This Dajue Temple Has an Over 700-Year History
The Dajue temple in in Yixing has an over-700 year history. Over 100 peope come here to ray every day. The temple was built for common people and the moment one sets their feet within the premises, there’s almost an instant feeling of peace and calm.
In the garden of the Dajue Temple, there are 18 white marble statues of Buddhist arhats - the original 18 followers of Buddha - ones attained 4 levels of enlightenment. Each of them nine feet high, with different, vivid expressions. They’re considered holy both in the human and spiritual realms.
Bamboo Chán Temple in, Kunming, China
Terry Hodgkinson Sifu wanders through the Bamboo Zen Temple.
I spent a lot of time here and thoroughly enjoyed what I learned along with my stay. In this short video you will see some clips of the temple, surrounding area and me doing some Tai Chi/Kung Fu practice; nothing spectacular just a few temple inspired enjoyable moves. - Terry
Background:
This Zen Temple is located in the thick of the Yunnan forest about 12 km from the city of Kunming, China.
The temple was first build in 639A.D destroyed a few times then rebuilt again, just like the Shaolin Temple in Henan.
Qigong Daoyin Shi Er Fa
I do not own the song in this video, copyrighted by the rightful owners.
Marcello-Bach Concerto in D minor BWV974_ Adagio (played by 6-year old Anke Chen)
Concerto in G Minor, BWV 975 - Based on Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto in G Minor, RV 316: II. Largo (Cyprien Katsaris)
Youtube 'My Qigong playlist':
Youtube 'My nature surroundings films' playlist:
Websites:
(International)
(Netherlands, Dutch language)
These 12 soft-flowing harmonious movement exercises were compiled by Prof. Zhang Guangde of the Beijing University of Physical Education on the basis of Chinese Traditional Medicine. Prof. Guangde is a well known Master in the Chinese Martial Arts. He has practiced martial arts for sixty years and has taught throughout China and the rest of the world, as well as written thirty books and numerous articles in China. The form is relatively simple, varied and graceful, with an appropriate length and intensity. It increases the flexibility of all body joints, strengthens muscles, bones and ligaments, stimulates all meridians, improves posture, strengthens concentration and acts as a healing and preventative measure for all organs, effective for maintaining good health and prolongation of life. However, it is not limited to the health aspect only. Thanks to the deep concentration and attention to the breath, it is also a wonderful method for self-development and inner growth.
The accompanying book and dvd by the Qigong Health Association in Beiijing is available at all major bookstores.
Shaolin Kung Fu: big Luohan 18 Hands (read description)
Buddha's 18 hands (罗汉十八手: luohan shiba shou),
instructor: monk Dejian, from Shaolin temple
text+pics:
__________________
- combat strategy:
Chinese kung fu has 36 famous tactics of fighting and self-defense.
Buddha's 18 hands style teaches the 1st tactic, prowess:
tactic 1 - no-fort tactic (空城计): don't take cover behind your fear and weaknesses. keep calm, with no sign of fear or weakness and no pretense of offense or defense. it deters opponents.
this involves calmness and intense prowess in moves.
__________________
- history:
this is the oldest style of Shaolin kung fu.
Liang dynasty (502-557):
Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, entered Shaolin temple in 527 AD. he made meditation part of Shaolin monks' daily routine. monks had simple exercises to recover after meditation and cultivate their body as well. they combined martial art and Zen to form the union of body and mind.
Sui dynasty (581-618):
according to the historical records of Shaolin temple, monks of Shaolin temple had a select set of simple moves based on expressions of daily activities and Buddhism. they later combined these moves into a combat form which was later called 'luohan 18 hands'.
Tang dynasty (618-907):
until the Tang dynasty, the 18 moves were increased into 36 moves.
Jin and Yuan dynasties (1115-1368):
monk Jueyuan, with the help of folk masters Li Sou and Bai Yugeng, developed the 36 moves into about 72. Bai Yugfeng, after becoming a monk with the Buddhist name Qiuyue, became the librarian of Shaolin temple and later increased these into 173 moves.
Ming dynasty (1368-1644):
in Chinese Buddhism, the luohans, those who reach the enlightenment of Buddhahood, were originally only 4, and their number was increased to 16 over time, and in the Ming dynasty it was increased to 18. a group of monks increased the number of the luohan hands into 18 forms, each form with 18 postures with the beginning and ending salutes. out of these, only 2 forms were preserved by Shaolin temple and most of the the others were lost to history. (8 forms of luohan 18 hands are recorded in the Encyclopedia of Shaolin martial arts: scribd.com/collections/4133108). the 1st and the 8th form, which is actually a bigger frame of the 1st form. these are the small and the big luohan 18 hands of Shaolin.
__________________
- note: there are various other forms and styles named 'luohan shiba shou' in Chinese kung fu, and they are historically and technically different from Shaolin luohan shiba shou. these are just different styles with similar names.
__________________
Shaolin kung fu tutorial:
- training:
- styles:
- weapons:
Shaolin Kung Fu: small Luohan 18 Hands (read description)
Buddha's 18 hands (罗汉十八手: luohan shiba shou),
instructor: monk Deyong, from Shaolin temple
__________________
- combat strategy:
Chinese kung fu has 36 famous tactics of fighting and self-defense.
