During his stay in Chang'an, Jianzhen was diligent in learning and inquiring. He was not limited to sectarian opinions. He read widely and visited eminent monks. In addition to Buddhist scriptures, he also had attainments in architecture, painting, and especially medicine.

Shi Jianzhen (688-June 25, 763), monk of the Tang Dynasty, whose common surname was Chunyu, was a native of Jiangyang County, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, the founder of the Japanese Vinaya Sect.

Life

Birth and ordination

Empress Wu of the Tang Dynasty Chuigong four years (688 years), Jianzhen was born in Yangzhou , with the common surname Chunyu. In 701, Jianzhen entered Yangzhou Dayun Temple as a novice monk. In 706, he received the Bodhisattva ordination. In 709, he followed Zen Master Dao'an to the Temple of Chang'an, received full ordination under Jingzhou Hongjing lawyer of Shishi Temple, and studied the Nanshan Vinaya Sect.

During his stay in Chang'an, Jianzhen was diligent in learning and inquiring. He was not limited to sectarian opinions, read widely, and visited eminent monks. In addition to Buddhist scriptures, he also had attainments in architecture, painting, and especially medicine. In 715, he returned to Daming Temple in Yangzhou to practice Buddhism. In 733, he became the local Buddhist leader and the abbot of Daming Temple. More than 40,000 people received his ordination. People at that time praised him as "the only master of transformation between the Jianghuai River and Huaihe River".

Six Journeys to the East

html In 2742, Japanese monks Rongrui and Puzhao arrived in Yangzhou and implored Jianzhen to travel eastward to Japan to preach the ordination. However, the monks in Daming Temple "received no response". Only Jianzhen said that "it was for Dharma, so why bother with his life", so he decided to go eastward.

The first eastward journey

html In the winter of 2742, Jianzhen and 21 of his disciples, together with four Japanese monks, went to Jiji Temple on the Donghe River near Yangzhou to build ships in preparation for the eastward journey. At that time, the Japanese monk held an official letter from Prime Minister Li Linfu 's brother Li Linzong, so the local magistrate Yangzhou Cangcao Li Minu also provided assistance. Unexpectedly, Dao Hang, a disciple of Jianzhen, joked with Ruhai, a junior fellow: "Everyone is highly virtuous and the profession is clean. Ruhai and other young people can only listen to it." Ruhaixin thought it was true and was furious. He falsely accused Jianzhen and his party of building ships in collusion with pirates and preparing to attack Yangzhou. Piracy was rampant that year, and Ban Jingqian, who was visiting Huainan, was shocked when he heard the news. He sent people to detain all the monks. Although they were quickly released, they ordered the Japanese monks to return home immediately. The first eastward journey was aborted.

made the second trip eastward in January 2744. After careful preparations, Jianzhen and other 17 monks (including the hidden monks Rongrui and Puzhao), together with 85 "engraving, casting, writing, embroidery masters, text, engraving and stele craftsmen" hired, a total of more than 100 people set out again. As a result, before going to sea, the ship sank in the wind and waves at Langgoupu at the mouth of the Yangtze River. After the ship was repaired, as soon as it went out to sea, it was hit by strong winds and drifted to a small island in the Zhoushan Islands. Five days later, everyone was rescued and transferred to the Ashoka Temple in Yuyao, Mingzhou (now Ningbo, Zhejiang) to settle down. After the beginning of spring, temples in Yuezhou (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang), Hangzhou, Huzhou, and Xuanzhou (now Xuancheng, Anhui) invited Jianzhen to give lectures, and the second eastward journey ended.

The third eastward journey

After finishing his lecture tour, Jianzhen returned to Ashoka Temple and prepared to make another eastward journey. This matter was learned by Yuezhou monks. In order to retain Jianzhen, they complained to the government that the Japanese monks were hiding in China with the purpose of "inducing" Jianzhen to go to Japan. So the government put Rongrui in prison and sent him to Hangzhou. Rongrui pretended to have "died of illness" on the way so that he could escape. The third trip eastward was over.

