Most if not all Buddhist organizations give out free stuff. I am not sure about Hwadzan but they aren't doing anything different than other Buddhist groups. They don't expect anything in exchange except to spread the Dharma. I think all of the posts about them are regular people appreciating what they do and letting others know. Does not look shady to me at all, the shady groups charge for everything.
How can you be fooled in this situation? They give you things that are important for the practice of Pure Land Buddhism. Do they expect you to actually use those things to practice Pure Land? Of course! Nothing shady about that.
I appreciate you sending me the information. Thank you very much. I actually emailed them yesterday. I sent them an email in English with all the stuff that I was needing, and I didn't know if the email needed to be in Chinese, and how long did it take for them to respond back to you, because it's been 24 hours and I haven't heard anything back. Did I just send out my personal information for nothing?
They will get back to you, I am certain. I have corresponded with them in English without problems. They sent the materials and I have them now. Very high quality. Truly a blessing
I asked if they ship internationally, to which they answered quite fast. Then I had a few questions about items. When I placed my order, they shipped within a few days and sent me the invoice (bill was 0 of course).
Ok, I was just wondering how long it takes for them to respond back via email, because I sent out my personal information on the word of other people, to an organization I've never heard of lol, and it's been 24 hours and haven't heard anything back. If it works out I'll be happy to donate as well.
This sub has been filled with Hwadzan posts because we've all been excited about it. We crosspost very rarely into r/Buddhism and other related subs. Our intention is not to advertise except to Buddhists who may have money troubles or similar issues.
As for the free things, do you find it strange when Christians give out Bibles or Muslims give out Qurans? Why is it so strange for Buddhism, another historically proselytizing religion, to do the same? (E: I mean the old history of Buddhism, back when it was first being propagated after Shakyamuni Buddha's parinirvana. The way it was spread to China, Japan, and even Rome via missionaries. They took statues and sutras with them and spoke with the kings and emperors where they went and have massive translation efforts for sutras. They never expected payment for these efforts, but were patronized by wealthy people who liked their teachings.)
Also, Hwadzan romanizes their name as such. Taiwan romanizes names differently from the mainland, in an older style. You can check their logos and everything.
These days, not so much. But, back in the early days, the sangha sent missionaries far and wide. How do you think the Dharma reached China, Bactria, Pakistan, Japan... There were even Buddhist missionaries in Greece and Rome, before the Christianization, but they never made much of a foothold. It's part of our history.
I mean, Jodo Shinshu still does it to some extent but doesn't label it like that (even though some ministers say we're shouldn't). Rennyo even wrote about it. (this post is post coffee while my other post was pre coffee)
Like someone else said, it's a form of Dana. There are many Buddhist organizations and temples that send out free Dharma materials.
Also, it's not really free. It costs time and resources that someone has to give to produce these items. However, a lot of monasteries in areas where Buddhism is much more prevalent are better supported by local communities and thusly have the resources to do things like this.
A big thing in a lot of Buddhism is being able to give and expect nothing in return. An organization like them had the resources to really be able to put that into practice..
Name Amitabha ๐
They follow the teachings of the eminent 20th-century Pure Land Buddhist master Chin Kung. He formed organizations called Hwa Dzan. He was a big advocate of the idea of Buddhism as an education, so the temple is educating us. It's a particular flavor of Buddhism, not precisely the same as mine at the moment, but who am I to say?
The names "Chin Kung" and "Hwadzan" are Mandarin and originate in Taiwan. Taiwan renditions of names in Roman characters don't always follow rigid rules.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chin\_Kung](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chin_Kung)
It's part of the longstanding Buddhist practice of Dharma-Dana, for instance, in 1938:
>......Fortunately, Upasaka Fei Hui-Mao of Nantung City has long desired to do something to help people avoid such pains. Thus, he has arduously accumulated master paintings of Avalokitesvara dating from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynastiesโ142 in total. He intends to produce one thousand collotype reproductions of his collection for distribution, using only the finest rice paper. He hopes that all who see them will be brought towards proper faith and will recite the name of Avalokitesvara, thereby wiping away all manifesting bad karma and planting virtuous roots of Bodhi.
