in his early years. Peter was a representative of the APEC CEO Summit and an expert in the third sector. He advocated "anti-corruption (AC)/cashless/e-commerce (E-Com)/ICT/IPR/IIA-TES / Micro-Business (MB)…and etc." to win the international bills and regulations.

【Copyrights reserved by Li-Chang Kuo & K-Horn Science Inc. (khorninc@gmail.com)】

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