Shaolin Orphanage

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Shaolin Temple helps stricken youngster
Updated: 2012-12-07 20:32

The Shaolin Temple in Henan province, China's best known Buddhist temple, has offered free school education to a child whose father died under an overpass.

Liu Chunjie, 10, accepted the invitation from the Shaolin Orphanage on Thursday after his father, Liu Hongwei, was found dead on Nov 30 under an overpass in Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan.

His father slept under the overpass for nearly a month and developed symptoms of hypothermia before his death. The Henan Business News reported that an official from his village in Qixian county said the boy’s father left home seven years ago without leaving any contact details.

The boy's mother disappeared soon after his father left, and he had to live with his grandfather, with little income, the report said.

On Wednesday, he heard of his father's death from a village official, and wept on being told the news.

Shi Yongxin, abbot of the Shaolin Temple, invited the boy to the Shaolin Orphanage for free food, dormitory accommodation and education.

The Shaolin Orphanage is a non-governmental and non-profit organization founded in Dec 2004. It has adopted 50 orphans from Henan, according to the Shaolin Temple website.

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Sorry it took so long to get a thread on the orphanage started. I had heard about it, but not seen any news reports until now.

A fund raising project to support the Shaolin Orphanage

Shaolin Orphans

There is more about the orphanage and the project on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTu6VBv60v0

The idea behind the project is very interesting, and for the orphans a new orphenage surely would be great. That the "poor Shaolin temple" does not have enough money for the orphanage, is another thing ..............

But Shaolin also has a funny side, as you (hopefully) can see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k56dD...ture=endscreen

Not saying what they are doing isn't a great thing but an expected thing since its always been the role of temples to take in orphans.

I think there are enough orphanages right in California that could use $$ so why not raise money for them.:confused:

Shaolin temple has got millions of dollars so I really don't think they need our help:D

It doesn't help the children, if the temple has money, but doesn't spend it for them. The orphanate looks deplorable and unhealthy in the video. What is better? Sigh that the temple just doesn't help and turn your back on this or just do and give a positive example?
It's not to help the temple, it's to help the children.

BTW, Shi Yongxin in 2011 in an interview with Xinhua and again at the beginning of this year has plead for more support of orphenages: http://boxun.com/news/gb/china/2011/...03111557.shtml and http://bodhi.takungpao.com/ptls/gong...1/1411658.html

... and if it works, maybe Californian orphans are the next ... ?!

well thats Yong Xin's problem, he should sell his merecedes then. He's got access to alot of cash and cash producing ventures. Perhaps he should be shamed into doing something then.:p

I really wonder what charities or benefits that this magazine does for organizations based in the United States. Every time I turn around they are trying to raise money to send out of the country to help China, like they need it.

Still till this day I never got a response to an inquiry for what might be doing to raise money for Sandy, etc. Guess nothing but then they want us to send money to china for their floods or earthquakes.:mad:

I'm very familiar with Gov't agencies as I worked numerous ones for over 9 years. If not orphanages then take alook at our foster care system. etc. etc.

Charity begins at home.

And home is where the heart is.

exactly
;)

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Originally Posted by ngokfei

I really wonder what charities or benefits that this magazine does for organizations based in the United States. Every time I turn around they are trying to raise money to send out of the country to help China, like they need it.

Still till this day I never got a response to an inquiry for what might be doing to raise money for Sandy, etc. Guess nothing but then they want us to send money to china for their floods or earthquakes.:mad:

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Firstly, our magazine is the *only* martial arts magazine that supports a charitable org. The Tiger Claw Foundation has been going since 2003 and has done plenty of projects that supported Americans. In fact, the bulk of our projects happen here in America because that's where we're located. Just look at our past projects. If you read our magazine, our latest projects are always listed right in front. As for Sandy, it didn't quite fit within the TCF mission statement which is "promoting martial artists and assisting martial artists in achieving their goals." As for the earthquake benefit, that was very much a matter of timing. I doubt we would have done anything there officially had it not happened just prior to our 2013 TCEC (we do a lot of stuff that goes uncredited). It was marginally martial, but given the timing, the local martial community as a group wanted to step up and unify, so we provided the platform to do so.

