In 1983, the 77-year-old Master Hai Deng demonstrated the unique skill of "Two Finger Zen" in a documentary, which shocked the world. For a time, Master Hai Deng became an idol sought after by those who love martial arts.

In 1983, the 77-year-old master Haideng demonstrated the " two-finger Zen " stunt in a documentary, which shocked the world. For a time, Master Hai Deng became an idol sought after by those who love martial arts. Later, someone revealed that Master Hai Deng’s “Two-Finger Zen” contained a “staged” element. His so-called superb martial arts is actually just a scam.

Master Haideng was famous throughout the country in the 1980s. He claimed to be the "32nd generation successor of the authentic Shaolin sect" and "the abbot of Shaolin". He was good at the four Chinese martial arts stunts of "Tong Zi Kung", "One Finger Zen", "Plum Blossom Stake" and "Iron Cloth Shirt".

So, what kind of person is Master Hai Deng, and what is his true face? This has to start from Master Hai Deng’s childhood.

01

Master Hai Deng's common name is Fan Wubing. His mother died when he was 4 years old, and the family relied on his father's tailoring skills to survive. My father was weak by nature and was often bullied by the bullies of his generation. Over the years, his health became worse and worse. Once, when his father failed to return from setting up a stall, a group of gangsters went to find trouble for him as usual. When Fan Wubing found his father, his father was no longer breathing.

That year, Fan Wubing was only twelve years old, and he was determined to avenge his father. Fan Wubing's uncle studied martial arts and had some skills in martial arts. Therefore, Fan Wubing also came up with the idea of ​​learning martial arts from his uncle, hoping to avenge his father by using martial arts one day.

Fan Wubing has been very good at studying since he was a child, and he is the object of praise from his teachers in private school. He is very motivated and learns anything very quickly. During his schooling, he maintained excellent grades, but due to family constraints, he did not have the extra money to go to a good university. In the end, he had to reluctantly choose a publicly funded school to complete his studies. He had a lot of insights into articles. After graduation, he relied on his talent and learning to make a living by writing.

While improving his talents, he also did not forget to take into account his martial arts. At that time, Hai Deng worshiped two eminent monks with superb martial arts in Zhaojue Temple in Chengdu, and he hoped to learn martial arts from them. However, the temple stipulates that non-monastics are not allowed to practice martial arts, and monks must have six pure roots and forget hatred. Hai Deng couldn't accept it. His original intention of practicing martial arts was to avenge his father. The two eminent monks also insisted not to break the rules, and in the end Fan Wubing's apprenticeship ceremony was not fulfilled.

But Fan Wubing refused to give up. He still followed the two eminent monks and watched carefully every time they practiced martial arts. Over time, the eminent monk was moved by Fan Wubing's persistence and finally agreed to teach him martial arts. Under the guidance of two eminent monks, his kung fu gradually improved and he finally achieved success. At this time, he found the enemy who killed his father and sent him to prison.

After years of obsession in his heart, Fan Wubing fell seriously ill. In 1937, Fan Wubing was ordained and became a monk at Zhaojue Temple , with the Buddhist name Hai Deng.

02

Hai Deng has devoted all his body and mind to improving martial arts since he gave up the world. It seems that he has opened up the second channel of Rendu and , and he has mastered three unique skills. Especially the two-finger meditation, it is amazing that a person can support the weight of the whole body with only two delicate fingers. At this time, Master Haideng was already well-known in China and even published his own book to preach Buddhism.

From a young boy who lost his parents to a master with profound Buddhist teachings, from saving himself to saving others, Master Hai Deng is gradually moving forward on the road of practicing Zen through martial arts. In his hometown, Hai Deng not only taught martial arts, but also treated doctors for fellow villagers. He lived a peaceful life until a documentary in the late 1970s changed Hai Deng's life.

In 1979, a film crew was filming Strange People and Strange Events in Sichuan. The director accidentally heard that there was a monk in Jiangyou City who knew magical powers, so he invited Hai Deng. The two of them took a shot, and Hai Deng appeared on the screen. This news documentary called "Sichuan Qiqi Xun" recorded the wonderful scene of Hai Deng doing the "Two Finger Zen" handstand with one hand. With the release of this film, Hai Deng's name was spread for the first time.

What really made Hai Deng famous was his encounter with Shaolin fever.In 1982, after the release of the movie "Shaolin Temple " starring Jet Li , it set off a martial arts craze in China. Countless young people yearned for the Shaolin Temple and wanted to learn from it. It happened that at that time, Xiao Dingpei, a disciple of Hai Deng, wrote an article that ambiguously connected Hai Deng with Shaolin Temple. It was later written by a famous writer into "The Biography of Master Hai Deng". From then on, Hai Deng's kung fu was given the reputation of Shaolin, and his connection with the Shaolin Temple was spread inexplicably.

In 1982, the then Shaolin abbot, Master Xingzheng, specially came to Jiangyou to invite Hai Deng to exchange Buddhism in Shaolin, Henan Province. Hai Deng's value has since risen, and he has officially become associated with Shaolin. At the end of the year, Hai Deng and his adopted son Fan Yinglian came to Shaolin Temple and attended various activities as Shaolin Temple monks.

