Speech at the “B&R" China Buddhism Culture Inheritance and Development Forum

 ◎Master Shi Yongxin 

Ven.Abbot Yongxin makes a speech. 

In grateful acknowledgement of the law of the simultaneity of cause and effect, today is such a great opportunity for us to gather at Shaolin Temple and discuss the inheritance and development of China Buddhism culture here. 

The ancient Silk Road's greatness lies in the political and economic ties between the East and West as well as the cross-cultural bridges it builded. The Buddhism that reached China through the ancient Silk Road and China's homegrown Confucian Culture and Taoist Culture constituted the harmonious Chinese traditional culture full of wisdom. Meanwhile, the monks, such as Fa-hsien, Xuanzang, Yijing, etc, who made a pilgrimage to India to seek scriputures walking on the ancient Silk Road brought the brilliant Chinese culutre to India and other regions. Futhermore, the written texts they left such as The Travels of Fa-hsien and Buddhist Records of the Western World became a valuable source of the local history. The splendid Buddhist culture binds European and Asian countries and people closely through the Silk of Road. 

Shaolin Temple, as the place of origination of the Buddhist Chan Order, is inseparable form the exchanges of Chinese and foreign cultures. It was built by Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty for the Indian eminent monk Batuo. Shaolin Temple is not only a royal temple in the history, but also the outcome of cultural exchanges. Later on, another Indian monk Bodhidharma arrived at Shaolin temple. He is the first monk preaching Chan doctrines here, thus was honored as the first Patriarch of Chinese Chan. Thereafter, Shaolin Temple is famous and still popular for being recognized as the model of the integration of different cultures.

Viewing from the 2,000-year development of history, Chinese Buddhism was reaching out to the society and the world, trying its best to benefit the society and merge into the world with its board mind. More importantly, the Chinese indigenous culture were valued in the spread of Buddhism.  After the confliction, adjustment and fusion with the Confusionism and Taoism, the Buddhism not only developed itself greatly after it introduced into China since the Eastern Han Dynasty, but also promoted the development of the other two thoughts. As one of the three pillar of Chinese traditional culture, the Chinese Buddhism has exerted a strong influence on every aspect of Chinese nation. The Chinese Buddhism emphasizes on integrating itself with worldly laws in the process of dessimination, laying equal stress on the lives of the upper classes of society and the common people, which advocates building a peaceful society under the law of Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds. 

At present, The proposed "One Belt One Road" Strategy relys primarily on multilateral mechanisms between China and related countries, which based on the existing and effective regional cooperation platform. Therefore, China will continue to hold high the banner of peace and development, actively work in economic partnership with surrounding countries on the Belt to jointly build a community of interests, a shared future and a sense of responsibility in political, economic and culture. 

At the “B&R" China Buddhism Culutre Inheritance and Development Forum

"Show mercy to even strangers for we are all one" in Buddhism taught us that we should help everyone unconditionally with compassion, because the individual life and all creatures' lives are community. Considering the diversity of regions and nations, the Buddha also set down commandments to teach his disciples to respect the different customs, cultures and beliefs. Buddhism opens arms to embrace various opinions and wisdom for its character spirit of compassion, equility, peace and harmony, which can provide enough human spirit and intellectual force in the strategy.

In recent years, Shaolin Temple has been long committed to promote the Chinese and Foreign cultural exchanges and the propagation of Shaolin Culture all over the world. In order to implement the policy of "One Belt One Road", Shaolin Temple sends over 400 disciples abroad each year to spread Chinese traditional culture around the world; moreover, there are thousands of foreign apprentices making a pilgrimage to Shaolin Monastery annually. Meanwhile, Shaolin Temple launched an activity named "Silk Road Tours on Shaolin Culture" in 2015, as the first stop, the activity in Thailand was well reviewed there. 

Buddhism has achieved remarkable achievements and left us the rich spiritual treasury and cultural heritage. Futhermore, the Chinese Buddhist culture, as an important part of Chinese excellent traditional culutre, is recognized as the most important carrier and spiritual ties of cross-cultural communication, and is critical to the East Asian Chinese culture circle's formation. Therefore, we should take full advantage of Chinese Buddhism in the implementation of "One Belt One Road" Strategy to spread Chinese wisdom, to tell the story of China, to speak for our country, which can exert positive effects on fostering the mutual understanding, dissolving contradiction and preventing conflicts with people of other countries. 

                                                                                              Thank you!