In 2012, Master Xingyun, the founder of Fo Guang Shan in Taiwan and the founder of the mountain, left a will, making it clear that he had no relics, did not want to be cremated, and hoped that the funeral would be handled simply.
However, on February 5, 2023, the 96-year-old Master Nebula passed away, but his ** people chose to go against the master's last wishes and cremate his body, and finally obtained 25 crystal clear relics.
In response to questions from the outside world, ** explained that the reason why they insisted on cremating the body of the master was because they believed that they could get relics after cremation, which was a kind of respect and respect for the master, and also hoped to inherit the master's holy spirit and wisdom.
According to legend, when Li Guoshen was born, half of his face was red and half of his face was white, which attracted monks passing by to praise him for having a "Buddha fate".
Influenced by his devout grandmother, Li Guoshen followed his grandmother to participate in fasting meals at home and prayer activities at the temple since he was a child. His grandmother took him with her all year round and asked him to help with the items offered to the Buddha and observe Buddhist ceremonies.
Under the guidance of his grandmother, Li Guoshen gradually learned that Buddhism is a religion of relief and relief, which can give people comfort and hope. He developed a sense of admiration and yearning for those eminent monks who were proficient in Buddhism.
At the end of 1937, Li Guoshen's father went to Nanjing alone to do business, but never returned. Mother took young Li Guoshen to Nanjing to find her husband.
However, when they arrived in Nanjing, they ran into a big ** carried out by the Japanese devils. In the chaos, his father was not found, and Li Guoshen was separated from his mother.
He searched everywhere for his mother, but three days passed and still found nothing. A kind aunt told him that there was a shelter near Qixia Temple that could provide food and shelter.
Despite this, even in the shelter, Li Guoshen could not feel at ease. The area around the shelter was cordoned off, and the Japanese army broke in from time to time to arrest the so-called "anti-Japanese elements", which made people live in fear.
Seeing the brutal acts of the Japanese devils, Li Guoshen was confused: "Why didn't the Buddha show up to help the suffering people of Nanjing?" This made him question his grandmother's devout faith.
However, these doubts were quickly answered by the monks of Qixia Temple.
Due to the blockade and harassment of the Japanese army, thousands of refugees are displaced into the shelter of Qixia Temple every day, and life is becoming more and more difficult.
Although he is young, Li Guoshen has good intentions. The monks took him with them every day to bring water and food to the refugees, and he also helped with chores in the kitchen. In these activities, he witnessed the noble qualities of the monks of Qixia Temple who sacrificed themselves to save others.
One day, when food was running out, the presiding officer of the temple ordered the monks to have only one breakfast, and the rest of the food was distributed among the refugees, the elderly, the weak, the women and children. The temple then arranged for the monks to scrape off the metal from the bodhisattva's body and quietly bring the gold dust to the city in exchange for more food and medicine, all of which was eventually used to help the refugees.
However, some monks do not understand the meaning of doing this: "After scraping the metal, the bodhisattva will look worn, what can we use to repair the bodhisattva's golden body in the future?" ”
The presiding officer of the temple, Master Shanran, replied firmly, "Isn't it just that we spread the Dharma to save sentient beings? Now, the country is ruined, the people are in danger, does Qixia Temple still have a foothold? If the people are gone, what is the point of the temple's existence? Even if the golden body of a bodhisattva is gorgeous, what is the effect? ”
Thanks to the persistence and efforts of the monks, the refugee shelter was maintained until the beginning of 1938.
In order to gain more chances for the refugees to survive, Master Shanran risked his own life to record the atrocities committed by the Japanese army in the refugee camp in Qixia Temple, and handed the record to the Danish Sindbel, who in turn handed it over to the German John Rabe of the Nanjing International Security Zone, and reported it to the embassies of various countries in China.
The truth described in this ** book has been published in newspapers of various countries. Therefore, the Japanese army was afraid of the world's ** and restrained somewhat.
