Although China's tea industry can be traced back to the pre-Qin period, and tea in Bashu was also quite popular during the Han Dynasty, Wei and Jin Dynasties, there is no historical record of who first cultivated tea. Mengshan Wu Lizhen is considered to be the earliest tea grower with clear written records in China and even the world. This statement is recognized by Professor Chen Rong. In the "General Chronicles of the Tea Industry" (first edition of Agricultural Press, 1984), there is a written summary of "Tea planting in Mengshan is the earliest tea planting in my country", which explains issues such as Wu Lizhen and Mengshan tea planting in Mengshan.
Wu Lizhen is known as the "Master of Manna". In people's minds, he is half god and half mortal. This "Master of Manna", in the vast historical relics, vaguely reveals his true colors as a tea grower.
About Wu Lizhen, the master of nectar, there are corresponding records in "Jinshiyuan" published during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty. On the stele, there is a "relic sculpture" enshrined on the worship shrine. When Sun Jian paid his respects and paid homage, he felt that the atmosphere was similar to that of burning incense and worshiping Buddha in a temple. As for what was engraved on the "Yuan Monument", he did not say directly. However, judging from the nostalgic writing of "There were Taoists of the Han Dynasty in the past, when was the ancestor of the ancients?", it can be seen from the content of the tea growing by the "Taoist of the Han Dynasty" recorded on the stele, and the statue of this "Taoist of the Han Dynasty" is enshrined on the shrine.
Judging from the content and time of Sun Jian's "Inscriptions on Zhiju Temple", the "cut out stele" and the "remaining sculpture" that Sun Jian read are consistent with the "painted stele by Zen Master Ganlu" recorded in "Jinshiyuan" "It's different. Judging from the time, the "painted stele" was "stoned at the Mengding Mountain House" on February 26, the third year of Shaoxi. "Shaoxi" is the reign name of Guangzong of the Southern Song Dynasty. The year of Shaoxi is 1192. Sun Jian was born in the Shaosheng period of the Northern Song Dynasty and was born in 1095. If Sun Jian wanted to see the painted stele, it would be when he visited Mengshan Mountain. A hundred years old is obviously impossible.
In terms of location, the "Li Stele" that Sun Jian read was located at Zhiju Temple on the mountainside. The "Mengding Mountain House" where the "Painting Stele" is located is the Tiangai Temple on the top of the mountain.
This can explain that at that time, Tiangai Temple and Zhiju Temple had inscriptions and statues of the founders of the Han Dynasty respectively.
"Mingshan County Chronicle": "Zhiju Temple is located in the middle of Mengshan Mountain, now called Dawuding. It has cloud trees, rock springs, and twin towers in the middle. The stone statue of Ganlu Master in the well It is enshrined in the west niche, where tea is roasted. There are many inscriptions in the temple, many of which are lost and cannot be read again. This shows that the "Taoist of the Han Dynasty" that Sun Jian saw was the one who was later called "Master Ganlu". The statue of Wu Lizhen still existed until the late Qing Dynasty.
Although Sun Jian did not explain when the inscriptions and statues he saw were made, he can be sure that the things he saw were from a long time ago, and he clearly stated that Wu Lizhen was from the Han Dynasty and was passed down from the Han Dynasty. Not necessarily. At the same time, it also shows that before Emperor Xiaozong of the Song Dynasty gave the "Master Manna", there were already Wu Lizhen's inscriptions and statues on Mengding Mountain. They were not made after Emperor Xiaozong gave the gift.
Yi Jinshi The merits of Yu Dazhong's memorial to Master Xiao must be based on the original inscriptions, statues and other physical objects.
