Is Jigong a Buddha or a Taoist?
Although Jigong is a Buddhist monk, after he became a Buddha, he was revered as "the golden arhat with great kindness, great compassion and great wisdom, and made great efforts to widely benefit the respected teachers and praise the Buddha", which combines Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and can be said to be both Buddhism and Taoism. Jigong has been interested in Buddhism since he was a child. His knowledge is also very high, and he is familiar with Confucianism and Taoism. His perverse behavior after becoming a monk has a lot to do with his sudden insight into the world.
Living buddhas help the public-through the ages, celebrities are like the Ganges; However, those who can appreciate the local customs of the East and the West must first promote the living Buddha of China to help the world. Ji Gong was born in Shaoxing in the 18th year of the Southern Song Dynasty (A.D. 1 148) and died in Jiading in the 2nd year (A.D. 1209), a native of Yongning Village, Tiantai Mountain, Zhejiang Province. He was a Zen monk in the Southern Song Dynasty, and his dharma name was Daoji.
His great-great grandfather Li Zunxu is our military envoy in Song Taizong. The Li family has believed in Buddhism for generations. His father Li Maochun and his mother Wang live in Yongning village outside the north gate of Tiantai. Li Maochun is nearly forty years old and has no children. He finally got this son through devout worship of Buddha. After Jigong was born, the abbot of Xiaoguo Temple decided his fate by his common name, and since then, he has forged an indissoluble bond with Buddhism.
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Jigong lived a happy and elegant life, and liked to travel everywhere, covering Zhejiang, Anhui, Sichuan and other places. He is often disheveled and fidgety; Buying medicine stones for people, treating diseases and practicing medicine, and solving problems are often effective and widely help the people's sufferings. Therefore, its virtue is widely praised by people. Also known as Buddhist monk Ji Dian.
Jigong Living Buddha is a broken hat, a broken fan and a broken shoe. He looks crazy, not bound by precepts, likes wine and meat, and acts like a madman, but he is indeed a learned monk who does good deeds and accumulates virtue. Everyone knows his stories, such as fighting against injustice, saving lives, helping the poor, eliminating violence and promoting good, punishing evil and promoting good, and so on.
Stories and legends about Jigong began to spread from the Southern Song Dynasty. First, some legendary stories about prodigy Li Xiuyuan or Taoist Daoji spread among the people in China, and then gradually enriched the content through storytellers' stories.
The stories circulating in Tiantai, the hometown of Jigong, are mostly about his birth, childhood life, drama, punishing evil and helping the poor, such as "Jigong was born", "Little Jigong threw mustard leaves to save the temple", "Li Ji Bridge", "Playing Shoulian", "Saving the son in western Zhejiang" and "mending the fate and becoming a monk". The stories spread in Hangjiahu area are more extensive, because it is the main living and activity place of Jigong after he became a monk.
Among them, stories such as Feilaifeng, Gu Jing Yun Mu and Teasing Qin Xiangfu are the most popular. It was not until the end of Ming Dynasty and the beginning of Qing Dynasty that the Biography of Jigong appeared, which recorded the legendary deeds of Jigong.
Jigong-Baidu Encyclopedia