When a stone is struck, there is fire; if it is not struck, there is no smoke. People know when they learn, but it is unnatural not to learn---Monk Xuyun
Xuyun
Xuyun (1840-1959), whose common surname is Xiao, also known as Guyan, also known as Yanchu , whose courtesy name is Deqing and whose names are Xuyun and Huanyou. His ancestral home is Xiangxiang, Hunan, and he was born in Quanzhou, Fujian. He once presided over the restoration work of Zhenru Temple.
Xu Yun was born into a family of officials. His father Xiao Yutang, an official, went to the prefect of Quanzhou. He hoped that his son would succeed and asked him to learn eight-part essay in order to advance in the officialdom. However, Xuyun had a calm temperament since childhood and loved to read Confucian and Buddhist scriptures. His ambition was not to achieve fame. His father tried various methods but failed to force him to submit. In the seventeenth year of Guangxu's reign (1891), he suddenly escaped from home and became a monk. His father found out and ordered him to go home. In the second year of his life, he fled to Yongquan Temple in Gushan to be ordained and became a disciple of Monk Miaolian. Immediately he lived in seclusion in a cave, walked with a tutu, and meditated for three years. Then he left the temple and traveled around, studying Buddhist scriptures and practicing Zen in famous mountain temples in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui. He once met with the famous Buddhist layman Yang Renshan in Jiangning. In the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu's reign, Xu Yun walked north from Mount Putuo. When he arrived in Beijing, the Boxer Rebellion broke out and the Eight-Power Allied Forces attacked Beijing. He followed the empress dowager and Emperor Guangxu's escape team westward, exited the Great Wall, and went to Shaanxi. On the way, he met many people. Princes and ministers. After arriving in Xi'an, he went to Zhongnan Mountain, where he stayed at the foot of the Lion Rock and changed his name to Xuyun. In the twenty-eighth year of Guangxu's reign, Xuyun traveled around, paid homage to Emei, passed through Tibet, entered Xikang, and then transferred to Jijiao Mountain in Yunnan. Jijiao Mountain was an important place for Buddhism in history. At this time, there were only a dozen ruined temples left, and foreign monks were not allowed to hang out. Xuyun had nowhere to stay. Later, through the recommendation of Zhang Songlin, the admiral of Dali, to the local magistrate, he found a ruined temple in Jijiao Mountain, Bo Yu'an, where he lived and conducted religious activities. In this year, he changed Bo Men's Temple into Yingxiang Temple, accepted monks from all over the world, and raised funds to build the temple. In the 30th year of Guangxu's reign, he traveled abroad and lectured on sutras and sermons in Luoluo (today's Thailand) and Nanyang (that is, Southeast Asia). He converted (Buddhism says that body and mind take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) and tens of thousands of people were converted. He also went to Japan to visit Buddhism. Passing through Kuala Lumpur, he received a letter from Central Yunnan, saying: "The government has launched a new policy and all temple properties have been mentioned." He asked him to try to save it. In the 32nd year of Guangxu's reign, Xuyun transferred to Shanghai and invited monk Ji Chan (Jing'an) to go to Beijing to appeal with him. After arriving in Beijing, he received the support of the princes and dignitaries whom he met at that time, and received a "Shangyu" (i.e. notice) to protect the temples, which said: "From then on, all governors instruct local officials to protect all temples, large and small, and all monks' property." Protected by local officials." From then on, temple properties were no longer mentioned in various places. Afterwards, Xuyun continued to stay in Beijing and invited Longzang (a Buddhist scripture published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Qing Dynasty) for the Yunnan temple. Prince Jingsu Shanqi and others initiated a petition, and in July of the same year, he issued an edict to confer the name of Yingxiang Temple as "Guoguo Sacred Zen Temple", Xuyun as "Master of Buddha Cihong Dharma", "Purple Clothes and Alms Bowl", " "Jade Seal", "Xi Zang Ruyi", and "Luang Jia". At this point, Xuyun's worth increased a hundred times and his reputation greatly increased.
In 1911 (the third year of Xuantong), in order to unite Buddhists, protect the temple, and mediate Buddhism in Shanghai. After the confrontation between the Buddhist Association and the Ning Da Tonghui, Xuyun left Yunnan and arrived in Shanghai. Then, he and the monk Jichan went to Nanjing to meet with Sun Yat-sen and negotiated changes to the constitution of the Buddhist Association and the cancellation of the name of self-reliance in various places. In April of the same year, due to the change of government, After meeting Sun Yat-sen, he went to Beijing to meet Yuan Shikai. After reorganizing the Chinese Buddhist Association in Shanghai, Xuyun returned to Yunnan, met with Cai E, and organized the Buddhist branches in Yunnan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Tibet. Under the protection of the new "Great Protector", the incense of Zhusheng Temple was still very prosperous. In 1912, when the Republic of China was founded, there was a trend of expelling monks and destroying the temple. Temple, Xu Yun was arrested by name. Xu Yun went to Li Yuan alone and asked, "What's the use of Buddhism?" Xuyun replied: "Since ancient times, when a country was founded, it has been discussed to merge the state and religion. Politics can cure the body but not the mind, but education can cure the mind." The heart is the foundation of all things, and it should be righteous, so why should the heart not be cured? "He very well understood the function of religion for rulers. After several debates, he finally convinced Li Gengen.
