This is the official page of The Xiaolin Temple, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Please be advised there is no other legally registered body in Trinidad and Tobago. Our Temple is recognized by the illustrious Xiaolin temple China, The Xiaolin Temple of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Est. 1998 under the directorship of the Venerable Abbot Shi Yan Chang the 34th Generation Xiaolin Temple Mon
k. and Venerable Shi Yong Ting 33rd generation Xiaolin Temple Monk and The Venerable Grandmaster Darwin Leon John, " Shi Heng Xin" 35th Generation Xiaolin Monk and is the only Official Representative in Trinidad and Tobago. for The Xiaolin Temple Buddhist Monastic Order in Henan Province, China. The venerable Grandmaster Shi Heng Xin has full authority to conduct all matters concerning the Xiaolin Temple in Trinidad and Tobago. on behalf of The Xiaolin Temple Buddhist Monastic Order in Henan Province, China. The Xiaolin Temple, Henan, Province China Has the famed for its long association with Wu Gong and Chán Buddhism. Most people think of Xiaolin as "martial monks," but aren't exactly sure what kind of "monks" Xiaolin really is! Xiaolin Temple Monks is a sect of Mahayana Buddhism. "Mahayana" is the term used today to refer to Buddhism's northern traditions present in Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan. Theravada, or Doctrine of the Elders, is the southern tradition. One branch of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism is called "Ch'an." Ch'an emphasizes meditation more than other Chinese Mahayana schools, some of which emphasize scholarly study or praying (for example). Within Ch'an (which became Zen in Japan) are many traditions with differing emphases. Xiaolin is the most well-known Ch'an school that incorporates martial training into its meditative regimen. Although martial training occupies a significant portion of our time and we enjoy it tremendously, the specific martial aspects of Xiaolin are subordinate to Buddhist ideals. The "art" of our martial Science and the immediacy of combat provide the medium through which we strive to exist fully in the present - without planning for the future or reflecting upon the past. In this way, Wu Gong provides an ideal meditation and an excellent means for practicing Right Mindfulness. Xiaolin interpretation of the Buddha's teachings has always been pragmatic. Martial training is a part of this pragmatic approach. Wu Gong provides excellent physical exercise as well as developing self-defense skills. It is also a good way to develop Right Mindfulness and Right Meditation, but as the Buddha taught the Dharma, there are eight aspects of the path. A Xiaolin monk treats all aspects as organically interrelated and does not neglect any part of his or her commitment to relieve suffering. For those unfamiliar with the eightfold path. THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH
Right understanding (Samma ditthi)
Right Thought (Samma sankappa)
Right Speech (Samma vaca)
Right action (Samma kammanta)
Right livelihood (Samma ajiva)
Right effort (Samma vayama)
Right mindfulness (Samma Sati)
Right concentration (Samma samadhi)
Practically the whole teaching of the Buddha, to which he devoted himself for 45 years, deals in some way or other with this path. He explained it in different ways and in different words to different people, according to the stage of their development and their capacity to understand and follow him. But the essence of those many thousand discourses scattered in the Buddhist scriptures is found in the noble eightfold path. It should not be thought that the eight categories or divisions of the path should be followed and practiced one after the other in the numerical order as given in the usual list above. But they are to be developed more or less simultaneously, as far as possible according to the capacity of each individual. They are all linked together and each helps the cultivation of the others. These eight factors aim at promoting and perfecting the three essentials of Buddhist training and discipline: namely: (a) ethical conduct (sila), (b) mental discipline (samadhi), and (c) wisdom (Panna). It will therefore be more helpful for a coherent and better understanding of the eight divisions of the path if we group them and explain them according to these three heads. ETHICAL CONDUCT
Ethical conduct (sila) is built on the vast conception of universal love and compassion for all living beings, on which the Buddha’s teaching is based. It is regrettable that many scholars forget this great ideal of the Buddha’s teaching, and indulge in only dry philosophical and metaphysical divagations when they talk and write about Buddhism. The Buddha gave his teaching “for the good of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world.”