The fourth trip eastward

Since it was inconvenient to go to sea in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, Jianzhen decided to buy a ship from Fuzhou and set out from Asoka Temple with more than 30 people. As soon as they arrived at Wenzhou , they were intercepted. It turned out that Jianzhen's disciple Lingyou, who had stayed in Daming Temple, was worried about his master's safety and begged the Yangzhou government to stop him. The Huainan envoy sent someone to intercept Jianzhen and his entourage back to Yangzhou. The fourth attempt to cross eastward came to nothing.

The fifth eastward journey

htmlIn 2748, Rongrui and Puzhao came to Daming Temple again to plead with Jianzhen to make the eastward journey. Jianzhen led 14 monks, craftsmen and sailors, a total of 35 people, and set off from Chongfu Temple on June 28 of the lunar calendar and headed east again. In order to wait for favorable winds, Jianzhen and his party stayed in the Zhoushan Islands for several months after leaving the Yangtze River. They were not able to go to sea until November. On the East China Sea, the ship was hit by a strong north wind and drifted continuously for 14 days before seeing land. It was only 16 days before it could land, and found that it had drifted to Zhenzhou (today's Sanya, Hainan) and settled in Dayun Temple.Jianzhen stayed in Hainan for a year and brought a lot of Chinese culture and medical knowledge to the local area. To this day, there are still Jianzhen relics in Sanya such as "Shaijing Slope" and "Big and Small Cave Sky".

After that, Jianzhen returned north and passed through Wan'an Prefecture (today's Wanning, Hainan), Yazhou (today's Haikou, Hainan), Leizhou , Wuzhou to Shi'an County (today's Guilin, Guangxi). Jianzhen stayed at Kaiyuan Temple in Shi'an for another year, and was welcomed to Guangzhou to lecture. When passing through Duanzhou (today's Zhaoqing, Guangdong), Rongrui died of illness at Longxing Temple there. In Guangzhou, Jianzhen was tempted to go to Tianzhu and was comforted. After summer, Jianzhen continued to set out. When passing through Shaozhou, Puzhao resigned. When leaving, Jianzhen swore "not to go to Japan. My original wish failed." At this time, Jianzhen was blind due to his acclimatization, fatigue from the journey, and being misunderstood by quack doctors. After passing Dayuling Mountain, Jianzhen's disciple Xiangyan passed away in Jizhou County (now Ji'an, Jiangxi Province). Jianzhen was very sad. Next, Jianzhen passed through Lushan, Jiangzhou (now Jiujiang, Jiangxi), Runzhou Jiangning County (now Nanjing, Jiangsu), and returned to Yangzhou. The fifth eastward journey ended.

The Sixth Journey to the East

Jianzhen became famous because he traveled throughout half of China. In 753, Japan sent the Tang envoys Fujiwara Qinghe, Kibi Zhenbei, Chao Heng (the Japanese Abe Nakamaro) and others to Yangzhou, and once again implored Jianzhen to join them in crossing east. At that time, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty believed in Taoism and wanted to send Taoist priests to Japan, but Japan refused, so Emperor Xuanzong did not allow Jianzhen to go to sea. Jianzhen secretly took a boat to Huangsipu, Suzhou, and transferred to the ship that sent the Tang envoy. There were 24 people accompanying him, including 17 monks and nuns. On November 16, the fleet set sail and went to sea. At this time, Puzhao also arrived from Yuyao. On November 21, Jianzhen's boat was separated from Chao Heng's boat. On December 6, the remaining two boats and one ran aground. On December 20, they arrived in Satsuma, Japan. The sixth eastward journey was finally successful.

