Shafiq George Hatem was the first foreigner to join the Communist Party of China, and after Liberation he was the first foreigner to apply for, and be granted full Chinese nationality.
Proletariat Blogging in the Heart of (UK) Predatory Capitalism! Exploring the Interface between Matter and Perception, Chinese Buddhism, Daoism, Hakka Ethnography, and All Aspects of Radical Politics, History, Psychology and Philosophy – 全世界无产者联合起来!
Shafiq George Hatem was the first foreigner to join the Communist Party of China, and after Liberation he was the first foreigner to apply for, and be granted full Chinese nationality.
Zhou Enlai replied: ‘Mr President, I always apply Marxist-Leninist thinking, but also Buddhist thinking – a mixture of the two.’
This festival was organised to highlight the historical association between the Hakka people and their practice of Chinese Ch’an Buddhism, and to explore the many different aspects of Hakka culture and Ch’an Buddhist practice. Another important aspect was to encourage cross-straits Hakka Ch’an Buddhist cultural interaction between Meizhou, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao.
After the burial chamber was opened, it was discovered that the Patriarch was still sitting in the up-right and crossed meditation position, his hair had grown long, and his skin retained its usual elasticity.
The venerable Xu Yun (who lived to 120 years old) was in attendance of this meeting when these monks arrived and made their case. He listened quietly to these monks and then hit his palm on the table in an angry manner. He stated that a Buddhist monk and his robe cannot be separated, and that in China, a Buddhist robe signifies the practice of both strict celibacy and vegetarianism – without the Vinaya Discipline – Chinese Buddhism simply would not make sense.
Hakka religious culture often involves the integration of the practice of Daoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. There is a practical engagement with the outer world, whilst the facilities exist within Hakka spiritual culture that allows for the inner development of the mind.