Vegetarian Diet and Regimen

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  • Dieting

    In The Twenty Conglin Essentials Chan master Baizhang Dazhi noted that: “The disease takes dieting as the herb decoction.” Buddhist practice advocates “not eat after noontime and even one-meal-a-day”. If this way of eating is used properly, it not only won’t result in malnutrition but could coordinate intestines and stomach to ease the burden of internal organs. Of course, the most easily accepted diet is seven eight full. It means eat eight points for every meal, which also perfectly accords with modern health concept. Adults should pay more attention to dieting and fighting binge eating and the like. (From Shaolin Encyclopedia)

    2023-12-30

  • To Do No Evil, to Do Only Good

    We do things basically meaning to do things from daily life, which is to do no evil, to do only good as well. We often says “the six roots of sensations are pure and clean”, means that we are required to purify and clean our daily life. As long as our mental formation in daily life is pure and clean, then our mind is naturally pure and clean along with it. Only our mental formation and mind are pure and clean internally and externally, then our heart will be peaceful and frank, without a tie in the world. Hui-neng said in Altar Sutra: “Without any obsessions with the materiality of the universe, the peace of a practitioner’s mind can never be shattered.” A person can reach peaceful and frank in his or her heart, without a tie in the world, which is Chan and meditation. So we need to study Buddhism, practice and change old habits of the secular world, starting from our daily life and from “doing no evil and doing only good”. This can ensure our achievements of studying Buddhism and is the right way and great way of Buddhism study in fact. (From Words of Chan by Shi Yongxin)

    2023-12-28

  • Be Common in Mind

    Now many people believe the statement of the Dharma Ending Period and think that Buddhist ethics slump in modern society. In fact, each era’s Buddhist ethics are about the same. Patriarch Bodhidharma taught the “Four Mental Formations”, accounting for exaggerated Buddhist atmosphere at that time; Xuan Zang, a monk in the Tang Dynasty,journeyed to India to seek scriptures, which declared the confusion of Buddhist thought at that time; meditation master Huaihai in Baizhang Mount made monastic rules for Buddhists, which indicated that great monasteries (conglin) had no manners and so on. Browsing through historical records, we can find out that there is always the criticism of the existing society. After reading the Biographies of Eminent Monks and Dharma Lanterns, we would think that eminent monks in Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty converged. In fact, this was an illusion. The Eminent Monks and Dharma Lamps gathered eminent monks over hundreds of years together. There are no several eminent monks per decade according to average number. we always have great expectations of our own time, which is not a good thing, particularly bad for practitioners. Unreasonable expectation itself is a delusion. We should be common in mind, treating our time and our own cultivation. (From Words of Chan by Shi Yongxin)

    2023-12-16

  • The Difference between Wushu and Kungfu

    The Difference between Wushu and Kungfu

    2023-12-16

  • Release

    The so called enlightenment (Chinese: 觉悟) means release or liberation. Surpass yourself, boxing forms and its theories and don’t cling to your heart but own purity of heart and mind which means pure intention with no worries. Don’t be bound by boxing routines and don’t be contained by methods of boxing. Don’t seek for best trick. Because when skills and mind attain the realm, then all tricks are supreme. We need to do no worries, no scare, broad and level, nature and the unity of body and mind. (From Words of Chan by Shi Yongxin)

    2023-11-16

  • Shaolin Kungfu and the Concept of

    As the technology system, Shaolin Kungfu specifically is embodied as Wushu routine. The routine is made up of a collection of actions. Shaolin Kungfu’s design of action and compound routines are built on the body and ancient Chinese medical knowledge, in line with the rules of human movement. Action and routine stress association of activity and inertia, the balance between Yin and Yang, combing toughness with softness, combining mind and body, etc. One of the most famous is the six-coincidence theory: the coincidence of hand and foot, the coincidence of elbow and knee, the coincidence of shoulder and hip, the coincidence of heart and mind, the coincidence of mind and energy as well as the coincidence of energy and force. The concept of Heaven and Man’s harmonious unity considers the action of the most natural human body is the most reasonable. Shaolin Kungfu has been tested for so long a time, continues to innovate and develop as well as  get rid of anything other than what was absolutely essential. All routines handed down are very precious essence which makes the potential of human body function highly, becoming the most optimized mode of human movement. Football is the same as Shaolin Kungfu, also limb movement. I feel that if football develops to a certain maturity level, stylized action should also appear, reaching the state of Heaven and Man’s harmonious unity. (From Words of Chan by Shi Yongxin)

    2023-11-16

  • Buddhism is an Ordinary Truth

    Buddhism is not an academic research. It is an ordinary truth that teaches sentient beings how to behave. People are able to accept the truth and willingly accept the truth. We make the truth of life Buddha found submit to sentient beings’ hands authentically, which is actually helpful for them. Our efforts are not made in vain. Or we always speak taking across sentient beings universally, in fact there are no several people to be take across. Even no one is taken across and then we just have compassion in vain. (From Records of Chan By Shi Yongxin)

    2023-10-16

Shaolin Medicine

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Chan Medicine Study

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Shaolin Chan Medicine’s Secret Recipe

There were originally more than one hundred secret recipes curing for various diseases in the Shaolin Pharmacy Bureau. More than one thousand prescriptions and millions of works had been accumulated through practice, collection and sort by Buddhist doctors in the Republic of China period. Shaolin Chan medicine has benefited numerous people in the long history of Shaolin Pharmacy Bureau, but there are also many factors to make affairs of Shaolin Pharmacy Bureau interrupted frequently due to war disasters, human calamity and so on.

