The life root of the great wish to continue wisdom is only in the three studies
- commemorating the tenth anniversary of Master Honggen's enthronement
Student Zong Xing
The life root of the great wish to continue the wisdom is only in the three schools
Master Chang sits in lotus position to take off the teacher
Master Honggen passed away It’s the tenth anniversary, and I think of him often and miss him very much. In the autumn of 1992, the newly established Sichuan Buddhist College opened its doors at Baoguang Temple. It was at this time that I entered the Sichuan Buddhist College to study. Before the establishment of Sichuan Buddhist College, Master Benneng founded Baoguang Sangha School in Baoguang Temple, and Master Honggen has been teaching at Baoguang Sangha School. After the establishment of Sichuan Buddhist College, Master naturally became the teacher. While I was studying at the Sichuan Buddhist College, I listened to Master’s lectures in preparatory classes and advanced classes. Apart from teaching in the classroom, he doesn't talk much in his daily life. He likes to sit quietly and is unsmiling. His classmates all respect him.
01
Biography
Master Tao Honggen (1928-2011), whose common surname is Xiang and given name Chuanxi, was born on November 25, the 17th year of the Republic of China, from Nanfeng Township, Guanghan, Sichuan. When he was two years old, his mother died of illness, and when he was eight years old, his father died. His elder brother Xiang Chuanyi was recruited by the Kuomintang army and later died in the Anti-Japanese War. His elder brother and sister-in-law Wang Fuxiu (from Lianshan Township), a temporary worker at Chengdu Yuhua Cotton Mill, was killed when Japanese planes bombed Chengdu, leaving him homeless. A helpless orphan. He had no relatives to rely on, he was hungry and cold, and his whole body was covered with sores. The cousin sent Xiang Suzhen to Shuangfu Temple in Nanfeng Township. The elder of the temple, the monk Yuan Pharaoh, was very compassionate and took her in at the temple. The old monk was proficient in medical skills and treated her abscesses.
In the spring of 1938, Master Yuan was appointed as a disciple under the name of his disciple Master Sun Kuanhui. He took the Buddhist name Honggen and sent him to Nanfeng Township Primary School to study. In September 1941, he was admitted to Shifang Luohan Temple Buddhist Middle School (later renamed West China Buddhist College), where he was a disciple of Master Taixu and became the principal. In September 1944, after graduating from the school, he was admitted to Xi'an Pali Tripitaka College of Buddhism (located in Daxingshan Temple ), also known as the "World Buddhist Garden Pali Tripitaka College", which was initiated by Master Taixu. It was established as a Pali-language Buddhist school in the grand concept of "World Buddhist Academy". After graduating in 1948, he was promoted to the graduate class of the college and became proficient in Sanskrit, Pali, and English. Because he was still young when he became a monk, and later studied in a Buddhist academy for a long time, he never received the bhikkhu ordination.
After the founding of New China, the master returned to Shuangfu Temple to take care of the elderly monk Yuan. From 1950 to the autumn of 1951, he served as a voluntary teacher in this village. He attended the Guanghan County Voluntary Teachers Representative Conference and received encouragement from the then County Magistrate Shi Jinbing. In the winter of 1951, during the land reform movement, he served as a clerk for the local farmers' association and the township government. In the spring of 1953, it was planned to be transferred to the teaching work of in Mao County. Because the monk was old and had no one to take care of him, in order to express his gratitude for his upbringing, he did not report to the Mao County Cultural and Educational Department and stayed in the temple to participate in agricultural production. In 1958, in response to the government's call, he went to the Shifang mining area to reclaim wasteland and smelt iron. In 1959, he returned to Shuangfu Temple. From 1960 to 1963, he served as the accountant of the production team. From 1964 to 1966, he served as a grain custodian. From 1967 to 1981, he worked in farming in his hometown.
