Henan authorities have approved the Shaolin Medicine Bureau’s proposal to build a charitable hospital to promote Zen medicine at the foot of Taishi mountain, Fengdeng city, near the Shaolin Temple.
That’s according to Shi Yanlin, an abbot in charge of the bureau.
The Shaolin hospital will offer treatments such as Zen medicine, traditional Chinese food cures and Kung Fu treatments.
These will be used to treat conditions caused by stress, irregular diet and lack of exercise, which are the three main causes of illness in modern society, according to the abbot.
The Zen Relaxation and Mental Cultivation hall, with both indoor and outdoor facilities, is the core of the hospital project.
Patients will also receive advice on fitness and the prevention of illnesses.
“Our ambition is to promote Zen medicine”, said the abbot.
The majority of medical staff will be monks and disciples who have studied medicine at the temple and at medical colleges.
China’s Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has certified over 20 monks as pharmacists and TCM dispensers, and over 30 have received a Tuina therapist certification.
But the new hospital will still be subject to supervision and inspection by the health authorities.
The hospital is expected to cover 90,000 square meters and will be located three kilometers from Shaolin Temple. Abbot Shi says that this means that patients won’t be required to pay the entry ticket.
Shi said the hospital is being built as a charitable initiative and a consultation there will be free.
Treatments such as acupuncture and massage, as well as some of the prescribed medicine which are mainly produced by the Shaolin Medicin Bureau, will all be free of charge. Other medicines will only be priced to cover the costs.
The abbot adds that, if construction begins immediately, the hospital is expected to open its doors within the next two years.
The Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng is known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism as well as of Kung Fu. It dates back about 1,500 years.
Source : http://china.globaltimes.cn
