{"id":53717,"date":"2016-04-09T00:07:44","date_gmt":"2016-04-09T06:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=53717"},"modified":"2016-04-08T17:00:06","modified_gmt":"2016-04-09T00:00:06","slug":"china-must-lead-the-buddhist-world-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2016\/04\/09\/china-must-lead-the-buddhist-world-2\/","title":{"rendered":"China\u00a0must\u00a0lead\u00a0the\u00a0Buddhist\u00a0World"},"content":{"rendered":"

by\u00a0Senaka Weeraratna<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

The current visit of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe to China draws attention to the strong Buddhist cultural ties between the two countries.\u00a0The historical relationship between China and Sri Lanka dates back to the early centuries of the Common era, and was based on shared religious and cultural values, The visit to Sri Lanka in the 5th, Century A.D. by the famous Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar, Fa Hsien, to study Buddhist scriptures is undoubtedly the most significant aspect of this relationship.<\/p>\n

According to the Chinese text\u00a0Biqiuni<\/a>\u00a0Zhuan<\/em>, the biography of the\u00a0bhikkhuni<\/a>\u00a0compiled by Shi Baochang in 526 AD, and the biography of Gunavarnam and Sanghavarnam, the Sinhala Buddhist nuns gave the second\u00a0Upasampada<\/a>, or higher ordination, to the Chinese nuns. According to another Chinese source, in 426 AD, eight Sinhala nuns arrived in\u00a0Nanjing<\/a>, the capital of the\u00a0Liu Song dynasty<\/a>\u00a0(420\u201377 AD), on a merchant ship owned by a Sinhalese named Nandi. Consequently, three more nuns, headed by Tissara, arrived in Nanjing. Thus in the year 434, over three thousand nuns received their higher ordination for the second time in the presence of more than ten Sinhala nuns headed by Tissara at the Nanjing Temple in China. Therefore it can well be said that these Sinhala\u00a0Bhikkhunis from the Abhayagiri Vihara in Anuradhapura, were responsible for the establishment of an Order of Buddhist Nuns in China.<\/p>\n

In as much as two global religions Christianity and Islam are given leadership today by powerful countries based in\u00a0the\u00a0West and Middle East respectively,\u00a0the\u00a0time has come for\u00a0the\u00a0oldest of\u00a0the\u00a0three global religions namely\u00a0Buddhism\u00a0to be backed by a powerhouse to dispel\u00a0the\u00a0widely circulated myth that it is a weak religion sustained by relatively weaker countries in Asia despite\u00a0Buddhism’s unmatched contributions to\u00a0the\u00a0sustaining of\u00a0world\u00a0peace, unqualified respect for\u00a0the\u00a0natural environment including reverence for\u00a0the\u00a0lives of all living beings and promotion of Ahimsa and non – violence as\u00a0the\u00a0basis of resolution of conflict.<\/p>\n

No other country today fits\u00a0the\u00a0description of a powerhouse with a close association with\u00a0Buddhism\u00a0lasting for more than two millennia than\u00a0China.\u00a0 It has re-discovered\u00a0the\u00a0priceless value of\u00a0Buddhism\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0role it\u00a0must\u00a0play in\u00a0the\u00a0dissemination of\u00a0Buddhism\u00a0worldwide.<\/p>\n

The\u00a027th General Conference of\u00a0the\u00a0World\u00a0Fellowship of\u00a0Buddhists\u00a0that was held in Baoji, Shaanxi Province,\u00a0China\u00a0from\u00a0the\u00a016th – 18th October , 2014, being\u00a0the\u00a0first occasion a WFB Conference was held in mainland\u00a0China, was a clear indication of\u00a0the\u00a0\u00a0 new role that\u00a0China\u00a0has embarked upon. It was meant to send a strong message to\u00a0the\u00a0rest of\u00a0the\u00a0world\u00a0that\u00a0the\u00a0China\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0future will not only be a supplier of goods and services but also a source of enlightened thinking based on\u00a0Buddhism.<\/p>\n

Though there have been major upheavals from time to time in Chinese history e.g.\u00a0the\u00a0Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution ( 1966 – 1969), there is no gain saying that\u00a0Buddhism\u00a0is deeply rooted in\u00a0China\u00a0and is very much a part of\u00a0the\u00a0Chinese culture and civilization. Chinese\u00a0Buddhism\u00a0together with Confucius values will be a major export in\u00a0the\u00a0very near future. Using\u00a0the\u00a0country’s spectacular advancements in science and technology, Chinese\u00a0Buddhism\u00a0can be expected to\u00a0 blend with modern technology and re- focus on social engagement within\u00a0China\u00a0leading to its emergence as a major force in\u00a0China\u00a0with\u00a0the\u00a0support of both Provincial Governments and local government i.e. Municipal authorities.<\/p>\n

