On October 23, 2022, a delegation from Fuqing Huangbo Mountain Wanfu Temple to Japan attended the commemoration of the "350th Anniversary of Zen Master Yinyuan" at the Huangbo Kaishan Hall and the main hall in Uji. Accompanied by Master Nagaaraki Shoahi and the deacon monk Huangb

On October 23, 2022, a delegation from Fuqing Huangbo Mountain Wanfu Temple to Japan attended the "Yinyuan Zen Master350 Dayuanta" at the Uji Huangbo Kaishan Hall and the main hall. "After the commemoration event, accompanied by Master Masaaki Araki, the chief minister of the Huangbo Sect, and the deacon monk of Huangbo Mountain in Kyoto, the visiting delegation set off from the main gate of Manpukuji Temple and went to Tofukuji Temple, the largest Zen temple in Kyoto, to pay a visit to the dojo where the robes of the founder of Fujian Mi'an Xianjie are enshrined.

Japan's first national teacher learned from China

The sun was shining brightly in Uji in the afternoon, and the car drove slowly on the quiet street. Soon we arrived in Higashiyama District, Kyoto. At the foot of the Higashiyama Mountains, several streams merge into the Kamogawa . The river is gurgling and crystal clear, making it a scenic spot in Kyoto. We walked through a boulevard shaded by maple trees. The roadside was lined with green tiles and white walls, and the slopes below the walls were covered with thick velvet moss. At the Dahui Hall of the Tofukuji sect, two monks were already waiting at the gate to greet him.

Seng Zhi said that he was full of joy to be able to introduce Dongfuku Temple to Chinese Zen masters and believers here. Because Zen Master Enji Benen, the founder of Tofukuji Temple, studied abroad in China and gained enlightenment. Zen Master Yuan'er Bianyuan entered the Tang Dynasty during the Southern Song Dynasty. He studied under Master Wuzhun, the abbot of Jingshan Temple, for six years, and learned the Zen method of the Yang Qi sect of the Linji Sect and Chinese Confucianism. After returning to Japan, he formulated the "Tofukuji Temple Clear Rules" based on the "Zen Garden Clear Rules" he brought back from Jingshan, and clearly stipulated: "Enji will follow the rules of the jungle of Zen Master (Wuzhen Shihan) as a Buddhist monk and never turn back." Enji Benen is also the first monk in Japan to receive the title of "Kokusho", and is revered as the "Holy One Kokusho". There are many sects of Japanese Zen 20, about half of which come from Yuan Er Ben Yuan. Now Japan has preserved the most ink drawings of ancient Chinese monks by Zen Master Wuzhun Shifan, with more than 60 ink drawings.

Master Dingming, the abbot of Huangbo Mountain in Fujian Province, said that the Japanese Linji monk Hu Guanshi Lian in the Kamakura period wrote a history of Japanese Buddhism in Chinese called "Yuanheng Shishu". This book records that Yuan'er Bianyuan was a Zen master at Jingshan Temple, serving as a disciple of Wuzhen, serving around him and receiving Zen teachings. Our Huangbo Mountain in Fuqing has a long history of separation from Jingshan Temple in Zhejiang and Tofuku Temple in Kyoto. Zen Master Fei Yintongrong, the master of Zen Master Yinyuan, once served as the abbot of Jingshan.

