The Japanese also traveled to China for cultural exchanges between China and Japan, among which Jian Zhen monks made the greatest contribution.
Jian Zhen, whose common name is Chunyu, was born in the Tang Dynasty when Wu Zetian hung on the arch for four years (AD 688) and died in Baoying, Tang Daizong in the second year (AD 763). He is from Jiangyang County, Yangzhou (now Yangzhou, Jiangsu). At the age of 65,438+04, he entered Dayun Temple in Yangzhou and studied Zen under the world-famous Zen master Zhiman. Under the guidance of famous teachers, Jian Zhen made rapid progress in his studies. Three years later, he left Dayun Temple and studied precepts in longxing temple, Yuezhou (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang), where he was subjected to "Bodhisattva precepts". In the first year of Tang Zhongzong Jinglong (AD 707), he traveled around and visited Luoyang and Chang 'an. In the second year of Jinglong, at the age of 20, he was presided over by the legalist Hong Jing and received the "foot ring". Since then, he has been studying Buddhist classics and has a deep study of Buddhism. In 733, he was called the master of giving precepts in the Jianghuai area, and he held a high position among Buddhists and became a leader of one side.
In the first year of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (AD 7 13), Jian Zhen returned to daming temple, Yangzhou to preach the precepts, and more than 40,000 disciples were taught by him. At this time, he is already a master of Buddhism with profound knowledge and high prestige. He also constantly organized monks to copy scriptures, with more than 33,000 volumes. He also designed and built more than 80 monasteries, and Japanese monks studying in Datang were also amazed at his Buddhist attainments.
In the 21st year of Kaiyuan (AD 733), Japan sent Tang envoys to the Tang Dynasty for the ninth time. Rong Rui and Pu Zhao, Japanese monks studying abroad who came with the delegation, were ordered by Emperor Shengwu of Japan to invite Jian Zhen to come from the East. In the winter of the first year of Tianbao, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (AD 742), Rong Rui and Pu Zhao paid a visit to Jian Zhen in daming temple, Yangzhou, expressing their admiration for Japan, and said: Although Buddhism has spread to Japan, there are no eminent monks, so please "travel east to Xinghua". Jian Zhen asked the monks in the temple who would like to be invited here. The monks were silent. After a long time, a monk named Xiang Yan said, "His country is too far away, and his life is hard to protect. The sea is boundless and there is no place to come." "Life is rare, China stumped, he was not ready for further study, and his teachings also failed, so the monks were silent. Hearing this, Jian Zhen said, "Why don't you spare your life for the sake of the law? "! " If the others don't go, I will. "Jian Zhen made up his mind to go, and from then on, he began to prepare for a trip to Japan.
When I went to Japan for the first time, 265,438+0 people, including Jian Zhen and disciple Xiang Yan, set out from Yangzhou, but they could not make it because of the interference of the official hall. On his second trip to the East, he bought a warship and acquired a large number of Buddha statues, Buddhist tools, classics, medicines, spices and so on. With 85 disciples and technicians. However, when the ship left the Yangtze River estuary, it was damaged by strong wind and had to be returned for repair.
The third time I went out to sea and sailed to Zhoushan, because I failed to hit the rocks.
In 744 AD, Jian Zhen was ready to sail from Fuzhou, but was chased by Guanting on his way to Wenzhou and forced to return to Yangzhou. The fourth eastward crossing was unsuccessful.
On June 27th, 748, Jian Zhen made the fifth eastward crossing. He started from Yangzhou, stopped at Zhoushan Islands for three months, and then crossed the East China Sea. After drifting at sea for 14 days, I arrived at Yaxian County at the southern tip of Hainan Island. On the way back to Yangzhou, disciple Xiang Yan and Japanese monk Rong Rui died one after another, and Jian Zhen himself was blinded by the long journey and the heat.
In the 12th year of Tang Tianbao (AD 753)1October15th, on the eve of Japan's first10th visit to China, Japanese student Abe Zhongma (Chinese name) sent Tang Ambassador Qinghe, Deputy Ambassador, Daban Guma Road and Guan Zhitang for many years, serving as Dr. Tang Guanglu, an imperial consultant and secretary supervisor. Ambassador Fujiwara said: "I heard that this great monk went to Japan to preach five times. It's an honor to meet him today. If the monk is still willing, his disciples will return to Japan with four boats and all the application materials. I wonder if they will go with him? " Although Jian Zhen was 66 years old and blind, he agreed to the Japanese request to publicize the precepts of professors and the friendship and cultural exchanges between the Chinese and Japanese peoples.
