The 9th Buddhist Medicine Forum Kicks Off Completely
“The 9th Buddhist Medicine Forum” kicked off grandly at the Dache Hall of China Songshan Shaolin Temple Permanent Residence Compound at about 9, on the morning of May 25, 2019. The Buddhist medicine forum themed “tea and human health”, inviting far-sighted personage as well as specialists and scholars in tea culture for the interdisciplinary communication and discussion about tea culture promoting human physical and mental health and others. Pray that people could achieve peacefulness of body and mind, spare human health and happiness and probe into the inheritance and development of Buddhist medicine.
Hundreds of people attended the opening ceremony, including the great monk Shi Yongxin, abbot of Shaolin Temple and vice president of the Buddhist Association of China, Master Yanlin, monastic manager of Shaolin Temple and head of the Shaolin Pharmacy Bureau, Huang Hui, the former head of the Technology and Development for TCM of China, Zhu Wanyong, counselor of China Aging Development Foundation, Yu Tongsheng, president of the China Pharmaceutical Culture Society, Li Liangsong, president of school of Chinese classics of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and doctoral supervisor, Sun Shuxia, counselor of health education, promotion and research for World Health Organization and chief expert of health education guidance of the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, Guo Ketong, president of Canada Federation of Chan Meditation and secretary-general of Canadian Martial Arts Association, Qin Xiping, president of Japanese Shaolin Qigong Association and other specialists and scholars as well as believers of ten directions.
Shaolin monks and guests lined up at Dache Hall of Shaolin Temple at 9 o’clock in the morning. Shi Yongxin, abbot of Shaolin Temple, led the eastern and western sequences of disciples of Shaolin Temple to burn incense and worship Buddha, praying for peace and prosperity and good weather for the crops.
At the opening ceremony, the great monk Yongxin said that the Shaolin Pharmacy Bureau has a history of more than 800 years. The Shaolin Pharmacy Bureau has rearranged books of Shaolin martial arts and Buddhist medicine, published Shaolin medical science and carried out the research on Buddhist medicine together with specialists and scholars to benefit mankind since its restoration in 2005. Shaolin Temple sponsored Chinese Buddhist Medicine Forum, built platforms, met and communicated, discussed related topics of human health, making offerings and giving alms to society on the basis of these conditions. The issues that we explored this year were “tea and human health”. “Chan tea” occupied important status in Buddhist culture. There is a gongan “chi cha qu” (going for tea) about meditation and also a state of mind in practice, “taste Chan in Tea”. China has a long history of tea culture. Tea culture is also an integral part of people’s life in folk. It was hoped that there would be more people knowing tea culture, Buddhist culture and traditional Chinese culture as well as supporting the development of Shaolin culture.
Liangsong, president of school of Chinese classics of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine plaint that he attended nine periods of Buddhist forum of Shaolin Temple in a row, witnessing the development and expansion of Buddhist culture. There have been more than 120 temples participating in research work of Buddhist medicine so far. Shaolin Temple is developing and growing at home and abroad and will benefit more people through compiling books of Buddhist medicine and conducting training class of Buddhist medicine.
Sun Shuxia, counselor of the health education research of the World Health Organization, said those are virtues to strive for personal health, are merits and virtues to strive for the health of others and are great virtues to strive for the development of health facilities. The nine periods of Buddhist medicine forum witnessed Shaolin Temple’s persistence and hardships and also enjoyed research results of Buddhist medicine benefiting body and mind. Shaolin Temple has boundless beneficence.
Zhao Ye, secretary-general of the Chan tea research center of the China International Tea Culture Institute, highly praised that the content and themes of Chinese Buddhist medicine forum is becoming increasingly clear and has more influence and transmissibility, which attributed to the Buddhist forum having a positive impact on human health. “I’m blessed and lucky to attend the 9th Chinese Buddhist medicine forum this time and appreciate Shaolin Temple’s boundless beneficence for human health”, he said.
Shaolin Pharmacy Bureau, founded in 1217, has a long history of around 800 years so far and is honored as the origin of Buddhist medicine. Shaolin Temple has successfully held 8 periods of Chinese Buddhist medicine forum and has produced an extensive and far-reaching influence. So far, the 9th Chinese Buddhist Medicine Forum has achieved success in completely. Specialists and scholars from around the world will gather down the Shaoshi Mount to explore human health of meditation tea together. (Edited by Yue Long and Zhang Hailong)