Wait...is this about you thinking that I'm racist again? :rolleyes:

may i remind to Loren Eiseley's story of the starthrower:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qClChUdlfI

What does it matter, what nationality the seastar, the starthrower, the seastar and the beach have ...?

LOl,

keep towing the party line Gene.

Not suprisingly most of the projects are to benefit Martial Arts Teams, Tournaments, etc. Sure there are some events that the magazine was involved in such as Book Exhibition, St. Jude, Breast Cancer Awareness, etc. But there's a difference between "supporting" and "Sponsoring"

ah perhaps your not but the magazine you work for tends to be.

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Originally Posted by ngokfei

But there's a difference between "supporting" and "Sponsoring"

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Perhaps you should explain the difference as you see it.

no not really:rolleyes:

just look inside of your standard dictionary and you'll get what it means.:)

...I'm more curious about how you think it applies to this conversation.

LOL

I guess thats how we are different in some matters, I still use an actual dictionary.

You can't believe everything you read on the web. Wait that sounds like that commercial......:D

...you'd know the difference between a tow and a toe. :p

[QUOTE=breeze;1235295] The orphanate looks deplorable and unhealthy in the video. What is better? Sigh that the temple just doesn't help and turn your back on this or just do and give a positive example?
It's not to help the temple, it's to help the children.

I can see you are speaking from a very western perspective. Most of China looks deplorable and unhealthy, it is a cultural thing. Most Chinese are very poor. Cleanliness is just not a priority when you are trying to earn enough just to eat and have a roof over your head.

tow, toe or typo;)


Its a sad world. All I can do is to help those in my family then those in my community, then etc. etc.

If I was a rich person then I would be donating much more then I actually am able to do right now.

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Originally Posted by sha0lin1

I can see you are speaking from a very western perspective. Most of China looks deplorable and unhealthy, it is a cultural thing. Most Chinese are very poor. Cleanliness is just not a priority when you are trying to earn enough just to eat and have a roof over your head.

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But this is Shaolin, not the rest of China. Do you know the annual revenue they earn, just from tickets sales alone? :rolleyes:

I don't know the exact figures, I am sure it is a lot. I see the bus loads of tourists that come here. Now that the Temple has subsidiary Temples elsewhere in China, I am sure a lot of that money goes to maintenance, upkeep, restoration, and food for the monks stationed at those Temples. You have been here LFJ, you know that cleanliness is just not something Chinese hold dear to themselves.

Well, last time I went there, the restroom for tourists was a whole heck of a lot nicer than what those orphans are provided with. 3 or 4 different kinds of toilets to choose from. Automatic everything; all-in-one water, handsoap, blow-dry. I have seen much worse than the orphanage, but the tourists are sure taken care of.

The last time I used a public toilet at Shaolin was the last time I used a public toilet at Shaolin. I have not been to the orphanage so I can't speak to that, I am sure it is much nicer but it is still nasty. You should have seen the ones we had to use at Chen village, a trench in the ground separated by a wall for the ladies room. Pure nasty.

The one I'm talking about is a little building between the Pagoda Forest and the monastery. It was still newly built when I used it, and it was NICE!

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Originally Posted by sha0lin1

You should have seen the ones we had to use at Chen village, a trench in the ground separated by a wall for the ladies room. Pure nasty.

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Oh yeah, shooing the flies away while adding to the previous piles! I had a NDE in one of those. I had to straddle the trough because I had eaten something that was coming out both ends, meanwhile watching maggots swim around in the puddles of urine at my feet where people had missed. Holding that short of mabu when you're puking in such an environment is difficult! The blood stops flowing in your legs and you get really weak. Luckily I didn't fall over or have to touch a hand down. Pepto Bismol saved my life that night.

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Originally Posted by LFJ

Automatic everything; all-in-one water, handsoap, blow-dry.

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That's hard for me to imagine. Alas, it's been way too long since I've been to Shaolin. I don't know if I'd like the place as much now. Sure, the toilets were challenging, but I addressed that in my book. It's all part of training. ;)

Chinese toilets - yeah, been there, done that. We actually have a thread here dedicated to Chinese toilets. We even have one dedicated specifically to Shaolin Toilets.

Speaking of which, that would be a good comparison. They spent 3 million yuan on the toilets for tourists. Do we know how much they put into the orphanage?

