American Buddhist Net

BEIJING: Fireworks set off to mark the Lunar New Year started a blaze that destroyed a 1,600-year-old city gate in northern China.

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BEIJING — China's oldest Buddhist statue, which is on the brink of collapse, is about to get a $10.8 million facelift, a state news agency reported Monday.

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China's oldest cliff-carved Buddha statue is to be saved from collapse, with a $10.8m (£6.6m) facelift, a state-run news agency has reported.

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Our monastery is relatively a well-known one in the local area. It attracts a large number of worshippers and pilgrims each year. The government also gives us money for the construction of the monastery and so the abbot makes a nice side profit from all of it.

Of course, a celebrity visited our monastery. It was a female star, rising in the ranks in the recent years, and she was even called the number one beauty of Mainland China. But in fact I saw her with light makeup that day and she looked very ordinary to me.

We got the news saying that a movie director and a female star were coming to worship. Early in the morning we started working on looking good, changed into new cloths and neatly sat in the hall chanting. However, we chanted until the afternoon and still did not see them. At around 4 pm a black car drove in

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I have resumed secular life, so why was I trying to save my soul in the beginning? Buddhists teach that all space-directions are void and compassion is the principle of life, but in the end I have found it’s only my imagination, everything is fake. The monks nowadays all have twisted and perverted minds. I lived in the the monastery for half a year, and I experienced the (same-sex) abnormal sexual behaviors between the monks and other unspoken rules between the abbots. I even saw illicit things between monks and nuns. I am really depressed. Do these people really believe in Buddhism? Don’t they know they will go to hell? Sigh, I don’t want to be reminded of my unbearable past, but in order for more people to know the truth, I have decided to tell everything.

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Controversy has arisen again over Shaolin Temple, about a month after the temple’s Web site came under attack by hackers angry at its commercialization.

This time, a tourism venture that uses the Shaolin name is in focus , though it’s not clear to what extent the temple itself is involved, and the abbot and the monks of Shaolin recently released a statement, hand-written on red poster paper that appears to denounce the venture.

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I am willing to be open-minded on Shaolin business ventures - and the one described in this article is not the only one - but ultimately what is being sold, I think, is the appearance, at the very least, of a pure, non-commercial Buddhism. The argument can be made that by using modern PR methods, more people will be exposed to the teachings and therefore it is a good thing for Shaolin to do this. But when you sell Buddhism - or oversell it - in the way they seem to be doing, you sort of sell off the only really good thing the Buddhist community has--our willingness to stand to the side of consumerism, capitalism, hype, and all the other very transient bs that defines so much of our times. Shaolin can't and won't harm the teachings at all, but it seems to be debasing what little group identity Buddhists have; I think that is what is causing so many people to complain about them, me included. ABN

Nantou, Taiwan, Dec. 24 (CNA) China's top negotiator with Taiwan visited the famous Buddhist Chung Tai Chan Monastery in central Taiwan's Nantou County Thursday amid mild protests from pro-independence activists.

Chen Yunlin, president of the Beijing-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), was greeted by more than 500 Buddhist followers who lined up at the main entrance to the sprawling temple complex to welcome him.

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Personally, I think Taiwanese are crazy to fall for the reunification-with-the-motherland nonsense. I think it is even crazier for Taiwanese Buddhists to fall for Chinese-patriotic-Buddhism, which will follow reunification. ABN

BEIJING/HONG KONG, Dec 18 - The local government in charge of China's famous kung fu shrine has denied a report it is pushing the Shaolin Temple to offer shares in a public company in 2011, a plan opposed by the shrine's martial artist monks.

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Shaolin firm may seek listing

Four pictures published on Leshan Forum, a Chinese online Bulletin Board, showed a Buddhist monk in a grey cloak twisting his legs and leaning forward while riding a skateboard in a temple. This led to a debate over whether such behavior is appropriate and a discussion over the way in which monks live.

The photos were taken by a netizen (internet user) with the nickname "Pianist on Sea". He took the pictures in Dafu Temple on Mountain Emei and posted them online to express his surprise. The eye catching photos caused a great of discussion as opinions of the netizens were divided.

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Shaolin Temple, the 1,500-year-old shrine where kung fu was born, and the spiritual home of some of history’s most formidable martial art exponents, will need all its skills to fight off criticism over its latest brush with capitalism.

Reports from Shanghai suggest that the venerated temple — or, more accurately, Shi Yongxin, the endlessly controversial monk who heads it — is planning a joint venture with the Hong Kong arm of the state-run China Travel Service.

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A hall in the Ming Dynasty's Nianhua Temple, Xicheng district, was destroyed in a fire Saturday, after repeated fire hazard warnings were issued but ignored.

The fire started at about 4 am in the 100 square meter hall on the temple's west side. The wooden structure was destroyed before the fire could be extinguished at around 7 am. There were no reports of deaths or injuries.

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SHAOLIN TEMPLE, China — "An enchanting place, home of the warriors," promises the pop music blaring from a giant screen as excited visitors board buggies fit for a theme park.

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CHINA'S mirror of the Italian "Pisa Tower" is now leaning more upright after the local government pumped water under the tower to combat land subsidence.

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By Chen Chenchen

Shaolin Temple managers called in police after a letter purporting to be from the temple's abbot, Shi Yongxin, was posted on the temple's website, proclaiming Shi a "sinner" ashamed of setting the temple on a no-return path to commercialization.

An image of Shi posted with the letter shows Shi in meditation, an innocent look on his face. The temple claims a "hacker attack" was the source of the letter and took the site down.

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Shaolin Temple, the world-famous birthplace of Chinese Kung Fu, was attacked by hackers twice this month, reflecting long-standing ill feeling about the temple’s aggressive commercial activities in recent years.