After the Japanese master

Jianzhen arrived in Japan, he was solemnly received by Emperor Koken and Emperor Shomu. On February 1, 754, the important minister Fujiwara Nakamaro personally welcomed him at Hanoi Prefecture, 2 On March 4, Jianzhen and his entourage arrived in Nara, and together with Liangben, another Japanese eminent monk of the Huayan Sect in Japan, took charge of Japanese Buddhist affairs, they were titled "Master Chuandeng" and honored as "Great Monk".

According to the wishes of Shengwu and Xiaoqian, Jianzhen, as a senior monk of the Vinaya sect, should assume the responsibility of regulating Japanese monks and put an end to the common phenomenon in Japanese society at that time of taking refuge in Buddhism to avoid labor and taxes. Therefore, Xiaoqian issued an edict: "From now on, everyone who teaches the precepts will be a monk." However, this aroused opposition from Japan's own "self-sworn ordination" faction, especially Xian Jing and others from Xinghua Temple, who fiercely opposed it. Therefore, Jianzhen decided to have a public debate at Xingfu Temple. During the debate, Jianzhen made concessions and admitted that "self-sworn ordination" could still exist, but as a formally recognized full ordination, it must have three masters and seven certificates. As a result, Xianjing and others were convinced and abandoned the old ordination. Jianzhen then set up an altar in Todaiji Temple and ordained about 500 people from the royal family and monks under Shomu, the Empress Dowager Guangming, and Xiaoqian. In 756, Jianzhen was named the "Great Monk Capital", commanding all monks and nuns in Japan, and established a formal monastic system in Japan.

However, in 758, Emperor Koken, who was the main supporter of Jianzhen, lost power in the court struggle and was forced to pass the throne to Emperor Junnin. Jianzhen was also marginalized. In 758, Emperor Junhito issued an edict, dismissing Jianzhen from the post of the Great Monk Capital on the grounds that he was "irritated by political affairs and did not dare to overwork himself", and gave Jianzhen the official residence of the former crown prince Dozu, who was defeated in the court struggle. The following year, Jianzhen's disciples built a temple in the official residence. Chunren named it "Tangzhaoti Temple", and Jianzhen moved here from Dongdai Temple. Chunren also decreed that Japanese monks must go to Tangzhaoti Temple to study before being ordained, making Tangzhaoti Temple the highest institution of learning for Japanese Buddhists at that time. On May 6, 763 (the first year of Emperor Guangde's reign of Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty and the seventh year of Emperor Chunren's Tianping Baozi), Jianzhen passed away in Tangzhaotiji Temple. Before his death, his disciples made a film shadow of Jianzhen and erected a dry lacquer and ramie statue, which has been handed down to this day.

html In 2764, Emperor Xiaoqian suppressed the Emi Otsuki Rebellion and regained the throne. Jianzhen's disciples Situo , Fajin and others successively became the "Great Monk Capital", and Tangzhaoti Temple was also expanded, becoming a national treasure in the history of Japanese architecture. The Four Ordination Altar founded by Jianzhen also became the only place where Japanese Buddhist monks formally received ordination before Saicho founded the Japanese Tendai sect. Jianzhen was also revered as the first ancestor of the Japanese Vinaya sect.

Disciples

Jianzhen had many disciples in Japan. Among them, Fajin (709-778) was Jianzhen's right-hand assistant in teaching the precepts and giving ordination. He was regarded as the "second monk" after Jianzhen by the Japanese Vinaya Sect. In addition to teaching legal studies, he also taught Tiantai religious doctrines. He wrote the earliest historical biography of Buddhism in Japan, "Enli Senglu", and wrote a biography of Jianzhen, "The Great Monk Jianzhen Biography of the Great Tang Dynasty Master Monk Mingji". Japan Yuan Kai's "Dongzheng Zhuan" is mainly It was written based on this book; Rubao presided over Tangshodai Temple after Jianzhen's death. After entering the Heian period, he ordained Emperor Kanmu, his concubines, and the crown prince. He was regarded by the Japanese Vinaya Sect as the "third monk" who succeeded Jianzhen and Hoshin.

