The elegiac couplet and epitaph written by Master Chin Kung himself The old monk at his age of 112 has foreseen his way To the Sukhāvatī A True Reflection of a Master’s Living: Xian Gong, The Example of Buddhism In the morning of early June of 2012 Over the temple, the clouds were swirling And the lights were radiating Seemingly declaring something to all people Our most honored and respected old monk Shanghai Xiasieng Has become one with this world and fulfilled his duties Leaving us forever In the afternoon the day before his leaving The old monk was still working in the field ‘til darkness Inbao said: “Master, stop it now.” He replied: “There’s little time left I’m almost done.” His words Were considered as usual talking at the time Now recalling it We finally realized That he’s saying more than that Inbao: “He always chanted at 1 AM every night. At 3, his light was still on. At 6 in the morning We saw his clothes perfectly folded (he usually didn’t fold his clothes) His expression was delightful And the chins were red.” Monk: “On the sixth and seventh day, we found out that half of his hairs turned black And his eyebrows were all black as well.” Twenty days before his decease, The Old Monk Hai Sien visited his friend Monk Yian Qiang the “Iron Feet” who’s been practicing with him for many years at Gufong Temple in Pingshi Township, Tongbai County On the way The old monk held the hand of Householder Chungsheng, his companion Householder Chungsheng: “(He said) I would come here today. Hereafter, I shall not visit this place forever.” Householder Chungsheng: “I ask him: ‘Master, why?’ He said: ‘I will leave soon.’” Householder Chungsheng: “Last time you said The Buddha rejected your leaving And told you stay two years more Now you’re telling me that you’re going to leave Right now?” Householder Yan: “When will you leave? Tell me And I will ask others to chant for you Hai Sien said: ‘If you find others to chant for me, That means you don’t believe that I will go; I need no chanting I will go.’ He’s 100% certain of that.” Master Inji: “Master has foreseen When his time will come Who can surpass him? He couldn’t read (haha) Yet one Amitābha Resulted in his great accomplishments The master was a great example of mine... The worldly surname of the master was Wen The name was Quan Sian Courtesy name Qing Shuan Origin place Baisi Township, Tanghe County, Yunan Born in Aug. 19th, 1900 His parents and grandfather were all devotees of Buddhism They was a farmer family And always help others At his age of 18 The master suffered from sore on his thigh A large area of it was rotting His mother visited many renowned doctors for cure But brought no results The master understood the situation And sighed: “Even good medicine can’t heal a karmic disease.” Then he gave up on seeking cure Day and night He chanted the name of Avalokiteśvara Days and months later The stubborn disease was cured From then on, the master devoted more into Buddhism This was no exaggeration The bodhisattva said “Dispel all sufferings and pains” and this is indeed true Such a mortal event Made the master concern about the risk of the cycle And that matters of life and death could be significant This led to his determination for pabbajjā In 1920 At his age of 20 The master decided to depart from his mother And joined the training of the Monk Shang Chuan Xia Jie in Yuntai Temple at the peak of Tongbuo Mountain Master Inhain: “When Master Hai Sian was young He visited Master Chuan Jie for tonsure Master Inji: “Master left here To the Guangzi Temple in Beijing For 12 years, he didn’t come out of the shrine After he returned to Tongbuo Mountain Many people were harvesting the weeds If he knew about that someone was sick He then just grabbed some of the weeds And they could cure anything The weeds he held became the medicine The old monk completed the tonsure for him Giving the dharma name of Hai Sian At the age of 23 He went to Rongbao Temple in Hubei for Upasampadā It’s said that Chuan Jie was a great one with virtue and honor in Baiyun Faction of Linji School Yet he never taught meditation to Hai Sian Nor he taught the scripture and sermon to him He only ordered him to chant one thing Which was Namo Amitābha Hai Sian once lived in Puhua Temple, Yuntai Temple, and Tayuan Temple in Tongbuo Mountain And developed the 14 deserted mountains Master Inhain: “This was a barren When they developed here.” 11 monasteries were built and maintained here. He practiced with the advanced monks Master Hai Muo and Master Ti Guang in Tayuan Temple. In 1966, the Cultural Revolution began. The red guards burned the scriptures and sculptures And forced the monk to secularize themselves The red guards opened up Master Chuan Jie’s tomb But it was empty