When it comes to Zen, it seems that a sense of mystery and mystery immediately fills my heart.
When it comes to Zen, Zen Buddhism immediately comes to mind, and then Yang Qi comes to mind, and an ordinary temple on Yang Qi Mountain emerges. Even the name of this temple has a homely and casual flavor, it is called Ordinary Temple. But this ordinary temple is one of the ancestral temples of Zen Buddhism, where Yang Qizong, an important sect in the history of Zen Buddhism, was named, spread and multiplied.
In the first year of Qianxing in the Song Dynasty (1022), the 30-year-old monk Fang Hui came to Yangqishan in western Jiangxi to preach Dharma. He renamed the Guangli Temple on Yangqi Mountain that originated in the Tang Dynasty to the Ordinary Temple, thus promoting the family style and establishing the world-famous Yangqi Sect. Therefore, Fang Hui was called "Yang Qi Fang Hui".
We already know that Bodhidharma's eastward journey combined Buddhism with Chinese cultural spirit, while the Sixth Patriarch Huineng created "pure Chinese Buddhism". With the rise of the Zen school of thought that catered to the psychological needs of the southern gentry, the past practices that required chanting sutras, ascetic cultivation, transcending the world, and sitting in silence became more in line with the gentry's desire for simplicity. Now, they can easily enter a certain state in an epiphany by having an idea and thinking together. In this way, Zen Buddhism possesses a certain kind of artistic and interesting character, coupled with its own mystery and mysticism, forming an external presentation of wisdom and speculation.
As more scholars participate in it, the internal communication and dissemination of Zen Buddhism also has the shadow of scholars. They use sticks, lingo, movements, gestures, etc. to express their ideas and debate their understandings, and they become one. A free and lively Zen style. The recording and inheritance of Zen history and details also appear more in the form of so-called koans.
During the Tang and Song dynasties, the great Zen masters mostly displayed their mysteries with strange words and deeds that were almost sophistry and fierce sticks and shouts, while Fang Hui's performance was plain and plain. He did not stick to the language and worked hard, but emphasized the intuitive cultivation of Zen, advocating "following the square to make the circle", "there are horses riding but no horses walking", "Yang Qi has no purpose, plant fields to make food". Once, someone asked Fang Hui: "How to navigate the long snowy road?" Fang Hui replied: "The mist locks thousands of beautiful mountains and meanders toward pedestrians." That means you don't have to stick to the rules, and you can use them flexibly according to the specific situation.
In Fang Hui’s view, Zen Buddhism mainly relies on the self-enlightenment of “the truth immediately.” He said: “The truth is immediately there, you understand it, it happens everywhere, and you are liberated everywhere.” Because “everything is true.” The Dharma is all Buddhist. The Buddha's hall faces the three gates, and the monk's hall faces the kitchen. If you can get it, you can carry a bowl and hold a stick, and if you don't know how, you can face the wall."
However, This Fang Hui is not very "flexible" or "flexible" in his own practice principles. When he was managing the temple's warehouse, he lit the lamps in the temple while working, and at night when he was chanting sutras and meditating, he lit his own oil lamps, for fear of invading public interests. Regarding the management of the temple, this young monk is also strict, meticulous, and reasonable. Management details include the lighting and addition of lamps in temples. For example, the ever-bright lamps in front of the Buddha are carefully taken care of by the incense lamp master. The lamps used in the dormitories are required to be lit and extinguished on time to ensure practicality and economy. His virtuous conduct of caring for the public property of the temple and distinguishing between public and private affairs has become a legend. From this, the famous couplet in Buddhism was derived: Yang Qi’s lamp will shine through the ages, and his longevity and ginger will last for thousands of years.
As a skeptic, I still want to believe that this story must have its basis in fact. Its simplicity has a completely different style from many other "koans".
Most of the stories we see now that are full of mysteries and lead to enlightenment through seemingly unrelated words and deeds of Zen masters undoubtedly perfectly embody the various ways of philosophy and language. Various interpretations also perfectly reflect the elegant wisdom of Zen Buddhism. However, please forgive my stupidity and presumptuousness. When I look through those yellowed Zen koans, sometimes I will unconsciously have some treacherous thoughts: there are a few koans in Zen literature who are probably playing rogue. . When faced with problems that are difficult to answer or cannot be solved in a few words, everyone is a smart person and knows how to choose the smartest way. As for whether the language and behavior that have nothing to do with the question itself are interpreted by the questioner or bystanders as a profound revelation that makes people realize, there is no need to worry so much.