In the spring of 1982, Master corresponded with Master Puchao, then president of the Emeishan Buddhist Association. Master Mengpuchao summoned him by letter to guard the temple at Baoguo Temple in Mount Emei. In June 1983, Taiziping was assigned to guard the palace. In May 1984, he was transferred back to Guoguo Temple to guard Puxian Hall. In the autumn of 1985, the Sichuan Buddhist Association's first ordination ceremony was held at Baoguang Temple in Xindu. After review and approval, Mr. Kuanlin formally received the ordination and finally became a monk.
Group photo of the founding and opening ceremony of Sichuan Buddhist College in 1992
Since 1986, he has taught in Leshan Buddhist Association Sangha Training Class, Putuo Mountain Buddhist College , Baoguang Sangha School, Emeishan Buddhist College , Sichuan He has taught in Buddhist colleges such as the Provincial Buddhist College for more than 20 years.
At the beginning of 2009, he went to Huacheng Jingshe in Shanghai to practice silent cultivation. On December 4, 2011 (the tenth day of the winter lunar month), he passed away in his seat at the Huacheng Jingshe at the age of eighty-three.
02
Dedicated Vows to the Cause of Buddhist Education
When the Master was teaching in class, he often confessed to his classmates that he was orphaned at a young age and was deeply benefited by Buddhism. He had been studying at a Buddhist college when he was young, and he was very important to the cultivation of talents in the Buddhist community and Buddhism. He has deep feelings for the cause of education and is willing to dedicate his life to the cause of Buddhist education.
In April 1986, at the invitation of Master Benneng, the president of the Leshan Buddhist Association and the abbot of Wuyou Temple, he went to Wuyou Temple to serve as a lecturer for the Sangha training class of the Leshan Buddhist Association. During this period, he wrote " Lecture notes such as Diamond Sutra, Amitabha Sutra, Ode to the Rules of Eight Consciousnesses, Theory of the Five Aggregates, and Collection of Sanskrit and Chinese Terms. In the autumn of 1988, at the invitation of Master Miaoshan of the Putuo Mountain Buddhist Association, he went to Putuo Mountain Buddhist College to serve as a lecturer and carefully wrote the lecture notes of "Ode to Kushe". In the autumn of 1989, at the invitation of Master Benneng, he returned to Sichuan and taught at the Xindu Baoguang Temple Sangha School. He also served as a lecturer for the Leshan Buddhist Association Sangha Training Course. He traveled back and forth between Leshan and Xindu every month. Each school will focus on teaching for half a month. After 1989, the Leshan Buddhist Association Sangha Training Class was moved to Baoguo Temple in Emeishan, and later changed to Emeishan Buddhist College. In 1992, Xindu Baoguang Temple Sangha School was changed to Sichuan Buddhist College. The master has successively taught courses such as "Outline of Vinaya", "Four Points of Precepts", " Tong Meng Zhi Kuan " and "Six Wonderful Doors".
The opening ceremony of Grade 93 of Sichuan Buddhist College
In 1999, after the closure of Sichuan Buddhist College, he has been teaching at Emeishan Buddhist College. In 2007, the hospital considered that he was old and should spend his old age in peace, so no special courses were arranged. At this point, his more than 20-year career as a lecturer in Buddhist colleges ended.
Master is a very responsible and excellent teacher in teaching. He prepares lessons carefully and is meticulous in class. He not only taught Buddhist doctrine and teachings, but also paid attention to his own practice. The master pays great attention to his dignity and appearance when walking, standing, sitting or lying down, which can be regarded as an example. When the Sichuan Buddhist College was first established, it was originally considered to set up a dean of disciplines above the class teacher to be responsible for student management. Master Benneng has some opinions on the word "discipline" and believes that the word "discipline" is condescending. He proposed that the position of director of discipline should not be established and that a "mentor" system should be established instead. In view of the master's profound attainments in study and practice and the strict etiquette in life, the old master Panneng proposed to invite him to serve as a tutor at the Buddhist College to lead young students to study diligently and call on his classmates to follow his example. Therefore, classmates often respectfully call him Teacher Honggen.