Zen Master Wuzhun Shifan is the 34th abbot of Xingsheng Wanshou Temple in Jingshan. He is the mentor of Yuan Er Bian Yuan who entered the Song Dynasty to seek Dharma. He had great expectations for Yuan'er Bian Yuan. In July of the third year of Chunyou in the Southern Song Dynasty (1243), when Master Yuan'er Bian Yuan returned to Japan, Zen Master Wuzhun Shifan sent him to the foot of the mountain and gave Zen Master Yuan'er Bian Yuan two important dharma objects: one was the robe of Master Mi'an Xianjie, and the other was Zen Master Wuzhun Shifan's own top-level painting with his own handwritten inscription. Patriarch Mi'an Xianjie was born in Fuqing, Fuqing, and became a monk in Lishi Temple, Fuqing. This Lishi Temple was merged into Huangbo Temple in Ming Dynasty. Three disciples of Zen Master Yinyuan, Mu'an Xingxing, Zen Master Ji Feiruyi and Sanfei Xingche, all once abboted Lianshi Temple. Continuing with Master Sadaimei's topic, the monk of Tofukuji Temple proudly said that the souvenir of the Dharma brought back by Patriarch Ener Benen from China is still treasured in Tofukuji Temple. It is a national treasure of Japan. It was precisely because of the introduction of Dingxiang paintings represented by "Wuzhen Normal Picture" to Japan that the prosperity of "Dingxiang" in Japan was triggered. The words of the two masters suddenly brought them closer to each other, making everyone feel more cordial. In the ashram where the founder lived and practiced practice, we personally felt the power of exchanges and mutual learning for thousands of years.

In the Zen hall, the incense stick penetrates the whole body

The monk of Tofuku Temple said that Zen Buddhism flourished in China during the Southern Song Dynasty, attracting the attention of Japanese rulers and monks. So much so that the Kamakura shogunate Hojo Tokimune personally wrote an invitation to invite eminent monks to Japan: "Trees have their roots and water has their sources. Therefore, I would like to invite eminent monks from the Song Dynasty to help me in this way." Therefore, Zen is not only a religious practice, but has also been sublimated into thoughts, philosophy and life attitudes, becoming an important spiritual source for the development of Japanese medieval culture. Tofukuji Temple still retains the legacy of medieval Zen Buddhism in Japan. The architecture is directly modeled on Jingshan Temple in Hangzhou. Now the entire temple is designated as a national treasure.

The monk took us to the Zen Hall. This Zen Hall is on the west side of the main hall. It was built in the third year of Sadawa (1347) in the early Muromachi period. It is a single-story, herringbone-shaped eaves construction. It is the largest and oldest existing Zen Hall in Japan and the only remaining Medieval Zen Hall building in Japan. On the lintel of the Zen hall hangs the plaque "Buddha Selection Site", which is the handwriting of Zen Master Wuzhun Shifan.

To the north of the Zen Hall is the Sutra Collection (equivalent to the Sutra Collection Pavilion in a Chinese Zen temple), where more than a thousand precious Buddhist classics brought back by Patriarch Yuan'er Bian Yuan from the Song Dynasty are preserved. Zen Master Jiewen, the former abbot of Huangbo Mountain in Fujian Province, said that the Zen hall is the important place of the Zen temple. We can come to the treasured place where the founder of Wuzhun Shifan was blessed, so why not sit in meditation and receive the blessing of the ancestor. Therefore, Mr. Araki, General Secretary of the Asahi Sect, accompanied us, and we sat cross-legged on the Zen couch. Everyone accepted the "offering" from Zen Master Tofuku's three incense tablets. The two fellow practitioners waiting outside the Zen gate were so envious that they respectfully entered the Zen room and each claimed three large incense sticks. Walking out of the Zen hall, I remembered what the famous Japanese Zen scholar Suzuki Ojo said: "To a certain extent, Zen creates the character of Japan, and Zen also expresses the character of Japan."

Chinese style in the abbot's garden

The monks of Tofukuji Temple told us that the ancient buildings of Tofukuji Temple are the perfect embodiment of Zen style. In Kyoto, "○○の○○ noodles" are generally used to express the different characteristics of Zen temples. For example, " Jianren Temple 's intellectual side" means that Jianren Temple has many Zen monks who are good at poetry and art. And Tofukuji Temple is "Tofukuji's Garan Noodles", which means that Tofukuji Temple has many pagodas and is powerful.