In 1920, Xu Yun went to Kunming at the invitation of Yunnan Governor Tang Jiyao to rebuild the Huating Temple in Xishan. During the construction, After the "Yun Tower" ancient stele was discovered, he renamed Huating Temple Yunqi Temple. Based on the ancient stele's records and the temple's property figures, Tang Jiyao issued a notice to redeem hundreds of acres of farmland and dozens of miles of mountain farm at a low price. Returning to the temple aroused resentment among the people. After he acquired the property, he organized charity activities to win over the people.
In 1929, Xu Yun went to Fuzhou Yongquan Temple at the invitation of Lin Sen and Yang Shuzhuang, officials of the Fujian Kuomintang. He served as the abbot (the head of the temple). At first, he preached precepts to the monks for fifty-three days. Then he reformed the old customs in the temple, and then started to straighten out the Taoism, build up the Zen Hall and the Buddha Hall, restore the Seventh Festival, and teach the precepts in the late spring. On this basis, more than ten buildings, halls, pavilions, dormitories, courtyards, nunneries, caves, etc. were built, and the Xuejie Hall was founded, which was later changed to a Buddhist academy, with Yang Shuzhuang, Chairman of Fujian Province, as the honorary president. Yun served as the dean of the temple and trained young monks. Yang Shuzhuang's mother worshiped Xuyun as his teacher, and Yang and many officials from Fujian became Xuyun's great protectors. It was compiled into the "Catalogue of the Gushan Buddhist Scriptures" and published. In 1933, war broke out in Fujian, and most temples in the province stopped retaining monks. Monks had no room for food and accommodation. However, Gushan still retained Haidan, and there were more than a thousand wandering monks. Yun worked hard for this and tried his best to make ends meet.
In 1934, at the invitation of General Li Hanhun, he went to Qujiang, Guangdong to preside over the reconstruction of Nanhua Temple, the monastery of Hui Neng, the sixth ancestor of Zen Buddhism.
It was now in dilapidated condition. Xuyun put forward four conditions, the fourth of which is: "All incoming and outgoing assets, liquidation of property, negotiation and litigation preparation are all the responsibility of the donor." This requirement summarizes his many years of "macro-law" experience, that is, relying on reactionary The power of the rulers expanded the power of Buddhism. After Li Hanhun agreed, he raised hundreds of thousands of gold in person. After all the preparatory work was completed, he asked the authorities to send people to survey the painting boundary and confiscate the "temple property" without a deed, and redeem it at a low price if there was a deed. When Wuwu'an was recovered, the residents were evicted, leaving more than 20 poor households homeless. In the autumn of 1935, Xu Yun went from Pengshan to Qujiang to preside over the construction. He used the police to drive away the residents of the temple and personally supervised the construction of the temple. It took ten years to build a total of 243 halls and 690 new large and small Buddha statues, making the temple the largest Buddhist holy place in Guangdong. Soon, the Thousand Buddha Ordination was held, and hundreds of people were ordained, attracting people from Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao. A large number of wealthy people went sightseeing.
In 1942, Lin Sen, Chairman of the National Government, launched the "Dharma Assembly to Protect the Country and End Disasters" in Chongqing, and asked Xu Yun to preside over it. Xuyun arrived in Chongqing and hosted the Dharma conference for forty-nine days. At the Dharma meeting, he praised the reactionary rule of the Kuomintang and said: "The people from all over the world are happy for nothing, and we praise Yao, Tian, ??Shun and Deming." Chiang Kai-shek personally held a banquet to entertain, and Lin Sen and others accompanied him. In 1946, Xuyun was invited by the Guangdong authorities to hold a religious ceremony for the fallen anti-Japanese soldiers at Jingci Temple in Guangzhou, which once again caused a sensation in Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao. Among them, more than 100,000 people from Hong Kong and Macao participated in the Dharma conference. At that time, Tie Chan, the abbot of Liuta Temple in Guangzhou, was imprisoned for traitor. Xuyun petitioned the authorities to release him on bail. However, he was opposed by some local monks and failed. In 1947, Chiang Kai-shek wrote an inscription on the "Tongjie Lu" of Nanhua Temple: "Pi Zheng Decai Feng" in recognition of Xu Yun's achievements.
