When Mao came face to face with his destiny at Mt. Wutai
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When Mao came face to face with his destiny at Buddhist temple
Indian Express, Aug 14, 2011
Mt Wutai, China -- Mao Zedong, founder of China's Communist Party, rarely visited temples as he remained steadfast with his atheist ideology, but his visit to the sacred Buddhist Mountain here left a legend of how a fortune card he picked accurately predicted his destiny. On a relaxed tour of this 1200 years old Buddhist shrine after successfully leading the revolution in 1949, Mao picked up a fortune card no: 8341 out of the pack offered to him by Buddhist monks and insisted on knowing what it foretold. Much to his chagrin the monks maintained stony silence. Their refusal to speak despite his persistence made him leave the place in a huff. It later turned out that the card predicted that he would live for 83 years and his rule as a leader of the party would last 41 years.
Mao was born in 1893 and died in 1976 on the 83rd year of his life. He took over the leadership of the ruling Communist Party of China, (CPC) and the Red Army in 1935 during the Long March and remained its leader till his death, which makes it a leadership of 41 years. True or false, this legend of Mao's destiny is on the lips of scores of official tourist guides here on this picturesque mountain. It is interesting to note how much China has moved away from Mao's era and has aggressively marketed the spiritual importance of the Buddhist shrine using his own legend.
For over 1200 years, Wutai Mountain has been China's most sacred Buddhist place because it was where the highly revered "Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of wisdom", one of prominent disciples of Lord Buddha, once lived and taught Buddhism. The atmosphere in the shrines easily reminds one of any Indian temple, with hundreds of devotees seen going around it chanting prayers, while others lighting fragrant sticks before the giant bronze statues of Lord Buddha. This mountain is regarded as one of the four holy Buddhist Mountains in China, with 360 temples built on it dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) after Buddhism came to China from India.
Currently only 47 temples exist here. Broadly imbibing the Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist traditions is a massive white pagoda which can be seen from several miles. The pagoda, in Nepalese style, has a base circumference of 83.3 meters and is 75.3 meters high. It reportedly contained a small India-made iron stupa, where some remains of Sakyamuni (One of the names of Lord Buddha) are kept. Mt Wutai lies in Wutai County in Xinzhou Region of China's flourishing Shanxi Province which has taken a prominent spot on China's burgeoning tourist map.
Besides the temple, the province which has emerged as the power house of China catering power supply to top cities like Beijing, also houses the famous 'Pingyao' -- the ancient city which is a UNESCO world heritage site. The city dating back to 557 BC-532 BC is regarded as the "outstanding city model" of Han nationality styled during Ming and Qing dynasties. Hans constitute over 95 per cent of Chinese population.
Plush with houses and places built with ancient Chinese style architecture, the walled city has age-old Buddhist temples, China's first Bank as well as an old prison, depicting torture kits extensively used by the rulers to keep the population under check. The place which has emerged on top of China's tourist map with modern hotel facilities designed to give the experience of living in the ancient houses is attracting lakhs of tourists every year. Places such as this helped China emerge as one of the top three tourist destinations in the world last year raking up billions of dollars in tourist inflows. With 56 million tourist arrivals last year, China edged out Spain, to become the world's third most visited country, behind France (79 million) and the United States (61 million).
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is he a bad leader? it was he who caused millions to die in china during the cultural revolution isnt it.
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Such cards usually contain a pronouncement that has no connection with its serial number.
Also it is not taboo to tell Mao he would live till 83yo and rule for 41 years, if the monks intrepret the serial number as such.
Could be he really picked card No. 8341, and it says that he would be happily married and have many children, and be wealthy and prosperous. The monks dare not say that to him.
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Originally posted by Rooney9:
is he a bad leader? it was he who caused millions to die in china during the cultural revolution isnt it.
Millions died from famine in the rural areas during the so called "great leap forward" 5 year economic plan from 1958-1961 and not during the cultural revolution.
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Originally posted by Dalforce 25:
Millions died from famine in the rural areas during the so called "great leap forward" 5 year economic plan from 1958-1961 and not during the cultural revolution.
he is the chief villain isnt he
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Originally posted by Rooney9:
he is the chief villain isnt he
He was a disaster in ruling China but he succeeded in one thing that Sun Yat Sen and Chiang Kai Shek could not - unify China.
China is a big country with a huge population, you want to unify this country and bring it under centralised control is not easy, only Mao Zedong could do it. You must concede this point to him.
Tan Kah Kee also supported Mao.
COMMUNITY LEADERS
As prominent businessmen, Tan Kah Kee and Lee Kong Chian not only assumed positions of social authority, they also used their influence to build institutions and networks both locally and abroad, from the huay kuan to institutions of higher learning, that would further their respective causes.
