Statue of old monk Xuyun

Master Xu Yun (September 5, 1840 ~ October 13, 1959), whose ancestral home is Xiangxiang County, Hunan Province. The mother died at birth and was raised by a common mother. The common surname is Xiao (one says “Xiao”), which was originally named Guyan, also known as yanche, with the word Deqing and the nickname fantasy tour. Father Xiao Yutang traveled to Fujian as an official and served as an aide in Yongchun Prefecture Yamen. Later, he was hired into Quanzhou fumu. Xuyun monk was Geng Zi in the 20th year of Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty (1840). He was born in Quanzhou government office on July 29.

In the history of modern Buddhism, he has persisted in asceticism for more than 100 years, sat in 15 Taoist halls, revived six ancestral courts, and inherited five Zen sects as well as several million followers of Dharma. There is only a virtual cloud of the reputation of the leader of Zen. When Zen master Xuyun was a child, he studied Confucianism as a teacher. At the age of 17, he left Hunan to Fujian and became a monk at Yongquan temple in Gushan, Fujian. He worshipped changkai as a teacher. The following year, yimiaolian (1844-1907) was disciplined.

In the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1892), he received the mantle of monk Yu miaolian from Linji sect and monk Yao Cheng from Cao Dongzong. Become a monk and practice asceticism. Leaving Gushan at the age of 27, he successively visited the elders in the famous mountain temple in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, studied Scripture and Zen. After that, he visited Zhongnan Mountain in Shaanxi, Mount Emei in Sichuan and Lhasa, and visited India, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Myanmar and other countries from Tibet. After returning from Myanmar, he made a pilgrimage to Jizu mountain in Yunnan, passed through Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei and other places, saluted Jiuhua Mountain in Anhui, and then went to Gaoli f temple in Yangzhou to participate in the seven Dharma meeting, where he learned enlightenment from monk Faren in Chishan.

From the 27th year of Guangxu (1901) to jiemao in Zhongnan mountain, he spent two years in latent cultivation. Later, he went to Jizu mountain to preside over the potty nunnery, from raising money to build a temple in Nanyang and other places, to the first year of Xuantong (1909), he invited all the “dragon collection” from Beijing back to Jizu mountain, and changed the potty nunnery into a national protection and blessing Temple.

The Republic of China was established in 1912, and there was a trend of destroying temples by monks. The division commander of the Yunnan army personally supervised the army to go up the mountain to catch Xu Yun. Xu Yun reasoned with him alone. He was convinced and changed his original intention to support Xu Yun. In the seventh year of the Republic of China (1918), Xu Yun invited the Jade Buddha back to Zhusheng temple from Nanyang and rebuilt the temple. Since then, at the request of military and political officials from Yunnan, Guangdong and Fujian, he moved to Kunming Huating temple, abbot Gushan, and revived Nanhua temple, the sixth ancestor of Caoxi. In the winter of the Republic of China, he went to Chongqing to preside over three months to preside over the law meeting on disaster relief. In the winter of the 32nd year of the Republic of China, it is planned to revitalize the Dajue temple on Yunmen mountain in northern Guangdong.

In April 1952, Xu Yun left Yunmen and went north. In November, he attended the sponsor meeting of China Buddhist Association in Beijing and was promoted as the chief sponsor. On June 3, 1953, the China Buddhist Association was officially established, and Xu Yun was elected honorary president. That year, Xu Yun was hired as a member of the CPPCC National Committee. On October 13, 1959, master Xuyun passed away at Zhenru temple in Yunju mountain, Jiangxi Province. Shi Shou is 120 years old.

be born

Master Yutang, the father of master Xuyun, was over 40 years old and had no children. His wife, Yan, prayed for her son at the Guanyin Temple in Yongchun Prefecture. The couple had the same dream at night. The man with a long beard and a green robe came across the tiger on his head and jumped onto the couch. They woke up and told each other that Yan was pregnant. The next year, he gave birth to Xuyun monk in Quanzhou. According to the old monk’s autobiography, when he was born, he was a meat ball. Mrs. Yan was shocked and choked to death. The next day, a medicine vendor came to cut open the meat ball and got a baby boy. This was the later monk Xuyun. Therefore, Xuyun was brought up by his concubine Wang since he was a child.

