Introduction to Zhihai’s life
Master Zhihai was young, smart and eager to learn. He was particularly interested in anthropology, philosophy and psychology. I have read the works of Fromm, Freud, Jung and others. However, these prophets' understanding of "people" and their views on the universe could not satisfy him, and the principles they expounded could not relieve the confusion in his heart. By chance, he read the works of Japanese Buddhist Suzuki Daisaku and Chinese Buddhist scholars, and was impressed by the breadth and depth of Buddhism and its profound understanding of "human beings". As a result, he became obsessed with Buddhism and loved Buddhism. At the age of 20, he became a monk and dedicated his body and mind to the cause of Buddhism.
Zhihai first converted to Master Jingtian, the abbot of Brahma Temple in Guangyuan, and later studied under Master Qingde, director of the Buddhist Association of China, vice president of the Sichuan Buddhist Association, president of the Neijiang Buddhist Association, and abbot of Neijiang Shengshui Temple. Master Qingde became a disciple at Jiufeng Shanhai Hall. Haihuitang belongs to the Zen branch of Poshan Zen Master Shuangguitang. It establishes the Linji sect as its ancestor and actually inherits the Tiantai sect as its secret key. The founder of the Hai Huitang Zen School is a mountain sect who lives in the mountains and fields. He takes "one sky and two things together, containing all things" and "the great road is broad and there is nothing easy or difficult" as evidence. He cultivates diligently without being diligent, studies without learning, and has a superb state of mind. , enriched and perfected Chinese Zen thought. Master Qingde deeply understood the essence of Haihuitang Zen and spread the Dharma personally in southern Sichuan. He silently developed the style of contemporary Buddhism in southern Sichuan for Zen and Tantric cultivation. His disciples are spread all over Sichuan and parts of southwestern my country, becoming a generation of masters as famous as Qingding, Kuanlin, Benneng and other great masters. After Zhihai came to Neijiang Shengshui Temple in 1987, Master Qingde saw that he had deep roots of wisdom and high understanding, and intended to cultivate him as a disciple. Zhihai studied diligently at Seongsuji Temple while assisting his master with chores and management work. In 1992, Zhihai became the abbot of Neijiang Gaofeng Temple. At the age of 25, he was one of the youngest abbots in Sichuan. The various activities he held at Gaofeng Temple to promote Dharma and benefit students were admired and respected by the people of Tiancheng. The Neijiang Daily, the party newspaper of the Neijiang Municipal Party Committee at that time, published the article "The mountains and rivers have left scenic spots, and we will come again", which comprehensively introduced Zhihai's Buddhist thoughts and his lofty aspirations for spreading Buddhism. Ten years later, his ambitions were realized one by one, and he was extremely happy.
As she becomes increasingly sophisticated in Buddhism, Zhihai deeply realizes that the Chinese nation is a nation with a high degree of civilization and self-awareness. It not only created civilization, but also has a clear self-understanding of its own creation. Therefore, he felt that it was not enough for him to just be familiar with Buddhism. He must gradually improve his level and conduct higher-level self-introspection. In 1994, he passed the Chinese Buddhist Academy. After graduation, he was admitted to a graduate class for further study, specializing in discipline.
After 7 years of study and cultivation, Zhihai worked diligently on the vast Buddhist literature. He has studied ancient and modern times and has a deep knowledge of Eastern and Western cultures. In particular, the narration of the twelve sutras and treatises of the Tripitaka using modern thinking has reached a superb level. After graduating with a master's degree, he was hired by the Buddhist Academy of China to teach. The Buddhist community in Shanghai learned that he strictly abided by the precepts and worked hard. They admired him even more, regarded him as a good Bodhisattva, and begged him to give lectures. However, for the cause of Buddhism in his hometown, Zhihai gladly returned to Neijiang with the efforts of the Sichuan Provincial Government, Neijiang Municipal Government and provincial and municipal Buddhist circles, and inherited the mantle of Master Qingde at Zhuoxi Shengshui Temple. Fulfill his ambition ten years ago.