1 Rallying the People [ View Details ] A key figure in the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan, Ee Hoe Hean Club and various business associations, Tan Kah Kee encouraged these organisations to modernise, just as China needed to modernise. He often called for greater unity among the different Chinese dialect groups, and took the lead in rallying the Chinese in Southeast Asia to support China’s war effort against the Japanese.
Tan believed that for China to be strong, the different dialect groups or bang needed to work together. Even though his Hokkien community outnumbered the others and enjoyed more influence in the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce, he felt that all Chamber members should be treated equally. He said, “The Chamber of Commerce is an organisation to rally all Singapore businessmen, and there seems to be no necessity to draw a line between their bang affiliation.”Tan could not convince the Chamber to adopt a more democratic approach during his lifetime, but his ability to rally others to his causes helped him to build the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan into a body that solidly supported education and promoted social development. Similarly, he encouraged Chinese towkays from other dialect groups to join the Ee Hoe Hean Club, a businessmen’s social club dominated by the Hokkien. With Tan as its chairman from 1923, the Club became a platform for raising political awareness of the Japanese invasion of China and the headquarters for Tan’s various Relief Fund efforts.
[ Close ]2 Supporting the Motherland [ View Details ] 
Despite the many years he spent in Singapore, Tan Kah Kee had a strong attachment to China. Besides building schools, he was instrumental in leading the Singapore Chinese community to support many relief efforts for China from the late 1920s. In 1938, Tan was elected to chair the South Seas China Relief Fund Union, which gathered not only financial resources but also sent volunteer drivers and mechanics to transport military and medical supplies on the Burma Road to China.Tan’s early anti-Japanese war efforts were launched after the 1928 Jinan Incident, when Japanese and Chinese military clashes led to many civilian casualties. Believing that the Overseas Chinese had a responsibility to support their homeland when it was under threat, Tan led the Shandong Relief effort, which raised $1 million (Chinese currency) within a month.
Tan went on to lead other relief fund efforts, culminating in the Singapore China Relief Fund Committee and South Seas China Relief Fund Union. Under his able leadership, the latter consolidated the efforts of Chinese communities across Southeast Asia and contributed a total of about $5,500 million (Chinese currency) to the Chinese war effort between 1937 and 1942. Tan was greatly respected by the Chinese political leadership; during a 1940 mission to China, he met Chiang Kai Shek, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and other key members of the Kuomintang and Chinese Communist Party.
http://www.thelegacy.nl.sg/exh_community.html
The year was 1940, and China’s luck was at its lowest point. Much of the eastern states were occupied by the Japanese, and the Nationalist Party under Chiang Kai-shek, still fighting a rear-guard action from the safe haven of wartime capital Chongqing, was hopelessly corrupt.
As a de facto leader of the overseas Chinese, Tan Kah Kee has just embarked on an 8-month trip to China, dubbed the Comfort Mission, to bring aid and moral support to those suffering from the onslaught of the invaders. After being feted by Chiang, he visited Mao Zedong, then living in the caves of Yenan with a few thousand of his forces.
Tan Kah Kee had heard of how the Communist Party – which was considered an enemy of the Nationalists, had conducted their affairs with much fairness and high principles of governance, earning the admiration and respect of those they came into contact with.
At the end of his 8-day visit to this humble abode, Tan Kah Kee observed that Mao and his men ruled this region of a few thousand followers and the surrounding peasants with a firm hand tempered with fairness, frugality and much egalitarianism, implementing a system of thrift and reward matched with hard work, a viable education system for the children, and had somehow made his people economically self-supporting with what little they had.
Tan Kah Kee - who had up to then despaired over the lack of a viable leadership to pull the country up from its ruinous depths - was suddenly filled with a glowing sense of hope.
Here was a group of high-principled and incorruptible people, widely read in socialist theories, leaders who didn’t stand on ceremonies and practised what they preach – here is the light at the end of the tunnel, and that the path towards salvation would be clear. Upon his return to Singapore, TKK wasted no time in announcing to his huaqiao compatriots that they should from then on change their allegiance to the Communist Party.
The record 6-hour speech – which eventually gave rise to one of the most famous sayings in modern China – ‘The future of China lies in Yenan’ — not only angered Chiang but gave the Communist Party the seal of approval to continue their battle against the ruling faction, and confidence in their final march towards Beijing after the Japanese were finally driven from China’s shores.
http://poeygee.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/hello-world/
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Originally posted by Dalforce 25:
He was a disaster in ruling China but he succeeded in one thing that Sun Yat Sen and Chiang Kai Shek could not - unify China.
China is a big country with a huge population, you want to unify this country and bring it under centralised control is not easy, only Mao Zedong could do it. You must concede this point to him.
true but whats the use when your failure lead to so many people dying. -
Originally posted by Rooney9:
true but whats the use when your failure lead to so many people dying.But no unification also no rising China today. It will still be endless wars on the mainland.
