He was born in 1906 in Zhejiang Province, where his family made ends meet through a combination of farming and small business. Introverted and cautious by nature, during his early years he was deeply engrossed in Taoist religion.
半世離亂、一生病苦的印順長老，民國前五年（一九○六年）出生於錢塘江邊一戶半農半商的市井之家中，個性內向拘謹，一度還沈迷於道書與求仙。