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On the craze of Chinese and foreign monks seeking Dharma at sea in the Tang Dynasty
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Author: Zhang Jing[2001-7-6 9:31:23]
一
The Tang Dynasty was not only very powerful in politics, economy and military, Religion also developed rapidly. The devout eminent monks traveled across the oceans to spread Buddhism, and their fearless fighting spirit and outstanding cultural achievements wrote a glorious chapter in world history.
The routes to India in the Tang Dynasty were divided into land routes and sea routes. The route heading west from Chang'an and entering North India via Gansu, Xinjiang, and Central Asia has been the most important transportation route since the Han Dynasty; the other is the Sino-India-Tibet Road opened in the early Tang Dynasty through Japan and Nepal to India. The sea route was from Guangzhou, Jiaozhi (near today's Hanoi, Vietnam) and other places to India via the South China Sea. With the development of the southern economy in the Tang Dynasty, especially the prosperity of maritime trade, from the time of Emperor Gaozong onwards, most of the eminent monks who went to study in India traveled by sea. "Buddhism has a long way to go, and only after hard work can it be achieved." (Note: "The Biography of Eminent Monks of the Song Dynasty" Volume 11, page 247, Zhonghua Book Company, 1987.) The devout believers in the Tang Dynasty were not afraid of hardships, batch after batch Di Fuzhou went to Wutianzhu to worship the holy relics and traveled to many countries and regions such as India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Japan. According to the book "Dharma of Eminent Monks Seeking Dharma in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty", there were dozens of eminent monks who traveled to India by sea at that time, including Bingzhou Chang@① and his disciples, Yizhou Mingyuan, Yilang, Yixuan, Zhi'an, Huining, Luoyang Tanrun, Yihui, Zhihong, Jingzhou Tanguang, Daolin, Huiming, Wuxing, Fazhen, Chengwu, Runzhou Jiangning Xuankui, Xiangyang Lingyun, Lizhou Sengzhe, Dajin, Liangzhou Chengru, Gaochang Bian, Zhi'an, Aizhou Zhixing, Mahayana Deng, Jiaozhou Yunqi, Mucha Deva, Pichichong, Huiyan, Goryeo monk Xuanyóu＠② and two unknown Silla monks. In 671 AD (the second year of Emperor Xianheng's reign), Yijing and his disciple Shanxing took a Persian ship south from Guangzhou and traveled to more than 30 countries. In 695 AD (the first year of Zhengsheng), they returned to the Tang Dynasty. During Yijing's stay in Sri Buddha (now southeastern Sumatra Island, Indonesia), monks such as Zhengu, Huaiye, Daohong, and Falang took a boat from Guangzhou to Sri Buddha to help Yijing translate scriptures. After Yijing returned to China, Hui Ri was envious of Yijing's heroic journey to the west and took a boat to India to look for Sanskrit texts. In the Tang Dynasty, some monks also crossed the sea to Japan to preach the Dharma. Jianzhen, an eminent monk of the Vinaya Sect, crossed the sea to Japan to preach the Dharma at the request of the Japanese monk Rongrui and others. He was grandly welcomed by the Japanese government and the public.
During the same period, the prosperity of Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty attracted monks from all over Asia. Monks from Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka and other countries came in an endless stream from the sea. The land of the Tang Dynasty was active There are many monks of different nationalities and appearances. In the sixth year of Yonghui (655), Zhongtianzhu's ascetic brought more than 500 pods and more than 1,500 Sanskrit texts of Mahayana and Vinaya texts to Chang'an, and was ordered to translate the scriptures at Daci'en Temple. In the seventh year of Kaiyuan, the eminent South Indian monk Vajra Zhi and his disciple Bu Kong arrived in Guangzhou by sea and were welcomed to Chang'an to spread the secret teachings of yoga. There was also the wisdom of the North Indian ascetic (Sanskrit name Prajna), who heard that there was a miracle of Manjusri in Wutai Mountain in China, so he pointed the tin to the east. When he was approaching Guangzhou, the ship was blown back by the strong wind. He rebuilt the huge ship again, and finally in the second year of Jianzhong (AD 781) arrived at Panyu. The major monasteries in Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, were inhabited by eminent monks from all over the world. Ennin, a Japanese Buddhist monk who entered the Tang Dynasty, met monks from Tianzhu, Japan, Silla, Shishi (today's Sri Lanka) and other countries in the capital (Note: "A Pilgrimage to the Tang Dynasty" Volume 3, page 159, Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House 1986). Foreign monks were active in many cities and religious holy places in the Tang Dynasty. There were many temples with the name of the country scattered in various places, such as "Silla Temple", "Tianzhu Temple", etc.
