Letter written by Venerable Master Hsing Yun to his Mother, Liu Yuying
Birth and Childhood
Venerable Master Hsing Yun was bom on July 22, 1927 within a gray-brick courtyard to the west of Fairy (Xiannu) Temple in Jiangdu, Jiangsu. His family name was Li and he was the second youngest of four children, with two older siblings and a younger brother. His mother was offen sick and his father was an honest man. Although his family was poor, Venerable Master was diligent, ompassionate, responsible, and liked to create good affinities even at an early age. At the age of three, he took out his candy jar and treated the neighborhood children to sweets; when he was five, he took the initiative to clean the house while the adults were out at work; at the age of ten, he would swim across a torrential canal to purchase supplies from the opposite shore for his family. Everyone said: "This second son is special; of all the plums in the Li family, this would be the one to watch."
