American Buddhist Net

Jul 8, 2008

On July 1, Xian opened three newly-built ancient relics parks to the public free of charge. The three parks are the Tang Dynasty City Wall Relics Park, the Tang Dynasty Ci'en Temple Relics Park and Qujiangchi Relics Park.

Located near the Gaoxin Fourth Road, the Tang Dynasty City Wall Relics Park is a long corridor about 2.2 miles long and 100-meter wide. Displaying the Tang poems and calligraphy by stone carvings, the park is a nice place for visitors to savor the brilliant art and culture of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

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Impressive. Something not seen often. ABN
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July 03. 2008
By Molly Rossiter
The Gazette

CEDAR RAPIDS — Eleven-year-old Brittany Gatewood helped her school raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina and the tornado that leveled part of Parkersburg.

On Thursday, she said, volunteers at the Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation told her that "what goes around comes around."

Gatewood's extended family was one of 300 families among the first to receive debit cards from the Buddhist organization Thursday at its temporary service center at Westdale Mall. The family — seven members of three generations — received $800, the most the organization is giving displaced families.

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Mark O’Neill
04 June 2008

Hsing Yun seeks to make reunification Buddhism’s sixth precept – at least for Beijing

china-hsing During a crowded six-day visit to China, the chairman of Taiwan’s Kuomintang met many important people including President Hu Jintao, Politburo Standing Committee member Jia Qinglin -- and an 81-year-old Buddhist monk named Hsing Yun, one of the world’s most influential Buddhist leaders and a man courted by politicians in both Taipei and Beijing.

Beijing in particular is promoting Hsing Yun, who welcomed the Kuomintang leader Wu Poh-hsiung, the Kuomintang leader, to his sprawling temple and library complex next to a lake and bamboo forest in Yixing, near Nanjing.

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May 25, 2008
By Lucy Hornby

CHENGDU, China (Reuters) - Monks chanted while worshippers circled through the Zhaojue temple in Chengdu, halfway through two weeks of prayer meant to guide 80,000 souls to heaven and comfort the living.

The Buddhist temples of Chengdu have taken on unofficial responsibility for both the dead and the 5 million survivors left homeless after the May 12 earthquake that devastated nearby cities and mountain towns.

"The prayers are to wish peace to the refugees and also to open a channel for the souls, so that they don't go to Hell but to Heaven where they are happy," a monk said.

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If there's one thing that's in dire need among mobile phone addicts, it's a calming influence. And though it may be too much to ask for them to part with their handsets, perhaps the answer is in the handset itself, honorable grasshopper.

Enter the "Buddha phone."

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BEIJING — The simple life of monks at China's famed Shaolin Temple got an upgrade with the installation of luxury restrooms worth $430,000.

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Even under house arrest, Hu Jia continued his fearless campaign against Beijing's abuse of human rights. Yesterday he was finally jailed – but he is likely to become the poster-boy for critics of the Olympics

By Clifford Coonan
Friday, 4 April 2008

As far as Hu Jia was concerned, the door to his apartment was always open to fellow Chinese who shared his desire for greater freedom, foreign friends, or activists with issues to discuss.

But it was always a question of when, not if, the Communist Party would lock up Mr Hu, China's most famous dissident, who has been under house arrest for many months, guarded by state security officers.

Yesterday Mr Hu, 34, was transformed into one of the world's most famous human rights defenders as China moved to stifle dissent before the Olympic Games in Beijing. He was jailed by a Beijing court for three and a half years for "inciting to subvert state power" through a series of articles about freedom and for his constant dialogue with foreign journalists.

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by Mike O'Brien | News Reporter
PUBLISHED ON 3/12/08 IN News

Have you ever wondered what happens when you die? In seventh century China, everyone went to hell. Ten times. While their loved ones watched.

"When somebody dies, they would ask for the scrolls to be hung up, usually close to the coffin," said K.E. Brashier, associate professor of religion and humanities at Reed College in a phone interview from Portland. "You'd be able to chart the afterlife process of this deceased person, so through rebirth, they have to go through 10 levels of hell."

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Chris Buckley and Benjamin Kang Lim , Reuters
Published: Saturday, March 08, 2008

BEIJING (Reuters) - Prominent Chinese dissident Hu Jia will soon face trial after prosecutors decided to press subversion charges, his lawyer said on Saturday, as another human rights lawyer close to Hu was freed from brief detention.

Hu, a 34-year-old Beijing-based advocate for AIDS sufferers, Tibetan autonomy and many other causes, was detained by police in late December on the charge of "inciting subversion of state power."

