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加州柏克萊大學前華裔校長田長霖於2002年十月二十九日，因再度中風後，肺炎感染不治辭
世，享年六十七歲。田校長的家
人邀請法界佛教總會會長恒實法師與法總國際譯經學院女眾部尼師於十一月四日主持田校長出殯儀式，並為他念誦阿彌陀經與往生咒。
田校長的家族中，信佛教者為多，校長生前也曾在柏克萊大學近一萬人的場合中，公開表示自己是佛教徒。
並邀請法界佛教總會創辦人上宣下化老和尚以及西藏流亡精神領袖達賴喇嘛前往柏克萊大學。為了邀請達賴喇嘛，田校長當年還曾被中國總領事館警告將拒發中國簽證給田校長。
田校長一生在科學上享有很高的學術地位，獲獎無數，也是美國國家科學委員會委員。主持柏克萊大學校政七年期間，不僅克服該校的預算危機，更充實師資，提昇該校學術地位，因此在1995年柏克萊大學曾被評為全美最佳大學，當時表現超過哈佛與史丹福大學。
1997年田長霖卸下柏克萊大學校長職
務之後，各方邀約紛至背來，他不僅忙於教書講學，更為許多機構單位擔任董事，顧問，經常坐飛機來往於美國和亞洲之間
，他曾答應他的夫人劉棣華將於2001年辭去所有職務，真正退休。孰料竟於2000年九月因腦癌導致中風，自此臥病不起，也不能言語行動。
田校長病倒前愛吃海鮮與鹹鴨蛋，特別喜食生蠔。由於事業成功，生活忙碌，無暇學習佛法，反而在病中聽了多遍大悲咒與觀世音菩薩聖號，為來世種下學佛之因。
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The former chancellor of the University of
California at Berkeley, Prof. Chang-lin Tien, passed away on
October 29, 2002, due to pneumonia after a second stroke at
the age of 67. His family invited the chairperson of Dharma
Realm Buddhist Association (DRBA), Dharma Master Heng Sure
and nuns from the International Translation Institute to
recite The Buddha Speaks of Arnitabha Sutra and the Rebirth
Mantra at his funeral on November 4.
There are many Buddhists among Prof.
Tien's extended family. He declared himself to be a Buddhist
before a gathering of 10,000 people at UC Berkeley. He also
invited the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, founder of DRBA,
and the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, to
UC Berkeley. The Chinese Consulate once even threatened not
to issue him a visa due to his invitation of the Dalai Lama
to UC Berkeley.
Prof. Tien made great contributions in
his scientific research and won numerous awards. He was a
member of the United States National Science Foundation.
During his term as chancellor of UC Berkeley, he overcame a
budget crisis, hired more faculty members, and elevated UC
Berkeley's academic status to that of the best university in
the United States, surpassing even Harvard and Stanford in
1995.
After his resignation in 1997, he was
invited to serve on the boards of many organizations and
governmental agencies on top of his teaching job at UC
Berkeley. He frequently flew between the US and the Pacific
Rim countries. He promised his wife, Di-hua Tien, that he
would quit all his positions and retire in 2001. Who would
have known that he would be diagnosed with brain cancer and
suffer a stroke from biopsy infections in September 2000. He
was bedridden and could not move or talk thereafter .
Before falling ill, Prof. Tien loved
seafood and salt-preserved duck eggs. Fresh oysters were his
favorite. His successful career and hectic lifestyle left
him no time to study Buddhism. It was only after he was ill
that he had the opportunity to listen frequently to the
recitation of the Great Compassion Mantra and Guanyin
Bodhisattva's name. This surely helped him to plant good
roots for studying Buddhism in his next life.
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