Wednesday morning, the temple’s Web site showed a “Letter of Apology” that purported to be written by Shi Yongxin, the abbot of Shaolin, outlining a series of misdeeds to gain fame and wealth for himself over the past years.

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James A. Benn delivers the 22nd Sammy Yukuan Lee Lecture on Chinese Archaeology and Art. Saturday, November 07, 2009, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM @ Lenart Auditorium, Fowler Museum of Cultural History UCLA Los Angeles, CA 90095.

The relatively rapid change in drinking habits that occurred in late medieval China (Tang dynasty, 618–907) cannot be understood without appreciating the crucial role of Buddhist ideas, institutions, and practitioners. While Buddhist texts vividly depicted the dangers of imbibing intoxicating substances, Buddhist monks were also active in spreading an alternative to alcohol—tea—throughout the empire. By the end of the ninth century, tea had become a vital component in the Chinese economy and an essential commodity of everyday life. Tea was valued for its ability to sustain long periods of meditation and for its health-giving properties. It was considered an appropriate offering for Buddhist deities, and a suitable gift for monks and laypeople to exchange. Tea, like alcohol before it, stimulated and inspired poets and connoisseurs.

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After graduating from Tsinghua University, Zhihong became a nun. Since 2001, she has adopted a total of 26 abandoned children, and over 20 of them are either currently studying or have graduated from Buddhism programs at various colleges in China.

Before she became a nun, Master Zhihong was a student in the Department of Philosophy in Tsinghua University. Because she didn't find "the answer she needed in philosophy," she devoted herself to religion and to Buddhism after graduation. Because Zhongnan Mountain in Shaanxi Province is the birthplace of Buddhism's Vinaya School, she went there many times as a teacher at the Putuo Mountain College of Buddhism.

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GUAN Yin is the most popular Buddhism figure in China and also the best known among Chinese people. Originally, Guan Yin was a prince but in China the figure is usually depicted as a woman and considered the Goddess of Mercy.

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In Taipei, recycling is not just socially responsible, it is a religious practice for the elderly volunteers at the charity Tzu Chi

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...Wing Chun originated in southern China from a Buddhist nun, Ng Mui, in the mid 1600s. According to legend, Ng Mui fled from her monastery after Manchurian soldiers burnt it down and killed off most of the monks. She noticed that the kung fu that the monks learned was no match to the physically stronger soldiers. Pondering for a solution, Ng Mui found the answer after she saw a crane being attacked by a fox. She took her past experience in martial arts and how the crane defended itself to create a new style of kung fu.

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A Hangeul copy of an ancient Chinese book that contains the notes of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) scholar Kim Si-seup has been discovered.

The book was originally written by a Buddhist master from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and dates back to the 16th century.

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...Guan Di also has a significant role in Mahayana Buddhism. He received the teachings of Tripitaka Master Chi Tsai, the founder of Tien Tai Buddhism and became a guardian of the Buddha Dharma.

Since then, Guan Di has been worshipped as a Guardian or Dharma Protector in Buddhist temples.

He is the Sentinel to the Western Paradise of Amitabha Buddha in Pure Land Buddhism.

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THERE are six days left of the month-long Hungry Ghost Festival, and giant joss sticks, the strong smell of burning incense, and makeshift stages still dominate in Chinese neighbourhoods.

The festival, which started on Aug 20 and ends this Friday, is celebrated by Chinese the world over. In Malaysia, the Chinese, notably those from the Hokkien community, celebrate this festival in a big way. The 14th day of the seventh lunar month (which this year fell on Sept 2) is especially important as it is widely believed that the gates of hell are opened and the dead are allowed to roam the earth on this day.

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A talk by GAO JIXI (Ji'nan Municipal Institute of Archaeology). Thursday, October 01, 2009 from 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM. 11377 Bunche Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA.

In 2003, some Buddhist remains, including an underground chamber, two hoards of broken statues, and other related things, were excavated in the ancient enclosure of Ji’nan city. Fortunately, a stele of the Northern Song (AD 960–1127) buried in the underground chamber indicated that all of these things belonged to the Kaiyuan monastery of Qizhou (the ancient name for Ji’nan). In the 1950s a monastery named Kaiyuansi still existed in the southern suburbs of Ji’nan. What was the relationship between this monastery and the Kaiyuansi of the Song dynasty? What happened to the Song dynasty monastery? In this talk, I plan to partially reconstruct the 1,400-year history of the Ji’nan Kaiyuansi though combining the archaeological remains and historical records. Cultural relics will tell us some interesting stories about the economy, administration, names, and other other facets of the Kaiyuansi.

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When asked to explain the nature of pro-China forces in Taiwan, I like to describe it as a network.

This network is different from a centralized command system in which everyone acts according to the same orders.

Instead, its members are spread out in their own domains, quietly operating according to their own logic.

At certain key moments, however, they suddenly come together to serve a common purpose.

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The linked page is very slow to load, but worth the wait if the subject interests you. ABN

The Thousand Buddha Caves in the oasis city of Dunhuang on the ancient Silk Road are a museum of religion and art. Known as Mogaoku in Chinese, they are on the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage. But today the priceless murals, which have survived the centuries, are in danger. Our reporter Wang Mangmang finds out what are being done to preserve them.

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...Here's the bottom line, as Master Chung Kwang Tung, a priest with the Taoist Federation (Singapore), said to me last week: "Here, the concepts of Chinese ancestral worship, Taoism and Buddhism have undergone what might be described as a 'chemical reaction'.

"It is not possible to separate the bonds of our inherited traditions – and what would be the point of it anyway?"

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Sent by a friend in Taiwan. ABN