Zhihai has a solemn sense of mission and responsibility for promoting Buddhism. Since the "Cultural Revolution" of contemporary Chinese Buddhism, in southern Sichuan, sages and sages represented by Qing De and others have taken on the great responsibility of the revival of contemporary Buddhism. After arduous efforts, they regained their ancestral home and completed the solemn task of the temple.
Zhihai knows that this is only the basis for promoting Buddhism. There are more difficult tasks behind.
Buddhism is one of China's three major cultural sources and an important part of the Chinese civilization. Our modern people's thoughts, thinking patterns, moral content, concepts of clothing, food, housing, transportation, science and technology, and culture are all inseparable from the gestation of Buddhist civilization. Buddhist culture has long been integrated into the blood of the Chinese nation, and it has shaped the soul of the Chinese nation. Historically, Buddhism has had a huge impact on the politics, economy, culture and folk customs of all dynasties.
So, as a contemporary Buddhism, how should it be integrated with contemporary civilization and how should it serve society? Mr. Zhao Puchu once proposed the idea of "Humanistic Buddhism", aiming to allow the splendid civilization of traditional Buddhism to exert greater potential and benefit the people.
Zhihai deeply understood the spiritual core of Zhao Pulao and put forward his own ideas: based on tradition and focusing on reality.
To base ourselves on tradition means to base ourselves on the excellent cultural soil of Buddhism and firmly root ourselves in this fertile land. Focusing on reality means focusing on the unity of opposites between absorption and service. On the one hand, we must make use of our rich civilization to provide convenience for modern society; on the other hand, we must be good at absorbing the beneficial elements of modern civilization to enrich and improve the connotation of Buddhist culture. It can be said that Buddhism has endured for more than two thousand years because of its close integration with real society and its inclusiveness that encompasses everything in the world. After settling in Xishengshui Temple, Zhihai gradually realized his ideas from all aspects.
Zhihai believes that the "solemnity" emphasized in traditional Buddhism is an ideal symbol of the majesty and magnificence of a nation's territory; the clear rules and precepts that are always upheld in traditional Buddhism are the ideal standards for people to uphold noble morality. Therefore, if we want traditional Buddhism to exert its power in modern society, we must start by paying close attention to the solemn court style.
The first thing Zhihai did when he took charge of Shengshui Temple was to pay close attention to the construction of Taoism. Taoism, the most fundamental thing is the spiritual outlook of a person. Zhihai often teaches: Monks are respected as "teachers" by the world, and they should be teachers and role models for social morality and etiquette. Focusing on the construction of Taoism means rectifying disciplines, which will inevitably affect the interests of others, and there will be many difficulties in implementing it. Therefore, he first found a few like-minded people to formulate plans, study measures, and form political consciousness. Then, after submission to the members of the management committee for study and approval, the new disciplines and regulations will be made known to the public, and monks and permanent residents who have no moral character and will not change after repeated teachings will be invited out of Buddhism. At the same time, there is a strict system of morning chanting and evening classes. The sound of morning bells and evening drums, the chanting and the sound of bells and drums are melodious and distant, giving peace and tranquility to the people of Tiancheng every day.
In order to improve the Buddhist cultural literacy of the majority of believers, Zhihai personally lectures on Buddhist scriptures every afternoon. Usually, I also pay homage to eminent monks or experts and scholars with various expertise inside and outside the Qing Dynasty to teach and answer questions. In the past year, Seongshui Temple has carried out a series of activities such as three-month retreat (that is, activities to study and comprehend Buddhist scriptures behind closed doors), teaching Bodhisattva precepts, and Vipassana meditation.
Although the monks and laymen were exhausted from the Buddhist activities one after another, they enjoyed the grace of Buddhist culture during the ascetic practices, and their minds and bodies were harmonious, and the wonderful mind of great enlightenment was given to everyone. Brings pleasant joy. At the same time, it also closely united the majority of believers. The wind is solemn.
