Zhou Enlai replied: ‘Mr President, I always apply Marxist-Leninist thinking, but also Buddhist thinking – a mixture of the two.’
Tag: china
Hakka Ch’an Buddhist Culture in Meizhou
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.
Master Ben Ru Passes Away Sat-Up in Meditation
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.
Master Xu Yun Did Not Teach or Advocate Japanese Zen
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.
Was the Sixth Patriarch of Ch’an of Hakka Ethnicity?
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.
Hakka Semi-Circular Round Houses of Meizhou
This bond between the Hakka and their Northern Chinese ancestors is considered a defining Hakka characteristic. So much so that even when Hakka people moved out of China and into foreign lands, when they married non-Hakkas, these outside people were taken back to the old ancestral hall to ritualistically pay their respects to the Hakka ancestors of their spouse, and in so doing, become ‘Hakka’ themselves. This cultural solidarity may well explain why wherever Hakka people have gone, they have brought success to their new countries. As China is affluent and peaceful today, the Hakka people are no longer under threat from attack. They are now legally acknowledged as ‘Han’ people living in the south, and many younger Hakkas have moved out of the round houses, which are now mostly occupied by the elder generation.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 