Author: 2022-12-02

Four Practices

2022-11-23

Chan Medicine Origin

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  • Would you please say something about dietary habits, such as abstaining from taking food after midday and vegetarianism?

    There are two seasons for monastic Buddhists not to eat after midday according to Buddhist regulations, they are: 1. Abstaining from taking food afternoon reduces the burden on the laity since they provide the food; 2. It is conductive to practicing contemplation (bhavana). In the southern countries, this situation is still in common practice today. The strictest adherents only drink water, without taking milk, tea, coconut juice or anything else, while others may drink tea, soda water or fruit juice, as well as take candies after midday. In China, the Han monks of the Zen Sect have been used to doing farm work since ancient times, and due to their physical work, they have to eat something in the evening, so in most monasteries, this regulation is relaxed, but supper is regarded as part of a “medical diet”. Even so, many monks continue to observe the rule of abstention from eating after midday. (From Essentials of Buddhism: Questions and Answers)

    2022-11-29

  • What is the meaning of “Conglin Qinggui”?

    The original meaning of “Conglin” is grove or forest. A thickly populated monastery is just like a forest with plenty of trees, so it is called “conglin”, meaning great monastery (Mahavihara). “Qinggui” means the rules or regulations daily observed by the monks or nuns in monasteries, which are laid down according to the Vinaya enacted by the Buddha and adapted to prevailing conditions, including climate, geography, social customs, laws and regulations of the state, as well as sectarian characteristics, etc. the earliest monastery rules in China were initiated by Dao’an of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the 4th century. After that each sect in subsequent dynasties created its own monastery institutions. For example, in the Tang Dynasty a set of codes for monks of the Zen School was created by Master Baizhang. Then it was lost. Later on, a “Royal Revised Baizhang Code” was created by an emperor of the Yuan Dynasty. This was actually in conformity with the need of feudal rulers, and had nothing to do with Baizhang himself. Subsequently this code was enforced by imperial orders through the Hongwu and Yongle Eras of the Ming Dynasty, and became a universal system observed by all monks and nuns throughout China, in place of all sorts of original monastic regulations and codes. (From Essentials of Buddhism: Questions and Answers)

    2022-11-29

  • Preaching the Truth of Life

    In ancient times, temple used to be the place where scriptures were translated. Today, temple should be still the place where scriptures are translated. Ancient people could not read Sanskrit and then they translated Sanskrit into ancient Chinese. Now over a thousand years, many people have been difficult to understand ancient Chinese. So we should look for ways to translate scriptures in ancient Chinese into demotic writing that all modern people could easily read and understand now. In ancient times, temple was a place where dharma was taught. Today it should be still a place where dharma and scriptures were taught. So called scripture teaching is to explain the truth Buddha found out; dharma teaching is to achieve the dharma gate of the truth of life. The Gateway looks in style and Buddha is solemn. Travelers burned incense, chanted and worshiped Buddha, which is just the appearance. The most important thing is how to convey the truth of life Buddha found to people and how to let people reach the truth of life. (From Words of Chan by Shi Yongxin)

    2022-11-21

  • The Difference between Ordinary Beings and Holy Ones

    The difference between ordinary beings and holy ones is just a difference of a mind or an idea. What is different? The ordinary being’s heart is confused while the holy one’s is firm. Whatever ordinary beings do,their heart is chaos. They think this and that, therefore their heart is confused when falling asleep. Then their mind is more confused when sitting in meditation. But the holy one’s heart is tranquil. No matter how busy he is from day to night, his heart is always firm. In the Buddhist sutra it states “nirvana in silence” does not mean inanimate like the wood one, but means the holy one’s heart has no mess or chaos things like ordinary beings. Therefore the ancient meditation master says enlightenment is that “the person is the same one, but his behaviour changes”. That means the person is still the same one but his heart and behaviour change after enlightenment. He sees through everything in the world, understanding what to do and what not to do clearly. He has set free himself from sufferings in the secular world. That’s all, very common. This is the very benefit for people’s life to practice Buddhism. (From Words of Chan)

    2022-11-21

  • Traditional Chinese Martial Arts

    The measure of Wushu is not how high you can kick or how many circles you can rotate. Wushu is not single athletics but comprehensive sports. In fact, martial arts pursuing competitions pursue height of kicking and the number of rotations violates the basic principle. According to the single competition, Wushu has no advantage because the force of practitioner is great but not greater than a weight lifter’s; his height is high but not higher than a high jumper’s; his steps are steady but not more steadier than a gymnast’s; his degree of balance is good but not better than a acrobat’s. But Wushu converges these together and then breathes new life of Kungfu into it, which will become fantastic and supreme. This is traditional Chinese martial arts. (From Words of Chan by Shi Yongxin)

    2022-11-16