Hoeh Beng Buddhist Temple, Kuala Lumpur was founded by Venerable Yin Hui in 1930, and was located near Kuala Lumpur’s old airport (the present Sungai Besi Air Force Base). The temple site was requisitioned by the Japanese during the Japanese occupation, and in exchange, it was given the plot of land at the current location at Jalan Raja Bot Kuala Lumpur.  In 1945, Hoeh Beng Buddhist Temple was moved to the current location, where it is surrounded by many hawker stalls and congested road traffic.  Standing amongst the hustle and bustle of the locality, the Temple is often compared to a lotus flower that blooms from the dirt of this world. The Reverend Tzu Hang, Venerable Jing Zong, Venerable Siu Jing and Reverend Hsing Yun, all from Taiwan, were the past abbots of the Temple.  Reverend Guang Yu succeeded as abbot in 1986, and started the project to rebuild the Temple. In 1988, Reverend Guang Yu appointed his disciple Venerable Chuan Wen to take charge of the Temple’s affairs and rebuilding works. In 1996, the construction of the new building was completed. 

In 1998, Venerable Chuan Wen started to practise zen under the guidance of Zen Master Seung Sahn who founded the International Kwan Um School of Zen. The essence of the Kwan Um School of Zen’s teachings is “keep don’t know mind, and help all beings to realise our innate compassion and wisdom”. Shortly thereafter, Zen Master Seung Sahn appointed Zen Master Dae Bong as the Zen guiding teacher of the Temple. 

Following the passing of Reverend Guang Yu in 2006, Venerable Chuan Wen succeeded as the abbot of the Temple.  Presently, the Temple’s affairs including various dharma propagation works are handled by 3 nuns and a group of lay disciples under the guidance and leadership of Venerable Chuan Wen, in devotion to the Temple’s mission: Seeking the wisdom of the Buddha Dhamma, actualising the great compassionate vows of all Bodhisattvas. 

The Temple holds regular activities catered for different age and interest groups. These include Dhamma Class for Children, Dhamma Class for Youths, Dhamma Class for Adults, weekly sitting meditation group on Wednesdays, weekly Great Dharani chanting group on Fridays, Xing Yuan Study Group cum tea session (life re-engineering project), Sunday Chanting Group and the library which opens weekly for its members. The Temple also holds special events such as 1-day meditation retreat, 8-day meditation retreat, Dhamma Practitioner Camp, and traditional prayer sessions for special occasions.

Hoeh Beng Buddhist Temple will host the 12th WWSF International Zen Conference in 2020.