They couldn’t do anything but leave Master Inhain: Taiyuan Temple always Kept the red guards from seeking his ashes He knew about the disaster already Master Hai Sian found his master’s ashes below the stone floor of the tomb He then realized that Master Chuan Jie was an advanced monk Who knew that it would come He then hid the ashes below the floor No matter how the red guards demanded and questioned him Torturing him The ashes were preserved Not until 1991 That the old monk, accompanied by his disciples, renovated the tower and put the ashes by the Taohua Cave of Tongbuo Mountain Master Hai Sian was designated as the leader of a production team in the village beneath the mountain He was not allowed to chant; he then chant in his mind He was not allowed to worship; he then worship in his mind If there was pañca parivyaya (5 spices) when eating the communion’s meal He just ate the vegetables on the edge What’s more impressive thing was That Master Hai Sian always displayed his image as a Sangha to people Yian Qiang: “He did not secularize himself in the production team.” When the situation was not so strict He rushed back to the temple Which was no longer a proper place to live Yian Qiang: “We just exploited the land and planted some taros or sweet potatoes. That’s our food. If someone climbed up here We would share with them.” Year after year in hardship It’s been a long time No devotees came It’s almost Hai Sian alone doing the work Taking care of five weak and old monks Until they passed away one by one Yian Qiang: “At night, he worshipped the Buddha At day, he had to work It exhausted him! He had to make some medicine For the old mother living in the temple.” Master Inji: “At the time The situation was tough The master practiced And took care of his old mother at the same time When his mother was 86 She suddenly asked for returning to her homeland The master was unable to make her stay And so he accompanied her back to their old home.” Master Hai Sian: “Went down here on August 20 I’ve got a house in that field I cleaned it up And brought a pot back to my house.” Householder Liu: “Oh, so you brought a pot?” Master Hai Sian: “How could we eat in other’s house? I wouldn’t have that house If I didn’t fast.” Householder Liu: “Does your mother fast as well?” Master Hai Sian: “She’s been fasting since her childhood.” Householder Liu: “Okay.” Master Hai Sian: “We gotta have a nice meal tonight With the dumplings we make.” At night The mother ate the dumplings she made by herself Sitting on a chair And naturally passed away The situation was extremely tough After the master had been chanting for his mother for three days He could only bury her in a thin coffin The master was often concerned about this He’s sorry for failing to respond the limitless grace his mother gave Eight years later The master tended to move his mother’s tomb and raised a monument Yet when he opened the tomb It was empty Only some nails used to fix the coffin remained For a time The master saw some of the brothers were gossiping on him It’s not until the master demanded to rebuked one of them in the master’s room That he realized Someone discredited him Master Hai Sian: “I’ve talked to several of them. How rude their words were. I do not want to mind it anymore.” He did not argue with them Until a brother who’d been studying abroad returned And clarified to them During those days, he and Hai Sian were harvesting corns on the hill With some villagers helping them He’d been living with Hai Sian Years ago The electrician came to charge The old monk said: “Comparing with last month Why is it so much this month?” Master Inhain: “The electrician said nothing. He slapped two times on my master’s face. The master gave him the fees The householder couldn’t give away of this And tried to argue with the electrician The old master said ‘Never mind. It’s only a tickle And it’s like washing my face if he spit on me We are practitioners, and so we must be tolerant We have to put up with this Those who can tolerate can live a better life.’” Master Inrong: “Those others couldn’t bear, he bore Those others couldn’t tolerate, he tolerated.” In 1976 The Cultural Revolution ended Many householders of Nanyang and Qishe met up in Tayuan Temple and invited Master Hai Sian to held the dharma And restore the Buddhism monasteries The master, who’d been through hard times, deeply realized and complimented the words of Master Lianqi: “The door can be poor as long as we step on the land in stability.” Therefore, only three main shrines and the three Arhat shrines in the western chamber were renovated The bolar sculpture of Bodhisattva was set and worshipped here This is how the worldly renowned Laifo Temple came to be.
［Translated by 華碩翻譯社］
Comments