Launching today
RuShiWoWen
Making 2,500 years of Buddhist wisdom accessible with AI
1 follower
Making 2,500 years of Buddhist wisdom accessible with AI
1 follower
Buddhist texts (2,500+ years) are in classical Chinese. Generic translation fails - no Buddhist context. • AI trained on Buddhist terminology • Chat with 18,000+ scriptures • Parallel reading (original + translation) • English & Chinese support • Offline PWA - Not Google Translate (understands Buddhist context). - Not ChatGPT (answers from actual scriptures). - Not Kindle (designed for Buddhist texts). Built by a developer in his 40s who learned Next.js to make ancient wisdom accessible.
Hello every one. I'm Bole, creator of RuShiWoWen.
How this started:
November 10, 2022, 3:17 AM. I was in my warehouse in Wuhan, surrounded by 120,000 pairs of socks, fixing a crashed backend system.
As I debugged, a line from the Diamond Sutra appeared in my mind:
I realized: debugging code and debugging the mind are the same thing.
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My background:
First-generation PHP programmer in China (early 2000s from PHP 3.x)
E-commerce entrepreneur for 10+ years (I run a sock brand nanrenwa.com in China)
Self-taught Next.js in my 40s using Cursor
Buddhism practitioner struggling with classical Chinese texts
Why I built RuShiWoWen(如是我闻):
After years of entrepreneurial pressure, I found peace in Buddhist scriptures. But classical Chinese was a massive barrier.
Generic translation tools failed because they don't understand Buddhist terminology. ChatGPT gives answers but can't reference actual scriptures.
So I learned Next.js from scratch and built this.
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What makes RuShiWoWen different:
🎯 Buddhist-Context AI
Not Google Translate. Our AI understands that "emptiness" (空) is a philosophical concept, not just "empty."
📚 Scripture-Based Answers
Ask about meditation or suffering, get answers referencing actual passages from the Diamond Sutra, Heart Sutra, and 18,000+ other texts.
📖 Designed for Buddhist Texts
Parallel reading, Traditional/Simplified toggle, automatic pinyin, eye-friendly design.
🌍 Multi-language
English and Chinese now, more languages coming based on your feedback.
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This is not a commercial product.
It's my offering (供养):
To my once-lost self navigating entrepreneurial chaos
To anyone seeking wisdom but intimidated by classical language
To every developer debugging life at 3 AM
To users on the other side of language barriers
Over 276 days, this platform has helped many Chinese users navigate complex Buddhist texts with AI assistance.
I'd love your feedback on:
1. What other features would help you study Buddhist texts?
2. Should we add other spiritual traditions (Taoism, Stoicism, etc.)?
3. What languages should we prioritize next?
If this platform helps even one person feel less lost, mission accomplished.
May we cultivate wisdom together 🙏
伯乐 (Bole)
武汉 · Wuhan, China
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P.S. The name "如是我闻" (RuShiWoWen) means "Thus I Have Heard" — the traditional opening of every Buddhist sutra. It represents authentic transmission of the Buddha's teachings.
P.P.S. I learned Next.js from scratch for this. If a developer in their 40s can do it, anyone can 💪
A Personal Note:
Today marks 277 days since launching the Chinese version.
Almost 2000 git commits. Countless late nights. Many cups of Wuhan Hot-Dry Noodles（热干面）. ;-)
This is the first English version to public.
I'm nervous, but also excited.
This platform has helped Chinese users find peace for 276 days.
Today, I hope it can bring the same peace to you.
Thank you for being here.
Your feedback will make it even better. 🙏