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After disagreeing with Emperor Wu of Liang, Bodhidharma hurriedly left, folded a reed and floated across the Yangtze River , and continued to go north to spread Zen Buddhism. This is the legend of "
The author's collection of "Bodhidharma Crossing the River" White Lotus Stone Carving
Bodhidharma, also known as " Bodhidharma ", was respectfully called " Bodhidharma Patriarch ". According to records such as "The Book of Dharma Treasures of All Ages" and "The Book of Lankavatara", Bodhidharma was the third son of King Xiangzhi of the ancient Indian country. He read Buddhist scriptures since he was a child and had unique insights into scriptures. When he grew up, he worshipped the 27th generation of Buddhist patriarchs, , the venerable of Prajna Tara as his teacher, and made a vow to revitalize Buddhism. Of course, these are similar to myths and legends.
Bodhidharma carries sutras, treasure gourds and hats
Bodhidharma is a Buddhist Zen Mahayana school that promotes the salvation of all sentient beings. Later, Bodhidharma followed the instructions of his master, prepared his luggage, crossed the ocean, and went through hardships and twists and turns to come to China. After Bodhidharma arrived in Guangzhou, China, the Guangzhou Governor learned about this and hurriedly reported it to the emperor. Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yan, who believed in Buddhism, immediately sent envoys to Nanjing to treat him with courtesy.
Why did Bodhidharma and Emperor Wu of Liang have different conversations and what was the general idea of the conversation? And how did Bodhidharma "cross the river with one reed"? There are several different versions of folk legends. Here are a few choices for your reference:
Bodhidharma arrived in Nanjing on October 1st. Emperor Wu of Liang met Bodhidharma and asked him: "Since I ascended the throne, I have built temples and saved everyone as monks, and spared no effort to write Buddhist scriptures and create Buddha statues. What kind of merits do you have?" Bodhidharma said: "No merit." Emperor Wu asked: "Why are there no merits?" Bodhidharma said: "These are like shadows, although there are, they are not real." Emperor Wu said: "What is the real merit?" Bodhidharma said: "Pure, wise, perfect, and wonderful, and the body is empty and silent. Such merits are not pursued in the world."
Emperor Wu of Liang asked again: "Is this the realm pursued by the saints? "Bodhidharma replied, "Empty and silence are not sages." "Emperor Wu asked again: "Who is the person who answered my question? "Bodhidharma said: "I don't know." "Emperor Wu was puzzled and very unhappy, so he immediately saw the guests off. Bodhidharma also hurriedly left, and on October 19th, he came to the bank of the Yangtze River and decided to go north. I think this legend is a bit of a belittlement to Emperor Wu of Liang Xiao Yan. In fact, Xiao Yan is a good emperor in history. He is resourceful, versatile, and well-versed in literature and history.
According to reports, Bodhidharma came to the foot of the Mufu Mountain by the Yangtze River. He saw the river surging, no fishing boats, and no one could see him. He didn't know how to cross the river. At this time, Bodhidharma suddenly found an old man sitting not far from the shore, with a bundle of reeds placed beside him. Bodhidharma stepped forward and respectfully bowed to the old man: "Old man, I want to cross the river, but there is no boat, please turn the old man into a reed for me so that he can carry it. "
The portrait of a reed crossing the river was discovered at the ruins of Dingshan Temple in Nanjing. The old man raised his head and looked at Bodhidharma carefully. He saw that his two bulging eyes were bright and bright, bearded, curly and circled, had a burly figure, calm manner, dignified image, and extraordinary appearance. The old man nodded and praised, and then pulled out a reed to Bodhidharma. Bodhidharma took the reed with both hands and thanked the old man. He placed the reed on the river surface, and saw a spiritual reed flower flying in spirit, and the reed became bigger and bigger, spreading and spreading, like a small boat. Bodhidharma stepped on the reed with his feet and crossed the Yangtze River flutteringly.
Light after Emperor Wu of Liang met with Bodhidharma, he was deeply regretful after reflection. When he learned that Bodhidharma was about to cross the river and head north, he immediately sent someone to chase him on a mule. When I chased to the middle section of Mufu Mountain, the peaks on both sides suddenly closed and the group was sandwiched between the two peaks. To this day, people still call this mountain in Mufu Mountain Jialu Peak, and the cave where Damo rested at the northern foot of the mountain is called the "Dharma Cave".