Historical evaluation

The visit of the Chinese master Jianzhen to Japan in the Tang Dynasty was a great event that attracted the attention of the Japanese government and the public at that time. The master went through untold hardships, and his first eastward journey was blocked by storms and huge waves. He stayed in the country for five years before he was able to reorganize his fleet and make the second eastward journey. Master Jianzhen was already blind at that time, but he was still determined to make the eastward journey. He succeeded and was greatly welcomed by the Japanese government and the public. Jianzhen not only brought Buddhist scriptures to Japan, but also promoted the spread of Chinese culture to Japan. In Buddhism, medicine, calligraphy, etc., Jianzhen has had a profound impact on Japan.

Buddhism

Jianzhen established a strict precepts system for the first time in Japan, which put Japanese Buddhism on the right track, facilitated the government's control of Buddhism, eliminated various drawbacks caused by neglect of management, and promoted Buddhism to be confirmed as Japan's national religion. The Japanese Vinaya sect founded by Jianzhen and his disciples has also become one of the six sects in Nandu. It is still popular today and still has afterglow.

Medicine

Jianzhen is familiar with medical prescriptions. When the Empress Dowager Guangming was critically ill, only Jianzhen's prescriptions were effective. According to the Japanese "Compendium of Materia Medica", you can identify the type and authenticity of medicinal herbs by just smelling them with your nose. He also vigorously spread the knowledge of Zhang Zhongjing's "Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases" and left a volume of "Jian Shengren's Secret Recipe". Therefore, he is known as the "ancestor of Japanese Kampo medicine". According to Yasuhiro Nozaki, chairman of the Japanese Kampo Nozaki Pharmacy, the following 36 medicinal herbs were brought to Japan to promote their use:

Ephedra, Asarum, Peony, Aconite , Polygala , Astragalus, Licorice , Sophora flavescens, Angelica , Bupleurum , Ligusticum chuanxiong , Scrophulariaceae , Rehmannia glutinosa , Perilla , Salvia miltiorrhiza , Scutellaria baicalensis , Platycodon , Inula , Atractylodes, Anemarrhena , Pinellia , Wuhua , Gardenia, Schisandra , Phellodendron , Almond, Magnolia officinalis , Magnolia officinalis, Cinnamon , Eucommia ulmoides, Tang papaya, jujube, Sichuan pepper, Zanthoxylum bungeanum, Evodia

calligraphy

Jianzhen and his disciples also had deep attainments in calligraphy. During his sixth eastward journey, he brought with him a copy of Wang Xizhi's running script, a mourning post, three authentic works of Wang Xianzhi's running script, and 50 volumes of other calligraphy. This greatly promoted the formation of Japanese calligraphy. Jianzhen himself is also a famous calligrapher, and his "Sutra Calling Sticker" is known as a Japanese national treasure.

Commemorative work for future generations

Jianzhen enjoys a high reputation in both China and Japan. When the news of his death spread back to Yangzhou, all the monks in Yangzhou mourned for three days and held a large Dharma assembly in Longxing Temple to mourn Jianzhen. In Japan, Jianzhen also enjoys the status of a national treasure.1963 was the 1,200th anniversary of Jianzhen's death. Both Chinese and Japanese Buddhist circles held large-scale commemorative activities. The Japanese Buddhist circles also designated this year as the "Year of Master Jianzhen's Revelation". In 1980, under the mediation of Deng Xiaoping, the abbot of Tangzhaoti Temple, Morimoto, returned to his hometown to visit relatives. As a result, Daming Temple in Yangzhou was rebuilt, which became a major event in the history of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations. The Chinese painting "Eastward Journey to the East" ( Guo Defu ), which was painted after ten years, has set off a craze for authenticity in China and reflects the friendly cultural exchanges between China and Japan.