Decheng

Boatman monk

Chuanzi monk (the year of his birth and death is unknown), known as Decheng. Eminent monks and CI poets in Tang Dynasty. Wuxin, Sichuan (now Suining City, Sichuan Province), lived in Zhujing, Huating (now Jinshan) for a long time.

Brief introduction of life

He is a man of high moral integrity. He was a Zen master in the medical mountain of Lizhou. It's been 30 years. After leaving Yaoshan, a boat floats between Zhujing River and Songjiang River. It picks up and sees off people from all directions. It's called chuanzi monk. One day, he met with Zen master Jiashan in Zhujing. He asked and answered questions and speculated on words. Chuanzi happily said, "after fishing all the river waves, we meet the golden scales." so he taught his life experience of Buddhism. After that, he died. The chuanzi temple, also known as chuanzi Daochang, was built in Zhujing Buddhist temple. There are his biographies in biography of Jingde, Wu Deng Hui Yuan and Xu Gao Seng Zhuan. He has written 39 songs of Ba Bu. His lyrics are quoted in Fayuan Zhulin and Yilin felling mountain, and a volume of chuanzi chance poem is collected. In Song Dynasty, Lu Yirou carved stone in Fengjing Haihui temple. His poetry is similar to the fisherman's Ci written by Zhang Zhihe, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. In 1987, it was published by the editorial board of Shanghai Literature series, with Shi Zhecun as the preface.

Preach the law by body

Yao Shan, the great Zen master of the Tang Dynasty, had three great masters of Zen. They were Decheng, Daowu and Yunyan. After they got the Dharma, they were ordered by their teachers to live in the mountains to promote the Dharma. When leaving Yaoshan, Decheng said to the two brothers that you should establish the tenet of Yaoshan according to one side. I'm a person with a loose nature. I'm good at landscape and have no ability. After parting, you know where I am. If you meet a clever monk and instruct him to come, you may be able to carve it out. I will teach him what I have gained in my life to repay my teacher's kindness.

When Decheng arrived at Huating in Xiuzhou, he ferried back and forth on the river. No one knew his origin and called him chuanzi monk.

When Daowu went to the abbot of Jingkou temple, a good Buddhist monk came to study. Daowu asked him a few questions, and he answered them according to the Sutra. Daowu laughed. Good will ask, am I wrong? It's all classic. I hope that the monk will be merciful and will not hesitate to give advice. Dao Wu saw that he was a clever monk and said, "go to Huating in Xiuzhou and find monk chuanzi.".

After finding chuanzi Decheng, Shanhui was driven into the water three times by chuanzi monk, and suddenly realized in the ups and downs. There are no two, ups and downs are no two, all opposites are the same. Chuanzi monk said to him, you can go up the river and work in the mountains. When you have something to teach, you can find one and a half inheritance. Don't cut it off.

Before leaving, the boatman monk said, "if you go here, you must hide where there is no trace. Don't hide where there is no trace. I've been in Yaoshan for 30 years, and I've only been doing this. " He said "the only way.". Only when one realizes "Bu Er", can one really enter the realm of Buddhism.

Shanhui goes ashore and keeps turning back. It seems that he still has doubts. The boatman monk stood at the bow of the boat and yelled, "monk!" When Shanhui turned back, he overturned the boat and drowned himself. He told the society with his life not to reverse delusions and doubt. The person who truly realizes Zen is life, which is also the same. With his life, he showed him what is "Nirvana and silence".

Shanhui did not look back. Shanhui went into Jiashan in the upper reaches of the river and became a master with many disciples.

Selected readings

Chuanzi monk's verse

Thousands of feet of silk fiber straight droop, a wave moves, ten thousand waves follow. In the still water at night, fish do not eat, full ship empty, moon return.

Chinese PinYin : De Cheng