Master is not only serious and responsible in class, he is also very concerned about the religious study and life of his classmates. Because the Sichuan Buddhist College is located in Baoguang Temple, which is one of the four major Zen forests in the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Master Benneng suggested that students go to the Zen hall every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to study meditation. In addition to teaching the rules of the Zen hall, Master Guangyong and Master Houtang Cifu also specially arranged for Master Honggen to lead the students to learn zazen. If I later became more interested in and devoted myself to meditation, it was all due to Master Honggen’s guidance.
When Master was at the academy, he was never absent from his morning and evening homework. He often warned his classmates to develop good religious sentiments. I remember one winter, during morning class one day, for some unknown reason, almost all the students were absent. The Master stood downstairs in the student dormitory and shouted loudly, asking the students to get up quickly and go to the main hall to do morning class.Looking back now, I feel very ashamed, but the mage's loud shout that morning was like a lion's roar. I still remember it deeply. I often encourage myself not to slack off and let the mage worry.
03
Lifelong meditation is a mission
There are no televisions, air conditioners or other electrical equipment in the master’s dormitory. In addition to preparing lessons, he just meditates and meditates. He would insist on meditating every morning and afternoon when he was not in class. He always stays awake at night and insists on the practice habit that meditation is rest and rest is meditation.
The master is very skilled in his legs. He insists on meditating and meditating every day. Sometimes he will also demonstrate the double lotus posture for his classmates on the podium in class. When he was sitting in lotus position, his legs were very soft. He did not use his hands to help. He swung his legs left and right and naturally formed a double lotus position. This shows how pure his meditation skills are, which often impressed and admired his classmates. . The Master often mentioned to us that when he was teaching at Mount Putuo Buddhist College, his classmates organized a party, and the Master and the classmates had to perform live performances to cheer up the fun. When it was his turn to take the stage, in order not to spoil everyone's fun, he was there. He performed the cross-legged meditation technique, which won exclamation and applause from the students.
Photo taken at the opening ceremony of Sichuan Buddhist College in 1997
Another thing I remember is that when he was invited to teach at Putuo Mountain Buddhist College, he passed by Shanghai and placed an order at a certain temple, waiting to buy a boat ticket to Mount Putuo. It was probably the peak season, and ferry tickets were very tight and difficult to purchase. He wanted to ask the famous abbot of the temple for help, but the temple ignored him. He later had no choice but to meditate next to the boiler room of the temple. He continued to sit in lotus position as usual for a day and a night. This alarmed the abbot of the temple and moved an enthusiastic person working in the public security system who sent a car to take him to Putuo overnight. Mountain. When he told us what happened, he was not trying to show off his leg skills, but jokingly said that having good leg skills would be a great advantage and he could earn a boat ticket. Looking back now, I know that this was just a joke on his part, but his practice of sitting in lotus position and meditating was indeed true.
4
The character of self-discipline and forgiveness of others
Master’s daily life is very simple, he often goes to court with the public, holds noon in the afternoon, and does not specialize. The clothes he wears are also very simple. He always wears two sets of short shirts, Chinese coats, and long coats. He always wears brown sea green and Qiyi with him. The short shirts worn underneath often have patches, but they can be washed. Very neat. Apart from desks, bookcases, washstands and simple wooden beds, there is no extra furniture in the dormitory. The kettle and washbasin are also extremely ordinary. A face towel and a footcloth are always used repeatedly and have not been replaced for decades.
