The Chinese Tradition Of Historical Research, Of The Buddhist Health

This paper explores the relationship between Buddhism and health preservationfrom the historical perspective, the author deliberated the factors that Buddhism bringsabout the effect of the care of health and its long terms influence in the field of healthpreservation. To investigate, analyse and draw conclusions about the historical factsof Buddhist health preservation, I have started from the literary works of ChineseBuddhism. Using relevant concepts-healthcare, Chinese Buddhism, Buddhisthealth management and time, as parameters for research, sifting out literarydocumentations and Buddhist scriptures related to health preservation would behelpful in narrowing the focus of study.In the course of research, it is useful to categorise the main information into threetimeframes, namely the period from the Wei to the Northern-Southern Dynasties, theperiod of the Sui-Tang Dynasty, and the period of the Song to the Qing Dynasty. Thisallows for better comparison and understanding of the characteristics, features anddifferences of each era as the distinctive social and cultural backgrounds during eachtimeframe are highly influential on the development of the ways of health preservationin Chinese Buddhism.During my investigation, I carefully learnt the history of Chinese Buddhism, Ithoroughly read the representative works on Buddhism and health preservation. Thispaper composed of 4 chapters, the 3 stages of historical development of Buddhism inthe health preservation aspects in China, namely, Han-Wei Dynasty to theNorthern-Southern Dynasty (BD2-AD580) , Sui-Tang Dynasty (AD581-AD960) andSong-Yuan-Ming-Qing Dynasty (AD961-AD1910) , the fourth chapters covered thediscussion on the relationship between Buddhism and health preservation and itscharacteristics from the historical perspective, and also the influences of Buddhismtowards the various aspects of health preservation in China. By systematic investigation, this paper holds that:1．From the time of the Han-Wei Dynasty to the Northern-Southern Dynasty(BD2-AD580) , Eastern Han Buddhism spread its area of influence from India toChina and it was largely known in areas such as the Central Plains and JiangNan, thatthis era was the golden age for the infiltration and spread of Buddhism. Buddhismfirst spread to China in hopes of taking root there, such that it may be integrated withthe traditional moral principles and religious ideology.Some features of Buddhism were greatly influential and regarded ascharacteristics of the Buddhist ideology during this era. Those worth exploring andanalyzing are: vegetarianism, Qigong training, and health management. Studies ofvegetarianism include its role in religious discipline, its contribution to body wellness,viewpoints about vegetarianism, and its relationship with the Emperor Liang Wu.Qigong training involves the understanding of Bodhidharma meditation and theprinciples for mind and body development. Last but not least, health managementcomprises of cleansing and simple dentistry techniques, therapeutic us use of Buddhistmusic, tea culture, and Zen meditation.2．The Sui-Tang Dynasty (AD581-AD960) was the golden age of theChina-based Buddhist organization. It was also a time when the Buddhist culture wasat its pinnacle, and a time that marked the end of the evolution era, which saw theBuddhism being greatly influenced by the Chinese culture. China's feudal societyenjoyed great stability and prosperity in its governance, economy, external relationsand culture during the Sui-Tang Dynasty, resulting in an influx of external culturesincluding the Western Region culture from China. This influx helped to bring aboutthe assimilation, merger, and development of the Buddhist culture. It was also duringthis era when competition heated up between the various sects, such as Tian TaiZong,San LunZong, LüZong, Wei ShiZong, JingTuZong, HuaYanZong, Fa XiangZong,ChanZong etc, which all had their own specialty schools. However, the practice ofZen and meditation was stressed upon nonetheless in all schools, and this practice was seen to be highest realm of the Silent Nirvana.During this era, the main features of the Buddhist way of life and ideologyinclude, the practice of health maintenance, Qigong, Zen meditations, vegetarianism,Chinese tea culture, the use of the self-sacrificial concept in maintaining good health,emphasis on developing a laborious attitude, and Buddhist music. The monk, ZhiYi,founder of the Tian TaiZong of China, authored the four-part Buddhist Scripturesmonograph, which became an integral part of Buddhism during this time.3．During the time of the Song-Yuan-Ming-Qing Dynasty (AD961-AD1911) ,the Confucians were against the Buddhists. However, the Confucians adopted theideology of the Buddhists' philosophy for their own to create their own idealistphilosophy. This resulted in mediation between the three schools of thought, namelyConfucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, during the Song-Ming Dynasty. IndianBuddhism was declining during the transition between the Tang and Song Dynasties.With the discrete development of religious sects during the Tang Dynasty, the gloriousculture of Buddhism was further merged with the ancient history and folk customs ofChina. Consequently, no new religious sects were born. In those days, the practicesof the various sects were never far from the three disciplines of Zen, Jing, and Mi ofwhich the two disciplines, Zen and Jing originated from the Tang Dynasty. Over thecourse of history, the internal workings of the Buddhist sect grew stronger, and thecore of the theoretical study of Buddhist philosophy became that of