Outraged at plans to bulldoze centuries-old temple

Aik TC SG

Buddhist monks outraged at plans to bulldoze centuries-old temple

By Tom Phillips, Shanghai 11:18AM BST 11 Apr 2013

Buddhist monks in central China are up in arms over government plans to demolish large sections of a Tang dynasty temple along the ancient Silk Road.

Local officials reportedly want to bulldoze nearly two-thirds of the Xingjiao temple complex in Xi'an, apparently in order to restore the sanctuary to its original style.

The revamp is part of a campaign to achieve UNESCO World Heritage site status.

"Some buildings will be demolished because it would make the environment more elegant," Zhang Ning, the head of the local Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, told the Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper this week. A report in the Shanghai Daily newspaper claimed the buildings would be "rebuilt with a new and prettier look."

But the proposal has left local monks and Chinese micro-bloggers aghast.

The 1,300 year-old temple is home to three towers, one of which contains the remains of Xuanzang, a 7th century Buddhist monk revered for undertaking a 17-year pilgrimage to India.

While those towers will not be affected, many of the surrounding buildings have been slated for demolition by May. Some of those constructions date from between 1644 and 1911, according to the China Daily newspaper.

Local monks, who will be rehoused following the demolition, have vowed to fight the plans.

"If there was no demolition, we would support the world heritage application. But if the plan includes demolition, we shall quit," a local monk, Kuan Chi, told a meeting this week, according to the Southern Metropolis Daily.

Huang Chunbo, a micro-blogger, wrote: "I can't understand why you would destroy a cultural relic in order to apply for cultural heritage [status]. Isn't protection the point of the application?"

Drawing in tourists and eventually for monetary gain?

sinweiy SG

impermanence.

reminded of mandala.

As a meditation on impermanence (a central teaching of Buddhism), after days or weeks of creating the intricate pattern of a sand mandala, the sand is brushed together and placed in a body of running water to spread the blessings of the mandala.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandala

Aik TC SG

impermanence.

reminded of mandala.

All things may be impermanence but impermanence here should not be use as an excuse for non action. It is a fatalistic stand to take. It would mean total inaction, when action is required that could change or alter the outcome.

2009novice SG

nice photos of the temple

sinweiy SG

it is not an excuse, but no choice but to see through and let it go. perhaps we can like mandala idea, take the parts for some more meaningful purpose.

not saying that we are too obsess, but ever said by old MCK, clinging/obsess in collecting dharma items, books etc may end up, rebirth as book worms/roaches, or the like, that always stay with the collections, in their next lifes. they cannot let go.

Aik TC SG

Although there are suttas that speaks of various type of kamma and their results, it is usually in very general terms such as re-appears in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell, short-lived, good destination or heavenly world. I have yet to come across a sutta that speaks of such specific result for a specific intentional action as the above quote.

In fact AN 4.77 Acintita Sutta: Unconjecturable, made quite clear what we should not conjecture on

"There are these four unconjecturables that are not to be conjectured about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about them. Which four?

"The Buddha-range of the Buddhas [1] is an unconjecturable that is not to be conjectured about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about it.

"The jhana-range of a person in jhana...[2]

"The [precise working out of the] results of kamma...

"Conjecture about [the origin, etc., of] the world is an unconjecturable that is not to be conjectured about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about it.

"These are the four unconjecturables that are not to be conjectured about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about them."

Notes

1. I.e., the range of powers a Buddha develops as a result of becoming a Buddha.

2. I.e., the range of powers that one may obtain while absorbed in jhana.

Anyway, Mahayanist teachings tend to go into very specific details.

sinweiy SG

by mean of physical witnessing that it become believable is that even in Pureland school, during the moment when one is about to depart, and if there's clinging to worldly affairs, etc, they must first settle the affair and let it go before they can be "liberated" be it to pureland or to higher realms. (it is what Ven Chuan Xi did, when he liberated a number of ghosts during an event some years ago in SG. he first need to satisfy them their needs, then they can listen to Ven. not going into detail. )

“Vaccha, there is no householder who, without abandoning the fetter of householdership, on the dissolution of the body has made an end of suffering”. --Buddha

The retribution of the ghost that relies on a person is finished when the person dies, and it is then reborn in the world, usually as a species of domestic animal.---Shurangama sutra. so i presume same to clinging to objects.

Dawnfirstlight SG

May be it's one of the sign of Dharma ending age. Buddhists should do all we can to let the true Dharma to stay in this world as long as it can.

sinweiy SG

the teaching itself is more important to be preserve. that's why MCK keep printing and recording lots of dharma books, cd, video, etc. Buddha himself, don't even have a monastery. They live in the forest and are on the move. they also change different tree to sleep under, in case some disciples are fond of a particular tree.

2009novice SG

I thought Anathapindika donated a monastery for Buddha to teach dharma….?

sinweiy SG

yeah, for Buddha to teach dharma is ok, i mean, before that don't have, and it was not the property of Buddha, still the property of Anathapindika. Buddha don't need to take care of the maintenance fee, etc per se. like old MCK, move from place to place/monastery, country to country, but they all does not belong to him, dharma expounding is the main purpose, so is Jetavana. He said, like that better, no need to worry about maintenance. of course in the later year, old already, he cannot move anymore, and need to settle down somewhere. A pureland master, Lian Chi?, said, if he didn't need to take care of his disciples and worldly affairs, he would have reached a higher grade in pureland.

Nyorai SG

Buddha left his throne as king in order to achieve king within king, the ultimate king.