When he was young, he studied Confucianism in Quanzhou government office. At the age of 13, his grandmother died. He returned to Hunan with his father to bury his grandmother and his biological mother. When he was doing Buddhist work at home, he was happy when he saw Buddhist statues, scriptures and three treasures. At the age of 17, he left his hometown and thought of becoming a monk in Nanyue. He was unfamiliar with the road and was chased back by his family on the way. Fearing that he would become a monk again, Lord Yutang married him two wives - he was also his uncle, so he set up Tian and Tan wives for him a few years ago. He cohabited with his second daughter after marriage.

Become a monk

Zen master Xu Yun has been disgusted with meat and food since he was young, and likes tranquility. At the age of 12, he followed his father to receive the coffin of his biological mother and grandmother and returned to his hometown for burial. During the funeral, I first saw the three treasures and felt like it. From then on, I gradually abandoned my son’s karma and became addicted to Buddhist scriptures. Then, the desire of abandoning the world and being vulgar sprouted. At the age of 16, Zeng was about to go back to Nanyue and leave home. Later, he was forcibly moved to Fuzhou by his father, married Tian and tan, and forcibly imprisoned to live in a room. The virtual cloud is inside without contamination. After a long time, the will to emerge from the dust is stronger. In the eighth year of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty (1858), he left Tian and tan in the “leather bag song” and dived from his younger brother to Gushan Yongquan temple. He sat down and became a monk. The name of the Dharma is Gu Yan, also known as yanche, and the Dharma name is Deqing, that is, devoutly worship Buddha, read scriptures and learn etiquette. The next year, yimiaolian received a full precept. Later, in order to avoid his father’s pursuit, he lived in seclusion in the cave behind the mountain for three years.

At the age of 19, he ran away from home again and went to Yongquan temple in Gushan, Fuzhou. He used the old man as a teacher and achieved his desire to become a monk. The year after becoming a monk, monk miaolian in Yigu mountain received a full precept. At this time, Duke Yutang was still in Quanzhou and sent people to look around. Afraid of being found by his family, monk Xuyun hid in the cave behind the mountain and dared not show up. He repented Ten Thousand Buddhas in the cave and continued to practice. In this way, he lived in Houshan for three years. Later, when he heard that Duke Yutang had returned to Xiangxiang after his old age, he returned to the temple and held a post.

He served as Shuitou, Yuantou, Xingtang and Dianzuo in Gushan Temple. After four years, he resigned his post and returned to Houshan cave to practice asceticism. In the back mountain, he lived in the rock cave, ate pinecones, drank stream water thirsty, Kun hair covered his shoulders, and his clothes were naked. Several more years passed. Later, under the guidance of a walking Buddhist, he went to Huading Longquan nunnery on Tiantai Mountain to pay a visit to master Rongjing. Rong Jing saw that he was unkempt and naked. He asked him why. He outlined his practice in the cave. The old master in his 80s said, “your actions are close to the outside world, not the right way. It took ten years of effort in vain. Even if you have achieved success in practice and proved the initial result, you are just a self-made man.”. The right way of practice is to develop bodhi mind, seek transformation from the top to the bottom, and self-discipline. At this time, the old mage gave him clothes and shoes, ordered him to shave his hair and bathe, and left him to live in the nunnery. After two years, the old master ordered him to study “Zen system” in Guoqing temple and “fahua” in Fangguang temple. He often went back to Maoan to accompany the old master. By the first year of Guangxu, he was 36 years old. He went to Gaoming temple to listen to master Minxi’s lecture on the Dharma Sutra,