Huiyuan, whose real surname is Jia, is from Loufan County, Yanmen County. When I was a boy, I followed my uncle to study Confucianism in Xuchang and Luoyang, and I was very familiar with the Six Classics. When he grew older, his interest turned to Lao-Zhuang metaphysics. Because of his superior intelligence and elegant demeanor, the famous masters were also deeply impressed.
He had the idea of leaving the secular world very early. When he was twenty years old, he wanted to go to Jiangdong to live in seclusion with the Confucian master Fan Xuan and study Confucianism together. But because of the war, the road to the south was blocked. The dream of seclusion cannot be realized.
Later I heard that Master Daoan was promoting the Buddha Dharma in Hengshan . Huiyuan also went to listen to the scriptures and listen to the Dharma. He was deeply attracted to Daoan and felt that this was the Master worthy of following him, so he and his compatriots My younger brother Huichi became a monk together and converted to Dao'an. Later, he followed Daoan in Nvxiu Mountain and Luhun Mountain while farming and practicing Zen. Huiyuan was very happy with this kind of mountain life where farming and Zen were combined.
Master Huiyuan
In the third year of Xingning, he followed Daoan and went south to Xiangyang. While in Xiangyang, I suddenly became enlightened after listening to Dao'an's lecture on "The Radiant Prajna Sutra" and sighed: " Confucianism and Taoism are all chaff!" He believed that all the schools of thought in China are superficial chaff. , only Mahayana Buddhism is the essence of human civilization. His view changed in his later years, and he believed that the three religions Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism came to the same goal through different paths.
After several years of city life in Xiangyang, he still wanted to live in seclusion in the mountains and forests, so he planned to go to Luoyu Mountain, a Taoist resort, with his senior brother Hui Yong. They said goodbye to Dao'an, but Huiyong got Dao'an's permission, but Huiyuan did not. Hui Yong had to go on the road alone. When he arrived in Xunyang, he was sincerely persuaded by local officials and believers to stay. They also built a monastery for him in Mount Lu, so he gave up his plan to go to Mount Luo.
Taiyuan three years (378), Fu Pi attacked Xiangyang, Shi Dao'an dispersed his disciples, and Huiyuan was also among the disciples. The other brothers had clear instructions from their master on where to go and how to carry out their work. Only Huiyuan did not receive any instructions. He felt uneasy and asked his master for instructions. Daoan said, with your wisdom, I have nothing to worry about. You can make up your own mind about the future situation.
After leaving Xiangyang, Huiyuan's plan was to go to Luoyu Mountain in Guangdong.
So, what is the charm of Luoyu Mountain that attracts them so much?
Luofu Mountain
At that time, Luoyu Mountain was a Taoist place in the south. The mountains and forests were quiet and far away from the turmoil of the world. It was a place where many hermits hung out. Huiyuan has always longed for a life in the mountains and forests without fighting against the world.
At that time, there were two ways to go from Xiangyang to Luoyu Mountain. One was to turn from water to land. Take a boat from Xiangyang down to Jiangling, pass through Xunyang, cross Poyang Lake, go up Ganjiang , and then get off the boat and cross Dageng Mountain and Jiulianshan enters Shaoguan, Guangdong, and then goes southward to Luoyu Mountain. The difficulty of this route lies in crossing the Dageng Mountains and Jiulian Mountains. At that time, the entire Five Ridges was a primitive jungle, with poisonous snakes everywhere and miasma in the sky. People who were not accustomed to the acclimatization would get sick and die in the mountains. There is another route that can avoid miasma and poisonous snakes, and that is the sea route. You can also take a boat from Xiangyang to Jiangling, then go east along the Yangtze River to the outlet, change to a larger boat and take the sea route to Panyu (Guangzhou), and then arrive at Luoyu. Mountain. However, the cost of traveling by sea was too high and Huiyuan could not afford it. He did not save money and was a poor monk. Moreover, shipping technology was very backward at that time, and it was easy to die at sea in the event of a typhoon. Therefore, Huiyuan could only choose the former route.
He and his younger brother Huichi took dozens of disciples and first lived in Shangming Temple in Jingzhou. Then they went down the river to Xunyang. He and Huichi first visited their aunt, Master Daoyi. Huiyuan's uncle was once the magistrate of Xunyang County. After his uncle passed away, his aunt became a nun with the Buddhist name Daoyi. She persuaded her two nephews to stay in Lushan to promote Buddhism.
Then, Huiyuan took his disciples up to Lushan Mountain to visit his senior brother Huiyong at Xilin Temple . When he went up Mount Lushan, he was deeply attracted by the beautiful scenery on the mountain and was greatly impressed. The arrival of Huiyuan and his party made Huiyong very happy.Huiyuan asked him if he still wanted to go to Luoyu Mountain together? Huiyong asked him, do you think Lushan is bad? Huiyuan said it was pretty good here. Then why do we have to go to Luo as prisoners? His senior brother advised him to just stay in Lushan. Huiyuan thought about it again and again, and he really liked the beautiful environment here, so he decided to stay in Lushan. Huiyong arranged for them to temporarily live in Longquan Jingshe.
Lushan
Huiyuan may have some other reasons for choosing Lushan.
At that time, there were two main forces within the scope of and Eastern Jin Dynasty . One is Yangzhou on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, where the capital Jiankang is located and the core area of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It has long been controlled by aristocratic families such as Wang and Xie. The other is Jingzhou on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, long controlled by the Huan family. In the early years of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Wang family controlled the government. After the decline of the Wang family, Huan Wen of the Huan family gradually took over the management of Jingzhou, and later conquered and became Han . In the twelfth year of Yonghe, Luoyang was regained again. With his martial arts, Huan Wen's power reached its peak and he almost usurped the Jin Dynasty and established himself on his own.
When Huiyuan arrived in Lushan, although Huan Wen had been dead for six years, the Huan family still occupied Jingzhou. The governor of Yangzhou at this time was Xie An of the Xie family. Xunyang, where Lushan is located, belongs to Jiangzhou . It is the buffer zone of the two major forces of Jingzhou and Yangzhou, and is also the main road for north-south transportation. If it is operated well, it can take advantage of the center and have both sides. Huiyuan did not advocate relying on the king to promote Buddhism like his master. He had the exact opposite idea. He felt that Buddhism should stay away from the rulers of the country, stay out of the affairs, and not get too involved in politics. If you stay in Jingzhou, you will definitely have to rely on the Huan family. If you go to Jiangdong, you must rely on the Wang and Xie families. Only in Xunyang, the middle zone between the two major forces, can we gain relative freedom.
Of course, Luofu Mountain in Guangdong is further away from political entanglements. However, at that time, Guangdong was still a barbaric land, and its economy and culture were very backward. Moreover, the majority of people in Luoyou Mountain are Taoists. They seek seclusion and have no desire to spread Taoism. Huiyuan wanted to promote Buddhism, and blindly seeking seclusion was not in line with the spirit of the Mahayana Bodhisattva. So after many considerations, he chose Lushan.
