Life story
Zen Master Feng Mingben was the most outstanding monk in the Yuan Dynasty. The first period
was life before monasticism, from 1263 to 1285. Mingben lost his mother when he was nine years old. When he was a boy, he studied "The Analects of Confucius" and "Mencius". Due to lack of interest in these important Confucian classics, he dropped out of school before finishing the volume. During the period of social turmoil at the turn of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Mingben fell in love with Buddhism very early. At the age of fifteen, he abided by the Five Precepts and determined to become a monk. After that, he seriously studied Buddhist classics such as "Lotus", "Yuanjue", and "Vajra". He also liked meditation and often went to the mountains to sit in meditation alone. Therefore, Mingben had good Buddhist cultivation before becoming a monk. The second stage
was to practice Zen with Gaofeng Yuanmiao (1238-1295), from 1286 to 1295. When Mingben was twenty-four years old, he encountered a difficult problem while reading "Jingde Chuandeng Lu". After being introduced by a monk named Mingshan, he went to Tianmu Mountain in Hangzhou to seek advice from Gao Feng Yuanmiao, a famous Zen master of the Linji sect at that time. Under the guidance of Zen Master Yuan Miao, he carefully studied Buddhist scriptures and benefited a lot. "Not long after, I recited the Vajra Prajna Sutra, and when I came to the Buddha Tathagata, I suddenly became enlightened, and all the internal and external classics achieved its meaning." (Note 1) In the second year, he officially became a monk along with Yuan Miao, and in the third year he became a monk. Have sufficient precepts. During the ten years of following Yuan Miao, Mingben worked hard during the day, practiced meditation at night, strictly abided by Buddhist precepts, studied Zen assiduously, and was deeply appreciated by Yuan Miao. Yuan Miao once said that among his many disciples, "Ben Wei Na (named Ben) is the only one who has a new talent in the forest, and his future success is not easy to measure." As Yuan Miao's proud disciple, Ming Ben did not want to be the master. Large monasteries do not regard themselves as the masters of their own sect. Before Yuan Miao's death, he was asked to preside over Dajuezheng et al. Zen Temple. This temple was built with donations from Huo Tingfa, a bureaucrat who had a close relationship with Yuan Miao. It was the main base for teaching the Dharma of Yuan Miao's sect. Mingben did not accept the appointment, but recommended the first Zuyong at that time. Mingben once said when he was sixty years old: "I originally wanted to become a monk, with an ambition to practice the Buddhist practice... I have always wanted to retire, not to be unconventional, but to practice faith and charity, which is why I am uneasy. Ye." (Note 3) It was Mingben's ambition in his early years to pursue the strict Tutu practice of living in no fixed place and begging for food and clothing everywhere. He didn't want to be the abbot of a large monastery, not because he wanted to increase his worth, but because he was not satisfied with living a life of eating without working. In the decades after he left Yuanmiao, he repeatedly declined invitations from local officials to preside over famous mountains and giant temples. He traveled to various places in the south of the Yangtze River for a long time, teaching Zen among the people. The third stage
is the early traveling life, from 1296 to 1304. After Yuan Miao's death, Mingben left Tianmu Mountain in the first year of Dade (1297) and traveled to Wanshan, Lufu and Jinling. In the second year of Dade (1298), he established a nunnery in Bianshan, Luzhou. In the fourth year of Dade (1300), he established a nunnery in Yandang Mountain, Pingjiang. At this stage, Mingben mainly traveled to various places in the south of the Yangtze River and lived in nunneries everywhere. Because he had followed Yuan Miao for many years, he had become famous in the Jiangnan area, and many people asked him for Zen teachings. He once told Zhao Mengfu "the purpose of preventing emotions and restoring nature". The fourth stage
was to preside over the Shiziyuan, from 1305 to 1308. In the eighth year of Dade (1304), it was revealed that this was the original Miao Shou Pagoda, so he returned to Tianmu Mountain. Beginning in the winter of the ninth year of Dade (1305), he presided over Shiziyuan, an important temple of the Yuanmiao lineage. (Note 4) At this stage, Mingben not only became the most famous Linji Zen master in Jiangnan, but also received attention from the imperial court. In the first year of Zhida (1308), Renzong, who was the prince at that time, bestowed Mingben with the title of "Fahui" Zen Master.
The fifth stage
is the later missionary life, from 1309 to his death. At this stage, the scope of Mingben's activities became wider. In the second year of his reign (1309), he left Hangzhou and went to Yizhen, where he lived on the boat. The next year, at the request of the monks, he returned to Tianmu Mountain to live for a year. In the third year of his reign (1311), he took a boat to Wujiang. Chen Zicong asked him to abandon the boat and land there, and built "Shunxin Nunnery" for him. Soon, Mingben crossed the river and went north to visit Shaolin. Although Mingben "hid his name and lived in an earthen house in the corner of the city" in the north, the monks and laypeople who heard about his arrival still "complained to each other and said on their hands and foreheads: This is the ancient Buddha in the south of the Yangtze River." In the first year of Huangqing (1312), He built a nunnery in Lu'an Mountain in Luzhou and soon went to Donghai Prefecture. The next year, Huo Tingfa's son asked him to preside over Dajue Temple, and he recommended the first Zen master Yongtai to replace him.
