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Weiyan (737-834), also known as Yaoshan, was an eminent monk in the Tang Dynasty. Shitou xiqian was a Buddhist monk. Jiangzhou (in today's Shanxi Houma City Northeast) people, common surname Han. Weiyan is a monk of Qingyuan Department of Southern Zen and one of the ancestors of Cao Dongzong. He is an important Zen master who connects Mazu Daoyi Zen department and Shitou xiqian Zen department. He plays an important role in the history of Zen.

Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty granted master Hongdao a posthumous title, and the pagoda was called Huacheng. Tang Shen wrote an inscription for him.

Life of the characters

Early experience

In 754, when he was 17 years old, he went south to Chaozhou and became a monk according to huizhao of Chaoyang West Mountain. He was 22 years old and received a full warning from Xi Cao (also known as Xi bath and Zhi bath) lawyer of Hengyue temple in Nanyue. Later, the stone was moved, and the secret command was given. He visited Mazu Daoyi for three years. Returning stone (known as stone monk in the world, he wrote "shentongqi" and "Cao'an song") was his heir.

Seeking the cause of law

As for Wei Yan's experience of seeking Dharma, Tang Shen's inscription on master Wei Yan describes that eight years after Wei Yan's death, the disciples came to Chang'an with his deeds to seek the "great virtue" of the reverence temple in Chang'an, so as to show the deeds of his forefathers to immortality. Therefore, Tang Shen was asked to write this tablet. The inscription records that Weiyan once visited xiqian, Mazu and hongchan. He had a broad knowledge of classics and strictly adhered to the commandments. But he is not satisfied with being conservative and following suit. One day, he sighed to himself, "a man should leave the law and be clean. How can he do trivial things?" Weiyan participated in the Southern Sect of Zen, and his time was the prosperous period of the Southern Sect of Zen. The stone monk xiqian in Hengshan, Hunan Province and the Zen master mazudaoyi in Jiangxi Province formed the two main veins of the Southern Sect. However, if he wants to understand the true meaning of Buddhism, he knows that he must accept the Dharma from Mazu and xiqian. However, stone monk Xi Qian, who was just a beginner, guided him to mazudao to receive Dharma a few years later. However, he served master Ma for three years. He sincerely spoke respectfully, practiced Zen, understood master Ma's Dharma, and then returned to stone monk to be his successor.

Dazhen zongfeng

In the early period of Tang Dynasty (785-805), Ciyun Temple (commonly called Yaoshan Temple) was founded in Lizhou Yaoshan (now in Tanghua Township, Jinshi City, Hunan Province), where it has been practiced for 30 years. However, he was well-known and had a high reputation at that time. He devoted himself to revitalizing the Zen style, expanding the Ciyun Temple, opening a wide Buddhist feast and teaching Zen. Four people gathered here. The southern Zen was carried forward here, and the Zen style was greatly promoted.

Before and after death

Tang Taihe eight years (834) November 6, Shi Ji, 84 life, buried medicine mountain. Tang Wenzong posthumous title Hongdao master, tower said Huacheng. It is said that in the second year of Taihe, the world lived 70 years. Tang Shen wrote an inscription for him.

Main achievements

Founder

However, it is just like the southern Zen School of Qingyuan Xingsi. After passing through Yunyan Tansheng, it was spread to Dongshan Liangjia, creating Cao Dongzong and writing Baojing samadhi song. Good price disciple Cao Shanben Ji inherited the teaching method, greatly promoted the Zen style of Dongmen, and wrote hanshanzi poetry collection. Cao Dong religion, with the three concepts of "Zheng", "Pian" and "Jian", matches the position of monarch and minister, and analyzes the relationship between the true Buddha and the universal world derived from it. The Zen style is famous for its "Hui, Hu, Xi, Mi".

Buddhist ideas

However, he inherited xiqian's Zen method and thought that nature was the most important factor in practice, so he didn't have to insist on reading scriptures and meditating. It was introduced into Japan in the Southern Song Dynasty. From 1983 to 1984, the Japanese Buddhist root seeking group visited Yaoshan temple in Jinshi twice to visit the tomb of Zen master.

Historical records

Volume 17 of biography of song eminent monks has biography of Weiyan. In his seventeen years, he went to Dayuling in the South and went to Xishan in Chaozhou (today's Guangdong), where he became a monk from huizhao. In 773, a lawyer from Zhizao (or "Zhichen") of Hengyue Temple received a full warning, saying that "a man should be free from the law, how can he do things in a cloth? "I don't want to be engaged in the interpretation and practice of trivial rules. Then he went to see xiqian and received the Zen Dharma "secret heart Dharma". Weiyan's quotations of Zen are recorded in volume 4 of Zutang collection and Volume 14 of Jingde Zhuandeng record. However, there are no works handed down to the world, and the scholars often make a clear explanation. For example, it is recorded in the five Lantern Festival: "Li Ao asked his teacher what is his surname? The teacher said: it's the right time. Li Buwei, however, asked the master of the courtyard: a certain Jiashi came to ask the monk's surname. The monk said that it was the right time, but he didn't know what his surname was. The master said: so, the surname is Han Ye. The teacher said, "I don't know likes and dislikes. If it's summer time, it's hot for him." According to the biography of lanterns in Jingde: "when the teacher sat down for several times, a monk asked," what are you thinking about? "? The teacher said: think about the end. He said, "if you don't think about it, how do you think about it?"? The teacher said, "don't think about it!"

