Lin Qiuwu, also known by his monastic name Venerable Zhengfeng (1903-1934), is often referred to as ‘Taiwan’s revolutionary monk.’ In his brief but intense life, he was involved in many of the cultural and political currents [of the day]. A staunch partisan of Taiwan autonomy, he put his talents to work helping the local population with the hardships of the Japanese colonial regime. Heavily influenced by Marxist analysis, he labored tirelessly to educate the workers about the pernicious nature of the capitalist and imperialist system under which they lived. As a modernizer, he took to the road as a lecturer and wrote many articles decrying superstition and advocating gender equality. As an ordained Buddhist monk, he faced the daunting task of putting Buddhism to work as a force for social and political change while simultaneously trying to convince other Marxists that it was different from other religions