About Wu Lizhen, there are also some relevant records quoted in "Mingshan County Chronicles":
"Yu Di Ji Sheng": "During the Western Han Dynasty, a monk came from Lingbiao and planted tea in Mengshan Mountain. Suddenly one day, hidden in the pond, there was a stone statue, now covered with tea. It was planted by a famous master, who still calls the stone statue Master Ganlu. "
"Tang Zhi" also quoted from "Yazhou Zhi": "Mengshan belongs to the famous mountain county. The mountain has five peaks. The previous one is the highest. The sun rises to the clear peak. There are nectar tea and auspicious shadows on the mountain. Now, there is Mengquan again. "
Fan Shugong also said, "There are always auspicious clouds covering it." He also said, "Zhiju Temple, in the famous mountain Mengding Mountain, is the sacred site of Master Ganlu." Now that the stone body is here, many holy lamps appear at night. "
"Yang Shen Ji": "Master Puhui from the famous mountain came from this mountain and lived in Mengshan. According to the stele, Li Zhen, a monk in the Western Han Dynasty, with a common surname of Wu, cultivated the people's life, planted tea to cover the roof, and turned it into a stone statue. His disciples worshiped him as Master Ganlu, and his prayers for floods, droughts, and epidemics were always answered. In the 13th year of Chunxi reign of the Song Dynasty, the Jinshi Yu Dazhong of the city praised his master's merits and benefited the people. Emperor Xiaozong granted him the title of Master of Manna Puhui Miaoji, and Zhijuyuan was established. On April 24th, as the Hidden Day, a temple was built to offer incense. There are inscriptions on each in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and the tea benefit became popular from there. The husband sipped tea, his name was not seen before the Western Han Dynasty, and the people did not benefit from it. The pagoda came to China from the Eastern Han Dynasty, and was still banned in the beginning and could not be learned. "
"He Ruhui Ji": "The surname Wu in the Western Han Dynasty is also Chinese. Were Chinese monks at that time? According to Zhang Dayong's "Bentu Jing", it was said that in the later Han Dynasty, there were eminent monks who planted tea in Mengshan Mountain. Tea benefits the world. Then he threw the fossil into the well, and his disciples carved the statue into it and enshrined it in the hall.
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Also known as, “The Inscription of Zitong Shenjun Fuluan Stele” proves that it is the famous name of the Later Han Dynasty. How can the name of the Western Han Dynasty be remembered for its people, and the memory of great use, how can it be remembered for its traces? "
The "Yazhou Chronicle" cited in "Tang Chronicle" does not directly involve the ancestors of tea, but it describes the uniqueness of the five peaks of Mengding, including nectar tea and Mengquan wells, and "always auspicious." "Shadow appears", which gives Wufeng's tea cover a mysterious color. Although the article does not directly mention the ancestor of Ganlu, but the writing also makes people feel the faint shadow of the ancestor of tea. The rest of the records are different from each other. The traces of Ganlu Patriarch are recorded from different angles, and some people even have questions about "why should we ancient his people" and "why should we ancient his traces". The masters are all extraordinary and somewhat mysterious.
There is also a relatively complete record of Wu Lizhen’s cultivation of tea in the Monument of Tianxia Dameng Mountain.
p>The theme recorded in this stele is to recall the past and reflect on the present, and to enumerate the prosperity and outstanding achievements of Mengshan. Enter the description of the merits of the tea ancestor.
The stele of "Dameng Mountain in the World" said about Master Ganlu:
"The spirit of the mountain is the bell, and the emperor's tea is the tribute. If it works, I wish Longquan the best. So far, the stone has been revealed, but on the day of Zaizu's examination: the ancestor's surname was Wu, his Dharma principles were true, he was a strict Taoist in the Western Han Dynasty, and he is now an elegant person. He lost his hair on the five peaks and started to build Mengshan Mountain. He came from Lingbiao and planted Lingming in the five peaks. It is not taller than a foot, neither born nor destroyed, it is very different, but there are only two or three small ears? They are all the work of the teacher, and everything will not change. As a result, it spread throughout the country of China and benefited the barbarian areas. The merchants were relocated for him, the people were clothed and fed by him, the country was enriched by him, and the people's livelihood was benefited. These are all the merits of his teacher, and they can be seen in all generations. And once the path reaches the other shore, he will dig a well with tin and hide his body. In later generations, when there is a drought, you will take the stone statue of Jingquan and pray to it, and the spiritual rain will comply with it. Therefore, a Jinshi from the Ming Dynasty told Dazhong that he heard about Chunxi of the Song Dynasty and gave him the title of Master Ganlu, Suyu Ganlu Bodhisattva. Moreover, the spirit of the teacher is refreshing and unobtrusive, and the fragrance lasts for thousands of years. It is not a famous mountain! However, the land is spiritual and the outstanding people have transformed the heavenly treasures on behalf of the traveling monks. He has cultivated many great things in the world. At the end of the Wanli period, the apocalypse Renxu, the traveling monks became enlightened, and another inscription was erected. ?”
Finally, the reason why the monk Rui Bai at that time erected this stele was inscribed as “Ya’an Sheng Yuan Ma Weiping Liu Clan Xun Mu Jing Shu”.