Master’s requirements for himself in life have reached an almost harsh level. He has always kept the money precept all year round, and his living allowance, single money, and support money are all kept by designated personnel. Master Zhengneng and Master Xinkong from Sichuan Buddhist College and Emeishan Buddhist College have all been designated to keep money and belongings for him. He has never been stingy with charitable undertakings such as caring for disadvantaged groups and providing disaster relief and poverty relief. When there are natural disasters, poor students, or lonely elderly people in need of assistance, he will promptly tell the mage who keeps money and belongings for him, and send them to the rescue recipients in an anonymous way, sometimes signed by Emeishan Monk, Yunshui Monk, etc. . At the beginning, few people knew about his meritorious deeds in silently helping those in need. Later, because the recipients often sent letters of thanks back to them, but the true identity of the sender could not be found, it was only after repeated verification that it was discovered that it was him. In practicing the Mahayana Bodhisattva's spirit of selflessness and altruism. Even so, few people knew about his charitable deeds because he never made it public.
Take a photo with the monks of Wuyou Temple
Master often treats others with forgiveness when interacting with the outside world.I remember one year, he came to Chengdu from Emei to teach. He took a long-distance bus to Chengdu North Railway Station. When he got off the bus, he had two sachets connected together on his shoulders and was hit by an oncoming minibus. The car hit the ground, and the driver quickly got out of the car to help him up, and asked him if he was injured and whether he wanted to go to the hospital for examination. However, he smiled calmly at the driver and told the driver modestly: I'm sorry, I accidentally killed you. The car was hit. Then he turned around and left, bought a ticket and rushed to Xindu. This is not easy for ordinary people to understand, and it is estimated that no one will imitate it, but I know deeply that this is a true expression of his inner character of forgiveness.
05
The last time of hidden cultivation
An old layman from Huacheng Jingshe in Shanghai is very connected with Mount Emei. He often goes to Mount Emei to pay homage to the Buddha. After being introduced by other masters, he also met Master Honggen. Around 2007, he no longer taught classes for Buddhist college students, and was occasionally invited to some remote monasteries to preach Buddhism. Accompanied by the protector, the Master came to Huacheng Jingshe for the first time. The accompanying protector accompanied him to visit the Taoist holy sites in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Mount Putuo and other places. Since he had previously passed through Shanghai to give lectures in Mount Putuo, this visit Rituals can also be regarded as revisiting old places. After attending the ceremony, he asked the accompanying guardians to return to Sichuan first. He himself stayed in Huacheng Jingshe and proposed to the old lay monks of Huacheng Jingshe to retreat for a period of time. The old lay monks of Huacheng Jingshe were naturally happy to support the practitioners in retreat, so they made detailed arrangements for him, and he started his first retreat in Huacheng Jingshe. Because the Huacheng Jingshe was in a quiet environment with few people disturbing him, he liked it very much and stayed in seclusion for three months.
Master once came to Huacheng Jingshe once again alone, without contacting him in advance. He was just an old layman who came to visit Huacheng Jingshe and did not stay there permanently. In early 2009, he came to Huacheng Jingshe again and asked the old layman to borrow his precious place for retreat. The old layman asked him how long he would stay in retreat, and he said he would stay in retreat until he left. The old layman realized that he was going to undergo a life-and-death retreat, so he arranged all the conditions for him to enter the retreat, sent a special person to guard the retreat, and delivered two meals a day to the table outside the retreat room. He knocked on the chime three times and retreated. After hearing the sound of the chime, he took his meal.
After the master entered the retreat room, he maintained a simple lifestyle as always. If he had simple needs, he would give them to the old layman in the form of notes. These slips of paper were cardboard boxes and desk calendars that he used in daily life. He cut them with scissors and used them repeatedly. He was extremely frugal, and later left dozens of slips of paper of varying sizes and thicknesses.
After the master entered the monastery, he still maintained the practice of sleeping alone at night as always. The bedding prepared for him in advance remained untouched until he passed away. It was still the same as before he entered the monastery. On the contrary, the Zen bench used for sitting and meditating was the space where he practiced most frequently. After his death, he discovered that the cushions on the Zen seat were damaged, which is enough to testify to how diligently he practiced in the meditation room. Not only was the bedding untouched in his cell, but also some other items prepared for him were almost untouched, and he did not even offer to purchase any new items. This shows that in his daily life, he has already attached great importance to the material aspect. His dependence has been reduced to a very low level, which also reflects his extraordinary level of cultivation.