Of course, maybe, in another context, laughing and letting it go is itself an expression of meditation?
The style of Yang Qi's koan, which has shone brightly through the ages, is completely different from those brain-teasers and clever question-and-answer koans. It uses the simplest and clumsiest story to express a monk's moral standard and management ability. Perhaps, it is precisely because of the moral level and management ability of the founder that Yang Qizong has been able to take advantage of the strengths of various schools from the beginning, integrate them, eliminate shortcomings and introduce new ones, and finally stand out among many Zen sects and become unique.
After the development of the Tang and Song dynasties, as a religious school immersed in Chinese thought and culture, Zen Buddhism has developed to include five schools and seven sects. The five schools are Linji Sect, Weiyang Sect, Yunmen Sect, Fayan Sect, and Caodong Sect. Linji sect was divided into Huanglong and Yangqi sects in the Song Dynasty. These two sects plus five sects were collectively called seven sects.
However, the "History of Chinese Buddhism" records: In the Song Dynasty, only the Linji family of Zen spread to its peak, and the rest of the family either became extinct or declined. The Caodong family continued to flourish until the end of the Song Dynasty, and the Huanglong sect under Linji died out after several generations. The Yang Qi sect is the old name of Fu Lin Ji Sect. ——The Huanglong Sect within the Linji Sect became extinct after a few generations. The Yangqi Sect was identical with the Linji Sect, and the history of the Linji Sect became the history of the development of the Yangqi Sect.
Starting from the ordinary temple, Yang Qizong's techniques spread, and the method multiplied and spread all over the country. Only in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Jinshan Temple in Zhenjiang, Gaomin Temple in Yangzhou, Tianning Temple in Changzhou, Tianmu Zen Master Temple, Tiantong Temple in Ningbo, Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, Huqiu Temple in Suzhou, etc. are all from the Yang Qi lineage. According to the "Extended Directory Catalog", from the Southern Song Dynasty to the early Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, there were 710 eminent monks and virtuous people in the country, of which 470 were disciples of Yang Qizong. The "Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Celebrities" records the inheritance of the ten major Buddhist sects in China, and the one that occupies the largest space is Yang Qizong. Among the descendants of Yang Qi's lineage, there are many well-known Zen masters, as well as officials such as Zhang Shangying, Yao Guangxiao, Yuan Liaofan, who were ministers of the Ming Dynasty, and famous ministers Lin Zexu, as well as cultural celebrities such as Zhao Mengfu, Shi Tao, Bada Shanren, and Hong Yi.
Also starting from the ordinary temple, Yang Qi's sect is still flourishing in foreign countries. It is said that since the Tang and Song Dynasties, monks from Japan came to Yang Qi to practice Zen one after another, making Yang Qi Zong flourish in Japan. At that time, there were 24 sects of Zen in Japan, and Yang Qizong dominated 20 sects. The first Japanese monk to come to China to seek the Dharma from Yang Qi was Zhu Guang. He came to China decades earlier than the two Zen monks Jun Qiu and Yuan Er Bian Yuan mentioned in "Ci Hai" to seek Dharma from China.
It is conceivable that the "Envoys to the Tang Dynasty" set sail from the coast of Japan again and again, and returned to Japan from China again and again, bringing back not only boxes of unseen objects, but also unheard stories. China, where those objects and stories originated, has made countless Japanese people's hearts flutter. As a monk, Zhu Guang decided to go to China to study Buddhism!
After going through many hardships and dangers, it took more than one day for Pearlescent Light to finally reach China. After searching left and right, he was pious and respectful, and finally became the disciple of Zen Master Foguo, the fourth generation descendant of Yang Qizong. Inspired by religious culture, Zhuguang overcame many difficulties in language, life, and learning, became increasingly diligent, and finally received the "Yinke" from Zen Master Foguo.
After completing her studies, Zhuguang returned by boat with great joy, taking with her the Buddhist explanations written by her master, Zen Master Foguo, and the calligraphy banner of "Tea and Zen Yiyi". It is conceivable that along the way he thought several times about how to promote Yang Qi Zen Buddhism after returning to Japan. Unfortunately, just as his boat was about to dock, a hurricane capsized it and no one on board survived. This pearl with the intention of passing Yang Qi lamps to Japan eventually became a martyr.
