When Shih does make the trek to Kuan-Shu, traveling an hour by high-speed rail and 20 minutes by car, few people realize they are mingling with one of Taiwan's most prominent executives.
Citing that practice, Shih declines to reveal how much he has given Kuan-Shu as its sole funder--it doesn't accept donations from anyone else. (Shih owns 2.4% of Asus' stock.) "Buddhists should forget about recognition, " says Shih.