Chinese Monk and UK Bishop Hold Open Dialogue on Religion

Chinese Monk and UK Bishop Hold Open Dialogue on Religion
Dec 01, 2015 By eChinacities.com

Editor's Note: An important exchange in England was eclipsed by Xi Dada's pub crawl with David Cameron this October. A leader of the Buddhist Association of China and a bishop from the Anglican church came together to talk about God and politics. In the midst of events enmeshed in racial and religious tensions around the world, it is encouraging to see two religious leaders seeking to understand each other. This translated article transcribes an interview Venerable Master Yin Shun gave after his return to China.

When the Venerable Master Yin Shun and bishop Michael Marshall appeared together in the UK’s Holy Trinity Church, this past October, it attracted a large audience to see what happens when God and Buddha meet. The monk was invited to visit the UK by the House of Lords, the University of Cambridge, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. However, Master Yin Shun’s visit coincided with President Xi Jinping’s visit to the UK, which held the attention of the Chinese and British public.

The Venerable Master Yin Shun is the vice chairman of the Buddhist Association of China and serves as the abbot of Shenzhen’s Hongfa Temple. In 2000, he became the successor of Venerable Master Benhuan, and previously served as Master Benhuan’s apprentice. Over the years, Master Yin Shun has committed himself to spreading Buddhism and Buddhist education, especially in Southeast Asia. He has facilitated a number of international exchanges within the Buddhist community.

Britain is a traditionally Christian nation, and the nation’s official church is the Anglican Church of England. The Archbishop of Canterbury is an Anglican bishop. Master Yin Shun was invited to Britain by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and was accompanied by several bishops during his trip. He visited the residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace as well as the Holy Trinity Church.

Master Yin Shun, was interviewed about his visit and discussions with Bishop Marshall after his visit by Wang Luxiang.

Wang Luxiang: Do you think British society has a full understanding of Chinese Buddhism? How much of an understanding do they have?

Venerable Master Yin Shun: I think that the first thing they think of is the fact that China’s Communist Party holds power, and they believe that because of that religion as disappeared.

Wang Luxiang: Because the Communist Party is atheist.

Master Yin Shun: Yes, they are stuck in this. So when he saw me, he was very surprised.
Wang Luxiang: Very surprised.

Master Yin Shun: The second thing is that they did not expect that I would be very familiar with the Bible.

Wang Luxiang: But monks read Christian classics, right.

Master Yin Shun: I am very familiar with the Old Testament of the Bible, and they did not expect me to know so much about it. They did not expect the level of dialogue between religions that we were able to have. They always speak about dialogue, and hope for dialogue, but the bishop did not expect that society had already changed enough that we could have this discussion. We spoke about the state of Anglicanism in Britain today and if aspects of Buddhism, such as mediation, could be added to the system in order to improve it. He had this idea for a while, but lacks the method to put it in operation.

Wang Luxiang: So, you actually prepared a lot to speak on these issues and were able to be very thorough.

Master Yin Shun: Yes, I was very involved in our talks.

Wang Luxiang: You were able to give real input.

Master Yin Shun: It was more than just polite greetings.

Wang Luxiang: Yes, this was more than just a diplomatic meeting that followed a protocol.

Master Yin Shun: I think that the British people feel that he is really amazing. Therefore, he has a lot of spiritual influence. And today, Anglicanism faces a lot of difficulties and a number of crises, and he is deeply concerned about this.

Wang Luxiang: Yes.

Master Yin Shun: This was a sort of an active exploration for me. The meeting made me feel a deep admiration, and I was very moved. You would think, because I am a Buddhist monk, why would he invite me to come to his church and present me to all of the people? This kind of tolerance is hard to come by.

Source: Wenxue City

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Keywords: Buddhism Anglican Church Chinese Buddhism England

3 Comments

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Fordicus

In other news, I gathered with friends at a coffee shop to discuss our shared faith based belief in fairies. Through reflection and meditation, it was privately revealed to me that fairies have acrobatic mating rituals while flying, though sometimes their wings become tangled and they fall to earth, thus becoming fallen fairies. They walk among us and appear as human. Never take one as a lover. After acrobatic flying fairy sex, a bonobo could not please them. #FlyingSpaghettiMonster #UnitedChurchofBacon

Dec 03, 2015 11:12 Report Abuse

icnif77

Brit looks like old Bush.

Dec 01, 2015 19:10 Report Abuse

Guest2650392

The monk's visit was no coincidence. If CCP didn't allow it it would never happen. It was part of communists' propaganda to draw attention to Xi's tolerance of religious freedom as he further stripped away internet freedom. One of the topics of discussion on the plane as Xi was making his way home was bound to be how many Brits they managed to fool.

Dec 01, 2015 09:06 Report Abuse