Zonggao

Zonggao

Zen master Gao of Dahui Zong, with a common surname of Xi, was born in Ningguo, Xuanzhou (now Ningguo City, Anhui Province), and was an eminent monk in the Southern Song Dynasty. Dahui, who once lived in Miaoxian, is also called Miaoxi.

He entered Huiyun temple in 1119 and shaved in Jingde temple the next year. In 1124, song Huizong paid a visit to wukeqin in bianzhou. With the permission of Yuanwu, he was well-known for his eloquence. In 1137, Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty lived in Jingshan temple in Hangzhou. In the 11th year, because of dissatisfaction with Qin Hui's surrender to the Jin people, he was falsely accused of "slandering the imperial government" with Zhang Jiucheng, taking away the Yi die and confiscating in Hengzhou, Meizhou, Fujian Yangyu and other places. In the 26th year, he was pardoned, restored his monk's clothes and went to Asoka mountain in Mingzhou. In the 32nd year of the reign of emperor Xiaozong of the Song Dynasty, when he heard of his name, he was given the name of "Chan Master Dahui" and the three words of "Miaoxian" in the imperial script.

Later, he sang Kanhua Zen in Yunju mountain, which was the first of Zen's Shenhua. After the death, the posthumous title was pujue, and the pagoda was Baoguang.

Characters and deeds

When he was young, Zen master Zonggao had the courage to break away from the dust and pull out the common customs, and he had "spiritual roots and wisdom". In 1119, he went to Huiyun and became a monk under Qi gongchan's school. Five years later, he received the full commandment.

At the beginning of the pilgrimage, he was unable to take the opportunity to meditate at the door of Cao Dongzong for a long time, but failed to get the gist. Later, he left to study Zen in zhantang, Baofeng. Zhan Tang, seeing that his spirit was bright and his words were sharp, attached great importance to him. He asked him to accompany him and guide him to the shortcut of meditation. For a long time, Zen master zhantang criticized him: "if you don't realize it, your illness lies in your consciousness, and understanding it is the obstacle of knowing." Before entering nirvana, Zhan Tang recommended him to Zen master Yuanwu Keqin, an eminent monk of yangqizong.

In 1124, the sixth year of Xuanhe of Huizong of Song Dynasty, Keqin was the abbot of Tianning Temple. Zong Gao came to his seat with admiration. He was impressed and passed on his mental skills. He was also ordered to "divide the seats and receive the masses" and became the first disciple of Keqin. However, Zen master Zonggao quickly became famous in Kyoto for his transcendent wisdom, sharp wit and quick eloquence. Huizong received Zonggao's reputation and was awarded the title of "Buddha Day" to show his praise.

Later, due to the invasion of Kaifeng by Jin soldiers, Zen master Zonggao left Beijing for Suzhou and stayed in Huqiu to observe the development of the current situation. At this time, his master, Zen master Keqin, moved to Yunju mountain in Jiangxi Province, and Zonggao went to follow him and took up his first post. After that, Zen master Zonggao wandered in Fujian and Zhejiang areas. Although he experienced difficulties, he was more confident in pursuing Buddhism and Taoism. In the end, he set up a Taoist temple in Jingshan temple in Lin'an to advocate Keqin Buddhism. As a result, Taoism grew and Dharma became more and more prosperous. "The four sides accepted the disciples, and they gathered together until 1700."

Zen master Zonggao was very friendly with Zhang Jiucheng, the Minister of rites and Minister of punishment. He became a foreign guest and refused to flatter the right Prime Minister Qin Hui. Zhang Jiucheng's refusal to agree with the Jin people's "peace negotiation" led to Qin Hui's hatred. In May 1141, Zhang Jiucheng visited Jingshan temple and asked Zen Master Yu Songgao. When they talked about current affairs and political situation, Zonggao wrote a poem and said, "once the divine arm is arched, through the heavy armor, I can see it under the monk's door. It's really smelly leather socks!" It means that Han Shizhong, the general of the Song Dynasty, made a bow to conquer the enemy in preparation for breaking the Jin Dynasty. After hearing this, Qin Hui thought that it was an insinuation of his surrender and peace negotiation, so he listed Zhang Jiucheng and Zonggao's accusations of "slandering the government" and persecuted them.

Zonggao was destroyed. He stripped off his clothes and got rid of his monk status. He was sent to Hengzhou (now Hengyang, Hunan Province) for ten years. Later, he moved to Meizhou again for four years. Meizhou is a borderland wasteland with many miasma, fog and poison diseases. It is extremely difficult for Meizhou to live. Moreover, it is very difficult for Meizhou to take care of its own life and provide for its own needs. Although Zen master Zonggao was in adversity and suffered injustice, he did not change his faith and patriotism, and he did not regret his death.

