The ‘Making of a Modern Saint’ is a writing about a Buddhist monk, Hongyi who’s life experiences shaped his teachings and Buddhist doctrines written by Birnbaum, Raoul. Hongyi’s life begun as an ordinary influential man who possessed vast skills and knowledge that granted him fame and influence in modern China. As Raoul puts it, he was piano savvy, was a known painter and wrote many documents which still prominent and cherished items in Chinas history are (Birnbaum 163). Additionally, he was a political figure in China garnered him fame in many parts of China until he decided to quit it all for a monastic life. By becoming a monastic, a monk and a saint, his journey to become a saint was shaped by his life experiences and his Buddhist teachings which marked the beginning of a reflective life for a new Buddhist.