Monk Zhi led us to the oldest mountain gate in Japan to view the wooden structure and murals. In the main hall, look up at the patio painted with dragon paintings, and under the guidance of Zen Master Dongfu, high-five and listen to the echo. Afterwards, the monk took us to the famous abbot's garden, which is called the Garden of Eight Phases, taken from the Buddhist Eight Phases of Enlightenment . It was completed in 1939 by Mirei Shigemori, a famous Showa garden craftsman, and is famous for its unique design style. According to the guide book, these four gardens have eight themes. Due to time constraints, we only went to the South Garden. The "Penglai", "Abbot", "Yingzhou" and "Huliang" in the garden use four huge stones to symbolize the four fairy islands in the fairy tale, and the white sand with ripples in the sea symbolizes the "Eight Seas". We sat in front of the dry landscape in the south courtyard, looking at the moss rockery on the west side and the four huge stones symbolizing the fairy island. Suddenly we felt that Zen is really broad and profound. The Zen dry landscape here seemed to incorporate the multiple thoughts of Chinese Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. I have seen settings similar to the Horai Three Islands in other dry landscape gardens before, but I have never thought about the details.

Speaking of the abbot, the monks of Tofukuji Temple told us that to this day, Tofukuji Temple still holds the "Abbot Zhai Feast" on March 18th, the death anniversary of Patriarch Enerbenen every year, and still retains some of the styles of Jingshan Temple's tea ceremony.

After leaving the abbot's courtyard, the monk took us to Tongtian Bridge, which is an internet celebrity spot for viewing red maple . Unfortunately, the autumn weather was not strong yet when we came, and feather maple was still on the way to becoming "popular". According to legend, there is a kind of red leaf with duck-like leaves in Tofukuji Temple, which was brought by Zen Master Ener Benen from China. Therefore, when everyone comes to Kyoto in the future, it must be in late autumn. Don’t forget to come to Tofukuji Temple to see the Chinese red leaves that are still as red as fire after seven hundred years.

Huangbo’s trip to Dongfuku Temple

Yinyuan, Mu’an, and Jifei, have the three founders ever been to Dongfuku Temple? I asked Professor Li Dou-seok, a researcher at Huangbo Academy, for advice. Professor Li not only told me with certainty that all three patriarchs had been to Dongfuku Temple, but also helped me find and sent many photos of relevant ancient books, which reflects the professionalism and rigor of a Huangbo scholar.

The Chronicle of Zen Master Yinyuan written by Nengren Huangdao records: "In Bingshen, the second year of the Ming Dynasty (1656), the master was sixty-five years old. Meng Dong, Tu Weng and Zhu Yin, two Zen deities, invited the master to visit Xianshou and Longhua temples in the capital. They passed through Miaoxin, entered Nanchan, paid homage to the Buddha, and experienced Dongfu. Each has a verse."

Although the three simple words "Li Dongfu" are used in the chronicle, Zen Master Yinyuan should have made an in-depth visit to Dongfu Temple.

First of all, the monks from Dongfu Temple invited Zen Master Yinyuan to the portrait of Zen Master Wuzhun Shifan. After paying homage, he asked Yinyuan Zen Master Yin Yuan wrote a poem titled "Zen Master Wu Zhunfan":

A group of foxes appeared when they blew their hair, and a huge wave shook the sea gate.

Cut off the three-inch tongue of the lying dragon, and filled the sky with clouds and rain htm. l17

This incident is recorded in the "Chronology of Zen Master Yinyuan": "In the spring of the second year of Mingli (1656),... I wrote the inscription "Zhenzan Zhenzan" for the monk Wu Zhunfan of Dongfu Temple." This hymn inscribed by Zen Master Yinyuan is contained in Volume 14 of Fusang Quotations.

Secondly, when Zen Master Yinyuan came to Dongfuku Temple, he must have had in-depth exchanges with the monks of Dongfuku Temple, because he wrote a second poem, titled "Showing the Zen Masters of Dongfu":

Standing high above the sky is my house. , go and go without forgetting Shuiyueju.