Shaoxing 25 years (1155) winter, "Meng en North also.". In the spring of the 26th year, he restored his cassock and became a monk again. In November, he ordered him to live in ashokang temple. In the 28th year, the imperial edict was issued to return to Jingshan temple. After hearing the news, the disciples all over the world came back to protect the Taoist temple, revived the old events of Jingshan temple, and soon restored the former glory. After emperor Xiaozong ascended the throne, he was granted the title of "Dahui". Later Xie Ren retired to Mingyue hall and died on August 10, the first year of Longxing (1163).

Create a Zen

The core idea of Huineng, the sixth patriarch of Zen, is "the heart is the Buddha", or "the body is the Buddha". The key to becoming a Buddha lies in "the mind is empty", so "the heart is peaceful, why do you work hard and keep precepts, and how do you practice Zen directly". In daily life, a raise of hands and a full throw are the methods of enlightenment, walking, sitting and lying are the course of insight, drinking and tasting tea are the means of reception. Therefore, the enlightenment process of the later Zen masters is in-depth practical and ordinary daily life, reflecting profound philosophy. Its expression form is simple, the sentence is simple, clear and easy to understand, giving people a refreshing feeling. But at the turn of the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty, the way of Enlightenment of these patriarchs gradually lost their original taste of law and style in the process of spreading into language, and became the material for later generations to copy dogma and play with word games.

Dahui Zonggao observed the Zen style of the Song Dynasty and criticized: "in recent years, Zen has many ways. Either there is a question and an answer, and at the end there is a sentence for Zen; or there is a discussion based on the reason why the ancients entered the Tao, saying: here is emptiness, there is reality; this language is mysterious, that language is wonderful; or there is a generation or another, such as Zen. Or to see, hear and meet, in the three realms of idealism, ten thousand law only knowledge for Zen. Or to say nothing, born in Heishan xiagui cave, closed eyebrows and closed eyes, is called the news of Weiyin's parents before they were born, also called the silent often according to Zen "Today's scholars, regardless of monks and customs, have two kinds of serious diseases. One is to learn more words and sentences and make strange thoughts in them; the other is to realize the meaning of not seeing the moon in them. "

For this reason, he advocated a new method of Zen meditation, let ginseng Zhaozhou dog without Buddha "no" word. He also said: "only writing a word" no "means cutting off the road of life and death. When you start to think in vain, you will find that if you have no words, you will be able to move around. Suddenly, you will lose the news, and you will be able to return to your home. " His Zen method of taking part in the beginning of the story avoids the learners from falling into the conventions and the sea of words and quotations. Because of the saying that "the place where one gains strength is the place where one saves strength, and the place where one saves strength is the place where one gains strength", the first Zen developed into the later "where does one return all the dharmas to one?" Who is chanting Buddha Wait for the first Zen. Zen master Dahui Zonggao is the first person who strongly advocated the first Zen in the history of Chinese Zen. His characteristics of Zen had a great influence on the development of Zen after the Song Dynasty.

The saying that Gouzi has no Buddha nature was specially proposed by the fifth patriarch of Yangqi sect, but Zonggao vigorously advocated and developed it, because it can make people directly understand the great significance of clearing the original mind, and Dahui Zonggao opened up a brand-new way of understanding in the rigid and mixed Zen at that time, so as to provide new enlightenment for the development of Zen. In order to further clarify the important role of reference head. He said to the disciples, "if you abandon the beginning of the story, but go to other people's writings, scriptures, ancient people's public cases and daily life, you will be the relatives of evil spirits."

Although Dahui Zong Gao had a strong family view, his strong advocacy of huatou Zen, with the help of word Zen, became a new turning point in the development history of Zen together with word Zen. With novel methods, full of vitality and unlimited self-confidence, huatou Zen composes an epoch-making March for Zen, inspires and guides scholars to follow the beauty of huatou and strive to move forward to the process of enlightenment. Thus, it creates a new artistic conception of Zen and injects new nutrition and vitality. At the same time, it also marks the development of Zen into a new era.

Main works

Zhengfa Yancang, a total of three volumes, is written by Dahui Zonggao for Fazheng Zen in his wandering life. The book is as he said: "regardless of the categories, regardless of Cloud Gate, Linji, caodong, Fuyang, fayanzong, but those who have correct knowledge and insight can make people understand, all accept it."

Chinese PinYin : Zong Gao