China's first collection of Buddhist medicine unveiled at Shaolin Temple

A newly-published 100-volume collection of works on Buddhist medicine was unveiled Saturday at the Shaolin Temple, the shrine of Kong Fu in central China's Henan Province.

China Buddhist Medicine Collection, compiled in 101 volumes and 70 million characters, includes more than 3,000 documents on the theories and practices of Buddhist medicine.

The earliest of the works dates to the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD), while the latest was written during the Republic of China (1912 - 1949).

"We use medicines to cure people's physical illnesses and Buddhism to solve their mental problems; the combination of the two is aimed to restore the balance and harmony of man's body and spirit," said Shi Yongxin, abbot of Shaolin and one of the principal compilers.

To complete the collection, the Shaolin Temple also offered its manuscripts on medicines, some of which had not been revealed to the public before, said Shi.

The Shaolin Temple, usually deemed the birthplace of Kong Fu, is also renowned for its achievements in orthopedics and traumatology.

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