Hangzhou Tianzhu Temple is A world-famous temple.
During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, China had very close relations with its eastern neighbors, North Korea and Japan. A large number of monks from both countries came to study in the Tang Dynasty, and North Korea had the largest number of monks who entered the Tang Dynasty. According to statistics in the article "Students and Monks of Silla in Tang Dynasty" by Yan Gengwang (quoted from "Tang History Research Series" by Yan Gengwang), there are more than 130 monks in Silla who stayed in Tang Dynasty and can be tested for their dharma titles. The actual number is much larger than This number. In the novels, notes and poems of the Tang Dynasty, we can often see records about Silla monks and Goryeo monks. "Goryeo monk" was even used as a metaphor. In the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty, the left stage called the right stage "Gaoli Monk", "In the Sui and Han Dynasties, the monks went to fast, and they did not curse or sigh, but they only accepted food and drink. He was ridiculed for controlling the outer stage, and there was no impeachment in the Beijing chariot, and his salary was the same. "(Note: "Taiping Guangji" Volume 254, "Left and Right Tai Censors" article, page 1973, Zhonghua Book Company, 1961.) Silla monks mostly came to Tang by sea, and settled in Yangzhou, Dengzhou, Chuzhou and other places. Abandoning the boat and landing, many Silla monks gathered in this area. Mount Jiuhua developed into a famous Buddhist holy place in China and was closely connected with these Silla monks.
Prince Jin of Silla traveled to Jiuzi Mountain in Chiyang (now Jiuhua Mountain in Anhui Province) to practice asceticism. He was revered as Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva by the local people and built a temple for him. Looking for it, there are many of them." (Note: "Biography of Eminent Monks of the Song Dynasty" Volume 20, Page 516, Zhonghua Book Company, 1987.) Jiuhua Mountain gradually developed into a major religious holy place.
During the reign of the Suigu Dynasty in Japan, the regent Prince Shotoku vigorously promoted Buddhism. In 608, he sent Gao Xiangxuanli and other four people, as well as monks such as mín＠④, Qing'an, Huiyin, Guangqi and other learned monks. They came to seek Dharma; later, Lingyun and Huiyun came to learn Dharma. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there was an endless stream of Japanese monks who came to China, including Fuliang, Zhizang, Daoci, Daozhao, Zhitong, Zhida, Xuanfǎng＠⑤, etc. The most famous one should be recommended as one of the "Eight Masters of the Tang Dynasty" - Zuocheng , Kukai, Ennin, Enzhen, Changxiao, Enxing, Huiyun, Zongrui. They obtained a large number of scriptures and cultural relics and returned them to China, making important contributions to the development of ancient Japanese culture.
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The reason why there was an upsurge in seeking Dharma and promoting Dharma in the Tang Dynasty was due to its profound social background and was closely related to the economic and cultural development of the entire Asian region.
