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There are two main sources for the life of Puhua: one is the aforementioned Linji lu or Record of Linji from China. Thus, if Puhua actually existed, his life may best be known by way of the Record of Linji.
There is also Kyotaku Denki Kokuji Kai from Japan, which connects the legend of Fuke Japanese version of the name Puhua and the transmission and transformation of the Fuke sect in Japan, in particular with regard to the origin of the Komuso tradition and suizen "blowing Zen". While there is much disparity between the two texts, they do agree on at least one issue: In both the Record and Kyotaku Denki the notion of Puhua being an eccentric imbued with a sort of crazy wisdom , and perhaps even an iconoclast , is supported.
Yet the texts again diverge on the issue of Fuke's influence on the Fuke sect of Japan: While the Kyotaku Denki directly attributes the founding of the school to him, the Fuke sect did not exist in China and as such he is never mentioned to be the leader of a separate religious tradition in the Linji lu. Although this is the case, the Record does provide certain subtleties regarding Puhua as being a person of his own, self-directed character who often did things ubiquitously and ignored social norms and doctrinal establishments.
The following account of Puhua's life is an amalgamation of the accounts featured in both the Record and Kyotaku Denki , although it includes some outside references as well. Puhua is said to have been born in Tang Dynasty China in the year It is not known where he was born, however his name, Zhenzhou, possibly references Zhengzhou , a city in the modern Henan province of north-central China. The Kyotaku Denki states that he lived in "Chen Province".
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Coincidentally, there is a village known as Chen by the Yellow River in Henan. Not surprisingly, the Japanese Fuke sect of the Edo period considered itself a delineation of the Rinzai sect. Fuke was reputedly a multi-talented monk and priest, known for being inventive, intelligent and at the same time quite strict. He is characterized by all accounts to have been a spontaneous individual who demonstrated a unique style of non-verbal communication that is an important aspect of Zen Buddhist philosophy and historically the staple teaching method of the Zen Patriarchs and even Bodhidharma an Indian monk and the ostensible founder of Zen Buddhism himself.
The Kyotaku Denki reinforces this characteristic, stating that Puhua "was pleased with his uninhibited Zen spirit. This kind of capriciousness can be gleaned from a legend regarding Puhua wherein he is attending the deathbed of his master Panshan:.
When Panshan Baoji was near death, he said to the monks, "Is there anyone among you who can draw my likeness? Many stories about Puhua that appear in the Record of Linji add to his reputation of having a rough and uncompromising manner of expressing the dharma. For example: [4]. One day the master Linji Yixuan and Puhua went to a vegetarian banquet given them by a believer. During it, the master asked Puhua: "'A hair swallows the vast ocean, a mustard seed contains Mt. Sumeru' — does this happen by means of supernatural powers, or is the whole body substance, essence like this?
The master said: "Rough fellow. The next day, they went again to a vegetarian banquet. During it, the master asked: "Today's fare, how does it compare with yesterday's? The master said: "Understand it you do — but still, you are a rough fellow. There is some controversy as to the degree and nature of Fuke's musical talents, but his later "followers" the monks of the Fuke sect in Japan would often reflect on a certain story that appears in the Kyotaku Denki for inspiration.
The story tells of Puhua going through his hometown, ringing a bell and reciting a gatha to summon others to enlightenment. If attacked in the dark, I will strike in the dark. If attacked from all quarters, I will strike as a whirlwind does. If attacked from the empty sky, I will thrash with a flail.
He appealed to the priest for permission to follow him, but the priest did not accept him. Haku had previously had a taste for playing pipes. Having listened to the sound of the Priest's bell, he at once made a [bamboo] flute and imitated the sound. The term kyotaku means "empty bell" in Japanese. Everybody offered him one, but he did not want any of them. The master [Linji] made the superior buy a coffin, and when Fuke returned, said to him: "There, I had this robe made for you.
I am off to the East Gate to enter transformation" to die. Fuke said: "No, not today.
Tomorrow, I shall go to the South Gate to enter transformation. Nobody believed it any longer. On the fourth day, and now without any spectators, Fuke went alone outside the city walls, and laid himself into the coffin. He asked a traveler who chanced by to nail down the lid. In Beijing, the elderly have picked Changpuhe and the Temple of Heaven.
In the northern city of Xian, elderly residents gather every Wednesday and Saturday at Revolution Park. Wu said. An aging population means more people are outliving their spouses. The number of widows and widowers totals nearly 48 million, according to a study by the government research group Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The group projects that number will rise to Others are choosing to leave their spouses.
In Beijing, nearly one-third of divorce cases were filed by people aged 60 to 70, according to the Beijing Evening News. The growing population of elderly singles has public health implications. Cases among Chinese men aged 60 and older have nearly tripled since , it said. In October, the central government announced separate policy measures for the elderly to strengthen AIDS prevention education. That lack of knowledge is understandable.
People met their prospective spouses through friends or matchmakers. Dating was almost unheard-of. On a recent Tuesday in Changpuhe, a strip of greenery next to the Forbidden City, elderly men clustered together, scoping out the women and men milling around like wallflowers. Several of them strolled up and down, waiting to make eye contact with women.
An elderly man sat next to a woman in a purple jacket for a few minutes. Minutes later, they struck up a conversation. Many complained of some unique, only-in-China criteria for finding a mate. Pensions and health insurance can enhance attractiveness, for example, in a country where getting cancer can lead to bankruptcy. The widowed were more desirable than the divorced, said some. Less emotional baggage, they explained.
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The sign was written by a Mr. Li, whose wish list for a wife was that she be roughly 5 feet tall, weigh between to pounds, be between 50 to 60 years old and have unblemished skin. In return, Mr. Another advertisement placed by a male suitor pledged a life of travel and a commitment to buy property in the southeast coast of China, the United States and Japan. Guan Yongnian, an year-old divorced man, sees himself as a catch. He is healthy and successful, a calligraphy expert, a writer and a teacher of tai chi, a gentle form of martial arts popular in China.