In order to enhance the richness of the Buddhist culture of Seongshui Temple, Zhihai spent a lot of money to purchase a large-scale series of books, the Tripitaka, covering Buddhist literature from all dynasties, which became the treasure of Seongshui Temple. It fulfills the wish of people in Neijiang to see its true identity and fills the gap in cultural resources in southern Sichuan.
Zhihai believes that it is fundamental to focus on the construction of Taoist customs in temples, and it is the task to let more people understand and learn traditional culture. Zhihai divides people who are close to temples into three categories: first, those who burn incense and worship Buddha, second, those who understand and learn traditional culture, and third, those who travel, meet culture, and have leisure and entertainment.
Many temples today can generally only meet the needs of the first type of people and have a relatively heavy purely religious component. As modern Buddhism, while meeting people's purely religious needs, it should also open up a Buddhist cultural belt centered on temples and religious sites to meet the needs of the second and third categories of people. Therefore, within only a few months of his being the abbot of Seongsuji Temple, he spent a huge amount of money to rebuild a Zen garden for people to experience the Buddhist cultural atmosphere. The Zen Garden integrates vegetarian meals, Zen tea, and modern gardens. From the architectural design to the decoration, it is elegant and simple. There are scenic views everywhere, and the scenery is full of Zen inspiration.
The Tuojiang Stone Pavilion in the Zen Garden with the theme of caring for the natural environment, cherishing water resources, and cherishing life has attracted many students, soldiers, government officials, businessmen and scholars to visit. Many people wrote many beautiful poems after stopping and meditating at these two scenic spots. People are grateful for Zhihai's compassion, and they also lament the sublimity and majesty of the Buddhist humanistic spirit.
Zhihai also boldly innovated, changing the practice of inviting old lay people to participate in the service industry of general temples, and politely inviting young people in the society who firmly believe in Buddhism and admire Buddhist culture to participate, giving people a brand new meteorological. This has played a role in attracting more young people to love traditional culture and changing the knowledge structure of Buddhist culture enthusiasts.
The opening of the Seongsui Temple Zen Garden, especially the promotion of vegetarian culture, faces many difficulties and is also under great economic pressure. However, its unique Buddhist cultural atmosphere and ceremonial services have enhanced the promotion of Seongsui Temple. The expansion power of Buddhist culture has been widely praised by all walks of life. According to statistics, the Zen Garden has only been open for a few months, and tens of thousands of people have visited and studied there.
The success of the Seongsuji Zen Garden is the beautiful scenery of traditional Buddhism in modern civilization. It indicates that traditional Buddhism will be vigorous at all times, the tree of life will always be green, and the leaves of life will always bring blessings to people!
The sensational effect of the Zen Garden on society inspired Zhihai and made those who clung to the old ways give up their old opinions. They all realized that the cultural atmosphere of Shengshui Temple should be made good, bigger, and solid, so as to attract more people to accept the baptism of Buddhist culture. Therefore, they worked together to build Shengshui Temple Nanmu Tree Park, Podocarpus Park, Ginkgo Tree Park, Osmanthus Tree Park, and "Master Zhangxue Memorial Garden Area", striving to make Shengshui Temple towering ancient trees and green trees within 3 years. Shaded and lush, this Feng Shui treasure land in Neijiang is filled with new spring. Currently, Zhihai is writing a book "Modern Garden Science", which will comprehensively explain his views on nature, environment, and humanity, and reflect his unique aesthetic thoughts.
These efforts of Zhihai attracted a large number of literati. Calligraphers, musicians, writers and artists, and bonsai root artists have come to Seongshui Temple to engage in creative activities. Currently, Zhihai, together with calligraphers, is actively preparing to establish the "Neijiang Shengshui Temple Calligraphy and Painting Academy" and has created a classical painting studio. Literary artists are planning to set up the "Neijiang Shengshui Temple Creation Studio" to use modern techniques to create literary and artistic works that embody Buddhist cultural ideas.
We wish Master Zhihai’s compassionate vows to be fulfilled. This is not only the success of his practice, but also a model for the prosperity of Buddhist culture in Neijiang and even Sichuan.