Venerable Yung Han, Head Priest of Fo Guang Shan Chicago, accompanied by Venerable Miao Wei and volunteer Chun Chang, visited the Barnes & Noble bookstore in downtown Naperville to meet with the Business Development Manager, Mr. Dan. The purpose of the visit was to discuss a collaborative project to carry English Buddhist books published by Buddha’s Light Publications, USA, in the store.
During the visit, the delegation presented over ten English titles published by Buddha’s Light Publications, including Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha, Between Ignorance and Enlightenment, The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, and The Ten Paths to Happiness. They engaged in an in-depth discussion with Mr. Dan regarding the content and publishing philosophy of these works, exploring possibilities for future shelf space and cooperation. In addition, they presented English editions of Real Meaning of Dharma and the bilingual 365 Days for Travelers published in Taiwan, as well as the graphic novel Biography of the Buddha from Malaysia, as gifts for Mr. Dan’s personal reference.
Venerable Yung Han presented a Bodhi leaf featuring the “One-Stroke Calligraphy” of Venerable Master Hsing Yun as a symbolic gift. She introduced the origins of Fo Guang Shan’s mission to “propagate the Dharma through culture”—starting from the founder’s lifelong passion for writing to the establishment of Fo Guang Shan publishing houses and the Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center. These institutions actively translate Humanistic Buddhism works into multiple languages to share Buddhist wisdom globally for the benefit of countless readers.
Venerable Yung Han also noted that Fo Guang Shan deeply empathizes with the challenges faced by modern publishing and physical bookstores. With the rise of digital reading, the number of readers purchasing physical books has decreased, making operations difficult for both independent and large chain bookstores alike.
As one of the largest bookstore chains in the United States, Barnes & Noble has also been facing challenges brought by shifting reading habits. Because of this, Fo Guang Shan hopes that through book collaboration, it can not only promote the wisdom and compassion of Humanistic Buddhism but also inject cultural energy into bookstores, working together through the downturn in the publishing industry. Mr. Dan expressed a high level of interest in introducing Buddhist books to the store, and both parties look forward to future collaboration opportunities.
Through this cultural outreach, Fo Guang Shan hopes to provide more Western readers with the opportunity to encounter the wisdom and compassion of Humanistic Buddhism, thereby bringing peace, goodness, and spiritual strength to the local community.