THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE STORY is the first English book to provide an in-depth look at the temple's history and present culture, from its founding in the 6th century CE to the present day. Abbot Shi Yongxin who has lived and worked there for forty years provides an intimate look at the temple’s unique practices and beliefs, including martial arts, Chán Buddhism, and its traditional health and healing practices. In addition to archival pictures and documents, new photos of the Shaolin Temple were shot exclusively for this book.
The Encyclopedia of Chinese Buddhist Medicine is a multi-volume series of ancient literature edited together by Shi Yongxin, and professor Li Liangsong from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. The book consists of four sections including the medical theory of sutra, medicine in sutra, monks’ medical works and lay Buddhists’ medical works, which is known as “the most comprehensive literature collection of Buddhist medicine and health preservation throughout history”.
Encyclopedia of Shaolin Temple follows general rules of compiling an encyclopedia in the modern era, based on the characteristics of Shaolin Temple and Shaolin culture, striving to be comprehensive and scientific in terms of selected and classified entries, knowledge structure system, ways of compilation and others. The book takes Shaolin Temple as the core and knowledge system of Shaolin culture as its basic content, and also contains the basics of Buddhism.
The book was edited by master ShiYongxin, abbot of Shaolin Temple and published by Hualing Press in 2008. Master Shi Yongxin tells us in the book truth that Buddha realized and contents that Buddha preached dharma over forty nine years whose core is five words: do not be imaging things (Chinese: 别胡思乱想).
The book embodies some insights abbot Shi Yongxin gained through practicing Shaolin Chan Wu and presiding over affairs of Shaolin Temple over the years. In addition to enlightenment for Shaolin Kungfu, there are also thoughts in Buddhist education and Chan Buddhism or dharma included in it. It is hoped that the book can benefit more readers’ practice and life.
The book describes Shaolin Temple in his heart with self-reports, from which can feel his great wisdom of harmony between Heaven and human: there are both steadfast faith in Buddhism and inheriting the spirit of his master abbot Xingzheng, and also exploring survival and development patterns of Buddhism in modern society.
“Happy Chan” is to steadfastly stay or live at the present, not pleased by external gains and not saddened by personal losses. Find your own heart, safe and sound. Chan is in a smile, a flower or in our daily life, not complex nor simple; happiness is also in an idea. As long as there are seeds of happiness, then happiness will follow you like a shadow.