According to the saying, after Dafamo "crossing the river", he stayed at Changlu Temple in Jiangbei, Nanjing. Changlu Town in Liuhe, Jiangbei has the ruins of " Changlu Temple ". The "Yiwei Hall" in Changlu Temple was built to commemorate the visit of Changlu Temple after Bodhidharma crossed the river. Later, Bodhidharma went to Ru Zen Temple in Dingshan, Pukou, Nanjing to practice facing the wall.
In 1982, during the Nanjing Cultural Relics Census, the abbot passed away lotus jar and tomb pagoda were found in the grass of the Dingshan Temple site, as well as a stone tablet of Bodhidharma's "One Reed Crossing the River". This stone tablet of Bodhidharma was carved in the fourth year of Hongzhi in the Ming Dynasty (1491 AD). On the monument, Bodhidharma had a round cheek and a round eyes, and stood on the reeds crossing the river with his hands. On the left side of the portrait are engraved with the words "The 80th Ancient Month of the 19th Ancient Month of the 19th Ancient Month of the 4th year of Hongzhi, Daming. From this, it is verified that the stone tablet of the portrait was painted by an authentic thirty-second monk who was 80 years old at the time.
Pukou Dingshan Temple began to be rebuilt in 2007, and remains of " Bodhidharma Rock ", "Feast Stone", Bodhidharma Portrait Stele and other remains. Among them, the Bodhidharma Crossing the River Portrait Stele is the earliest Bodhidharma statue stele in China, more than 120 years earlier than the Bodhidharma ancestor stele in Shaolin Temple in Songshan. Dingshan Temple has also become an important jungle of Zen Buddhism and is known as the "first temple of Bodhidharma".
The "Bodhidharma Crossing the River" portrait stele preserved in Shaolin Temple in Songshan Mountain
Northern Wei in the third year of Xiaochang, Bodhidharma went north to Luoyang, Henan , and later came to Shaolin Temple in Songshan Mountain. He faced the wall in the upper part of the middle peak of the Wuma Peak in the western foot of Songshan Mountain and in a natural stone cave not far from the top for nine years. He practiced nature and meditation, and later took his disciples to teach Zen teachings in the north. The so-called "face the wall to think about mistakes", "face the wall to reflect on", "face the wall to become a Buddha", etc., are mostly related to the story of " Bodhidharma facing the wall to ". The stone carvings of Bodhidharma "crossing the river with one reed" have been preserved in Shaolin Temple. According to legend, the light skills of " floating " in the martial arts of monks in Shaolin Temple came from the inspiration of "crossing the river with a reed".
The explanation of "one reed crossing the river", some experts believe that "one reed" is not a reed, but a large bunch of reeds, because there is a poem " Book of Songs " in " He Guang ", which says: "Who is the river? One reed is a hang (communicating "hang")." Kong Yingda, a literary and historical scholar in the Tang Dynasty, explained: "A reed means a bunch, which can float on the water and cross it. If a raft is still there, it is not a reed." Later generations used "one reed" to refer to "small boat", that is, "a small boat". This explanation is more scientific.
I am fortunate to collect a Shoushan white hibiscus stone sculpture with the theme of Bodhidharma Crossing the River, weighing only about 100 grams. On this small Shoushan Stone , the sculptor actually carved the image of Bodhidharma Crossing the River to be both form and spirit and lifelike. Bodhidharma bald beard, looking far away, with a solemn expression, standing by the river with dust, carrying a large sutra scroll, a hat, and a treasure gourd. It uses the playful color of the stone to carve into the turbulent river water. There is also a small divine beast carved beside it. It seemed that it realized that the future was dangerous and roared in panic, trying to stop Bodhidharma Crossing the River. Faced with the endless river, Bodhidharma's thought of crossing the river was resolute.
