Squeezed in among the supernaturals in any temple--the cosmic Buddhas, the Bodhisattvas and Arhats, the Hindu and Daoist gods, and so on--one will occasionally find a genuine, historic personage, albeit one who has most likely be "legendized" (is that a word?). There are at least two at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, prominently placed, and I'd like to share them with you.
The first is an old friend of mine: Kukai ("Sky-Sea") the Japanese founder of the Shingon sect (also mentioned in Ep. 112). I traipsed around an 88-temple pilgrimage dedicated to him in Japan (see Ep. 039: The Sacred Pilgrimage of Shikoku), and visited several sites associated with his travels in China (you can read about that, too: Ep. 047: Kukai: A Japanese Monk in China).
Let me share some writing revised from a piece I placed in the Shenzhen Daily back in November of 2015:
The Japanese word for "Great Teacher" (大師) is spelled "Daishi" in Roman characters, and pronounced die-shee. (The Chinese spell it "Dashi" in Hanyu Pinyin, and pronounce it da-shuh). One Great Teacher in Japan has been designated THE Daishi, since he stands out above the rest. His name was Kukai (Ch. Konghai) and his full title "Kobo Daishi" (Hongfa Dashi)--the Great Teacher who Spreads the Dharma (the Buddha's teachings).
Born on the island of Shikoku in 774, Kukai's life inspired a pilgrimage to 88 temples on that island which tradition says started not too long after his death in 835. It continues to this day. (I had the privilege of completing it in 2001 [again, see Ep. 039: The Sacred Pilgrimage of Shikoku].)
But perhaps of greater interest to readers in China [for whom this was originally written] is that Kukai came to Chang'an--modern Xi'an--for study in the early 9th century. He was shipwrecked on the coast of Fujian, and, after a delay, traveled to the capital, where he lived at Ximing Temple. (The historical temple has been lost, but he is still honored at a reconstruction.)
But it was at Qinglong Temple where he met the Chinese Master Huiguo, who himself had been a disciple of Amoghavajra, a monk of the Indian tradition and one of the great translators of Sanskrit texts into Chinese. [Both Ximing and Qinglong are discussed in Episode 047 mentioned above.]
So in three generations an esoteric Buddhist tradition sometimes called "Vajrayana" changed hands from an Indian monk to a Chinese one, and then on to a Japanese one.
Returning to Japan, Kukai founded Shingon (Chinese Zhenyan, but also called "Tangmi" or "Esoteric [Doctrine] of the Tang [Dynasty]"). This teaching died out in China and is now being revived, but has remained fairly popular in Japan.
Images of Kobo Daishi can be found in temples along the route he followed through China.
Near as I can tell, the statues of Konghai I've seen at various temples are identical. Without any proof, this leads me to surmise that some organization--most likely sponsored by a Japanese Buddhist group--has placed them at temples in China.
The other monk I saw at Lingyin is a bit more of a hometown boy. (You'll notice teh photo is blurry; I encountered him twice on this day, in two different temples, and in neither case could I get a clear shot. I swear that trickster was pranking me!)
Again, from the Shenzhen Daily (with minor revisions), this one from August 2015:
An amusing character seen in many temples is the Chan (Zen) master Ji Gong, also called Daoji. He wears a funny little hat with the character for "Buddha" on it, and monk's robes nearly in rags. His left hand holds a fan (for comfort--and magic), and in his right is a gourd containing wine. This may account for the seemingly-drunken smile on his face.
Historically, he was a man named Li Xiuyuan (1130-1207), famed even in his own time for his eccentric behavior (drinking alcohol and eating meat--no-nos for a monk) and for using his magic powers to help the poor and suffering. People still appeal to him for help. After his death, he was adopted into Daoist and folk beliefs, and some Buddhists hold him to be a bodhisattva or an arhat (he is sometimes included in the list of Eighteen Arhats as the Dragon-Taming Arhat).
He also can be seen often today in films, television shows, and even video games.
He was ordained a monk at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou [this one], where a hall is dedicated to him today--somewhat surprising, as he was kicked out of this temple for his un-monk-like behavior. He was then accepted into Jingci Temple [which we'll visit in the next episode] on the other side of West Lake, where he performed numerous miracles.
In one of these, after a fire had destroyed some halls at Jingci Temple, Ji Gong was sleeping off a hangover. The abbot kept shaking the monk, asking him to help obtain wood for rebuilding. At last, the annoyed monk cried out, "Leave me alone! There's enough wood in the well to finish the job!" Sure enough, upon inspection the abbot found huge timbers in the well and completed the building.
As big and splashy as Lingyin was, Jingci was humble and friendly. We'll follow in Ji Gong's footsteps and visit there next episode.
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And that's that! Until next time, may you and your loved ones and all sentient beings be well and happy.
Adios, Amigos!
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