Career
He served as acting abbot for three years after the sudden death of his predecessor, Hsin Ping, in 1995. In his post-abbotship years, Hsin Ting was appointed the abbot of Tai Hua Temple in Bangkok, Thailand, assisting in overseeing the construction project for Fo Guang Shan"s satellite branch temple in South East Asia. Hsin Ting was born in Yunlin County.
He was born into a family of farmers and grew up in the country.
In 1968, he became a monastic under Master Hsing Yun and took full ordination the following year in Keelung. He further received an honorary doctorate degree from the Fo Guang Shan-affiliated University of the West in Rosemead, California in 1998.
He also served as abbot at Long Hua Temple in Malaysia, Hsi Lai Temple in California, Pu Men Temple in Taipei, and Pu Hsien Temple in Kaohsiung. Outside of Fo Guang Shan, Hsin Ting serves as a board member at the Humpty Dumpty Institute in New York City and as vice chair of the board of trustees at University of the West.
Upon the sudden death of Hsing Yun"s eldest disciple and abbot, Venerable Hsin Ping, Hsin Ting was immediately promoted to the said position, and served the rest of Hsin Ping"s term until 1997, when he was unanimously elected abbot that same year.
His term as abbot ended in 2005 when Venerable Hsin Pei was elected to succeed him. To accommodate his visits to the United States, Hsin Ting became a United States citizen in 2010.
