* 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:
> "All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows"
I realized: debugging code and debugging the mind are the same thing.
My background:
- First-generation PHP programmer in China (early 2000s) - E-commerce entrepreneur for 10+ years (I run a sock brand) - Self-taught Next.js at 40+ using Cursor AI - Buddhism practitioner struggling with classical Chinese texts
* Why I built RuShiWoWen: *
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.
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 40,000+ 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.
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
* 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
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伯乐 (Bole) Wuhan, China
Today marks 277 days since launching the Chinese version. 2000 commits. Countless late nights. Many cups of 热干面.
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.
bolechen•2w ago