Witnessing the practical actions taken by Master Shanran and the monks to help the refugees, the young Li Guoshen was deeply touched in his heart: it turns out that this is the true way of Buddhism to purify all sentient beings!
Once again, he became inextricably linked to Buddhism!
In 1939, Li Guoshen had been in Qixia Temple for more than a year and was well versed in Buddhism. He studied in a private school for three years, and he was able to understand the Buddhist scriptures treasured in the temple and had a lot of experience in Buddhism. Therefore, the idea of becoming a monk was born.
Master Shanran personally ordained him and appointed a fellow disciple as his master, giving him the name "Wu Che", known as "Jin Jue".
In 1947, a nebula map came into Li Guoshen's eyes, and the bright stars in the endless space brought light to this troubled world. In his heart, the Buddha is the bright star in the vast red dust, bringing a ray of hope to the suffering people.
So, he vowed to change his name to "Nebula", and his ambition was like a star, illuminating the hearts of all beings in the world with a glimmer of light.
During his practice at Qixia Temple, Master Xingyun not only devoted himself to studying Buddhist scriptures, but also extensively dabbled in secular reading materials such as newspapers and periodicals, world conditions**, etc., in order to enhance his understanding of social issues and better benefit the people with Buddhist studies.
Gradually, inspired by secular articles, Master Xingyun began to contribute to major newspapers and magazines, advocating Buddhism and spreading Buddhist teachings.
In particular, he later served as the chief writer of the "Xiaguang Supplement", and made outstanding contributions to promoting the secularization and popularization of Buddhism.
In addition to his daily practice, Master Xingyun also participates in organizing Buddhist activities at Qixia Temple, cleaning, cultivating vegetables, and cooking. Every year after the Mid-Autumn Festival, he would hike and do penance on foot and beg for food.
When he was only 17 years old, he was suffering from malaria and was extremely weak, so the master sent someone to bring him half a bowl of pickles, so that he could have a chance to live. This experience deeply touched him and strengthened his determination to combine his monastic practice with his secular life. Subsequently, he successively went to Changzhou Tianning Temple and Jiaoshan Buddhist College to further his studies in Buddhism.
In 1949, Master Xingyun was ordered to lead a monk ambulance team to Taiwan, and this time the journey was full of challenges and unknowns.
When he first arrived in Taiwan, Master Xingyun paid special attention to the people's livelihood and suffering, so he mingled with the toiling people. However, this pro-people move aroused the suspicion of the Kuomintang authorities, who had just retreated to Taiwan, and they even regarded him as a "bandit spy" and threw him into prison for severe torture.
However, even in prison, Master Xingyun still maintained an upright heart, his heart was as calm as water, he recited Buddhist scriptures silently, and meditated in meditation. Twenty-three days later, the Buddhist Society of China came forward to vouch for his release.
After his release, Master Xingyun went to a mountain in central Taiwan to guard the mountains and forests under the recommendation of an old local monk, and at the same time summed up his experience in learning Buddhism for more than ten years, and composed a series of easy-to-understand songs and poems in order to better spread Buddhism to the people.
Over the next few years, Master Xingyun traveled to various towns and villages in south-central Taiwan Province, spreading Buddhism in the form of karma, and staying in the farmers' cowsheds and stables at night.
With the expansion of his influence, in 1967, with the money he had received from more than 20 years of fortune, he purchased a piece of wasteland in Dashu Township, Kaohsiung, surrounded by five hills shaped like lotus petals, and named it "Fo Guang Shan".
He and the first people to build temples, sculpture Bodhisattvas, build roads, in just ten years, Fo Guang Shan Temple into the largest Buddhist dojo in Taiwan. This move has had a far-reaching impact not only in the Buddhist circles on the mainland, but also in the world religious circles.
Master Xingyun emphasized the equality of all beings, starting from oneself and getting along with them equally; He also treated lay people and believers who donated money equally, and tried to use the donated money according to their wishes to benefit the common people to the greatest extent, thus winning people's trust and respect.