The rub lies in who you define as 'they'. We often make generalities on Shaolin Temple as a unified body that has complete control over its profits, but the truth is that the Abbot is beholden to several others: the chicoms, the local government, the tourist board, the religious governing body and the sports bureau. Each gets their say and their cut. Where profits get allocated is a very intriguing question. With those Shaolin toilets, the lack of mention of the Abbot is very telling. The Abbot will get his name on any improvement even remotely related to Shaolin. Instead, we get a local government official, which implies either Dengfeng/Henan government, or more likely, the tourist board.

Outside shanmen (the temple walls) = Dengfeng or Henan responsibility.
Inside shanmen = Shaolin responsibility.

Which of the toilets inside shanmen are worth 3 Million Yuan? The ones west of Daxiongbaodian? The ones at Huangxidi-restaurant? Surely not! Are there any others open to the public?
The question, if toilets in or outside the temple-walls are better or worse than this or that here and there, does it help the orphans? The question of how rich the temple is, will it soon meet enough concrete numbers to be cleared?

In addition to the orphenage with 300 children the temple spends about 582 000 Yuan per year for the support of 1036 orphans in Henan (http://bodhi.takungpao.com/ptls/gong...1411658_2.html). Sure, it would be better if it was more. Pointing at the Shaolin-temple and saying "You should!" doesn't move anything, i think it makes sense to try other ways, like the "Guardians of the Universe" do with their book. Many books about Shaolin have been sold and the profit went just the usual ways. If this "side-effect" (30 to 50% !) of buying a book, that you might want to buy anyway for its interesting pictures , can move something, isn't that good?.

The orphans once received some computers as donations, why not a healthy orphanage (a minimum standard of hygiene is very favourable for health). Of course, as Bogdan, the initiator of "Guardians of the Universe" said, it would be even better, if it would be possible to connect this project with education in environmental consciousness (??? sorry my English is so poor ....), and not only the orphans might profit from that ...
It can be a very interesting project, if it meets enough support. Any kind of support.

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Originally Posted by breeze

Outside shanmen (the temple walls) = Dengfeng or Henan responsibility.
Inside shanmen = Shaolin responsibility.

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That has not really been the case throughout history, and it's even less differentiated nowadays, I'd say. If that were true, Shaolin would surely be in a much different state today.

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Originally Posted by GeneChing

We often make generalities on Shaolin Temple as a unified body that has complete control over its profits, but the truth is that the Abbot is beholden to several others: the chicoms, the local government, the tourist board, the religious governing body and the sports bureau.

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Chicoms? You mean the Abbot plays Call of Duty?? He better be using a mod so that the gun fires qi and dharma and not bullets :mad:

That's a lot of chopsticks in his rice bowl! If he wasn't a monk........... I'd expect him to go postal! :eek:

Being beholden to so many other organizations, especially in the PRC, I can only imagine that being a nightmare. I can only assume that there is much more pressure to comply with whatever the government wants, in this case (and I'm sure there's a lot more government involvement here than there would be in a different country). :(

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Originally Posted by LFJ

That has not really been the case throughout history, and it's even less differentiated nowadays, I'd say. If that were true, Shaolin would surely be in a much different state today.

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No i don't mean throughout history, but about the last 10 to 15 years. And concerning organisatorical and functional questions, not in regard to the political control that you find in at least all the big temples of China.

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Originally Posted by Kymus

Chicoms? You mean the Abbot plays Call of Duty??

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The term 'Chicom' predates Call of Duty

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Originally Posted by GeneChing

The term 'Chicom' predates Call of Duty

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I was being sarcastic, Gene. Way to make me look like a dummy :(:(:p;)

Just what do you think we're doing here exactly? If it's too much, you can always tap out.

This is you. :p

;)

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Originally Posted by GeneChing

Just what do you think we're doing here exactly? If it's too much, you can always tap out.

This is you. :p

;)

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lmao, Gene. I'm gonna remember that! :p

In a previous post i have given a wrong number. According to the article linked in the same post, Shaolin orphenage in its 8-9 years of existence has raised alltogether 300 orphans, by now it should be about 50 orphans.

Some days ago Shaolin-temple was again active in a social way: http://www.shaolin.org.cn/templates/...ontentid=10076. Looks strange with people carrying those big signs naming the amount of the donated money and that the people seem to get the money straight into their hand, no "hongbao".