China’s new leadership is no longer doctrinaire Communist.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0China’s President Xi Jinping has been quoted in\u00a0the\u00a0world\u00a0press as saying that he believed\u00a0China\u00a0was losing its moral compass and therefore he wanted\u00a0the\u00a0ruling Communist Party to be more tolerant of traditional faiths in\u00a0the\u00a0hope these will help fill a vacuum created by\u00a0the\u00a0country’s breakneck growth and rush to get rich.<\/p>\n

Xi, who was raised in Chairman Mao Tse Tung’s puritan\u00a0China, is dismayed by what he sees as\u00a0the\u00a0country’s moral decline and growing obsession with money. Xi has expressed\u00a0the\u00a0hope that\u00a0China’s “traditional cultures” or faiths – Confucianism,\u00a0Buddhism\u00a0and Taoism – will help fill a spiritual void that has allowed corruption to flourish.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0WFB Conference held in Baoji, Shaanxi Province and for\u00a0the\u00a0first time in mainland\u00a0China, may well be considered as a\u00a0 new starting point for both Provincial Governments and\u00a0the\u00a0Central Government of\u00a0China\u00a0to foster\u00a0Buddhism\u00a0and it will not be a surprise if\u00a0the\u00a0world\u00a0were to see\u00a0Buddhist\u00a0missionaries from\u00a0China\u00a0emerging very soon to spread\u00a0the\u00a0teachings of\u00a0the\u00a0Buddha\u00a0all over\u00a0the\u00a0world\u00a0in a manner similar but more ethical than evangelists from USA and other western countries that are engaged in spreading Christianity in former colonies.<\/p>\n

China\u00a0must\u00a0claim\u00a0the\u00a0leadership of\u00a0the\u00a0Buddhist\u00a0world\u00a0to better project its image and Chinese culture, which is rooted in\u00a0Buddhism, and in addition to effectively counter aggressive foreign religious evangelism in many parts of\u00a0the\u00a0world.<\/p>\n

Furthermore If there is any cultural and spiritual base that can unite Asia that is\u00a0Buddhism\u00a0primarily because\u00a0the\u00a0other two great Asian nations namely India (birthplace of\u00a0Buddhism) and Japan are both heirs of a great\u00a0Buddhist\u00a0civilization that spread to\u00a0the\u00a0far corners of Asia long before\u00a0the\u00a0entry of foreign political and religious influences from\u00a0the\u00a0west.<\/p>\n

On\u00a0the\u00a0day of\u00a0the\u00a0inauguration of\u00a0the\u00a0WFB Conference at\u00a0the\u00a0magnificent Famen Temple in Shaanxi Province i.e. October 16, 2014,\u00a0China’s major television network CCTV broadcast a news item worldwide showing\u00a0the\u00a0grand opening ceremony and an interview with a Sri Lankan appealing to\u00a0China\u00a0to\u00a0lead\u00a0the\u00a0Buddhist\u00a0world\u00a0and then quoting him as saying that if that were to happen Sri Lanka will fully support such a claim by\u00a0China.<\/p>\n

Please click on\u00a0the\u00a0web links below to watch\u00a0the\u00a0interview ( in English) at\u00a0the\u00a0tail end of this short news item broadcast in Chinese.<\/p>\n

Duration: 2.05 minutes<\/p>\n

http:\/\/search.cctv.com\/playVideo.html?detailsid=743155617fd4421fb6fdd61417694424&ad_maima=860010-1102013400&title=%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E6%96%B0%E9%97%BB<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/search.cctv.com\/playVideo.html?detailsid=743155617fd4421fb6fdd61417694424&ad_maima=860010-1102013400&title=%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E6%96%B0%E9%97%BB<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Chinese<\/p>\n

Representatives from 30 countries and regions at Wufu Square, Famen Temple Cultural Scenic Zone.<\/p>\n

\"Chinese<\/p>\n

Delegates heading for\u00a0the\u00a0opening ceremony at\u00a0Famen Temple.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by\u00a0Senaka Weeraratna The current visit of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe to China draws attention to the strong Buddhist cultural ties between the two countries.\u00a0The historical relationship between China and Sri Lanka dates back to the early centuries of the Common era, and was based on shared religious and cultural values, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-forum"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53717\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}