...Hu, a Buddhist who spent most of last year under house arrest, chronicled his confinement in Internet essays and videos and often spoke to foreign reporters.

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BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple in central China's Henan Province will not go public, its abbot Shi Yongxin said on Saturday.

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Be interesting to watch where this leads as there will surely be conflict between the organization's sense of compassion and integrity. ABN
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March 3, 2008

Fan Liqing, a spokesperson from the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, has disclosed at a press conference that Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation has been approved to set up a branch in mainland China.

Fan said that in accordance with the relevant clauses of the Foundation Management Rule, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs has approved Tzu Chi Foundation's application for establishing a branch on the mainland.

Fan said that Tzu Chi Foundation's mainland branch would be managed by State Administration for Religious Affairs and it is the first foundation in China whose legal representative is not a Chinese mainland citizen.

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So the story goes: When Chairman Mao visited Shanghai he asked, 'I know there is a Shanghai (on the sea), but is there a Xiahai (under the sea)?' We assume that this was followed by uncomfortable forced laughter as none present (save possibly Zhou Enlai) had the heart (read: cajones) to tell him that the joke stunk.

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Published : 3:08 A.M. EST, Feb 14, 2008

Approved by NDRC (National Development and Reform Commission) of China, the protection project of Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Gansu Province has been commenced lately. With an investment of over 200 million Yuan, it is so far the largest project for the protection of Mogao Caves.

It is said that digital technique will be adopted in this project. In particular, a digital exhibition hall will be set up so that visitors will be able to learn more about the history, geography, Buddhism and the art style of Dunhuang culture by viewing the High-definition digital images.

Currently, there are 735 caves, over 2,000 painted sculptures and about 53,820 square yards of mural paintings in Mogao Caves. In 1987, it was officially included into the list of the World Cultural Heritage.

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At the bottom of the linked story is a link to a Chinese report, which has more photos. ABN
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Epoch Times Staff
Jan 28, 2008

In recent years, Shaolin monks from China have gained an international reputation for their physical endurance and feats of kung fu skill. Shaolin monk troupes have toured the world, and Shaolin temples have become a common destination for foreign travelers, with some staying for extended periods.

But while the temple's fancy tricks have won many a heart abroad, Buddhist circles in China are less than impressed, with almost 95 per cent of participants in an online survey saying monks should not immerse themselves in worldly ways.

Many believe the Shaolin have abandoned their monastic traditions of leaving the world and severing worldly desires and pursuits, and have become a tourist recreation center obsessed with money and reputation.

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Source: CCTV.com
01-27-2008 13:59

A priceless Buddhist Scripture made sometime during the 17th and 18th centuries is on display for the first time in Taipei's Palace Museum.

The work is a major Buddhist classic, written in Tibetan script. 250 kilograms of gold was used to make it. Nearly 15,000 jewels adorn the case. The museum plans to photograph the whole set and publish it. One copy is estimated to sell for 1.2 million Taiwan dollars, about 37,000 US dollars.

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By Yang Lifei 2008-1-28

...One suspect, a 35-year-old woman identified as Wang Li, told police they usually targeted middle-aged women, especially those around 50 years old, who were thought to have many problems and confusions in life.

"I am an illiterate," the woman told police. "I can't write my name. This scheme to tell other's fortunes was learnt from my friends.

"Sometimes, victims are suspicious about our identity. So I provided my certificate, which was a counterfeit, to prove I had been a practising Buddhist in a temple for years and an expert in telling fortunes."

To gain the victim's trust, the suspects don't ask for money but usually start a conversation with complimentary phrases such as "your appearance is really good." If the victims seem to be unhappy with the words, suspects will quickly say something like, "even so, there will be some ups and downs in your life."

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by Joanna Shaw-Eagle
January 19, 2008

"Buddhist Sculpture From Xiangtangshan," on view in the Freer Gallery of Art's Ancient Chinese Sculpture Gallery, is a dramatic preview of early Chinese exhibits planned for renovated gallery spaces in 2010 and 2011. Three of the sculptures exhibited here are from Xiangtangshan's Cave 2, with one Bodhisattva believed to have come from southern Xiangtangshan.

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Douglas Todd, The Vancouver Sun
Published: Saturday, January 19, 2008

...In the past century, China's central authorities mostly rejected their country's spiritual heritage while experimenting with Marxism, the Cultural Revolution, one-child policies and now "market socialism," which blends overarching state control with extraordinarily free enterprise.

However, Cobb says the giant nation's neo-Marxist leaders have come to recognize the country is confronted by two major problems -- widespread ignorance about the nation's own spiritual and philosophical traditions, and looming environmental doom.

As a result, Chinese officialdom is launching another sweeping experiment.