Cultural exchanges have always been interactive in nature. In addition to the Japanese monks who took the initiative to come to Yang Qi to practice Zen, during the Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties, many descendants of the Yang Qi Sect also went to Japan to spread Buddhism. Among them, the main representative was Zen Master Lanxi Daolong in the Southern Song Dynasty. The Japanese court honored him as "Yishan Guoshi"; Zen Master Yin Yuan Longqi built Wanfu Temple in Huangbo Mountain in Japan. The Japanese court honored him as the "National Master of Great Light".
When Yang Qizong shone brightly and ordinary temples became extraordinary, Yang Qifanghui had already passed away. When Julu Lanlu came to Yang Qi, Fang Hui probably didn't expect that the sect he founded would become a glorious cultural river, allowing Yang Qi's lanterns to spread for a long time.
In fact, Fang Hui, who brought Yang Qi's name to its peak and glory, was not the originator of Yang Qi's religious culture. Prior to this, Yang Qi's Buddhist inheritance had already begun in the Tang Dynasty. At that time, two Zen masters, Chengguang and Zhenshu, built a temple here and passed it on from generation to generation.
In the 14th year of Zhenyuan of Tang Dynasty (798), Chengguang passed away here after more than 40 years of hard work in Yang Qi. His disciples built the Zen Master Chengguang Pagoda with stones on the right side of the temple. Nine years after the stone pagoda was built, a disciple named Huanyuan asked Master Chengguang's former friend and famous poet Liu Yuxi to write a thousand-word inscription. This "Inscription of Zen Master Guang Gong of Yang Qishan in Pingxiang County, Yuanzhou, Yuanzhou during the Tang Dynasty" was written by Liu Yuxi and carefully carved by his brother Liu Shenxi.
When the inscription was written, Liu Yuxi was demoted to Sima Langzhou, thousands of miles away from Yang Qishan. Monk Huanyuan worked tirelessly, traveled across mountains and ridges, and traveled across prefectures and prefectures to finally find Liu Yuxi. Liu Yuxi was extremely moved when he saw this descendant of his good friend from the monks. He once again thought of every detail of his interaction with Zen Master Chengguang while feeling regretful, and finally wrote about it.
In fact, the friendship between Liu Yuxi and Zen Master Chengguang is not uncommon. Looking through the literature, we can see that countless literati have maintained friendly relations with monks, and many literati have left works of harmony with monks. Or an inscription.
This is really something strange. The literati are doing their own official work, and the monks are participating in their Zen. How can there be such frequent and common intersections? Why are there so many monks in famous mountains in the world, and why are so many famous people in the world friendly to monks? Perhaps this is because literati like to explore mountains and rivers, and it is easy to enter temples with cultural heritage, cultural atmosphere and history. Many of the monks who live deep in temples often have amazing words of wisdom, which makes literati gain a lot from contact with them. This is especially true after the rise of Zen Buddhism. Or perhaps, this is because most literati in history were frustrated, and at this time it was easy to seek relief and refuge from Buddhism.
The monk's detachment made the literati feel that they yearned for and envied him but could not get it, so they often visited him. Or maybe it’s because the monks have fewer interest entanglements, which makes the literati who are trapped in the interpersonal entanglements of officials feel relaxed and happy when interacting with them.
——I forgot an important point. Monks in the past were often literati. There were quite a few monks at that time who were good at poetry and writing.
As a result, the literati and the monks gradually evolved from visitors and hosts to literary friends and poets, and then to close friends. The friendship between the two eventually survived through the temple buildings and poetry and writings that can last for a long time.
Strangely enough, this small place in Pingxiang, western Jiangxi, has quite a connection with religion. Here, the cultural origins of Taoism can be traced back nearly 2,000 years ago. Many documents, whether true or false, say that Ge Xuan and Ge Hong, the founders of the Danding Sect, an important sect of Chinese Taoism, practiced Taoism and refined elixirs in Pingxiang Wugong Mountain during the Three Kingdoms and Eastern Jin Dynasties. To this day, at the golden summit of Wugong Mountain, there are still four ancient granite altars built in the early years of the Eastern Wu Dynasty in the Three Kingdoms. Ge Xuan himself also wrote "Ode to Alchemy", describing his hardships in cultivating Taoism and refining elixirs: "The beads and beads flowed, servicing my body. Running all over the world, reading many books. I have not been enlightened for a long time, and my thinking is like a fool. I burned all the gold and stone. , burn out the mercury beads." Yuan Hao in the Tang Dynasty also wrote a poem to record this story: "Two immortals in one cave perfected the magic, and achieved nine magical powers."
