Master Tongxiu’s common surname is Yang, and his nickname is Yulin. A native of Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province. He was born in the 42nd year of Wanli (1614) into a family that has believed in Buddhism for generations. His parents are both lay Buddhists who are very knowledgeable about Buddhist Prajna. The master has inherited his family's teachings since he was a child. When he first became literate, he began to recite Buddhist classics. Because of his intelligence and quick understanding, he was able to interpret obscure and difficult Buddhist books according to their text and understand their purpose. At the age of 15, he came into contact with Buddhist Zen sayings. While reading these quotations, he practiced zazen, forgetting to sleep and eat every day, living in the joy of Zen. The approachable Zen thoughts, sharp and sharp Zen sayings, and the lively life of a Zen monk made him feel like a fish in water, and he never wanted to leave. Gradually, he came up with the idea of ??becoming a monk and leaving the secular world.
In the sixth year of Chongzhen (1633), Master Tongxiu resolutely gave up his worldly pursuits and family ties, and became a monk and ordained as a monk at Chongen Temple in Qingshan Mountain, Yixing, Jiangsu Province. Monk Yuanxiu was one of the famous Zen masters in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Not only did he have profound meditation skills, but he also studied the Five Ming Dynasties of Buddhism intensively. He was knowledgeable and famous for a long time. In order to seek advice from him, Master Tongxiu was willing to be his servant in daily life, serving him in food, clothing and daily life. If you advance, you will resolve doubts and ask for help, and you will have the sincerity to stand up to the snow; if you retreat, you will sit at a banquet and concentrate, and you will have the intention of breaking the wall. One day, when he was meditating and entering concentration, he remembered Mazu Daoyi's koan of "sucking all the water from the Xijiang River in one gulp." He suddenly felt happy and enlightened. From then on, he preached the scriptures as if he had divine help, doing whatever he wanted and not giving in when the opportunity arose.
Once, a boring scholar who thought he had read a few books by sages saw Master Tongxiu giving a speech, and wanted to deliberately cause trouble and take the opportunity to be in the limelight and make the master look embarrassed in front of everyone. He finally pushed aside the audience on three levels inside and outside, squeezed in front of Master Tongxiu, and said in a sinister tone: "Anyone who reads the books of sages knows that loyalty and filial piety are the foundation of a country. You monks, you don't do anything every day." He is running around after having nothing to do, talking nonsense, neither serving the country nor supporting his parents. What qualifications do he have to speak in front of a crowd?" Master Tongxiu looked at him kindly and spoke very calmly and calmly. He said to him: "As a qualified citizen, it is certainly good to be loyal to the country and filial to your parents. However, it would be too biased to say that becoming a monk and converting to Buddhism is disloyal and unfilial. As monks, we use Buddhism to teach sentient beings, purify people's hearts, persuade people to do good and stop evil, and make our society more stable and our lives happier. How can we be said to be unfaithful and unfilial? As for us not working on production and living on leisure, then what? This is even more wrong. If serving the country involves direct physical labor such as weaving and farming, then the emperor, civil and military officials, and even scholars like yourself will become people who do nothing but earn a living. "Yes. Can you make sense?" After saying this, the man walked away in despair.
Chongen Temple, located in Yixing, Jiangsu Province, is the first temple where Master Tongxiu lived after becoming a monk. It is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with the vast Taihu Lake on its side, which adds infinite beauty to the ancient temple and provides favorable conditions for Master Tongxiu to cultivate his body and mind. Master Tongxiu, who is accustomed to living a life of calming down his mind and never thinking about the bells and drums in the morning and evening, occasionally goes boating on the moon, among the open clouds and water, his mind becomes increasingly broad, and when he lectures, he becomes closer to the reality of life. He moves his hands and feet, and speaks silently. It was like thunder and lightning. Even the old Rigelian monk, who had been a monk for many years, felt like an enlightenment after listening to his teachings, and all the bonds and ties were immediately released. All of a sudden, all the people from all over the world came to see him. People from all over the world came to ask him to preach.