Take a group photo with teachers and students of Emeishan Buddhist College
In addition to insisting on meditation, sitting and walking, the Master reads scriptures in the solitary room every day. He has successively read large classics such as the Mahaprajna Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Surangama Sutra, and the Lotus Sutra, and has left dozens of scripture reading notes. From the day he entered the solitary room, he didn't even open the curtains of the solitary room, which shows that he was extremely dedicated to cultivating in the solitary room.
The master shaves his hair once a month in the solitary room. Before shaving his hair, he will send a note. The old layman brings the shaving tools into the solitary room to shave his head.Every time when the hair was shaved, there was no verbal communication, but there was a tacit understanding, and occasionally a knowing smile. One day in the early winter of 2011, the old layman felt that he had exceeded the habit of shaving his hair once a month, so he sent a note. Later he sent a note with the words "last time tomorrow at 1:30" written on it. The next day, the old layman brought the shaving tools into the solitary room and finished shaving his head as usual. He motioned to the old layman to open the drawer. When the old layman opened the drawer, he found a note. After a closer look, it was his will. He had made arrangements for his funeral affairs and entrusted the old layman to handle all matters after his death. After the old layman read it, he thought he was joking and didn't pay much attention to it. He said to him, "You have a lot of unfinished things and you can't leave yet." He didn't say anything after hearing this, but just smiled. The old layman also quit the solitary room. After the next day, he stopped eating for more than ten days. At this time, the old layman seemed to understand. At about 5 p.m. on the ninth day of winter, the old layman asked to go to the closed room and asked when he would leave. He made a "Two Four" gesture to the old layman. The old layman understood that he meant twenty-four hours, and the general idea was that At about five o'clock in the afternoon the next day. During this period, old monk Mengcan was leading the monks and lay disciples in the monastery to recite the Huayan Sutra, and the old layman also participated.
On the afternoon of the tenth day of the winter lunar month, just before five minutes to five o'clock after reciting the sutra, the old layman quietly came to the outside of the closed room. He saw that the door of the closed room was ajar, because the door was usually closed. Startled, he gently pushed the door open with his hand and looked into the closed room. He saw the Master sitting on the sofa with lotus posture. When the old layman's eyes touched him, he also felt the old layman's eyes. The moment they looked at each other, he tilted his head slightly and walked away freely and easily. He had truly "predicted the coming time" and was able to "sit down and die" freely. How free and easy this was. The effort of truly cultivating the truth in a lifetime is truly an expression of truth from one’s own experience, and it is absolutely true.
After the master left, the old layman did not touch him. At the same time, he immediately reported the news of the master’s death to the Emeishan Buddhist Association. The Emeishan Buddhist Association immediately sent Master Chuanzhi and Master Xinkong as representatives to Huacheng Jingshe in Shanghai. , assisting the elderly layman with funeral arrangements and seeing the elderly person on his last journey. Twenty-four hours later, when I was ready to bathe and change his clothes, I realized that he had already taken a bath and changed his clothes. The other unworn clothes were neatly stacked next to him, including the face wash hanging in the bathroom. Towels and footcloths have also been washed cleanly and neatly stacked. It seems that he has decided to leave because he is ready.
The master’s lifelong cultivation was condensed into the last moment. The eight words “foreseeing the coming of time, sitting down, falling off, standing and dying” are the true state he has achieved through his lifelong practice of Kung Fu.
Master’s last act is both a benchmark and a spur, leaving us with a glorious example and adding to our confidence in firm practice.
06
Conclusion
Not long after the master left, I went to the monastery and his retreat residence. I looked at his folded clothes and neat Bible reading notes. The words in the notebook were all The strokes are still as powerful as before, and some notebook covers are even marked in English or Pali. I stayed in the room for a long time, feeling the Master's breath still filling the air.
Teacher, through the ages!
Master, always here!
Picture and text source: General trend of building ancient buildings
