The return of the decapitated head of a Gautama Buddha statue from Taiwan to China signified that “both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the same family,” Buddhist Master Hsing Yun (星雲法師) said on Sunday.
Hsing Yun made the remarks at a media event in Kaohsiung marking the stolen artifact’s return by air to China on Friday last week, with Hsing Yun escorting the statue.
He is one of Taiwan’s most revered Buddhist monks and a vocal commentator on political issues.
Photo: Courtesy of Fo Guang Shan Monastery
His latest comment mirrored a previous remark he made at the 2009 World Buddhist Forum in China.
He was reported to have said: “Both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the same family. There are no Taiwanese in Taiwan and all Taiwanese are Chinese,” a comment for which he was slammed by Taiwanese critics for “inappropriate meddling” in politics.
The white-jade carving of Gautama Buddha’s head — reportedly dated back to the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577) — was targeted by thieves in 1996 at the Youju Temple (幽居寺) in China’s Hebei Province in 1992.
In response to the incident, officials increased security at the temple, but in 1996, looters decapitated the statue and made off with its head, which was sold on the black market.
An anonymous Taiwanese collector later purchased the head of the decapitated statue through intermediary dealers and gifted it to Hsing Yun in 2014, according to the master.
Working with Chinese authorities, Hsing Yun arranged for the repair of the complete statue in Kaohsiung at his Fo Guang Shan Monastery (佛光山) and displayed the restored statue for 275 days prior to taking it to China on Friday.
A ceremony was held at Beijing Capital International Airport, with Chinese State Administration of Cultural Heritage Director Liu Yuzhu (劉玉珠) in attendance.
Hsing Yun said the unnamed antique collector donated the head of the statue to his monastery, saying that it was too big for his residence and that it should be venerated in a religious temple.
The artifact was purchased for more than NT$10 million (US$298,579) and the unnamed collector knew only that it was created during the Northern Qi Dynasty, Hsing Yun added.
Former Chinese president Jiang Zemin (江澤民) once gave Beijing’s blessing to Fo Guang Shan’s display of Buddhist relics in Taiwan, Hsing Yun said, reciting prose he said Jiang composed for the occasion: “At the lead of Hsing Yun, at our joint invitation, we venerate together, with guaranteed safety.”
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard
BOOST TO SPORTS? The Executive Yuan said that the amendment was introduced to attract professionals to Taiwan, and increase the incentives for naturalization The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed on third reading an amendment to the Nationality Act (國籍法) that would reduce the minimum residency period required for highly skilled professionals to apply for naturalization from three to two continuous years, with a minimum of 183 days in Taiwan each year. The 183-day requirement does not apply if an eligible applicant has lived legally in the territory of the Republic of China for more than five continuous years. Taiwan’s professional basketball leagues are expected to benefit from the amendments, which would allow them to recruit more players from overseas. Prior to the passage of the amendment, the
REPORT: Taipei has expressed an interest in obtaining loitering munitions matching the AeroVironment Switchblade 300 or the Anduril Altius-600, ‘Foreign Policy’ said Taiwan is seeking US-made kamikaze drones in an apparent concession to pressure from Washington to focus on asymmetric capabilities to defeat or deter a Chinese attack, Foreign Policy said in a report on Wednesday. Taipei has expressed an interest in obtaining AeroVironment Switchblade loitering munitions or other devices with similar capabilities, it said, citing four sources familiar with the matter commenting on condition of anonymity. The Switchblade 300 is a tube-launched drone designed for attacking ground troops, while its larger sibling, the Switchblade 600, could be used to destroy tanks and entrenched troops. Ukraine has utilized both systems extensively in its fight against