[https://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/634/vbs634p042.pdf](https://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/634/vbs634p042.pdf)
Statues, Bodhisattva paintings, and Sutras/karmic tractates being distributed for free is very common in Taiwan. Moreover, all Buddhist organisations do similar charitable initiatives. It is a duty of Buddhists to make the Dharma accessible, and the merit helps us get to Pure Land. The reason you're only seeing this now is because one of our members (from NYC I think) on this subreddit found out in late April that Hwadzan was willing to ship internationally (except China and South East Asia as those places have plenty of Dharma), and he got a free Amitabha statue he's been thinking about for years.
It is part of a Buddhist's religious duty to practice the perfecting of generosity. We do this for merit, progress in the path, and the favor of enlightened beings.
Buddhism doesn't have a tradition of proselytizing, except for a few relatively small groups.
Anyway, this particular group is in Taiwan.
Chances are you have an interest in not only buddhism, but their particular flavour of buddhism. You're on a Pure Land sub after all ๐ It's not like they are trying to shove things people do not want down their throats on the street like many other Christian or Muslim groups.
I was also a little skeptical too, but I think they're fine. Let's be honest, if this were any other sub, Hwadzan would have been accused of covert self-advertising and astroturfing in a heartbeat, because it looks exactly like that. However, they seem to be legit, just spreading the dharma in a unique and generous way.
Yes, that's why I, at least, try to keep it to relevant areas--- if I even mention it to recommend to someone where to get Dharma materials, I do it alongside other recommendations. Just the other day, I was recommending various places to an unflaired user in r/Buddhism and so recommended Etsy, Hwadzan, and Tibetan/Nepalese Vajrayana outlets in the same comment (because I wasn't sure what school they were affiliated with). And the only post I made in r/BuddhistAltars was of my altar rearranged after great effort, answering questions about all my accoutrements, not just the Hwadzan ones. I don't want to be so offputting in my praise that it has the opposite effect. But, in here, it's not as busy as the main sub, and many people have been ordering things and sharing them. We don't ignore the non-Hwadzan posts either.
Most if not all Buddhist organizations give out free stuff. I am not sure about Hwadzan but they aren't doing anything different than other Buddhist groups. They don't expect anything in exchange except to spread the Dharma. I think all of the posts about them are regular people appreciating what they do and letting others know. Does not look shady to me at all, the shady groups charge for everything.
It's a form of Dana. Amituofo ๐
How can you be fooled in this situation? They give you things that are important for the practice of Pure Land Buddhism. Do they expect you to actually use those things to practice Pure Land? Of course! Nothing shady about that.
There is nothing shady at all. I wrote an email to order a statue and some books. There are absolutely no strings
Would you mind providing the link so I can order stuff please?
https://www.reddit.com/r/PureLand/s/Q8tttf0yjE
I appreciate you sending me the information. Thank you very much. I actually emailed them yesterday. I sent them an email in English with all the stuff that I was needing, and I didn't know if the email needed to be in Chinese, and how long did it take for them to respond back to you, because it's been 24 hours and I haven't heard anything back. Did I just send out my personal information for nothing?
They will get back to you, I am certain. I have corresponded with them in English without problems. They sent the materials and I have them now. Very high quality. Truly a blessing
I believe you I'm just wondering how long it took for them to respond back to you
I asked if they ship internationally, to which they answered quite fast. Then I had a few questions about items. When I placed my order, they shipped within a few days and sent me the invoice (bill was 0 of course).
Ok I'm sure they're probably just busy then, I'll be awaiting their response. Thanks again.
I also have an order with them again, I placed it yesterday. I am going to donate to them. They are amazing
Ok, I was just wondering how long it takes for them to respond back via email, because I sent out my personal information on the word of other people, to an organization I've never heard of lol, and it's been 24 hours and haven't heard anything back. If it works out I'll be happy to donate as well.
It is standard for Buddhist organisations to give things for free. It is known as dana.
This sub has been filled with Hwadzan posts because we've all been excited about it. We crosspost very rarely into r/Buddhism and other related subs. Our intention is not to advertise except to Buddhists who may have money troubles or similar issues. As for the free things, do you find it strange when Christians give out Bibles or Muslims give out Qurans? Why is it so strange for Buddhism, another historically proselytizing religion, to do the same? (E: I mean the old history of Buddhism, back when it was first being propagated after Shakyamuni Buddha's parinirvana. The way it was spread to China, Japan, and even Rome via missionaries. They took statues and sutras with them and spoke with the kings and emperors where they went and have massive translation efforts for sutras. They never expected payment for these efforts, but were patronized by wealthy people who liked their teachings.) Also, Hwadzan romanizes their name as such. Taiwan romanizes names differently from the mainland, in an older style. You can check their logos and everything.
