1930
Born in Jiangsu Province, China, and named Baokang.

1943
Tonsured at age fourteen in Guangjiao Monastery in the Wolf Hills, Nantong County,under the Dharma name Changjin.

1949
In dangerous and pressing times, enters the signal company of the army, and in Shanghai boards a vessel bound for Taiwan.

1959
Ends ten years' service in the military, and is re-ordained under Ven. Master Dongchu.

1961
Begins a period of intense isolated practice and later enters into six years of solitary retreat at Chaoyuan Monastery, Kaohsiung County, where he both delves into scriptures and practices meditation.

1969
Studies at Rissho University, Japan, for six years, where he obtains the Doctor of Literature degree.

1975
Travels to the US to spread the Dharma.

1976
Begins a Sunday meditation class in America; holds his first seven-day meditation retreat the following year.

1977
Returns to Taiwan because of Ven. Master Dongchu's passing away, and inherits the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture and Nung Chan Monastery.

1978
Become Director of Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture.

1979
Establishes a Chan practice center in New Yourk, later renamed the Dongchu Monastery.

1981
Serves as professor in the graduate schools of Chinese Culture University and National Chengchi University.

1985
Establishes the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies in the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture in Beitou.

1989
Establishes Dharma Drum Mountain to promote the vision of "uplifting the character of humanity and building a pure land on earth."

1990
Convenes the first Chung-Hwa International Conference on Buddhism to broaden the organization's international outlook and raise its academic standing.

1992
Proposes Protecting the Spiritual Environment, which becomes the core ideal of Dharma Drum Mountain.

1993
1. Holds the first bodhisattva precepts transmission ceremony in Taiwan and receives an award for being a leading social campaigner.

2. Wins the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Art and Literary Award for his book Bhikshu Sheng Yen's life and the information of his thought.

1994
1. Proposes Protecting the Social Environment, and promotes Buddhist-style joint weddings, funerals, and birthday celebrations for the elderly.

2. Wins the Gold Tripod Award from Government Information Office, Taiwan, for his book Bhikshu Sheng Yen's life and the information of his thought.

1997
1. Attends the Eleventh International Meeting People and Religions, visits the Vatican, and meets with the Pope.

2. Sets up the Dharma Drum Mountain Retreat Center in Pine Bush, New York.

1998
1. Named by Common Wealth magazine as one of the fifty most influential people in Taiwan during the past four hundred years.

2. Talks with the Dalai Lama in New York in a dialogue titled In the Spirit of Manjushri: The Wisdom Teachings of Buddhism.

1999
1. Proposes the Fivefold Spiritual Renaissance Campaign: A Proposition for Living in the Twenty-First Century.

2. Leads Dharma Drum Mountain to participate in the relief efforts after the 9/21 earthquake in Taiwan, actively furthering the Post-disaster Mental Recovery Movement.

3. Sets up DDM Foundation for Humanistic and Social Scholarship.

2000
1. Attends the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders as the only representative of Chinese Buddhism to deliver a keynote speech.

2. Holds the first Forty-Nine-Day Silent Illumination Retreat in Dharma Drum Retreat Center in Shawangunk, New York.

3. Receives the Lifetime Award for Contributions to Culture from Executive Yuan Council of Cultural Affairs.

2001
1. Holds the first Forty-Nine-Day Silent Illumination Retreat at Dharma Drum Mountain, aiming to cultivate talent to guide Chan meditation activities.

2. Presides over the founding and school beginning ceremony for the Buddhist Seminary of Dharma Drum Sangha University at DDM World Center for Buddhist Education.

3. Deliver a speech in the International Conference on Religious Cooperation, held in Taipei.

4. Attends the Advisory Council for Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders held in New York and delivers a speech.

2002
1. Attends the World Economic Forum annual meeting in New York as the sole Buddhist leader invited.

2. Attends the Inaugural Meeting of the World Council of Religious Leaders in Bangkok, Thailand.

3. Receives the Sun Yat-sen Academic Book Award for his book Tiantai Keys to the Mind: A Vernacular Translation of and Commentary on the Jiaoguan gangzong.

4. Donates and escorts the Akshobhya Buddha head statue, which was stolen and wandered overseas for years, back to the Four Gate Pagoda of Shentong Monastery, Shandong Province,China.

2003
1. Attends the first planning session in Kyoto, Japan, for the World Youth Peace Summit at the invitation of the World Council of Religious Leaders to discuss the summit's theme and agenda with religious and youth leaders from around the world.

2. Co-establishes the Dharma Drum Mountain Humanism Symposium with Beijing University.

3. Wins the Bodhi Prize of the 21nd Presidential Cultural Award.


2004
1. Co-establishes the Dharma Drum Mountain Humanism Symposium with National Taiwan University and the Tsinghua University in Beijing.

2. Presides over the groundbreaking ceremony for the Dharma Drum College pf Religious Leaders and Asia Pacific World Youth Peace Summit, held in Bangkok, Thailand.

3. Attends the World Council of Religious Leaders held in Jordan.

4. Holds the World Youth Peace Summit Taipei Forum.


2005
1. Attends Leaders' Meeting on Faith and Development organized by the World Bank in Dublin, Ireland.

2. Co-establishes the Dharma Drum Humanism Symposium with National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan and Nanjing University.

3. Delivers speeches at Beijing University, Tsinghua University, Nanjing University, and Sun Yat-sen University, in China.

4. Receives honorary doctorate degree from Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya Buddhist University, Thailand.

5. Dharma Drum Mountain World Center for Buddhist Education in inaugurated.

2006
1. Sets up Master Sheng Yen Scholarship at Rissho University in Japan.

2. Sets up Dharma Drum Humanism Symposium in cooperation with Asia University in Taiwan.

3. Promotes a series of activities for the 2006 UN Global Youth Leadership Summit (GYLS)─Young Leaders Peace Building Retreat, Taiwan.

4. Hands over the position of Abbot to successor Venerable Bhikshu Guo Dong.

5. Attend GYLS's Young Leaders Peace Building Retreat, Pine Bush, New York.

2007
1. establishes Dharma Drum Buddhist College, the first religious educational institute in Taiwan to be accredited by the Ministry of Education

2. the Sheng Yen Professorship in Chinese Buddhism is formally signed and established at Columbia University, New York

3. initiates the Six Ethics of the Mind campaign

4. the Taipei County Jinshan Eco-friendly Memorial Garden, which DDM established at the DDM complex in collaboration with the Taipei County Government, finally starts operation after years of promoting eco-friendly burial sites

5. promotes activities for suicide prevention, establishing the "International Caring for Life Awards"

2008
1. Receives the "K. T. Li Award for Outstanding Design of Economical/Social Systems" from the Society for Design and Process Science

2. Receives the Cultural Contribution Award, an honorary arts and literature medal, from the Chinese Writers’ and Artists’ Association

2009
1. Passes away on February 3rd.

2. Receives posthumous honors from the President of R.O.C.