The Buddha's Light International Association (), commonly known as BLIA, is a monastic and lay organization. BLIA was established by

Hsing Yun Hsing Yun () (born 19 August 1927) is a Chinese Buddhist monk. He is the founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order as well as the affiliated Buddha's Light International Association in Taiwan. Hsing Yun is considered to be one of the most ...

in 1992. The organization is associated with Fo Guang Shan, the largest Buddhist organization in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

. In 2003, BLIA was granted the

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

association status by the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...

(ECOSOC) and

Department of Public Information The United Nations Department of Global Communications (DGC) (previously named the United Nations Department of Public Information) is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nations. It is tasked with raising public awareness and support o ...

(DPI). Wu Po-hsiung, former chairman of the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Ta ...

, is an active member and served as the BLIA's second president. The world headquarters is located on the

Hsi Lai Temple Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple () is a mountain monastery in the northern Puente Hills, Hacienda Heights, California, Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County, California. The name ''Hsi Lai'' means "coming west". Hsi Lai Temple is a branch of Fo Gu ...

grounds in

Hacienda Heights, California Hacienda Heights () is an unincorporated community, unincorporated bedroom community, suburban community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the community had a total population of 54,038, up from 53,122 at the ...

BLIA Website

BLIA World HeadquartersBLIA Taiwan
{{Authority control Buddhist organizations based in the United States Fo Guang Shan Religious organizations established in 1992 International Buddhist organizations