Taiyuan six years (381), the founder of Jingzong Shi Huiyuan came to Lushan from Xiangyang and established Donglin Temple . More than ten years later, the poet Tao Yuanming who "will not give up for five buckets of rice" also went to Lushan to live in seclusion. Since both parties lived very close to each other and were both interested in discussing the occult and Taoism, they became friends as soon as they went back and forth.
Their circle of friends also includes Liu Yimin, Zhou Xuzhi, Lu Xiujing and others. This is a very complex circle. It can be said to be a hodgepodge of the three religions " Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism ". Huiyuan is a Buddhist monk, but he is also a master of metaphysics. Liu Yimin liked both Lao and Zhuang and Buddhism. Zhou Xuzhi was well versed in Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, with Lao and Zhuang being the main ones. Lu Xiujing is a Taoist priest who believes in "Tianshi Dao". As everyone knows, Tao Yuanming was a pastoral poet. He believed in Confucianism and yearned for the freedom of Lao and Zhuang, but he was not very interested in Buddhism. Moreover, he liked drinking very much and could not do without wine every day. And "wine" is a major commandment in Buddhism.
But these differences did not hinder their communication. Liu Yimin and Zhou Xuzhi were Huiyuan's lay disciples, but they were very close to Tao Yuanming. All three of them had served as imperial officials and were known as the "Xunyang Sanyin". Huiyuan admired Tao Yuanming's poetic talent very much, and Tao Yuanming also admired Huiyuan's metaphysics.
In order to avoid the interference of the powerful officials of the imperial court, Huiyuan once made a vow with the Huxi River in front of Donglin Temple as the boundary: "The shadow will not leave the mountain, the trace will not enter the customs, and the Huxi River will not see off guests."
However, one time Tao Yuanming and Lu Xiujing came to visit, and the three of them had a good chat. In the evening, Huiyuan sent them out of the mountain. Since they were in a good mood, they walked and talked, and unknowingly crossed the Huxi River. Suddenly I heard the roar of tigers in the distant valley, and realized that I had already crossed the border far away. The three of them looked at each other and laughed. It can be seen that they cherish and enjoy this kind of transcendent friendship very much. Later generations built the "Three Smiles Pavilion" where they parted, and the " Tiger Creek Three Smiles Picture" has been handed down from generation to generation.
Lushan Cloud and Mist Picture
Huiyuan yearned for the Pure Land of Amitabha in the West. He once formed the "White Lotus Society" with Liu Yimin and other 123 people, and swore in front of the Amitabha statue that they would be reborn together in the Pure Land of Amitabha in the West. Huiyuan did not forget his good friend Tao Yuanming, so he invited him to join the "White Lotus Society".
Tao Yuanming loves wine as much as his life. He also knows that Buddhism prohibits drinking, so he asked Huiyuan: Can I still drink after joining the White Lotus Society?
Huiyuan believes in Buddhism and does not eat alcohol or meat, but he still told Tao Yuanming that other members of the society Everyone needs to observe alcohol abstinence, but you can make an exception.
Tao Yuanming joined the Bailian Society. But the purpose of this society is to be reborn in the Pure Land of Amitabha in the West. Tao Yuanming later learned that although the Western Pure Land is beautiful, if you really go there, even if you want to drink, there will be no wine.
So he later quit the White Lotus Club.
In fact, Huiyuan, who invited him to join the club, was very strict on the precepts. When Huiyuan was dying, he had difficulty eating. The disciple asked him to drink "drum wine" as medicine for treatment, but he thought it was against the precepts and refused. The disciple asked him to drink "rice juice", but he still refused to drink it because it was against the precepts. The disciple asked him to drink honey water again, and he asked the mage in charge of the precepts to check the text of the precepts to see if it could be drunk? When the Lawyer was halfway through the book, Huiyuan had already passed away.
Master Huiyuan, who kept the precepts so strictly, allowed the poet Tao Yuanming to bring wine into the club in order to introduce him to Buddhism. The mind and capacity of this eminent monk are truly admirable.
Of course, Tao Yuanming still gave up the idea of going to the West because of his drinking problem. Is this a blessing or a misfortune? If he had really given up drinking, he might not have been able to write so many pastoral poems , but the poems he wrote would definitely be Be more Zen.