First of all, it is closely related to the rapid development of Buddhism in China and vast areas of Asia. Indian Buddhism reached its peak in the seventh and eighth centuries AD. It was widely spread in South Asia and Southeast Asia and had more and more believers. In China, Buddhism has experienced hundreds of years of development and entered its heyday. Temples are widely spread, there are many monks and nuns, and Buddhism is widely spread among all levels of society. However, the development of Buddhism faces certain difficulties. On the one hand, due to translation problems, many Buddhist scriptures introduced since the Wei and Jin Dynasties have confusing meanings and are full of loopholes, causing certain confusion in the Buddhist world. On the other hand, some ascetics ignore the precepts and cause scandals. All kinds of things. In order to promote the Dharma, the ascetic Xuanzang traveled westward during the Zhenguan period and went to the Buddha's land to obtain the "True Sutra" in person. Other ascetics followed in his footsteps and traveled westward in search of knowledge. In the early Tang Dynasty, various sinicized sects gradually formed and were introduced to neighboring countries one after another. They had a profound impact on the development of Buddhism in Korea, Japan and other countries, and attracted monks from all over the world.
Secondly, the political and military strength and economic and cultural prosperity of the Tang Dynasty provided a solid material foundation and an extremely favorable social environment for the religious activities of monks. China in the Tang Dynasty was undoubtedly one of the most powerful and prosperous empires in the world at that time. It had frequent diplomatic exchanges with various Asian countries. Korea and Funan (today's Mekong Delta area) were both its tributary states. Its sphere of influence reached as far as Central Asia. The entire Asian region is influenced by its politics and culture. Just as Yijing said, "The country where chickens are noble and elephants are noble is full of mountains and rivers. The land of golden neighbors and jade mountains is built with green walls." (Note: "Nanhai Jigui Neifazhuan" Volume 1, page 22, Zhonghua Book Company 1995.) After Xuanzang returned from India, he said in the above table: "Zang heard that those who ride the strong wind can build Tianchi but not far away; those who ride dragon boats can cross the river waves without difficulty. Since His Majesty holds the Qian Fu, he can clear the four seas and be virtuous. Jiuyu, the eighth district of Renbei, south of Chunfang Yanjing, outside the Congling Mountains of Shengwei Town. Therefore, whenever the Rongyi chiefs see a flying bird coming from the east, they will hesitate to send it to the upper country and bow in respect. Kuang Xuanzang has a round head and square feet, and he is a person who has personally inherited and educated him. Since he relies on the power of heaven, he has no difficulty in going back and forth." (Note: "The Biography of Master Tripitaka of Daci'en Temple", Volume 6, Page 126, Zhonghua Book Company, 1983.)
Furthermore, the development of maritime trade and progress in navigation technology in Asia, especially in the Tang Dynasty, provided convenient transportation conditions for the propagation of Buddhism at sea. In the early Tang Dynasty, maritime transportation already had a certain scale, and it was even more developed in the Kaiyuan Dynasty. The foreign trade cities on the southern coast of China, such as Quanzhou, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Yangzhou, developed rapidly. Yangzhou has surpassed Luoyang and Chang'an and is the most prosperous commercial city in the country. The scale of maritime trade with neighboring countries has gradually exceeded that of the land Silk Road. Sino-foreign transportation has been unprecedentedly developed. Spices, medicinal materials, and pepper from Asian countries are continuously imported by sea. Chinese porcelain, tea, and silk are exported to many countries. Porcelain, in particular, has opened up a vast market overseas. Modern archaeologists have excavated porcelain produced in the Tang Dynasty in Japan, Korea, India, Nepal, Malaysia, Iran, Iraq and many places in Africa. The economic exchanges between China and the *** region are unprecedentedly prosperous. There are a large number of Persian merchants living in Yangzhou and Guangzhou. There are also Persians and cannibals doing business in other cities. In coastal cities, there are "South China Sea Ships" and "South China Sea Ships". "Persian Ship", "Lion Ship", "Jiaozhi Ship", "Kunlun Ship", "Western Region Ship" and Japanese Ship" and other ships from many countries. China has the largest number of seagoing ships, and its size and strong wind resistance In 748 AD, the great monk Jianzhen of the Tang Dynasty led his disciples to Japan for the fifth time. However, they were caught in a storm and drifted to Hainan Island. On their way back north, they passed through Guangzhou. He saw that the nearby river was full of Brahman, Persian, and There are countless ships from Kunlun and other countries (Note: "The Biography of the Great Monk of the Tang Dynasty", page 74, Zhonghua Book Company, 1979.) The prosperity of commerce and maritime trade, the progress of shipbuilding and navigation, have brought great benefits to monks from all over the world. The exchanges provided unprecedented convenience
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The Dharma-seeking monks braved hardships and traveled far and wide to spread Buddhism and contribute to the economic and cultural exchanges and development in Asia. Made outstanding contributions.