Other than that In addition, there are other steles on Mengding Mountain. The one clearly mentioned in the inscriptions is at least the one erected by the monk Tongming of Tiangai Temple during the Tianqi Period in the Ming Dynasty to show the merits of the founder of tea cultivation. The monument "Rebuilding Longquan Yuan" (according to locals, there was a Han monument remaining in the middle of the 20th century). Therefore, the inscription "Dameng Mountain under Heaven" was obviously inherited from the inscriptions of the predecessors. Therefore, when the monument was erected. There are many "Zai Zai Zu Kao" about tea cultivation in Mengding, dead stone statues, supernatural prayers, and the conferment of masters, etc., which are more detailed than those mentioned by predecessors.
From the above historical records. From the inscriptions, we can see the basic outline of Wu Lizhen's tea cultivation in Mengshan.
From various historical records, it should be said that there is not much problem about Wu Lizhen's identity. There is a debate among monks and laymen. Some say he is a monk, while others say he is a Taoist. So, why is Wu Lizhen a "master" with "magic power" or an ordinary tea grower? People want to describe him as a monk, and a foreign monk?
In fact, Wu Lizhen’s identity reflects the strong temple atmosphere of Mengshan tea culture. Very close relationship. The saying that Wu Lizhen was a monk dates back to the Song Dynasty, which has a lot to do with the social background of the Song Dynasty. The main reason is that Emperor Xiaozong of the Song Dynasty decreed that he was canonized as "Master of Manna"
During the Eastern Han Dynasty. Buddhism was introduced to our country and developed greatly in the Tang Dynasty. Zen Buddhism rose and became popular in the world, making tea drinking more common and becoming a national drink. Since tea has been associated with Buddhism from the beginning, temples generally have dedicated facilities. There are teahouses, and it is a family custom for monks to drink tea. The temple not only drinks tea, but also grows, picks, and makes tea. Many famous teas are closely related to the temple, so since ancient times, "tea Zen has always been the only thing." Mengshan Zen Tea is especially popular.
Buddhism has been very prosperous in the Song Dynasty. Among the emperors of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Xiaozong of the Song Dynasty worshiped Buddhism very much. "The reason Yu Dazhong, a Jinshi from Mingshan County, reported to the emperor is that on the one hand, Wu Lizhen, a strict scholar of the Western Han Dynasty, planted tea among the five peaks. It was produced throughout the country of China and benefited the barbarian areas. It enriched the country and benefited the people's livelihood.
On the other hand, "whenever there is a drought in future generations, you will take a stone statue from a well and spring and pray to it, and the spiritual rain will adapt to it." It is said that the master can "enter meditation to save drought", which is extremely efficacious, which itself is full of meaning. Wonderful ingredients. However, Emperor Xiaozong immediately "dedicated the nectar to the Bodhisattva Puhui", giving Wu Lizhen the title of Buddhism. Later, Wang Xiangzhi's "Yudi Jisheng" said: "During the Western Han Dynasty, a monk came from Lingbiao to plant tea in Mengshan Mountain. Suddenly one day, hidden in the pond, there was a stone statue. Today, Mengding tea was planted by a famous master. Also, the stone statue is still called Master Ganlu."
Song Xiaozong had already consecrated Wu Lizhen as a "Bodhisattva". How could Wang Xiangzhi dare to violate the "imperial edict" of the "former emperor"?
In addition, at that time, the Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Lingnan regions had become important tea producing areas in China. Wang Xiangzhi was once the magistrate of Jiangning County, where the tea industry was already very developed. Wang Xiangzhi believed that it was natural for tea to originate from Lingnan. In his opinion, Mengshan Mountain, far away from Lingnan, not only had tea, but also had a great reputation, high output, and was sealed. Wu Lizhen, who is known as the "Master of Manna", may have mistaken the master's surname of Wu for the Wu of Wu, so he wrote "A monk came from the mountain to plant tea in Mengshan". Affected by it, people followed what he said, and later generations described Wu Lizhen as a monk.
Another reason for describing Wu Lizhen as a monk is to confuse people in ancient historical records with Wu Lizhen. Tao Gu (905-971) of the Song Dynasty wrote "Ming Xue Lu". This book records some anecdotes about tea. One paragraph introduces a kind of tea called "Shengyanghua" and writes: "Wu Monk Fanchuan vowed to burn his head to offer sacrifices to Shuanglin Master Fu. He went to Mengding Jie'an to plant tea. In three years, the taste is perfect, and the best ones are Shengyanghua and Jixiang pistil, and the weight is not more than five pounds. I will continue to contribute."
