Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Religious persecution in the Shaolin Temple area

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Religious persecution in the Shaolin Temple area

    Its not Falungong, its Christianity...

    ************!!! these pictures are disturbing!!!***********

    http://www.china21.org/simpChinese/n...503pics/58.htm

    **************************************************

    some of these are actually taken from the prefecture of Henan that Hengxuan comes from.

    They don't just pursecute and torture the Falungong.. its more general, "religious" persecution... and as I understand it, this is what is behind that nobody is very forthcoming on Buddhism at Shaolin. Its not a case that the government permits it at the temple, its on account of the fact that in the villages, the police go after anyone who appears to be taking any religion too seriously, and torture is common place.

    Chicken

  • #2
    I think people are very forthcoming about Buddhism in the temple; I see it "practiced" every time I go there. Yongxin will never give up an opportunity to expound on his "Buddhist" nature, with ceremonies or what have you, at the temple. Remember, he's trying to promote and keep, an image.

    As far as Christianity goes in China, Christmas trees, and the celebration of that holiday, seems to be more and more prevalent.

    Are you sure you're not confusing Falon Gong, which is sought after by the authorities, with Christianity? I have never seen the practice of Christianity, or any other established religion, as an issue in mainland China.
    Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

    "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

    (more comments in my User Profile)
    russbo.com


    Comment


    • #3
      Thanks for the new thread Doc.

      Nope... Couple of points:

      The Rural Chinese still don't know what Christmas is (yes there is a lot of it in the towns but only the commercial stuff, there is nothing in the villages) but a lot of them in the villages are practising Christians. A proportion of all Christians become over-zealous and start pushing it on others, and this is what happens to some of them in China. I don't think that such treatment is exceptional, nor do I think that it is the Policy of the Chinese Communist Party. Its just that, in remote parts the village heads and police are laws unto themselves.

      The vast majority of kids studying gongfu near the Temple don't come from the cities, they are rural Chinese. They know about these goings on. Clearly if you can get out of as many scrapes as Jet Li can, the chances of ever finding yourself subject to torture are considerably minimised. So its stuff like this going on that causes little Luoluo's parents to send him to Warrior School in the first place, and further more motivates him to work hard at it. Clearly both focusing on the physical stuff and keeping their mouths shut regarding the religous and political aspects, are effective in keeping both little Luoluo and his family (who are not so able to defend themselves) out of trouble. Once Luoluo is there, because of the Chinese trait of respecting your parents over all others, and almost all the kids have families outside the temple, Luoluo takes his ideology from their parents, not from the Temple.

      YongXin is bringing in tourist dollars, I think as long as that is the main focus and not promoting Buddhism, I think you will find they will let him continuing practising. But there's very little practise outside of those in proximity to the Abbot, haven't you found?

      I'm curious as to why I find it in some of their hearts but not much place else, and that you feel like you are threatening them with a tin opener, anytime you try to discuss it with them? Hengxuan goes to the Taoist Temple when he seeks out spirituality, and there used to be a very old monk that lived on the mountain that he used to go to too; it is hard to seek it out, even for the warriors.

      As I am trusted more, I get to see more of what Buddhism is left. It is there, but very much in a personal form. I guess Doc, that as your guanxi has developed over the years, they open up a lot more to you too, much more than they do to the average 20 year old that stays there for 6 months.

      I was just doing some research on our locality in Henan and stumbled accross this stuff. I think its a major piece of the jigsaw puzzle.

      Chicken

      Comment


      • #4
        Well, when I said that Yongxin practiced Buddhism, I didn't exactly mean he practised Buddhism, LOL... He does a lot of ceremonies, and yes, I haven't found a lot of genuine Buddhism practice, or behavior, in my travels in China, with the exception of in the far western parts (Tibetan areas). However, there are some older generation monks that do genuinely seem to practice, and practice it well, as evidenced by what they do, and how they live.

        You don't find it with the younger generation "monks", that much, predominantly because most of these guys are raised as performers, and not much else. The days of Buddhism being taught on a regular basis in Shaolin seems to have disappeared many years ago, when the likes of individuals such as Shi De Ren were tossed away. No doubt Yongxin has reintroduced Buddhism yet again, but, as I see it, touting it and living it are two different things. He's not exactly respected in the local area as being this great Buddhist figure.

        I also have not seen much Christianity in the outlying areas, however, in Beijing and the larger cities, things are far more progressive.

        I think that any sort of activity, in these rural areas, with their local "governments", that seem to promote anything other than the status quo, would tend to cause issues. Considering recent Chinese history (Cultural Revolution times, and other main Mao triggered events before that), one can understand this.
        Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

        "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

        (more comments in my User Profile)
        russbo.com


        Comment


        • #5
          Seeing Buddhism "practiced" every time I visit the temple makes me assume that people there are quite open about their faith. At any opportunity, Yongxin will use the temple's rituals to elaborate on his "Buddhist" character. He is attempting to promote and maintain an image, so keep that in mind
          moto x3m

          Comment

          Working...
          X