Anecdotes and allusions

Don't think about the bottom

One day, sitting around, a monk asked him, "what are you thinking about? "He replied," think twice, not twice. "Ask:" do not think about the end of how to think? "A:" no thinking. "Weiyan doesn't ask his disciples to read Buddhist scriptures, but he often reads them. According to the tablet of master Weiyan, the Scriptures he often reads are fahua Sutra, Huayan Sutra and nirvana Sutra. One day he was reading Buddhist scriptures. His disciple asked, "monks usually don't allow people to read Buddhist scriptures, but why do they read them themselves? "He replied," I only want to cover my eyes. "The disciple asked if he could study the Scriptures? But Yan said: "if you are a cowhide, you must see through it. (Volume 4 of the biography of lanterns in Jingde) (note 9) means that I am afraid that my disciples will forget the original purpose of knowing mind and seeing nature.

Why is the word "Buddha"

But Daowu (Yuanzhi) and Yunyan (Tansheng) are brothers. One day, Wei Yan wrote the word "Buddha" and asked me what it was. He said, "it's the word Buddha. "Wei Yan reprimanded him and said," ah, that's a lot of teachers! (Volume 4 of the collection of ancestral halls) the word "Buddha" can not be expressed in words.

Li Ao asked

Li Ao, the governor of Langzhou, asked him to speak "Tao" several times, but he didn't keep the appointment, so Li had to come to listen. The prime minister, Cui Qun, and Chang Shi, Wen Zao, all followed his "Tao". However, he did not agree with the precepts and did not allow the disciples to read the Scriptures. In the history of Chinese philosophy, the communication between Li Ao and Wei Yan is well-known. Li Ao (772-841) was an active participant in the ancient prose movement advocated by Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan. He met Wei Yan in 820 when he was appointed as the governor of Langzhou and the observer of Hunan. Langzhou is adjacent to Lizhou and is located in Changde, Hunan Province. Maybe Yaoshan is located in these two states, so the biography of eminent monks in Song Dynasty and other historical documents are just like "Yaoshan in Langzhou". According to the biography of Weiyan in the biography of song eminent monks, when Li Ao first visited Weiyan in Yaoshan, Weiyan "ignored the scriptures", and the waiter reminded him that "the prefect is here". Li Ao couldn't wait for his response, so he cried out: "it's not like being famous when we meet. "So he just called Li Ao by name, and Li Ao agreed. After that, they met. Starting from Han Yu, Confucian scholars paid attention to the exploration of "Dao" and "daotong". Li Ao, who was a teacher of Han Yu, naturally cared about this issue. When he saw that Wei Yan turned his head, he asked, "what is Daoye? "Tao" is to explore Buddhism's views on "Tao". Wei Yan uses the metaphor method used by Zen scholars to point to the sky and the bottle, saying: "the clouds are in the sky, and the water is in the bottle. "The main idea is that Tao can not be expressed in a positive way, but it is real and natural, just like clouds in the sky and water in the bottle. According to the records, Li Ao immediately "awakened", just like "the dark room is already clear, suspecting bingdunpan". He immediately wrote two verses, one of which said: "the body shape is like a crane, and a thousand Panasonic sutras. Let me ask you something. I have no more than saying that the clouds are in the sky and the water is in the bottle. "

Dharma disciple

However, master Yan's disciples include Yunyan Tansheng, Daowu Zongzhi, chuanzi Decheng, Beishu Huisheng, Ezhou Baiyan, Jingyuan guangmi, Xuanzhou Luoxia, Yaoshan Kui, Lizhou gaoshami, Li Ao, etc. among them, Yunyan and Daowu are more prosperous.

Yunyan Tansheng

Yunyan Tansheng (781-841) was born in Jianchang County (now Yongxiu county) with a common surname of Wang. When he was young, he became a monk in Taitan temple, Shimen mountain, Jing'an county. At first, he studied Buddhism from Baizhang Huaihai, Fengxin, and served for 20 years. Later, he moved from Shitou to Yaoshan Weiyan, a disciple of Zen master Xi Qian. Long term abbot of Xiushui County Yunyan Chan yuan, FA Hao Tan Sheng Chan Shi, also known as Yunyan Chan Shi.

Character evaluation

Zen master xiqian once wrote a verse praising that he only acted as if he was acting, advocating "self purification from the Dharma, not doing anything carefully.". When he was appointed governor of Langzhou, Li Ao, a writer of the Tang Dynasty, once paid a visit to Zen master Weiyan and presented a poem to commemorate him: "the body is shaped like a crane, and there are thousands of Panasonic sutras. I have no choice but to say, "the clouds are in the sky, and the water is in the bottle."

Commemoration of later generations

Yaoshan Temple

Yaoshan temple is located in Yaoshan village, Tanghua Township, Jinshi City, Hunan Province. Originally known as Ciyun Temple, it was built in the Tang Dynasty. During the period from Zhenyuan to Dahe in the Tang Dynasty, it was very spectacular. It is said that the mountain gate was watched on horseback. Looking to the East, the temple is Xiaofeng, just like the Zen master's pagoda, which stands on the west slope of Xiaofeng and shares the same vein with Baiyun Mountain, which is full of mountains and towering ancient trees; to the west, it overlooks Maoer Mountain, Erlong Xizhu; to the south, zhanqianjia plain; to the north, it is Yueyue mountain.

Yaoshan Changxiao peak

But just like the wisdom of Wuchan, it is said among the people that the sound of its roaring on a moonlit night reverberates 90 Li in Liyang. Yaoshan Changxiao peak, hence its name.

Chinese PinYin : Wei Yan