At this time, Master Hai Deng’s identity was constantly changing in the media, from assistant host to the 32nd generation host of Shaolin Temple and Shaolin Living Buddha. And he had to acquiesce in the identities given by the outside world and did not come forward to clarify the truth. In the mid-to-late 1980s, Hai Deng fever swept across the country, and his reports were lengthy. He even became an anti-imperialist, anti-feudal, and anti-violent hero. The faithful men and women began to worship Master Hai Deng.

03

At this time, some people questioned the phenomenon of sea lanterns and sea lanterns. In 1988, Jing Yongxiang, then deputy director of the Commentary Theory Department and reporter of " Sichuan Daily ", was the first to put forward different views on Hai Deng. As a fellow villager of Hai Deng, Jing Yongxiang once interviewed Hai Deng in person. He said: "These propagandas are too much. Some reporters wrote such things as "silent finger power can hurt people" and "you can go without eating for several days if you practice Qigong". The more they talked about it, the more they became more and more impressive. It was exactly the same as what I saw and what I interviewed. It’s totally different.”

Jing Yongxiang believed that 80% of the media’s propaganda about Master Hai Deng was distorted, and his criticism of Master Hai Deng aroused strong dissatisfaction with Fan Yinglian, a farmer disciple who was already the chairman of a certain company. Fan Yinglian said: "I think he is a respectable elder who is independent of the world and combines literature, martial arts and Buddhism."

Subsequently, Fan Yinglian sued Jing Yongxiang to court for reputation infringement , and the two sides began a 10-year battle. This is the "Hai Deng Case" that shocked the country and abroad.

There are two focal points in the confrontation between the two parties. One is whether Hai Deng's performance of Two-Finger Zen in "Sichuan Wonders" is true. The second focus is whether Hai Deng is authentic Shaolin.

Is Hai Deng a created myth? At that time, many reporters investigated two core issues.

In 1979, "Sichuan Wonders" was filmed at Baoguang Temple in Chengdu, where Hai Deng first introduced Two-Finger Zen to the world. The reporter went to the filming location to inspect the scene, and Li Zhenhuan, the film photographer at the time, was also with him. He recalled: "Hai Deng was very old and sick at the time. His hands were shaking so badly that he could not do the two-finger Zen independently."

Later, the director team adopted a subsidy method, tying his feet with a cloth strap and hanging him from the window. In this way, the power is dispersed to the top instead of on the two fingers. It can't be seen in the photo, but if there is no cloth strip, it will definitely not be possible to do this action.

"Because the director at that time insisted on this shot, and Hai Deng also insisted on recording the glory of his life. At that time, it was also to promote Chinese martial arts , which was Master Hai Deng's wish. I had no choice but to take this method." Li Zhenhuan recalled. Hai Deng's famous two-finger meditation was performed in this way. The media at the time praised it as a superhuman stunt and unique. Hai Deng also told reporters that his two-finger meditation can cause damage to all the internal organs of a person.

04

Amid the doubts from various public opinions, there is also considerable controversy over whether Master Hai Deng can represent the authentic Shaolin sect. His experience was also exposed as suspected of fraud. He claimed to be the 32nd generation abbot of Shaolin, but he could not withstand scrutiny.

Due to the special background of Shaolin Temple, each generation of inheritance has detailed records.After the 28th generation, the canonization of abbot was stopped, and it was suspended for hundreds of years. It was not until 1986 that the China Buddhist Association resumed the appointment of the 29th Shaolin abbot, Shi Yongxin's master. The idea that Hai Deng was the 32nd abbot is nonsense.

Later, Hai Deng took out a certificate proving that he was the chief instructor of Shaolin martial arts monks, and Shi Yongxin publicly exposed the rumor. The five seals on the certificate were not the seals of the Shaolin Temple. The Shaolin Temple has never had the position of chief instructor of Shaolin martial arts monks.

He also claims to be a disciple of Master Rufeng, a highly enlightened monk, but there is no Shaolin monk with that name. The name of the Dharma is indeed based on seniority, and it does have your name. However, your generation is ranked in the 67th generation. If the ranking continues normally, it will be six or seven hundred years later.

At that time, reporter Jing Yongxiang raised a lot of doubts about Hai Deng in his article, which was reprinted by many media who did not know the truth. For a time, Master Hai Deng fell from the altar and became a big liar that everyone despised. Master Hai Deng's disciples saw that their master's reputation was tarnished and took the author to court.

In the end, the case was finally heard, and Jing Yongxiang lost the case. The court ordered the author to publish his apology in a national newspaper to restore Master Hai Deng's reputation. Jing Yongxiang refused to apologize. Strangely, on November 28, 2000, Jing Yongxiang won the second Anti-pseudoscience Outstanding Contribution Award.

The controversial case has come to an end. Looking back at Master Hai Deng's life, it was indeed a very intensive life, and his martial arts skills are 100% present, but he was accidentally injured by the rapid media public opinion. In reality, he is not greedy for food, clothing, or money, but he values ​​his reputation extremely. Master Hai Deng was highly hyped back then. This was naturally due to the times. He also knew that this was an excellent opportunity to promote Shaolin martial arts, so he stepped forward to shoulder the heavy responsibility. Master Hai Deng has passed away for many years now, but in his later years he played an important role in spreading Shaolin culture and promoting Chinese martial arts.

However, there are gains and losses. While Master Hai Deng enjoys the aura of the altar, risks are also present. The truth is only understood by the Master himself, which is why he has not given any explanation to the outside world. "Both body and fame are empty, but Chinese Kung Fu is spread" is perhaps the best comment on his life.