So Mao's legacy is controversial.
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Revolution is not a dinner party, nor an essay, nor a painting, nor a piece of embroidery; it cannot be advanced softly, gradually, carefully, considerately, respectfully, politely, plainly, and modestly. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another - Mao Zedong ...
He had many failures....but the most touching and his greatest genius was the moment of the Great Retreat....
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one move sweeps all...there is no one chance for retaliation
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In July of 1976, there was massive earthquake which obliterated the city of Tangshan situated in North Eastern China. It claims the lives of more than 240,000 people there. It was supposed to be ominous sign that someone 'great' was about to passed away. Well, in September of that year Chairman Mao dies.
I read somewhere that there are also several instants in history of such disasters happening before such personalities passed on. Believe it or not, in life these personalities’ decisions and actions would normally affect millions whether it is in term of good or bad. In death too, they seem to also need others to keep them company in their onward journey.
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Mao once told the young Dalai Lama:" Religion is poison."
The young Dalai Lama went on to liberate Tibet and was awarded the Nobel Memorial Peace Prize...
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Originally posted by Fcukpap:
Mao once told the young Dalai Lama:" Religion is poison."
The young Dalai Lama went on to liberate Tibet and was awarded the Nobel Memorial Peace Prize...
Tibet is still under Chinese rule. -
yes it is...but the spirit remains liberated....
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Originally posted by Fcukpap:
yes it is...but the spirit remains liberated....
...oh, I see what you mean. -
yep....
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Unfortunately, the Chinese Communist Party (being officially anti-religion and atheist) still place a strict control on religious activities in China. If you read PRC texts, the official communist branded all religious beliefs as "superstitious".
The reason why Chinese Communist Party support Buddhism at the moment is because Buddhism is a very peaceful religion. But apart from that, they still have problems with Tibetan Buddhism, particularly Dalai Lama, particularly due to his political leadership. They still don't allow the exile Tibetan government to return to Tibet.
Religious control remains strict in China. "Religious freedom" is only a name in China. Foreign religious organizations who want to set up branch centers in China will find it hard to be approved by PRC. If you read some news ago, they had problems with Catholic Bishops.
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Originally posted by Aik TC:
When Mao came face to face with his destiny at Buddhist temple
Indian Express, Aug 14, 2011
Mt Wutai, China -- Mao Zedong, founder of China's Communist Party, rarely visited temples as he remained steadfast with his atheist ideology, but his visit to the sacred Buddhist Mountain here left a legend of how a fortune card he picked accurately predicted his destiny. On a relaxed tour of this 1200 years old Buddhist shrine after successfully leading the revolution in 1949, Mao picked up a fortune card no: 8341 out of the pack offered to him by Buddhist monks and insisted on knowing what it foretold. Much to his chagrin the monks maintained stony silence. Their refusal to speak despite his persistence made him leave the place in a huff. It later turned out that the card predicted that he would live for 83 years and his rule as a leader of the party would last 41 years.
Mao was born in 1893 and died in 1976 on the 83rd year of his life. He took over the leadership of the ruling Communist Party of China, (CPC) and the Red Army in 1935 during the Long March and remained its leader till his death, which makes it a leadership of 41 years. True or false, this legend of Mao's destiny is on the lips of scores of official tourist guides here on this picturesque mountain. It is interesting to note how much China has moved away from Mao's era and has aggressively marketed the spiritual importance of the Buddhist shrine using his own legend.
For over 1200 years, Wutai Mountain has been China's most sacred Buddhist place because it was where the highly revered "Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of wisdom", one of prominent disciples of Lord Buddha, once lived and taught Buddhism. The atmosphere in the shrines easily reminds one of any Indian temple, with hundreds of devotees seen going around it chanting prayers, while others lighting fragrant sticks before the giant bronze statues of Lord Buddha. This mountain is regarded as one of the four holy Buddhist Mountains in China, with 360 temples built on it dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) after Buddhism came to China from India.
Currently only 47 temples exist here. Broadly imbibing the Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist traditions is a massive white pagoda which can be seen from several miles. The pagoda, in Nepalese style, has a base circumference of 83.3 meters and is 75.3 meters high. It reportedly contained a small India-made iron stupa, where some remains of Sakyamuni (One of the names of Lord Buddha) are kept. Mt Wutai lies in Wutai County in Xinzhou Region of China's flourishing Shanxi Province which has taken a prominent spot on China's burgeoning tourist map.
Besides the temple, the province which has emerged as the power house of China catering power supply to top cities like Beijing, also houses the famous 'Pingyao' -- the ancient city which is a UNESCO world heritage site. The city dating back to 557 BC-532 BC is regarded as the "outstanding city model" of Han nationality styled during Ming and Qing dynasties. Hans constitute over 95 per cent of Chinese population.
