Tung Lin Kok Yuen

In 1935, the late Sir Robert Ho Tung and the late Lady Clara founded Tung Lin Kok Yuen Temple in Hong Kong Prior to this, in 1931, Lady Clara had established Po Kok Free School for Girls and in 1932, she formed the Po Kok Society for the Study of Buddhism, which was dedicated to the promotion of Buddhism and education. These facilities provided women with the opportunity to receive education and also enabled the cultivation of  specialized talents to promote Buddhism. Also in 1932, Lady Clara started the publication of ‘The Light of Humankind’, a Buddhist magazine for consumption locally and abroad.

When the Tung Lin Kok Yuen Temple was completed in 1935, the Free School and the Society for the Study of Buddhism were merged under one roof and operated out of the Temple premises. This created an environment for Buddhist education, which was a pioneering concept in that era.

In 1994, Mr. Robert H.N. Ho, grandson of Sir Robert Ho Tung and Lady Clara, with the support of the Board of the Hong Kong Tung Lin Kok Yuen, established Tung Lin Kok Yuen, Canada Society in Vancouver, B.C. This was in accordance with Lady Clara’s compassion and sacred vow to promote Buddhism beyond Hong Kong so that Buddhism can be better understood by overseas Chinese and foreigners.

In addition to advancing the cause of Buddhism and managing schools, Tung Lin Kok Yuen is also concerned about the practical needs of  the community. The Yuen, on its own, or in cooperation with other organizations, is involved in special projects that would benefit the community. These projects include the publication of ‘Lin Kok Quarterly Journal’ and ‘The Lin Kok Collection’, both of which contain articles by authoritative Chinese and non-Chinese Buddhist scholars so that readers will be enabled to reflect on the true meaning of life.

This year, we have a new weekly supplement called ‘Ming Kok’ being published in Ming Pao, a Hong Kong newspaper. The main theme of our supplement is to ponder on lives, self-cultivation of our mind, making sincere consideration to our society and to the people around us. The essays are being written or narrated by honourable monks, nuns or scholars. We expect to build a research platform for everyone through written articles or opinions published in ‘Ming Kok’.
In 2000, the Yuen subsidized the Hong Kong Society for the Aged in the establishment of an old people’s home. It also supported the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong to help their work on mental health rehabilitation.

In 2001, the Yuen sponsored the M.A. and Ph.D. courses at the University of Hong Kong, Centre of Buddhist Studies, in order that the study of Buddhism in Hong Kong could attain international standards. Furthermore, the Yuen sponsored the Centre in organizing a series of academic lectures on Buddhism.

The Yuen also made sponsorship to The International Buddhist College located in Southern Thailand in 2005. Their mission in acquiring knowledge and communication skills in promoting Buddhism and doing academic research matches our expectation for the future Buddhist education.

In September 2005, The Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Foundation, of which Mr. Ho is the Founder and President, donated CAD4 million to The University of British Columbia for the establishment of  the Buddhism and Contemporary Society Program. This program offers teaching, research, public lectures and symposia that will further Buddhist knowledge among students, educators, business leaders, policy makers and non-government organizations.

In order to promote Buddhism and to popularize the learning of Buddhist theories, the Board of Tung Lin Kok Yuen has approved a donation to The University of Toronto at Scarborough in 2006 to develop Buddhist studies and promotion. The donation will be used on inviting scholars to teach Buddhism in the University and to hold a series of seminars, public lectures and conduct research work concerning Buddhism.

Currently, the Temple has three schools under its management – the Po Kok Secondary School in Cheung Kwan O, Po Kok Primary in Happy valley School, and Po Kok Branch School in Hung Shai Kiu, Yuen Long. Po Kok Secondary School offers classes in science and technology education. In particular, it sets up a Local Area Network (LAN) System throughout the whole school. In cooperation with the Hong Kong University of Science and technology, Po Kok Secondary School is an experimental school for ‘Mysch.net’.

In executing the wishes of its Founder, Tung Lin Kok Yuen carries out its mission in spreading and promoting Buddhist Dharma, providing education and making contributions for the betterment and enrichment of the society.