Not to mention its origins in Zen Buddhism. When Zu Huineng passed down, Zen Buddhism spread to Nanyue Huairang and Qingyuan Xingsi, and they were called "Nanyue Line" and "Qingyuan Line". The Nanyue line passed down to Mazu Daoyi, who ruled in Jiangxi; the Qingyuan line passed down to Shitou Xiqian, who ruled in Hunan. Disciples from both sides visited each other's masters to seek Dharma, which became a grand event for a time. In the history of Zen Buddhism, it was called "Wandering the Rivers and Lakes". During the Tang and Song Dynasties, there were countless traveling monks who traveled to and from Hunan and Jiangxi.
In addition to Yang Qi's Zen Buddhism, there is also a monk named Shi Weize in Pingxiang who shines in religious culture. This monk from the Yuan Dynasty, who called himself Tianru, advocated the dual cultivation of Zen and Purity. In his later years, with the support of his disciples, he created the famous Lion Grove Garden in Suzhou (first known as Shizi Grove). He had a close relationship with the Yuan opera masters Guan Yunshi and Ali Xiying, and they traveled and sang together in Hangzhou. After the Lion Grove Garden was built, he gathered in the garden with Ni Zan, Gao Qi and other literati to recite poems and write essays. Not only that, he himself is also good at poetry and prose, and has written "Shi Zi Lin Bie Lu", "Tian Ru Collection", "Abstracts of Eminent Monks", etc.
During the Song Dynasty, when the Yang Qi Zen sect was at its peak, worshipers from all over the world came in an endless stream, and they were like horses galloping together. Because Yangqishan Mountain is located dozens of miles away from the county seat, and one-day transportation is not very convenient, Baoji Temple in the urban area has naturally become a place where monks and laymen at home and abroad pay homage to the ancestral court of the Yangqi Zen Sect and hang tins.
In the first year of Chongning in the Northern Song Dynasty (1102), Huang Tingjian, the founder of Jiangxi Poetry School, came to Pingxiang to visit his brother Huang Dalin who was the county magistrate here. Apart from visiting relatives, it is natural to explore places of secludedness. After arriving at a place called Baoji Temple, he hit it off with the abbot of the temple, and the literati and monks chatted happily for a while. After talking about it, Huang Tingjian happily took up his pen and wrote the plaques of "Dewei Kitchen" and "Bahuantang", and he also happily planted a podocarpus in front of the temple hall. Still unsatisfied, Huang Tingjian wrote "Records of Baoji Temple" in the winter of the next year. While praising the temple, he also spoke highly of the abbot of the temple who had formed a friendship after just one visit.
Huang Tingjian had more than one monk friend in Pingxiang. He wrote poems specifically to send his long-time friend Zen Master Mi from Chongsheng Temple in Yichun to Wufeng Mountain in Pingxiang to serve as the abbot of a temple. This poem titled "Send Mi to Live in Wufeng Mountain" says: I crossed Gao'an and passed Pingxiang, crossing the sheep's intestines seventy-two times. There are Nizi in the woods by the water, and there are ancient Taoist temples in the north, south, and east. Five peaks appear in the sky, with a treasure house in the middle like a palm on the side. Go and be the master of Qingshan, and live up to the old Zen general Fachang. Planting pine trees and bamboos is a family tradition. Don’t worry about fighting and never coming back. But if a snail swallows an elephant, good wine will never go deep.
The friendship between Shi Weize and literati, Liu Yuxi and monks, Huang Tingjian and monks is not an isolated case. If we are willing, we can come up with a long list of names: Li Bai, Su Shi, Zheng Banqiao, Liu Changqing... no matter it is The literati who had an unlucky career reached a perfect harmony with their aloofness and the monk's loneliness, or the literati who were proud of the spring breeze interacted with the monk's open-mindedness with their leisure. The friendships finally lasted forever in the singing of poems, and each story finally ended spread over the years.
The simple interactions between these literati and monks added more color to Zen culture, and also added warmth and textual confirmation to the inheritance of Zen lamps from generation to generation.