Buddha's 18 hands style teaches the 1st tactic, prowess:
tactic 1 - no-fort tactic (空城计): don't take cover behind your fear and weaknesses. keep calm, with no sign of fear or weakness and no pretense of offense or defense. it deters opponents.
this involves calmness and intense prowess in moves.
__________________
- history:
this is the oldest style of Shaolin kung fu.
Liang dynasty (502-557):
Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, entered Shaolin temple in 527 AD. he made meditation part of Shaolin monks' daily routine. monks had simple exercises to recover after meditation and cultivate their body as well. they combined martial art and Zen to form the union of body and mind.
Sui dynasty (581-618):
according to the historical records of Shaolin temple, monks of Shaolin temple had a select set of simple moves based on expressions of daily activities and Buddhism. they later combined these moves into a combat form which was later called 'luohan 18 hands'.
Tang dynasty (618-907):
until the Tang dynasty, the 18 moves were increased into 36 moves.
Jin and Yuan dynasties (1115-1368):
monk Jueyuan, with the help of folk masters Li Sou and Bai Yugeng, developed the 36 moves into about 72. Bai Yugfeng, after becoming a monk with the Buddhist name Qiuyue, became the librarian of Shaolin temple and later increased these into 173 moves.
Ming dynasty (1368-1644):
in Chinese Buddhism, the luohans, those who reach the enlightenment of Buddhahood, were originally only 4, and their number was increased to 16 over time, and in the Ming dynasty it was increased to 18. a group of monks increased the number of the luohan hands into 18 forms, each form with 18 postures with the beginning and ending salutes. out of these, only 2 forms were preserved by Shaolin temple and most of the the others were lost to history. (8 forms of luohan 18 hands are recorded in the Encyclopedia of Shaolin martial arts: scribd.com/collections/4133108). the 1st and the 8th form, which is actually a bigger frame of the 1st form. these are the small and the big luohan 18 hands of Shaolin.
__________________
- note: there are various other forms and styles named 'luohan shiba shou' in Chinese kung fu, and they are historically and technically different from Shaolin luohan shiba shou. these are just different styles with similar names.
_/_
__________________
Shaolin kung fu tutorial:
- training:
- styles:
- weapons:
Falun Gong | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Falun Gong
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Falun Gong (UK: , US: ) or Falun Dafa (; Standard Mandarin Chinese: [fàlwə̌n tâfà]; literally, Dharma Wheel Practice or Law Wheel Practice) is a Chinese spiritual practice that combines meditation and qigong exercises with a moral philosophy centered on the tenets of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance (Chinese: 真、善、忍). The practice emphasizes morality and the cultivation of virtue, and identifies as a qigong practice of the Buddhist school, though its teachings also incorporate elements drawn from Taoist traditions. Through moral rectitude and the practice of meditation, practitioners of Falun Gong aspire to eliminate attachments, and ultimately to achieve spiritual enlightenment.
Falun Gong was first taught publicly in Northeast China in 1992 by Li Hongzhi. It emerged toward the end of China's qigong boom—a period that saw a proliferation of similar practices of meditation, slow-moving energy exercises and regulated breathing. It differs from other qigong schools in its absence of fees or formal membership, lack of daily rituals of worship, its greater emphasis on morality, and the theological nature of its teachings. Western academics have described Falun Gong as a qigong discipline, a spiritual movement, a cultivation system in the tradition of Chinese antiquity, or as a form of Chinese religion.
The practice initially enjoyed support from Chinese officialdom, but by the mid to late 1990s, the Communist Party and public security organizations increasingly viewed Falun Gong as a potential threat due to its size, independence from the state, and spiritual teachings. By 1999, government estimates placed the number of Falun Gong practitioners at 70 million. During that time, negative coverage of Falun Gong began to appear in the state-run press, and practitioners usually responded by picketing the source involved. Most of the time, the practitioners succeeded, but controversy and tension continued to build. The scale of protests grew until April 1999, when over 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered near the central government compound in Beijing to request legal recognition and freedom from state interference. This demonstration is widely seen as catalyzing the persecution that followed.
On 20 July 1999, the Communist Party leadership initiated a nationwide crackdown and multifaceted propaganda campaign intended to eradicate the practice. It blocked Internet access to websites that mention Falun Gong, and in October 1999 it declared Falun Gong a heretical organization that threatened social stability. Falun Gong practitioners in China are reportedly subject to a wide range of human rights abuses: hundreds of thousands are estimated to have been imprisoned extrajudicially, and practitioners in detention are subject to forced labor, psychiatric abuse, torture, and other coercive methods of thought reform at the hands of Chinese authorities. As of 2009, human rights groups estimated that at least 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners had died as a result of abuse in custody. Some observers put the number much higher, and report that tens of thousands may have been killed to supply China's organ transplant industry (see Organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China). In the years since the persecution began, Falun Gong practitioners have become active in advocating for greater human rights in China.
Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi has lived in the United States since 1996, and Falun Gong has a sizable global constituency. Inside China, estimates suggest that tens of millions continued to practice Falun Gong in spite of the persecution. Hundreds of thousands are estimated to practice Falun Gong outside China in over 70 countries worldwide.