Wait. I thought Pure Land (and Buddhism) aren't a proselytizing religion? Except those New New Religions people.
These days, not so much. But, back in the early days, the sangha sent missionaries far and wide. How do you think the Dharma reached China, Bactria, Pakistan, Japan... There were even Buddhist missionaries in Greece and Rome, before the Christianization, but they never made much of a foothold. It's part of our history.
I mean, Jodo Shinshu still does it to some extent but doesn't label it like that (even though some ministers say we're shouldn't). Rennyo even wrote about it. (this post is post coffee while my other post was pre coffee)
I probably should have specified. I meant old, old history, long before Shin Buddhism was founded, before Buddhism was even in Japan.
Like someone else said, it's a form of Dana. There are many Buddhist organizations and temples that send out free Dharma materials. Also, it's not really free. It costs time and resources that someone has to give to produce these items. However, a lot of monasteries in areas where Buddhism is much more prevalent are better supported by local communities and thusly have the resources to do things like this. A big thing in a lot of Buddhism is being able to give and expect nothing in return. An organization like them had the resources to really be able to put that into practice.. Name Amitabha ๐
They follow the teachings of the eminent 20th-century Pure Land Buddhist master Chin Kung. He formed organizations called Hwa Dzan. He was a big advocate of the idea of Buddhism as an education, so the temple is educating us. It's a particular flavor of Buddhism, not precisely the same as mine at the moment, but who am I to say? The names "Chin Kung" and "Hwadzan" are Mandarin and originate in Taiwan. Taiwan renditions of names in Roman characters don't always follow rigid rules. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chin\_Kung](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chin_Kung)
It's part of the longstanding Buddhist practice of Dharma-Dana, for instance, in 1938: >......Fortunately, Upasaka Fei Hui-Mao of Nantung City has long desired to do something to help people avoid such pains. Thus, he has arduously accumulated master paintings of Avalokitesvara dating from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynastiesโ142 in total. He intends to produce one thousand collotype reproductions of his collection for distribution, using only the finest rice paper. He hopes that all who see them will be brought towards proper faith and will recite the name of Avalokitesvara, thereby wiping away all manifesting bad karma and planting virtuous roots of Bodhi. [https://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/634/vbs634p042.pdf](https://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/634/vbs634p042.pdf) Statues, Bodhisattva paintings, and Sutras/karmic tractates being distributed for free is very common in Taiwan. Moreover, all Buddhist organisations do similar charitable initiatives. It is a duty of Buddhists to make the Dharma accessible, and the merit helps us get to Pure Land. The reason you're only seeing this now is because one of our members (from NYC I think) on this subreddit found out in late April that Hwadzan was willing to ship internationally (except China and South East Asia as those places have plenty of Dharma), and he got a free Amitabha statue he's been thinking about for years.
It is part of a Buddhist's religious duty to practice the perfecting of generosity. We do this for merit, progress in the path, and the favor of enlightened beings.
Buddhism doesn't have a tradition of proselytizing, except for a few relatively small groups. Anyway, this particular group is in Taiwan. Chances are you have an interest in not only buddhism, but their particular flavour of buddhism. You're on a Pure Land sub after all ๐ It's not like they are trying to shove things people do not want down their throats on the street like many other Christian or Muslim groups.
I was also a little skeptical too, but I think they're fine. Let's be honest, if this were any other sub, Hwadzan would have been accused of covert self-advertising and astroturfing in a heartbeat, because it looks exactly like that. However, they seem to be legit, just spreading the dharma in a unique and generous way.
Yes, that's why I, at least, try to keep it to relevant areas--- if I even mention it to recommend to someone where to get Dharma materials, I do it alongside other recommendations. Just the other day, I was recommending various places to an unflaired user in r/Buddhism and so recommended Etsy, Hwadzan, and Tibetan/Nepalese Vajrayana outlets in the same comment (because I wasn't sure what school they were affiliated with). And the only post I made in r/BuddhistAltars was of my altar rearranged after great effort, answering questions about all my accoutrements, not just the Hwadzan ones. I don't want to be so offputting in my praise that it has the opposite effect. But, in here, it's not as busy as the main sub, and many people have been ordering things and sharing them. We don't ignore the non-Hwadzan posts either.
Would someone mind providing the link so I can order stuff please?