The Origin of Buddhism in Bai Juyi Xiangshan

In his later years, Bai Juyi became increasingly depressed and witnessed the cruel fact of intrigue in the palace. He decided to stay away from Guanhai and live in seclusion in Luoyang, the eastern capital. This move is actually a trick that affects the whole body. In addition, Taoism is clean and promising, and the Buddhist thought of "seeking no life" and "returning to an empty door" has entered his heart. The reason why Bai Juyi called himself a layman in his later years is self-evident.

Bai Juyi had a soft spot for Xiangshan Temple in his later years. After Bai Juyi retired to Luoyang, he loved the tranquility of Xiangshan Temple very much. He frequented Xiangshan, and even moved all his wine and books to Xiangshan Temple. He believes that although the environment in this place is very good, the temple gate is dilapidated and the walls are peeling off, which leads to poor accommodation for monks and the Buddha statue has been eroded beyond words. Therefore, Bai Juyi is determined to repair Xiangshan Temple.

During his stay in Xiangshan, Bai Juyi also compiled his poems written in Luoyang into ten volumes and named them "Bai Ji". In addition, he made friends with Xiangshan monks and became a member of Xiangshan Temple. Bai Juyi stayed away from officialdom in his later years, lived in Xiangshan, finally died in Xiangshan, and was later buried in Xiangshan. Therefore, Bai Juyi in his later years named himself "Xiangshan Jushi".