When the master was lecturing in Wukang, Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province, he was boating on a lake one night. He raised his head and suddenly lost consciousness. Find Zen Master Tianyin to confirm. The next time he knocked, he was able to take advantage of him. When he came out, Monk Tianyin knew that he had become enlightened. He immediately stood up and praised loudly: "This man is amazing. He is the lion of our Zen sect. From now on, he will be the lion of Zen Buddhism." The burden of Zen fell on him, and only he could bear it." From then on, Master Tongxiu became even more famous.
After the young, promising, handsome and unrestrained Master Tongxiu became enlightened and gained the Dharma, his Taoism became increasingly valuable and even attracted the attention and love of the daughter of the prime minister of the dynasty. Because of him, the daughter of the prime minister's house didn't want to eat day and night, she couldn't sleep at night, her clothes gradually became wider and thinner, and she gradually became sick and bedridden. No matter what kind of doctor came to treat her, she couldn't cure her.
In the end, he had no choice but to let his father, who was the prime minister, submit to Chong'en Temple and ask Master Tongxiu to give up his vows, return to secular life, and marry his daughter. Faced with pressure and entreaties from all sides, Master Tongxiu, who regarded himself as the "monk of all gold", finally came up with a clever plan to get the best of both worlds. Not only did he not abandon the precepts and return to secular life, but he also persuaded the prime minister's daughter to become a nun. This problem was solved very properly and satisfactorily, which became a good story in the history of Buddhism. From this we can see how skillful and flawless Master Tongxiu’s eloquence is. The modern eminent monk Master Xingyun used him as a prototype to create the famous novel "The Imperial Master of Yulin", which was circulated at home and abroad. The names of "Yulin Imperial Master" and "Wanjin Monk" once again became a hot topic.
In the fifteenth year of Shunzhi (1658), Emperor Shunzhi heard that Master Tongxiu was very talented and practiced, so he sent a special envoy to summon him to the palace and let him live in the Wanshan Hall in the capital and ask him at any time. Ask questions about Buddhism.
One day, Emperor Shunzhi came to the Wanshan Hall and asked: "How should I study Buddhism?"
The master replied: "Duan Gong does nothing."
< p>Asked again: "How is great?"The teacher replied: "The light is expressed in four directions, gridded up and down."
Asked again: "The happiness of Confucius and Yan Hui lies in "Where?"
The master replied: "Worried quietly." After hearing this, Emperor Shunzhi was delighted and named him "Zen Master Dajue Puji".
In the spring of the next year, Master Tongxiu came to Beijing again under the imperial edict. After listening to his teachings, Emperor Shunzhi lamented that he regretted seeing each other so late, and ordered him to "have a clear heart and a pure conduct." "Jie Gugao", he was given the title "Zen Master Dajue".
In the autumn of the seventeenth year of Shunzhi (1660), Master Tongxiu came to Beijing for the third time to meet the saint. This time, Emperor Shunzhi officially worshiped him as his teacher and called him "Dajue Puji Nengren National Master", making him one of the youngest and most talented national teachers in the history of Chinese Buddhism.
After Master Tongxiu became a national master, he became famous in both the government and the public, but he did not become arrogant and domineering because of this. His nature is calm and reserved. Throughout his life, he sat in the monastery six times and taught sermons seven times. He "swept away the crazy Zen of the last days and upheld the enlightenment of Tathagata". He played a decisive role in the history of Buddhism in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. But he never kept any money privately, nor did he easily accept donations from others. When he went to Beijing to preach the sermon, the emperor gave him the gold seal and purple clothes, but he never wore them or showed them to anyone. In his later years, he even closed his doors to greet guests and lived a life like a lone cloud and wild crane, hiding in the desert and secluded mountains, making it difficult for the world to track him.
In the fourteenth year of Kangxi (1675), Master Tongxiu, a national teacher of the generation, passed away and returned to the west at Ciyun Temple in Huaiyang County, Jiangsu Province. He was 62 years old and had given up 43 summers.