This statement lacks the text to refer to it, so I don't know this." When and where did "Wu Monk" come from? But because he was a "tea grower" and had the character "Wu" on his head, and the ancestor of tea growers was also named Wu, some people later confused him with Wu Lizhen, who grew tea in the Han Dynasty, as the same person. Therefore, Wu Lizhen was regarded as " Wu Monk". "Wu" includes Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Lingnan, and "Wuseng" means "monk from Wu", so Wang Xiangzhi's "Yu Di Ji Sheng" says "there are monks from Lingbiao", and Sun Jian's "Zhiju Temple Leaves an Inscription" "The writing of "Build the buds of the stream and cultivate the new soil every inch" may also be influenced by this. Jianxi is now Jianyang, Fujian, and belongs to the scope of "Lingbiao".
Based on the people and things mentioned in "Ming Xue Lu", "Wu Monk" named "Fanchuan" grew tea in Mengding Jie'an and not only produced two kinds of tea called "Sheng". A good tea with "Yanghua" and "Auspicious pistil", and "consistent contribution". "Chigui" means "taking tea leaves and going back to contribute to someone." This "Wu Monk" named "Fanchuan" is obviously another person. He came to Mengshan to grow tea, and made good tea. The monk who returned.
Another reason is that later generations confused the "Master Ganlu" who planted tea in Mengding with masters from different periods of time in Mengshan, such as "Master Ganlu" from Yongxing Temple.
From the "Painting Stele" in "Jinshiyuan" to the "Dameng Mountain in the World" stele, they are basically consistent in recording Wu Lizhen's cultivation of tea in Mengding, his deceased stone statue, the title of master, and the effectiveness of his prayers. However, there are obvious contradictions in these records, especially the record of "The Monument Painted by Zen Master Ganlu of the Song Dynasty" in "Jinshiyuan". The previous article said, "The teacher came from the Western Han Dynasty. He was the son of the Wu family. His Dharma name was Li Zhen. He came from Lingbiao and lived in Ximeng Mountain. He planted seven tea plants to relieve hunger and thirst." The following article goes on to say, "During the drought in the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang was ordered to When the two prime ministers of the Qin Dynasty issued an edict for rain relief, Shaoqing came to Ding to relieve the drought. "The person mentioned in the context must be the same person. However, the meaning of the two passages is difficult to understand. Since the master was from the Han Dynasty, how could he "enter meditation to save drought" in the "Yuan Dynasty", the beginning of the Song Dynasty?
"Entering meditation" is a way of Buddhist practice, and it should be behavior of the living. Therefore, there must be another person named "Master Nectar" who "entered concentration to save drought".
There is also a person in Mengshan who is called the "Ancestor of Ganlu". This is Zen Master Fudo, a famous eminent monk in the Song Dynasty.
According to Buddhist classics: "The Patriarch of Manna is also called the Fufu Guru, an eminent monk in the Song Dynasty. The Guru was a Vatican monk from the Western Regions who practiced Vajra Buddhism and spread the Dharma widely. Since then, he has reached Western Xia. , was highly valued by the king. Because the teacher often recited the Sutra of Protecting the Country and the People, the King of Xixia awarded the temple the title of "Protect the Country and the Benevolent King" for the teacher to protect the country and the people. Fifty-three Buddhas, suffixed by Samantabhadra's ten original verses, are combined into one hundred and eight rituals to cut off one hundred and eight worries, and are called the Great Confession.
The master came to China and lived in Mengshan Mountain. Lu cultivates Taoism.
Seeing that the dragon's veins from Meng Mountain flowed to the west and stopped at Yongxing Temple, he lived in Xi and rebuilt the temple for six years. Today, there are still "Ganlu Zongfeng" stone carvings at the mountain gate to mark the location of the ancestor's Taoist temple. ”
Yongxing Temple, where Zen Master Fudo lives, was built during the Three Kingdoms period. Master Kongding, a monk from India, came here to build a residence. It was named "Dafanyinyuan" and lasted for more than three hundred years from the Jin Dynasty to the Sui Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, the name was changed to "Longquan Yuan". At that time, Mazu and Baizhang's masters and disciples promoted agriculture and Zen. In response, Taoism planted tea trees, practiced tea art, and incorporated Zen methods into the tea. At this time, Mengding tea was paid tribute. In Chang'an, the capital, Zen Buddhism flourished, and Zen tea was popular among the world. Master Fufu came from the Western Regions and created the Buddhist scripture "Mongolia" in Yongxing Temple. "Mountain Food Rites" has been incorporated into the daily chanting of Zen sects since then. He is wise in his wishes and compassionate in his actions. It is like the supreme medicine of nectar that helps all living beings, and he is known as the "ancestral nectar".