Plush with houses and places built with ancient Chinese style architecture, the walled city has age-old Buddhist temples, China's first Bank as well as an old prison, depicting torture kits extensively used by the rulers to keep the population under check. The place which has emerged on top of China's tourist map with modern hotel facilities designed to give the experience of living in the ancient houses is attracting lakhs of tourists every year. Places such as this helped China emerge as one of the top three tourist destinations in the world last year raking up billions of dollars in tourist inflows. With 56 million tourist arrivals last year, China edged out Spain, to become the world's third most visited country, behind France (79 million) and the United States (61 million).
So, this is how the Chinese communist party is trying to "justify" their claim on the supposedly Mao's support for Buddhism? During Cultural revolution, look how he launched the Red Guards to destroy many Buddhist Shrines, Temples and Buddha, forced many Buddhist monks to renunciate to commoners.
So what's the point of building many frivolous shrines and buddhist temples now in the name of making money for tourism? They don't allow large gathering of buddhist dharma services. They don't allow buddhist TV stations and foreign dharma centers. I've been to some "buddhist temples" in China set up by businessman and corrupt officials out to make money. They even employed "faked monks" to come and tell you about fortune sticks. What a shameless Chinese communist party!! The funniest thing is that you have to pay for joss-sticks (and they even ask you for credit card).
It reminds me of the story of æ¢�æ¦å¸� Liang Wudi who is a fervent supporter of buddhism, which some scholars labelled him as a "Bodhisattva Emperor", but when Bodhidharma went to visit Liang, Liang asked him how much merits he had gained from building shrines, temples, and Bodhidharma says "none". Buddhism is more about spiritual cultivation and practices. Merely relying on building shrines without the practice of spiritual comes to no merits at all.
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Originally posted by yhjow:
So, this is how the Chinese communist party is trying to "justify" their claim on the supposedly Mao's support for Buddhism? During Cultural revolution, look how he launched the Red Guards to destroy many Buddhist Shrines, Temples and Buddha, forced many Buddhist monks to renunciate to commoners.
So what's the point of building many frivolous shrines and buddhist temples now in the name of making money for tourism? They don't allow large gathering of buddhist dharma services. They don't allow buddhist TV stations and foreign dharma centers. I've been to some "buddhist temples" in China set up by businessman and corrupt officials out to make money. They even employed "faked monks" to come and tell you about fortune sticks. What a shameless Chinese communist party!! The funniest thing is that you have to pay for joss-sticks (and they even ask you for credit card).
It reminds me of the story of æ¢�æ¦å¸� Liang Wudi who is a fervent supporter of buddhism, which some scholars labelled him as a "Bodhisattva Emperor", but when Bodhidharma went to visit Liang, Liang asked him how much merits he had gained from building shrines, temples, and Bodhidharma says "none". Buddhism is more about spiritual cultivation and practices. Merely relying on building shrines without the practice of spiritual comes to no merits at all.
//So, this is how the Chinese communist party is trying to "justify" their claim on the supposedly Mao's support for Buddhism?//I have no idea whether this article from the ‘Indian Express’ have anything to do with the present Chinese Government. Hope it is just a straight reporting and have nothing to do with justification claim of Mao’s support for the religion.
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Originally posted by Dalforce 25:
But no unification also no rising China today. It will still be endless wars on the mainland.
So Mao's legacy is controversial.
The "victor" always have something to justify their claims on the "unification of China".
China is not unified yet. In fact, it was splitted into mainland China (under PRC) and Taiwan (under ROC) in 1949, as a result of Mao. Is that unification or splitting of China?
Another issue is that what is Mao doing when he's taking directive order from Soviet in the 1930s when he established the Chinese Soviet Republic (puppet state of soviet)? Isn't that splitting up China into bits and pieces further? Is he really unifying China or splitting up China.
The CCP tries to justify their claim on "unification" of China taking advantage of the chaotic situation of China during wartime period. If Chinese civil war (from 1945-1949) did not take place, do you think China will split up into mainland China and Taiwan? Had Mao have no ambition on the "communist revolution", will China be splitted up like today?
The answer is no: today China will be a unified country under ROC which will include Mainland China and Taiwan. But today, we see PRC and then Taiwan splitted up...Mao is the culprit.
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Originally posted by Dalforce 25:
He was a disaster in ruling China but he succeeded in one thing that Sun Yat Sen and Chiang Kai Shek could not - unify China.
China is a big country with a huge population, you want to unify this country and bring it under centralised control is not easy, only Mao Zedong could do it
You talk cock.
His Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution came long after World War II and the unification of China.