▁but ▁also ▁a ▁conflict ▁between ▁basic ▁human ▁values . ▁While ▁he ▁led ▁a ▁fairly ▁se cluded ▁life ▁throughout ▁his ▁career ▁as ▁a ▁teacher ▁and ▁his ▁association ▁with ▁the ▁academic ▁community ▁did ▁not ▁begin ▁until ▁he ▁was ▁in ▁his ▁late ▁th irt ies , ▁his ▁views ▁have ▁influenced ▁sch ol ars ▁to ▁this ▁day . ▁ ▁Biography ▁ ▁X ion g ▁was ▁born ▁to ▁a ▁pover ty - str icken ▁family ▁in ▁the ▁Hu ang gang , ▁H ube i . ▁His ▁father ▁was ▁a ▁village ▁teacher ▁who ▁died ▁of ▁t uber cul osis ▁when ▁X ion g ▁was ▁ten ▁years ▁old , ▁forcing ▁him ▁to ▁work ▁as ▁a ▁cow h erd ▁for ▁his ▁neighbor ▁to ▁support ▁his ▁family . ▁By ▁his ▁tw ent ies , ▁he ▁was ▁a ▁dedicated ▁revolution ary ▁in ▁the ▁Republican ▁Revolution ▁that ▁ended ▁the ▁Q ing ▁dynast y ▁and ▁us her ed ▁in ▁China ' s ▁first ▁republic . ▁Dis g usted ▁over ▁cor ruption ▁in ▁politics , ▁and ▁what ▁he ▁term ed ▁" lat ent ▁fe ud al ism " ▁among ▁the ▁revolution aries , ▁he ▁began ▁to ▁study ▁Buddh ism ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 0 ▁at ▁the ▁China ▁Institute ▁for ▁Inner ▁Learning ▁( 支 那 <0xE5> <0x85> <0xA7> 學 院 ) ▁in ▁Nan j ing ▁head ed ▁by ▁O uy ang ▁J ing w u ▁( <0xE6> <0xAC> <0xA7> 阳 <0xE5> <0xA2> <0x83> 无 ) ， ▁perhaps ▁the ▁most ▁influ ential ▁lay ▁Buddh ist ▁think er ▁of ▁the ▁tw enti eth ▁century . ▁At ▁this ▁time