Three hundred years ago, Dongfu Sou came to see him first.

In addition to the above two poems, Zen Master Yinyuan also wrote the third poem "Passing to Dongfu Temple":

Traveling in the sky to find the same wind, the bright sun shines red all over the world.

Under the water clouds, numerous pavilions appeared in the east of the city.

1653, the summer when Zen Master Mu'an turned fifty-three , also visited Tofukuji Temple. "Chronology of Zen Master Mu'an" records: Zen Master Mu'an "visited the four temples of Dongfu, Jianren, Miaoxin, and Dade" after "traveling to Quanyong Temple in Dongshan, visiting Taimiao Temple, passing Jieguang Temple, and paying homage to the Tan Rui Statue."

The book "Yinyuan·Mu'an·Jifei" by Takahashi Zhumi translated by Professor Li Doushi records that in 1664, Zen Master Ji Fei celebrated his forty-ninth birthday at Zhulin Temple in Huangbo Mountain. This was the seventh year of Zen Master Ji Fei's eastward journey. In the spring of this year, Zen Master Ji Fei, accompanied by Wuxin Xingjue and Duhang Xingan, visited a temple in Kyoto. . First arrive at Daigoji Temple, then visit Tofukuji Temple. This day is February 15th, which happens to be the day of the Nirvana of Sakyamuni Buddha. There is a famous Nirvana image in Tofukuji Temple, which is the work of Yoshiyama Akio, a painter from the late Kamakura period and the early Muromachi period. Zen Master Ji Fei came to look at this portrait and was amazed by the exquisite and enchanting work of his masterful painter. Immediately he recited a verse with joy, describing the causes and conditions of the eternal immortality of the Tathagata's dharma body:

The World Honored One brought down the Nirvana Mountain, but millions of people and heavenly beings helped him up.

unexpectedly two thousand Years away, the Japanese monk Shujuan has a hairpin.

Due to the appearance of the painting monk Yoshiyama Mingzhao, Tofukuji Temple became even more famous around the world. Jishan Mingzhao was born with a talent for painting, and he painted many Buddhist paintings and portraits. His existing representative works include "Portrait of the Holy One" colored on paper, 45 "Pictures of Five Hundred Arhats" colored on silk, etc. Even if it is not the "Great Nirvana Picture" seen by the Zen Master, it is for people to view at the Nirvana Ceremony on March 15 every year. This is the masterpiece of Yoshiyama Akijo when he was 57 years old. It is 15 meters high and 8 meters wide. It can be said to be the best in Japan that is famous all over the world. Zen Master Ji Fei lamented Jishan Mingzhao’s achievements in serving Buddhism with his paintings. Another verse:

The light shines brightly at the same time, no one in the past or present has been able to draw it.

It is the salvation of annihilation, but it is not the salvation of annihilation. The half-spring flowers and birds have their own feelings.

What is rare is that the Huangbo Academy Archives has a huge color print of the "Great Nirvana Picture" . It was inscribed by Zen Master Mu'an, which is actually another good fate between Huangbo and Dongfu.

"The rustling yellow leaves are closing the windows, meditating on the past and setting the sun." After more than three hundred years, The words written by Nalan Xingde still have the power to penetrate people's hearts. Mi'an Xianjie, Wuzhun Shifan, and Yuan'er Benyuan wrote about the seven hundred years of inheritance from Jingshan and Kamakura Tofuku in the Song Dynasty. Yin Yuan Longqi, Mu'an Xingxing, and even if they are not the same, let us once again walk into the "East and West Two Huangbo" 350 years ago in Dongfu Temple in Kyoto...

Written by: High mountains, white hits the rain (Vice President of the Fujian Huangbo Zen Culture Research Institute), authorized by the Fuqing Municipal Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau