Monks at Shaolin Temple in Henan province have been harvesting wheat as a method to practice Buddhism, the China News Agency reported on Thursday.

The 1,400-year-old temple, famed as the birthplace of Chan (Zen) Buddhism and martial arts traditions, operates a farm of of about 70 hectares where they grow wheat, corn, vegetables and herbs.

“Farming is also a kind of self-cultivation.”
“We farm with the spirit of Zen, and plough and sow in our own mind too.”

Related article: Diligent Thinking in Self-Cultivation Benedict Practice

Source: South China Morning Post