It turns out that under this stone carving is a unique seal seal, which is actually a Buddhist study and elegant play. The seal text is "Mahayana and Broad Wisdom". "Mahayana" means "saving all living beings"; "Broad Wisdom" means "great wisdom". I have watched this work repeatedly and focused my thoughts, especially the three things that Bodhidharma carries: scriptures, treasure gourds, and hats. What is the meaning of it? Maybe it is the mental, material and survival instinct? More verification is needed. In short, the story of "Bodhidharma Crossing the River" tells us that life is a long practice.
seal is: Mahayana Guangzhi
Let’s talk about the author of this stone seal. From the craftsmanship characteristics to patina to seals, this stone sculpture should be a work from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.There is an engraved "Shitian" in the lower right corner of the front. After repeated review of the information, among the literati of the Ming and Qing dynasties, only Shen Hao, a great painter in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, was named "Shitian". Shen Hao became a monk for many years when he was young and returned to secular life after middle age. His painting masters inherited the "Four Great Masters of the Ming Dynasty" and the founder of the Wumen Painting School. He is good at painting colorful ink landscapes. His painting style is fresh and beautiful, and he is very literary and popular. He is as famous as Shi Tao and Zhu Da (Bada Shanren) at that time.
Shen Hao's "Autumn Mountain Residence"
Shen Hao, whose courtesy name is Lang Qian, his pseudonym Shi Tian and Lang Daoren, was from Wuxian (now Suzhou ), a doctoral disciple. He was born in the 14th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1586), died 1680 years old, at the age of 95 years old. Historical records: Shen Hao is breeze and erect, and is well-informed. In his early years, he became a monk and returned to secular life in middle age. He is capable of poetry, proficient in ancient Chinese prose and calligraphy, seal script, and has a good idea of painting and a deeper understanding of painting theory. His origin of painting is the same as that of Dong Qichang . He has written the famous work " Painting Dust ", which is comparable to Dong Qichang's "Painting Eyes". Painting imitates Shen Zhou, advocates "learning nature and understanding the ancients", and advocates copying the ancients without the similarity of form but the understanding of spirit. "Similar but not similar, not similar but similar" is his creative idea.
Shen Hao's "Books with Closed Doors"
Shen Hao believes that good works are tempered, just like there are thousands of books hidden in his heart, so he naturally knows how to write articles, and the same is true for painting. Practice writing day and night, and practice techniques honestly, and one day you will be able to understand how to draw. Shen Hao likes to show the "desert and cold" flavor in his works. "Desert and cold" means coldness and loneliness. After all, it is the feeling of seclusion in the works of ancient painters. At the same time, Shen Hao's works convey the Zen thoughts , seeing the nature and becoming a Buddha, and guiding the world to enjoy the beauty of nature.
A collection of "Hongyi Stone" Buddhist study seal elegant instrument
"Books with Closed Doors" painted by Shen Hao is currently collected in Beijing Palace Museum . Ancient pine is wrapped with slender vines. There is a green bamboo forest outside the fence. Between the pine and bamboo, there is a clean and simple courtyard. In a room in the courtyard, a scholar was concentrating on writing at his desk. Shen Hao's "Autumn Mountain Residence" was sold for 632,500 yuan at the 2006 auction in Beijing Hanhai. In addition, the "Twelve Paradises of Landscapes" volume written by Shen Hao is now in the collection of Shenyang Palace Museum ; the "Imitation of Landscapes of Jingguan" scroll and "Imitation of Frost Sky" picture are now in the collection of Shanghai Museum ; the "Landscapes of Landscapes" are now in the collection of Tianjin Art Museum, etc.
The Ming Dynasty Buddhist inkstones collected by the author
The famous modern painter, artist and art educator Chen Shizeng, because his paintings most admired Shitian (Shen Zhou), Shi Tian (Shen Hao), Shi Tao, Shixi (Heng Can Taoist) and Shi Pang, so his study was named "Wu Shi Tang". Chen Shizeng was a leader in the Beijing painting world at that time, and the well-known story: Chen Shizeng had the kindness of knowing the Qi Baishi, who was in his 50s at that time, and it was Chen Shizeng's strong guidance and helping that Qi Baishi became a giant in the painting world. From the Bodhidharma stone sculpture to Qi Baishi, how could it be that "the body is dispersed but the spirit is not dispersed"? (Text/Huijing Player)
Author Profile: Huijing Player, member of Jiangsu Collectors Association, member of Jiangsu Writers Association, mainly collects jade, gold and bronze ware, classical furniture, inkstone seal stone, purple clay teapot, etc.
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