< p>Wu Lizhen, the founder of tea planting, was named "Nanlu Universal Wisdom and Miaoji Bodhisattva" and was called "Ganlu Master". When later generations described the imperial "Ganlu Master", many people commonly called him "Nanlu Patriarch", that is, Yongxing. The actions of Zen Master Fu Fudo were mixed up with Wu Lizhen, and because Zen Master Fu Fudo came from the Western Regions, some records mistakenly regarded the "Master Ganlu" who grew tea in the Han Dynasty as a "monk" and "from the Western Regions". Come".In addition, there was a famous Zen Master Puhui in Mengshan who founded Zhiju Temple. The title of "Pu Hui" is similar to the title of "Ling Ying Nectar and Universal Wisdom" in the imperial edict. Therefore, some people confuse this "Pu Hui" with the other "Pu Hui".
The fundamental reason for saving the title of "Master Ganlu" is still tea cultivation. Although Wu Seng Fanchuan, Fudo Zen Master, and Puhui Zen Master each have their own practices, their influence is limited anyway and cannot be compared with "all over China". Compared with his merits in growing tea, tea grower Wu Lizhen is qualified to be titled "Master of Manna"
In ancient times, after the development of agriculture and Zen in the Tang Dynasty, tea in Mengshan was mainly produced by monks in temples. People planted it. It is said that there were dozens of original temples in Mengshan, such as Tiangai Temple, Zhiju Temple, Yongxing Temple, Qianfo Temple and other large temples, with bells and drums in the morning and drums in the evening. Especially the tribute tea, although it is hosted by the government, the work is mainly done by the monks of the temple. Every year when the tribute tea is mined, monks from dozens of temples around Mengshan gather at the Zhiju Temple on the mountainside to hold a ritual ceremony. , burning incense, chanting sutras, digging mountains and picking tea.
Now, after thousands of years of wind, frost, rain and snow, there are still ancient temples and temples such as Yongxing Temple and Qianfo Temple in Mengshan. There are tea gardens in all the temples. Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine how strong the incense was and how strong the Buddhist tradition was when the temples such as Tiangai Temple, Zhiju Temple, and Fuchan Temple were decorated with bells and red tiles.
< p>Under such circumstances, Wu Lizhen had great achievements in tea cultivation. He established the Mengshan Mountain and cultivated tea throughout China. It is completely reasonable to think of Wu Lizhen as a "Taoist priest" and let him "convert" to Buddhism and cast a mysterious halo over it.As for Wu Lizhen being regarded as a "Taoist priest", it was mentioned in Sun Jian's "Zhiju Temple Leaves" The misunderstanding caused by the title "There was a Taoist from the Han Dynasty in the evening, and Feicao was the ancestor at the beginning". In ancient times, it was the name given to Buddhists, people who became Buddhists, and people who became monks. Later, it was also used as a title for "Taoist priests". Therefore, some people simply regard Wu Lizhen as a "Taoist priest"
According to the analysis of historical records, Wu Lizhen is neither a monk nor a Taoist priest, but should be an ordinary local tea grower in Mengshan. An out-and-out "tea farmer" inscription on the "Dameng Mountains of the World" said that Wu Lizhen was "a man of Yandao in the Western Han Dynasty, who is also a man of Ya today", indicating that Wu Lizhen was a native of Yandao County.
Yandao County is the earliest establishment within the current Ya'an City. During the Warring States Period (316 BC), King Huiwen of Qin destroyed Shu and established Shu County. In 222 BC during the period of Qin Shihuang, the clan of King Yan of Chu State, which was exterminated at that time, moved to Shu County and established Yandao County. "Qin Kuo Ge Di Zhi" "Yandao County is now under the jurisdiction of Yazhou. King Zhao of Qin Yan Jun quickly closed his hands here, so it was called this." The administrative seat is now Yingjing County (the seat of Yingjing County is still Yandao Town to this day). The scope covers the current Ya'an City or even wider. The "Yuanhe County Chronicles" of the Tang Dynasty said: "The Mingshan County is Yandao County, and the Han Dynasty County has a satisfactory name." It means that Yandao County lasted until the Han Dynasty. During the Han Dynasty, the tea industry was also very developed in the Chengdu Plain and its surrounding areas. It is reasonable for Wu Lizhen to plant tea in Haoshan. Therefore, whether it is ancient Yan or Tang Yan, Mengshan is included in it.
Regardless of whether Wu Lizhen's "Yandao County native" is ancient Yandao or Tang Yandao, they are all people from Mengshan or the surrounding areas.
(The pictures used in this article are all from the Internet)
Source: World Tea Culture Library