In addition, he has established schools to provide more educational opportunities for children in remote areas, which has greatly improved the level of education in the local area.
He also established charities such as universities, orphanages, hospitals, and nursing homes to serve people everywhere.
At the same time, he also translated many foreign language Buddhist books, and actively promoted the spread of Buddhism to the world.
Master Xingyun advocated "human Buddhism", believing that monks should not only practice penance in the temple, but should take on secular responsibilities and do everything they can to help people get rid of suffering and improve their quality of life. He often said, "People may fail people, but cause and effect will never fail people." He combined Buddhism with the traditional knowledge of Confucianism and Taoism, emphasizing that human beings must first become complete human beings before they can pursue the state of nirvana and become Buddhas, and advocated that people restore the traditional virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and faith, and then talk to believers on the issue of "impermanence" and "selflessness".
Because of Master Xingyun's attitude of "entering the WTO and cultivating", he inevitably became involved in secular and political affairs, a move that caused dissatisfaction among some so-called "orthodox" Buddhists.
In 1963, two Kaohsiung fishing boats were detained by India, leaving more than 700 Chinese in distress. Master Xingyun and some people from the Buddhist circles in Taiwan joined hands to go to India to negotiate with local religious figures to assist the Taiwan authorities in rescuing the detained fishing boats.
In 2009, Taiwan was hit by a typhoon, leaving many coastal fishermen homeless. Foguang Temple took the initiative to take in many victims of the disaster, and instructed the monks to respect their living habits, providing them with important support to overcome the difficulties and rebuild their homes.
In addition, Master Xingyun also led ** to prisons and drug rehabilitation centers to teach Buddhist principles to the prisoners, encouraging them to practice life in accordance with Buddhist precepts for a short period of time, in order to achieve inner peace, and complete the transformation as soon as possible and reintegrate into society.
In 2011, Master Xingyun was invited by Zhou Qifeng, President of Peking University, to give a lecture on "Zen Culture and Life" at Peking University.
This trip to Peking University allowed Master Xingyun to witness the rapid changes in the mainland of the motherland, and further strengthened his determination to promote the peaceful reunification of the motherland.
In cross-strait exchanges, he stressed: There is no so-called "Taiwanese" in the world, because everyone in Taiwan is Chinese. This remark resonated with both sides of the strait, and also fundamentally denied the existence of "**."
In 2014, Master Xingyun discovered a stolen Buddha head in Taiwan in the early years, and actively pushed the two sides of the strait to find his Buddha body, and finally found it in the secluded temple in Hebei. He personally presided over the ceremony of the synthesis of the Buddha's body, and returned the Buddha head to its place.
He believes that the return of this Buddha head is like the island of Taiwan hanging in solitary overseas, with the same roots and origins as the mainland, and sooner or later it will return to the embrace of the motherland and realize cross-strait reunification.
Of course, he also hopes that this day will come to fruition as soon as possible!
Ye Xiaowen, former director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, said in his mourning for Master Xingyun: "He is a pioneer who has made unremitting efforts to promote cross-strait peace. ”
Master Xingyun has always been indifferent to the question of whether or not he has a relic.
He devoted his life to the pursuit of truth, goodness, beauty, and peace, and saw the cause of Buddhism as a secular mission for the benefit of all people. Because of his erudition and knowledge, he learned that the so-called relics were actually silicate crystals, similar to sand and quicklime forming glass at high temperatures, so he believed that human bones could also form transparent crystals at high temperatures, and that relics were not a sign of attainment or inaccessibility.
In 2012, Master Xingyun left a will: "I don't have a relic, don't be cremated, and the funeral is simple." He said that his last wish in life was the early reunification of the motherland.
However, his last wish was not fulfilled. They cremated him anyway and burned 25 relics from his body. Although I am a little regretful, I am also gratified.
These relics are like the transparency and brightness of Master Nebula's life, crystal clear, ordinary and great. List of high-quality authors