The Dharma-seeking activities greatly promoted the development of Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty and cultural exchanges among Asian countries. The Chinese Buddhist monks brought back a large number of classics from India and carried out arduous translation activities. The establishment of various sects in the Tang Dynasty laid the foundation for the prosperity of Buddhism.
In the history of Chinese Buddhism, Yijing is a very influential figure. He studied in India for many years, returned to China with nearly 400 Sanskrit texts, and organized a translation studio to carry out translation activities. He is also known as Faxian of Jin Dynasty and Xuanzang of Tang Dynasty. He is a monk who seeks Dharma for the three great monks and has achieved great success. Hui Ri was another famous Dharma-seeking monk. After returning to China, he focused on promoting the Pure Land Dharma. He was awarded the title of "Compassion and Compassion Tripitaka" and made important contributions to the development of the Pure Land Sect. In the development of Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty, eminent monks from India played an important role in the development of Buddhism. During the reign of Xuanzong, the "Three Great Masters of Kaiyuan" (Shan Wuwei, Vajra Zhi, and Bu Kong) came to Chang'an one after another, and China gradually formed a complete Tantra sect. In the fourth year of Kaiyuan, Shan Wuwei, an eminent monk from Central India, first arrived in Chang'an and began to formally teach Tantric Buddhism. Four years later, the eminent South Indian monk Vajra Zhi and his disciple Bu Kong came to China's Dahong Tantric Sect. Vajra Zhi was honored as a national teacher by the Tang Dynasty. After King Kongzhi's death, Bu Kong led thirty-seven of his disciples on the Kunlun Ship under the order of the imperial court and set off for the Lion Kingdom to deliver credentials and learn esoteric Buddhism. A few years later, Fu Kong returned to Chang'an with a large number of Buddhist scriptures and gifts from the King of the Lion Kingdom to the Tang Dynasty. He promoted Tantric Buddhism in the two capitals and gained widespread respect from both the government and the public.
Law-seeking activities are of great significance to the cultural development of Japan, North Korea and other countries. The eminent monks who crossed the sea to seek Dharma introduced various sects of Chinese Buddhism to their eastern neighbors. Faxiang, Huayan, Vinaya, Tantra, Tiantai, etc. developed rapidly in Silla, Japan and other countries. The spread of religion also promotes the spread of culture. The monks who came to China to seek Dharma studied in China for many years and comprehensively learned advanced Chinese culture. After returning to China, they played a positive role in the development of their own culture. After the Japanese monk Kukai returned to Japan, he created "hiragana" based on Chinese characters, and established the "Various Arts Chanchi Institute" to teach various Chinese skills. The eminent monk Jianzhen of the Tang Dynasty went to Japan to spread the Dharma. He not only became the founder of the Japanese Vinaya sect, but also contributed to the development of Nara culture. He has a certain status in the history of Japanese Buddhism, architecture, medicine and wood carving.
