Master Yongming

Master Yongming (904-975). He’s the fifth generation of monks in late Tang Dynasty. He’s the sixth master of Pure Land Buddhism as well as the third master of Fayan School. He was a devotee of Buddhism since child hood. He disciplined himself to not kill but to release life. During the reign of King Wenmu Qian, when the master was not a practitioner but a taxation officer, he release the lives of those fish, shrimps, and fowls. Later he was denounced for this. In the inquest, he said no arrogant words but told all the truths of how many times and of how much money he stole. The inquisitor asked: What did you steal for? He answered: I released them to live. The inquisitor had not encounter cases like this one before. He did not enjoy what he stole and released them to live. He reported to the emperor. The emperor was intrigued and ordered that law was to be followed. A death penalty should be performed. He shall be beheaded. The emperor specifically instructed the supervisor: “In the execution ground, you must see if he dreads. If so, just kill him. If he does not and show indifference, bring him to me.” The master was brought to the execution ground with no dreads. He acted as usual and was even joyous. The supervisor asked him: “Why weren’t you afraid?” He answered: “My own life for thousands of lives. It’s worthwhile. I need not to be afraid!” The supervisor passed these words to the emperor. The emperor summoned him and asked: “What do you want?” He answered: “I want to be a monk.” The emperor fulfilled his wish to be a dharma protector. ... The master initiated the wish to be in the west. He invoked the sacred name of Buddha a hundred thousand times every day. At twilight, he went on the peak and practiced Buddhism. His followers were often in number of hundreds. In nights of clear sky and bright moon, the sound of playing shells was often heard. King Qian Chu was respectful to his virtues and was quite touched, stating: “There have been no one who seeks the west crave like him.” And so he built the Yongming Temple for the master to fulfill his wishes and granted him the title “The Enlightened Master.” ...