After the news that Jian Zhen was going to Japan again spread in Yangzhou, the relevant monasteries took strict precautions to block the trip. At this time, Jian Zhen's disciple Ren Gan came to Yangzhou from Wuzhou (now Jinhua, Zhejiang). Knowing that Master was going to travel far away, he secretly agreed to prepare a boat to meet him at Jiangtou. 1On the evening of October 29th, Jian Zhen and his disciples and craftsmen sneaked into Jiangtou from longxing temple, Yangzhou, immediately boarded the boat, left the Grand Canal and headed for the Yangtze River, and went to Huangsipu, Suzhou (now Huangsipu, Changshu County, Jiangsu Province, that is, Huang Xie Pu) to join the Japanese fleet to the Tang Dynasty.
Jian Zhen brought eight Buddha statues such as Tathagata and Guanyin, seven kinds of Buddhist tools such as Buddhist relics and Bodhi, more than 300 volumes of 84 Buddhist scriptures such as Huayan Sutra, and three kinds of copybooks such as Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi.
Before leaving, Jian Zhen and his party took the second, third and fourth boats on 1 1 month 15 for fear that the government would find the scriptures missing. It was not until 1 1 month 16 that Jian Zhen boarded the second ship in ancient Ma Lu before the fleet set sail. After entering the East China Sea, the fleet was dispersed by the strong northeast wind, and the fourth ship disappeared. The remaining three ships had to struggle forward. 1 1 month 2 1 day, the first and second ships arrived in Okinawa, which is in the southwest of Domi Island (now Tanegashima). The first Minlang elegy was moored at the same place last night. 1On February 6th, the south wind that people longed for blew on the sea, and three ships set sail one after another. The first ship that Ambassador Fujiwara and Ma Lu of Abe took hit the rocks (hit a stone) and couldn't move. Jian Zhen's second ship set sail for Domi and arrived at Sojima (now Yakushima) on the 7th. Park for 10 days and wait for the rest of the ships. After the first ship was repaired, it continued to sail, and it drifted to An Nan Guo (in today's Vietnam) due to a northerly storm. More than 80 people were on board/kloc-0, and more than 70 people were killed/kloc-0. Only 65,438+00 people survived, including Ambassador Fujiwara Qinghe and Ma Lu Abe. Minlang elegy later sailed back to Japan. 1February 18, the second ship set sail from Esau Island. 19, it encountered a storm, and Jian Zhen and others went through hardships again. 1At noon on February 20th, they arrived at Qiu Fu Upp (now Kagoshima Prefecture) in Addo County, Satsuma Prefecture, Kyushu. 1 On February 26th, Jian Zhen and his party entered Dazai Prefecture, Japan, under the leadership of Yanqing, a Japanese monk, and arrived in Nanpu (near Osaka today), the departure port of the Japanese envoy fleet in the Tang Dynasty, on February1day of the following year (AD 754). On February 4th, Jian Zhen arrived in Nara, the Japanese capital, and was warmly welcomed by people all over the country. The royal family, nobles and monks all came to visit him.
In March, Kibi No Asomi Makibi, as an emissary, read the imperial edict to Jian Zhen: "I am very glad that the great monk came from Cangbo. From now on, the precepts will be given by the great monk. " At the beginning of April, a ring altar was set up in Dongda Temple, presided over by Jian Zhen, who successively conferred rings on Emperor Emperor Shengwu, Empress Dowager, Prince and more than 400 monks. In 756, Kejsarinnan Koken appointed Jian Zhen as the Buddhist capital, responsible for Japanese Buddhist affairs. After abdicating in 758, he was honored as "Yamato" and respectfully supported him. In 759, Jian Zhen led his disciples to design and build the Tang and Zhao Temple, which still exists. It is regarded as the national treasure of Japan and has an important influence on Japanese architectural art. Later, Jian Zhen taught the precepts here, spread the practice to Japan and became the ancestor of Japanese practice. Although Jian Zhen is blind, he can proofread Buddhist scriptures from memory. He is also proficient in medical skills, identifying herbs by smell and treating people. He left a medical book "The Secret Recipe of the Master", which contributed to the development of Japanese medicine. The printing of Buddhist scriptures and calligraphy inscriptions he brought to Japan in China had a great influence on Japanese printing and calligraphy.
Yearbook 763 really died in Zhao Ti Temple. There is still a sitting statue of Jian Zhen in the temple, which is also a Japanese national treasure. Jian Zhen's disciples Ren Ji and Shi Tuo shaped it for him with China's dry paint clip method. Jian Zhen lived in Japan for 10 years and made great contributions to the cultural exchange between China and Japan.
Entrusted by Jian Zhen's disciple Stowe and others, in 16 years after Jian Zhen's death, a famous Japanese writer in Nara era, Zhen Renyuan (AD 7 10-784), wrote The Journey to the East of the Tang River. The book describes in detail the arduous journey of Jian Zhen's six voyages to the Western Ocean, so that future generations can understand the shipbuilding and navigation technology of China and Japan in the Tang Dynasty.