Abbot Shi Yongxin, local name Liu Yingcheng, was born in 1965, his hometown in Yingshang, Anhui province. He got to Shaolin Temple in 1981 and respected Abbot Xingzheng, the twenty-ninth abbot of Shaolin Temple, as his master. Abbot Xingzheng passed away in 1987 and then Shi Yongxin took over the position of director of Shaolin Temple Management Committee, comprehensively presiding over the Shaolin Temple’ s affairs. Shi Yongxin got the honor to become the abbot of Shaolin Temple in 1999. Abbot Shi Yongxin has been selected as president of the Buddhist Association of Henan Province ever since selected in July of 1998. Abbot Shi Yongxin has been selected as the president of the Buddhist Association of China ever since September of 2002. Abbot Shi Yongxin has been respectively selected as the deputy to the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth National People’s Congress ever since March of 1998.

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Shaolin Temple rang out the old year and rang the new year. Feb. 11, 2021 was traditional Lunar New Year’ s Eve. Shaolin monks followed Chinese tradition with thousands of years, such as discussing couplets, worshiping ancestors, staying up all night on New Year’ s Eve, and striking the bell and praying, to celebrate the Chinese New Year together with Shaolin monks.

Shaolin Temple holds the Chan tea cultural communication at 9: 30 am on September 13, 2020. Mr. Cai Mei, director of the standing committee of the National People’ s Congress in Fuding city and deputy group leader of the leading group of tea industry development, protector Fang Shoulong and his wife from Baicha Mountain and others visited Shaolin Temple, and exchanged Chan tea culture with abbot and monks from Shaolin Temple.

Shaolin monks worshiped ancestors during the year’ s Qingming Festival. Shaolin monks went to the Pagoda Forest to sweep pagodas and worshp ancestors to remember Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions and founders of generations on Mar. 27, 2021.

A group led by master Shi Yongxin, vice president of the Buddhist Association of China, president of the Buddhist Association of Henan Province and abbot of Shaolin Temple, visited an affiliated temple-- Shuiyu Temple in Dengfeng to investigate and guide the work, receiving a warm welcome from master Yankai, manager of the temple, as well as Buddhists and lay Buddhists.

A group led by master Shi Yongxin visited Wangu Temple to investigate and guide the work, receiving a warm welcome from master Yanzuo and monks from Wangu Temple on the afternoon of Oct. 4, 2020.

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  • What is “Impermanence” (Annica)?2023-05-11

    All phenomena in the universe exist in mutually depending interrelationships, so that when this arises, that arises; when this ceases, that ceases. There is no permanent existence at all. Therefore, all phenomena are impermanent in nature, arising and ceasing from instant to instant.

  • What the Meaning of “No Actor”?2023-05-11

    “No actor” means that there is nothing coming and going between a cause and its effect. Believers of the theory of Dependent Origination hold that cause gives rise to effect but deny that cause turns into effect. Take, for example, the passing of light or fire from one lantern to another. The flame of lantern B is engendered by that of lantern A. it is not that, the flame of A transferred to B. Thus, though Buddhism holds to the doctrine of reincarnation within the six-old path, Buddhism denies that there is a soul moving or transferring from one animate being to the seed of another. This idea is an extension of the principle of Anatta (egolessness) and will be elaborated later. (From Essentials of Buddhism: Questions and Answers)

  • From What You Have Said, Buddhism Seems to be Atheist, But Why Are There so Many Gods Enshrined in Buddhist Temples?2023-05-11

    As I have said earlier, Buddhism does not deny the deities of Brahmanism, but regards them as some kinds of sentient beings. Some deities were afterwards adopted into Buddhism as guardians of Dharma. On the other hand, we must acknowledge the fact that the Buddha was deified later. However, according to Buddhist doctrine, the Buddha is not a creator, nor can he decide weal or woe, joy or suffering of human beings, though he has superhuman wisdom and ablity. The Buddha is also subject to the law of causality. (From Essentials of Buddhism: Questions and Answers)

  • In the front hall of the Han Buddhist temples, there is usually a statue of a monk with a smiling face enshrined. Who is he?2023-03-23

