Jigong (Daoji) mainly practiced in Guoqing Temple, Lingyin Temple, and Jingci Temple. Guoqing Temple is the place where he became a monk, and he was ordained by Zen Master Fakong Yiyi and began his path of cultivation. Later, he continued his practice at Lingyin Temple, and although his behavior was different from the traditional Qing rules and precepts, he was protected and supported by the presiding Zen master, Huiyuan. However, the good times were short-lived. After the death of Zen Master Huiyuan, Jigong lost his protection in Lingyin Temple and was ostracized. In desperation, he had to leave Lingyin Temple and switch to Jingci Temple.
In the history of Chinese Buddhism, Jigong is a legendary monk. His life was full of mystery and adventure, and his image was deeply imprinted in people's hearts. So, which monastery did Jigong practice in? Next, let's walk into the legendary life of Jigong together.
1. Birth and early life
Jigong, known as Daoji, commonly known as Li Xiuyuan, was born in an official family in Tiantai County, Zhejiang Province. His grandfather, Li Juan, was the magistrate of Chongyang County, Ezhou, and his father, Li Maochun, was a devout Buddhist. Jigong has been brilliant since he was a child, and he has dabbled in the subset of scriptures and history, and is familiar with poetry and songs. He has formed a deep relationship with Buddhism since he was a child.
When Jigong was eighteen years old, after the expiration of the period of filial piety, he went to Guoqing Temple to become a monk, and was ordained by the presiding Zen master of Fakong, and took the Dharma name "Daoji", which means "to help all living beings with the truth of Buddhism". During his time at Guoqing Temple, he was deeply influenced by Buddhism and began his spiritual path.
2. Lingyin Temple practice
However, Daoji's path to cultivation has not been easy. During his practice in Lingyin Temple, because he was informal, he often slipped out of the mountain gate, played with naughty children and apes, loved wine and meat, indulged in secular life, and played games in the world. Therefore, he was opposed by the monks in the temple, and complained to the presiding Zen master Huiyuan, wanting to punish and expel Daoji. However, Zen Master Huiyuan thinks that the Zen door is vast, how can it not accommodate a single monk. Since then, the monks in Lingyin Temple have called Daoji "Jidian". Zen Master Huiyuan has far-sightedness, knows that Daoji is a person of spiritual enlightenment, and is not an ordinary person, so he protects him in many ways and teaches him the secret seal. Later, Daoji was listed as the fiftieth ancestor of Zen Buddhism and the sixth ancestor of the Yangqi sect.
During his time at Lingyin Temple, Jigong was not only a practitioner, but also a healer. He knows how to treat medicine, and has provided many incurable diseases for the people, and often travels to the market, saving the needy, saving the dead and helping the wounded, and punishing the evil. This gave him a high reputation among the people.
3. The legend of Jigong and Lingyin Temple
Jigong's spiritual life in Lingyin Temple also left many legends. One of the most famous is the "Jigong Fighting Cricket". According to legend, when Jigong was practicing in Lingyin Temple, he once fought with a cricket. Ji Gong used his mana to turn the cricket into a giant cricket, and then loaded it into a gourd. The cricket kept chirping in the gourd, and the sound spread throughout the Lingyin Temple. Eventually, Jigong used Buddhism to reinvigorate crickets.
However, the good times were short-lived. After the death of Zen Master Huiyuan, Jigong lost his protection in Lingyin Temple and was ostracized. In desperation, he had to leave Lingyin Temple and switch to Jingci Temple. At Jingci Monastery, Jigong continued his spiritual career and eventually became a generation of eminent monks.
Although Jigong left Lingyin Temple, his relationship with Lingyin Temple has become an eternal memory. Today, the statue of Jigong is still enshrined in Lingyin Temple for the world to admire. The legend of Jigong has also become an important part of traditional Chinese culture and has been included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage.
Fourth, the death
Jigong's death is also quite legendary. On May 14 of the second year of Jiading (1209), Daoji passed away in Jingci Temple, and left a verse before his death, "Sixty years of wolfdom, the east wall hit the west wall." Now that I have cleaned up, I am still blue. After Dao Ji passed away, his bone relics were sent to Hangzhou Hupao to build a tower for worship, and became a holy place for future generations to worship.
Jigong's life is full of legends and mysteries, and his story has been passed down by future generations. His image gradually became a god that people worshipped and sacrificed, and was revered as "Great Compassion, Great Benevolence, Great Wisdom, Purple Gold Arhat, Ana, Venerable Divine Skill, Guangji Ancestor Sanyuan Zanhua Tianzun". In 2006, the "Legend of Jigong" in Tiantai County, Zhejiang Province was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.
5. Summary
Jigong's life, whether it is a monk in Guoqing Temple or a practice in Lingyin Temple, is full of legends. With his extraordinary wisdom and profound Buddhist attainments, he became a hero praised by the people. And Lingyin Temple, because of the story of Jigong's practice, has become one of the holy places of Chinese Buddhism.