In the autumn of 1949, when Guangdong was liberated, the people's government treated Xuyun with courtesy, but Xuyun secretly resisted the democratic reforms carried out in Xumen and Huanan Temple. The abbot of Nanhua Temple, Ben Huan, and others were charged with counter-revolutionary crimes. Xuyun once complained about being arrested by the public security organs. (Note: In 1943, Xuyun recommended Monk Benhuan, who had been a traitor in Mount Wutai, to be the abbot of Nanhua Temple.) In the winter of the same year, Xuyun was invited to Beijing to attend the preparatory meeting of the Buddhist Association, and established the Buddhist Association in Guangji Temple with Yuanying, Zhao Puchu and others. Preparatory Office of the Buddhist Association of China. On October 1, on behalf of Chinese Buddhists, he accepted the three treasures of "Buddha's Relic", "Baye Sutra" and "Bodhi Tree" presented by the Ceylon Buddhist delegation. In the same year, he was elected as a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In December, Xuyun went to Shanghai to attend the "Wish for World Peace Dharma Conference".
In 1953, the Chinese Buddhist Association was established, and Xuyun was one of the four honorary presidents. Thanks to the struggle and unity of the people's government, Xuyun was able to get rid of the entanglement with the reactionary remnants of South China and created conditions for him to engage in normal religious activities. In the same year, Xuyun climbed Yunju Mountain on July 5 at the invitation of Xingfu, the abbot of Zhenru Temple in Yunju Mountain, Jiangxi Province. I saw that this most successful monastery founded by Zen Master Daorong in the early years of the Tang Dynasty and had lasted for more than a thousand years only had three ruins left. Most of the palaces and pavilions had collapsed, with rubble everywhere and weeds everywhere. A large bronze statue of Vairocana Buddha from the Ming Dynasty sits among the wild smoke and grass. Xu Yun then decided to keep Yunshan and rebuild the temple, and got approval from relevant departments. After the news of Xuyun's residence in Yunju spread, monks from all over gathered together, numbering more than fifty by the end of the year. While leading people to practice, Xuyun also made various plans to repair the temple. In the spring of 1954, he responded to the call of the people's government and insisted on "paying equal attention to agriculture and Zen", reclaiming wasteland and cultivating land to support himself. In 1955, the number of monks increased to several hundred, and by 1956, the grains and sweet potatoes produced basically met the food needs of the monks in the temple. The temple was funded and designed by Xuyun, which lasted about three years. Dozens of temples, halls, buildings, halls, etc. were rebuilt, 132 large and small Buddha statues were sculpted, and the temples that were burned down by the Japanese army were renovated. Subsequently, Xuyun organized monks to restore historical sites. In the autumn of 1956, the Mingyue Lake dredging, Bixi dredging and stream improvement projects were carried out again. During the construction, a huge stone with "Stone Forest" inscribed by Su Shi was excavated. Xuyun placed it next to Foyin Bridge, named it "Danxin Stone", made it a scenic spot, and personally wrote a poem to commemorate it. A granite circle was built at the Huiquan under the ginkgo tree, and a stone offering table was placed in front of it. The two characters "Huiquan" written in his own handwriting are engraved on its outer edge. At the same time, tea trees and fruit trees were planted outside the temple, and gardens were opened inside the temple. In the spring of 1955, Xuyun's health was declining, but he was still concerned about matters in the temple. In July of that year, Xuyun received the "Yunjushan Chronicles" compiled for him by layman Cen Lu. He was very happy and wrote "Reconstruction" despite his illness. Yunjushan Zhenru Temple Affairs" and "Yunjushan Chronicles Reconstruction and Circulation Order". This annals was jointly published by Lin Jing Yuan and Buddhist Sutra Circulation in Hong Kong and has been circulated throughout the world.
On October 13, 1959, Xuyun passed away in Zhenru Temple due to chronic dysentery and was 120 years old. Xuyun practiced Zen and asceticism throughout his life, and was famous for his ability to rectify Buddhist jungles and build famous temples. Xuyun is not only famous in Buddhist altars in Southeast Asian countries, but also has a certain influence in North America. In 1982, the Zen Buddhist Center in New York, USA, built a memorial hall for him and engraved his biography on a stone tablet in English. Xuyun wrote many poems and verses throughout his life, 390 of which have been selected and compiled into "The Dharma Collection of Monk Xuyun", published by the Hong Kong Buddhist Book Company. Other records of his life include "The Deeds of Monk Xuyun", "Chronology of Monk Xuyun", "Collection of Painting Methods of Monk Xuyun", etc.