It's trying to learn how to integrate the wisdom of ancient eastern traditions with the best of ecological western thought -- and it's doing so through a philosophical movement called "constructive post-modernism."

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Why a growing number of successful urban professionals are flocking to Buddhism

by Dexter Roberts

In early December, Beijing's in-crowd converged on the central business district for the opening of the Kunlun gallery. Sipping Veuve Clicquot and Mumm champagne, the real estate tycoons, stock market warriors, and Prada-clad celebrities gawked at Ming Dynasty Buddhist statuary and 15th century scroll paintings.

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Premier translator of Chinese poets to give readings, lectures, workshop in Big Sur and Carmel

By KATHRYN PETRUCCELLI
Herald Correspondent

The man who has published preeminent translations of China's most famous early poets and philosophers under the name Red Pine started out as a graduate student at Columbia University with an itch to learn more about Buddhism.

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-01-03 20:19

BEIJING -- Shi Yongxin, abbot of the famous Shaolin Temple, the holy place for Kung-fu fans worldwide, has published a 31-volume collection of Kong-fu magazines printed between 1910s and 1940s.

The book, published by Cathay Bookshop Publishing House, showcases 43 Kung-fu magazines printed during the era of the Republic of China (1911-1949).

About 50 such magazines were published by local Kung-fu groups during that period, reflecting the widespread popularity of martial arts as "Guo Shu" (national art).

"Research on the development of martial arts during this period is lacking because of inadequate source material," said Shi. He said that was why he had spent two years collecting and excerpting articles from the magazines.

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The Yungang Grottoes, one of the three largest major cave complexes in China, is facing a life or death situation, with humans as the judges deciding its fate.

The legal information Web site efaw.cn reported that Yungang Grottoes, located on the southern foot of Wuzhou Hill, 16 kilometers west of Datong in Shanxi province, has been severely damaged by human activities and natural influences.

"If we do not take action, the grottoes will be gone forever," a researcher from the Yungang Grottoes Research Institute said.

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Famous Temple Spurns Beijing Games, Sparking Trash Talk From Rivals

By GEOFFREY A. FOWLER and JULIET YE
December 14, 2007; Page A1

Kung fu master Shi Dechao can swing his 22-pound "monk's spade," an ancient Chinese shovel, like a majorette twirling a baton. His lightning punches, in a style the ancients called Iron Fist, generate a thunk! straight out of kung fu movie sound effects. A powerful grunt punctuates his routine.

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Religion in China is controlled by the gov't. This is the voice of one of the controllers. It has been obvious for years that the PRC is trying to use Chinese religions, including Buddhism, to control the population, and hence they tend to support the worst sorts of practices--so-called (their term) "patriotic religion," obedience to the state, and close gov't monitoring of monasteries, churches, and religious communities. Much more could be said on this subject, but for now at least it is good to remember that whenever Chinese officials speak about "the people," they mean rigid state control of the people and not much else. ABN
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14 Dec 2007

Beijing - Married monks, headless Buddha statues, and historic temples occupied by state work units still testify to the darkest years for religion in late-20th-century China. Yet despite the jailing of house-church leaders and members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, religious belief and practice have seen a huge resurgence in the last 20 years, particularly the long-established creeds of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.

..."From this, we can see the government's support to religion and we can see the positive role of religion in social life," he said.

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December 10, 2007

Human Rights in China has learned from Master Shengguan, a Buddhist monk and former political activist also known as Xu Zhiqiang, that he was barred on December 9, from traveling to attend a “Human Rights Day” conference in Guizhou. Four state security personnel prevented Master Shengguan from boarding his flight to Guizhou at Shenzhen International Airport on the morning of December 9. After they interrogated him for approximately three hours at the airport’s police station, the officers took him to a hostel in Shenzhen, where he is reportedly still being interrogated.

Master Shengguan became a Buddhist monk in 2002 and was appointed executive director of the Huacheng Temple in Jiangxi Province. In 2006, Master Shengguan was ordered to leave Jiangxi Province after local authorities expelled him from his post, following his performance of a religious ritual for people killed in Tiananmen Square in 1989, and for his efforts to end corrupt official appropriation of temple assets.

For more information on Master Shengguan, see:

“Coercive Psychiatric Treatment for Supporter of Activist Monk,” October 25, 2006, http://www.hrichina.org/public/contents/31318;

“Top Buddhist Officials Join in Persecution of Activist Monk,” August 23, 2006, http://www.hrichina.org/public/contents/30305;

“Buddhist Temple Target of Corrupt Official Persecution,” August 21, 2006, http://www.hrichina.org/public/contents/30271.

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