Who is Jigong’s master?
Jigong (1129-1202), a monk in the late Song Dynasty. Tiantai people. His name is Daoji and his common surname is Li. He pretended to be crazy but did not show off his behavior, drank alcohol and ate meat, and wandered around the streets. People thought he was a gentleman, so he was called Jidian, commonly known as Jigong. He first became a monk in Lingyin Temple, but was disliked by the monks, so he lived in Jingci Temple. His master is said to be the Tathagata because Jigong is the head of the Eighteen Arhats, but in fact his master is Zen Master Huiyuan. When others appreciate it, I applaud it and sing it throughout thousands of mountains.”
The above poem is a self-portrait of Zen Master Huiyuan, the abbot of Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou. From it, we can see his noble moral character. .
Zen Master Huiyuan, whose common surname is Peng, was born in Jinliu Town, Meishan, Sichuan. In the spring of Yimao (1135 AD) in Shaoxing, Song Dynasty, the governor of Meishan County invited him to go to Elephant Er Mountain to be the abbot, but he refused to go. In the fifth year of Qiandao (1169 AD), Zen Master Huiyuan was ordered to stay at Chongxian Temple in Gaoting Mountain, Hangzhou. In the second year, he was ordered to live in Lingyin Temple and was given the title of "Zen Master Fohai". On the first day of the reign of Emperor Chunxi of the Song Dynasty (1175), Zen Master Huiyuan sat down and passed away. Leave it in the niche for ten days and the color will not change. On the 25th of the same month, he was buried in Wufeng Tower with a life span of seventy-four.
"The smoke and waves coming and going, this life is called the West Lake. The breeze is small and the oar is swinging out of the Luhua Harbor. I sing proudly, and the sound is loud in the quiet night. No one appreciates it. I clap my hands at home. The song rings through thousands of mountains." Chen Shiruo Damu of Maozhou liked to sing this tune the most. An old monk from Yunwulin wrote "Dian Crimson Lips" and forgot its name. After hearing about it, I recorded it frequently. Chanting back and forth, the tone is superb. Alas, this is also the couple of Old Man Hongjiang.