characterdevelopment. At the same time, the conciliation of Buddhist and Confucian schoolsof thought became more evident with each passing day, and was linked to idealisticphilosophy. Even though the organization of Buddhism remained solid after the SongDynasty, the practice of Buddhism seemed to be merge over time, thus establishingitself as a distinctive China-based Buddhist school of thought.The focus of the discussion would be the inquiry and analysis into Buddhist healthpreservation. The need for health preservation in Buddhism and its characteristics willbe touched upon, followed by a look into areas such as: ? The use of tranquility in Buddha Dharma for health maintenance? The disciplines of Buddhism? The cultivation of inner peace? The nurture of health through meditation and scripture reading in religiousservices? Therapeutic use of Buddhist music? The environmental influence in health preservation.After that, the key discussion will cover the effects of Buddhism on traditionalChinese medicine practices, of which its contents will include:? The purification of the mind through breaking away from materialistic desires? The maintenance of emotional balance in good health? The cultivation of daily wellness habits? Vegetarianism and abstinence from alcohol? Enlightenment through the practice of Zen and Buddhist Qigong.The entry of Buddhism into China originated from the Eastern Han dynasty.Through the period of the Wei-Jin Six Dynasties, the progression of Buddhism wasaided by the spread of religious doctrines, and propagation from countless monkscholars. After Buddhism came into contact with the native Chinese traditions, itgradually formed several theoretical schools, and it was not until the Sui-TangDynasty that it built up its disciplines of belief, its ethical rules, code of conduct anda school of thought, which was heavily influenced by the Chinese culture. All thisbecame an indispensable part of the Chinese cultural traditions, and certainly left itsmark in some way on China's living practices, as well as their mindset on healthyliving.Being one of the three most influential religions worldwide, Buddhism isinseparable from the traditional Chinese way of life. Taking health preservation as anexample, Buddhists see the pursuit of good health as the "five fortunes", namelylongevity, prosperity, serenity, virtue, and peace on one's deathbed. In addition, Buddhism practises a unique way of religious cultivation. Through Zen meditation,incorporation of Zen into its medical practices, Qigong, and study of Buddhistscriptures, Buddhism seeks to have an all-round development of the emotional state,character and living habits of its followers. Development of the emotional state setsforth the principles of Buddhist health preservation in everyday life. It speaks ofpractising benevolence and universal love. Development of the body is mainly aboutZen practice, and is divided into two parts-inner cultivation and outer development.Inner cultivation consists of Zen meditation, while outer development comprises ofphysical training. Living habits are about developing everyday habits that help inleading a healthy life, as well as the ways to enjoy longevity. These three areas cometogether as a whole in developing a person, as seen in three important Buddhistliterature-"Da Mo Yi Jing Jing", which speaks of outer development, "Xi SuiJing", which speaks of inner cultivation, and "Liu Miao Fa Men" and "Xiao ZhiGuan", which both speak of Buddhist living practices. This shows that Buddhism hasa comprehensive and valuable collection of documentation and literary works in theseareas.It is said in Buddhism that life is precious. Hence, it is a must for all Buddhists tocultivate the virtue of loving all life forms. This does not apply only to exhibitingpassion for sensual beings, because the ultimate aim in Buddhism is to spread theword of Buddhism to all sensual beings, such that it may enlighten them, purifytheir minds, and allow them to attain the highest realm of Buddhism. Healthpreservation in Buddhism starts from the nurture of the mind and emotions. Only whenthe mind and emotional state are mature can the body be able to reap the rewards ofthe desired outcomes of good health. Buddhism has an enthusiastic approach towardsprotecting a healthy state of mind and body. Being an important part of the traditionalChinese culture, Buddhist ideology plays a crucial role in pushing the development ofhealthy Chinese living, and it boasts of a glorious past in the historic pages ofChinese culture. Using the many early literary contributions and famous research works, explore the Buddhist ways of health preservation, and conduct an in-depthanalysis of it from different points of view. From this study, it is possible to conceivea comprehensive organisation of the investigation, draw a conclusive analysis ofBuddhism health management and with a segmented research into its essence,history, and current affairs, the contributions of Chinese Buddhism towards healthmanagement may be discussed from its historical literary works. The value of theideology can be understood from historical and literary works and from there,investigate the essence of Chinese Buddhism. This brings forth a sense of anticipation,that from the above exploration, beneficial experiences can be drawn about theideological sphere of Chinese Buddhism. During this era, the main features of theBuddhist way of life and ideology include, practice of the Chinese tea culture, Zenmeditation, vegetarianism, and the use of the self-sacrificial concept in maintaininggood health.It is my wish that the studies on Buddhism and health preservation, maycontribute to future research of this subject area.