The Dharma-seeking monks studying in India were not afraid of sacrifice, worked hard, and wrote a glorious page in human history. Dharma-seeking monks were also great explorers in ancient history. They traveled from Guangzhou, Jiaozhi, or Yangzhou Fubo. Their footprints reached Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Japan, and North Korea. and many other countries and regions. Most of the monks who crossed the sea to seek Dharma failed to return to their hometowns due to threats from hunger, disease, waves, and attacks from thieves and wild beasts. Bingzhou monk Chang@① and his disciples "hoped to go far to the west and pay homage to the holy relics of the Tathagata". They followed the ship from Jiangbiao to the south to Moluoyu (today's Sumatra Island, Indonesia), and then took a ship to India. Not far away before they set off. When the waves started in Cang, Chang and his disciples died in the boat. (Note: "The Biography of Eminent Monks Seeking Dharma in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty" Volume 1, page 51, Zhonghua Book Company, 1988.). Tang monks Zhi'an, Qi Chong, Mucha Deva, Zhi Xing, Mahayana Deng, Bian, Tan Run, Yi Hui, Wu Xing, Fa Zhen and Cheng Wu all got sick and died in foreign lands on the way to seek Dharma. Yijing, a famous monk who sought Dharma in the Tang Dynasty, generously wrote a poem: "I have traveled tens of thousands, and I have hundreds of melancholy thoughts. He teaches the six-foot shape, and can walk alone in the five heavens." He also said, "The general can be Lingshi, but the ambition of an ordinary man is difficult to change. Such as "If you cherish a short life, how can you pray for a long time?" (Note: "The Biography of Dharma-Seeking Monks in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty" Volume 2, page 151, Zhonghua Book Company, 1988.)
Mr. Lu Xun highly praised these Dharma-seeking monks. spirit: "Since ancient times, we have people who work hard, people who work hard, people who work for the people, people who sacrifice their lives to seek the Dharma,... although they are equivalent to making genealogies for emperors, generals and prime ministers. The so-called 'official history' often cannot cover up their glory, which is the backbone of China." (Note: "Qie Jie Ting Essays", Volume 4 of "Selected Works of Lu Xun", page 62, People's Literature Publishing House, 1983.) "One bowl of food for thousands of families, traveling thousands of miles alone", wandering monks call the world their home and taste all the joys and sorrows of the world.
Unlike "Zheng He's voyages to the West", the Dharma-seeking monks did not have strong support from the treasury, nor did they have a powerful fleet as a backing. They only embarked on the long journey with the courage to sacrifice their lives for the Dharma. And on a difficult and dangerous journey. During the long journey of seeking Dharma, they studied the cultures of various countries in depth and meticulously, extensively investigated the history, geography, customs and customs of various places, and left many valuable works, such as Yijing's "Biography of Eminent Monks Seeking Dharma in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty" , "The Biography of the Inner Dharma Returned to the South China Sea", the Silla Monk Huichao's "The Biography of the Five Tianzhu Kingdoms", the Japanese real person Yuan Kai's "The Biography of the Great Monk of the Tang Dynasty on the Eastern Expedition", Ennin's "Enjian's Pilgrimage to the Tang Dynasty to Seek Dharma" and other works successively. It has been translated into Japanese, French, English and other languages. It is a valuable material for studying Buddhism and social conditions in Asia, and an important work for studying the communication between China and the West. Monk Tang, who visited the Buddha's land, studied in India for many years and gained a deep understanding of the political and economic conditions and customs of the Five Indias. He received the respect of many monarchs in South and Southeast Asia and forged deep friendships with people of various countries, which greatly promoted the exchanges between countries. political exchanges and cultural exchanges.
The sailing activities of the Dharma-seeking monks not only deepened the Chinese people’s understanding of South Asia and Southeast Asia, but also had important significance for the development of Sino-foreign transportation and the further development of the navigation industry. In 1405 AD, hundreds of years after Yijing studied in India, the famous navigator Zheng He led a huge fleet of the Ming Dynasty to embark on a great voyage. They followed the footsteps of the monks who sought Dharma on the sea in the Tang Dynasty and went south to Southeast Asia, In South Asia, they continued sailing to the Persian Gulf and the east coast of Africa for visits and trade, creating a nautical feat that shocked the world.
Editor-in-Chief Xiao Bo
Comments on characters not stored in the font library:
＠①The original character is Minxiajiaxin
＠②The original character The character is the traditional Chinese character for You
＠③The original character is Beiyougaxin
＠④The original character is Kusakagamon
＠⑤The original character is Riyoujiafang
(Originally published in the 4th issue of Jiangsu Social Sciences in 1999. The author is a lecturer in the Department of Social History of Nanjing Normal University and holds a master's degree in history)