    He is Maitreya Bodhisatta. According to Buddhist prediction, long after the extinction of the teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha in the far future, Maitreya Bodhisatta would become the Buddha and preach in the world. For this reason, he has been held in universal esteem as well. In Chinese history, there were instances in which peasants were called to rebel under the pretext that Maitreya was born, for example, the Maitreya Cult of the Yuan Dynasty. As to the statue of the smiling monk, however, it is not the true image of Maitreya, but the image of a monk named Qici of the Five Dynasties. He usually carried bag made of a piece of cloth on his shoulder, so he was known as the Cloth-bag monk. He was said to be an embodiment of Maitreya. That is why later people chose his form to be enshrined as Maitreya. Some believe that this tradition may have developed under the influence of the Maitreya Cult, which originated in Fenghua, Zhejiang Province, since this area was the home town of the Cloth-bag Monk. So it is logical to infer that the image of the Cloth-bag Monk spread under the influence of the Maitreya Cult. (From Essentials of Buddhism: Questions and Answers)

  • Are the four Holy Mountains also well-known in the world?2023-03-23

    The Wutai Mountains as the preaching place of Manjusri was recorded in Mahayana Buddhist scriptures, so in ancient times, it was worshipped by quite a few eminent monks from India and Central Asia. There was even an old legend in Nepal saying that the Kathmandu Valley (where the capital of Nepal is located) used to be a large lake. It was Manjusri, after he arrived there from the Wutai Mountains, China, who cleaved apart a mountain, drained off the lake water, and settled down with his followers, thus founding the State of Nepal. That is why the Nepalese people hold Manjusri and the Wutai Mountains in particular affection. As to how the Putuo Mountains became the preaching place of Avalokitesvara and hwo the Jiuhua Mountains became that of Ksitigarbha, they are said to be related with the Buddhist monks from Japan and Korea. (From Essentials of Buddhism: Questions and Answers)

  • What is Regarding the Theory of Dependent Origination Mentioned above, Is There Any Sutta or Treatises Available for Further Study?2022-12-05

    There are many suttas and abbidhamma texts which discuss the Theory of Dependent Origination. For example, the fore-mentioned Eleven Meanings of Paticcasamuppada were quoted from Fenbie Yuanqi Chusheng Famen Jing, which is worth reading. Also, relevant parts of Abhidharmakosa-sastra (Abhidharma Storehouse Treatises), which is translated into Chinese by Xuanzang, and the Mahaprajnaparamita-sastra (Treatises on the Great Perfection of Wisdom) translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva, are also instructive. (From Essentials of Buddhism: Questions and Answers)

  • What Is Meant by “Cause and Effect-Continuously Connected without Interruption”?2022-12-05

    All Dhammas are produced by Hetu-paccaya. Though impermanent, constantly arising and ceasing, they are continuously connected without interruption, just like flowing water. The preceding one, passing away, is followed by the succeeding one, causes producing effects in continuous series without interruption. This is looking at dhammas in a vertical sense in time. Horizontally, there are infinite differences among the varied types of causes and effects. Despite the complicated relationships between various types of causalities, they are bound by orderly rules without the least confusion. Each category of causes produces effects of the same type. For instance, a good cause leads to a good effect. Causes give rise to concordant effects, and effects correspond to causes. One type of cause can’t give rise to another type of effect. For instance, if one sows melon seeds, one reaps the fruit of melons, and not beans. Buddhism believes that the law of causality is determined and unalterable even by the Buddhas of the successive epochs (past, present and future). This is the simple explanation of “causes and effects continuously connected without interruption”, “various causes and effects falling into different categories”, “cause and effect transferring in harmony and in compliance with each other” and “cause and effect functioning in order without confusion”. Again, Buddhism also opposes the view that after its cessation, a phenomenon can’t arise again, and terms this “the Annihilation-view”. As to Buddhist analyses of cause, condition and effect, there are theories such as Six Causes, Four Conditions and Five Effects, which I shall not discuss I detail here. (From Essentials of Buddhism: Questions and Answers)