In the first year of Yanv (1314), Mingben once again presided over the Shiziyuan, but soon left Tianmu Mountain. In the fourth year of Yanv (1317), Jiang Jun built "Datong Nunnery" in Danyang and invited him to live there. In the fifth year of Yanv (1318), Mingben returned to Tianmu Mountain at the request of the monks. In September of that year, Renzong conferred the title of "Foci Yuanzhao Guanghui Zen Master", ordered the Shizi courtyard to be renamed "Shizi Zhengzong Zen Temple", and ordered Zhao Mengfu to write an inscription. In the second year of Zhizhi (1322), the Xuanzhengyuan asked Mingben to preside over Jingshan Temple in Hangzhou. He did not accept the order and established a nunnery in Zhongjia Mountain. In October of that year, Emperor Yingzong issued a special order to send incense and give gold [Sangha pear]. Mingben lived in the grass all year round and traveled to various places in the south of the Yangtze River. Everywhere he went, he was devoutly supported by monks and lay believers, thus establishing bases for spreading the Dharma and exerting a great influence in the Jiangnan area. The Song Dynasty version described the situation at that time based on his own knowledge: "I sent a mission to the south of the Yangtze River and heard about the arrival of the master (specified in the version). Everyone admired him, gave him tea and gold coins, worshiped him and made offerings, and he became a treasure house." (Note 6) Mingben not only had many Han believers, but also guided foreign monks to practice Zen. It is said that "Master Tripitaka Salut cherished and protected Pila Yasili when he was traveling." (Note 7) Mingben not only maintained close relations with many Han scholar-bureaucrats, but also interacted with many Mongolian bureaucrats. Huo Tingfa, Zhao Mengfu, Feng Zizhen, Zheng Yunyi, Wang Zhang, Jingyan, Ta Lahan Tuohuan and others all asked Mingben for Zen teachings. Mingben was famous throughout Jiangnan for his lofty moral example and superb Zen cultivation, and attracted monks from remote areas and surrounding countries. As the saying goes: "As far as the Beiting of the Western Regions, Eastern Yi and Nanzhao came to see him one after another." (Note 8) Mingben once taught Zen to monks from Japan and Korea. Yunnan Shamen Xuanjian once sought advice from Mingben. Later, Xuanjian died of illness on his way home. His disciples, Pufu and others, drew images of Mingben and returned to the south. They established Zen sect in Yunnan and regarded Mingben as the "first ancestor of Nanzhao". Mingben contributed to the spread of Zen in the Yuan Dynasty to remote areas and surrounding countries. Mingben was not only good at Zen, but also good at poetry and prose, and wrote quite a lot in his life. In order to elaborate on his Zen thoughts and make them widely circulated, he wrote "Night Talk in the Shanfang" and "Poetry on the Cold Mountain"; in order to answer the questions of monks who paid attention to the classics, he wrote "Surangama Zhengxin Bianjian or Questions" ; In order to correct the erroneous tendency of some Zen monks to "not seek enlightenment, but to speak clearly", he wrote "An Explanation of Confidence and Inscriptions"; since the huts he built everywhere were all named "Huanzhu", he should At the request of the monks who followed him, he described the correct methods and methods of practicing Zen and wrote the "Huanzhu Family Instructions". The above five articles were all compiled by the Ming Dynasty himself after the Ming Dynasty was written. The self-titled book is "One Flower and Five Leaves", which can be said to be the masterpiece of the Ming Dynasty. Ming Ben was a famous poet monk in the Yuan Dynasty and left behind many poems. In addition to the 100 "Poems on Cold Mountains" collected in "One Flower and Five Leaves", there are also ten poems each of "Boat House", "Mountain House", "Water House" and "E House", all of which are relatively famous. In order to elaborate his thoughts on the Pure Land, he composed one hundred and eight "Poems on the Pure Land". In addition, there is "Hundred Odes of Plum Blossom Poems by Monk Zhongfeng and Feng Haisu (Zizhen)". The rest of the poems such as song verses and farewell poems are even more numerous. Mingben's writings, poems and French are included in "Tianmu Zhongfeng Monk Guanglu" compiled by Ciji and "Tianmu Mingben Zen Master's Miscellaneous Records" of unknown compilation. In the second year of Yuantong (1334), Huizong was posthumously titled "Puying Guoshi" in the Ming Dynasty, and thirty volumes of "Tianmu Zhongfeng Monk Guanglu" were also allowed to be compiled into the Tripitaka for circulation. In the first year of the Yuan Dynasty (1335), "Tianmu Zhongfeng Monk Guanglu" was published, which had a great impact: "After the book of "Guanglu" was completed, although the monk had passed away, the four people recited it and it was still the same as the day he lived in this world. "Achievements
Ming is good at poetry and music, and has considerable attainments in literature, especially in poetry. At that time, Feng Zizhen, a famous Sanqu writer in the Yuan Dynasty, was very famous for a while, but he looked down upon Ming's original intention. Mingben visited Feng together with calligrapher Zhao Meng\. Feng showed "Plum Blossom Poems with Hundred Rhymes", Ming Ben took the list, "completed it" immediately, and showed his own "Nine-Character Plum Blossom Song". Feng Zizhen read and finished his service. From then on, the two became close friends. Ming Dynasty was good at calligraphy, and many handwriting relics remain in the hospital. Chen Jiru of the Ming Dynasty said in "History of Calligraphy and Painting" that the Ming Dynasty "calligraphy is like Liuye, although it is not qualified, it is still in the same family." In the second year of Yanv (1315), he wrote the "Miaofa Lotus Sutra". He died at the age of sixty-one. In addition, the Palace Museum has a collection of "Qiao Song E Xiu's Seven-Character Poetry Scroll" written in the fourth year of Zhizheng Dynasty (1344). Judging from this, the year of death should be around eighty. Many authentic works were brought back by monks studying in Japan at that time and are now treasured in Japan. The deeds are also included in "Songjiang Chronicles" and "Continuation of Shiqu Shiji".