Contemporary "cultural monks" and the inheritance of Chinese culture - Taking Master Zhen Chan as an example
Chen Jian, Department of Philosophy, Shandong University
“The concept of cultural monks is proposed to help us understand some characteristics of Chinese monks and even Chinese Buddhism.In China, if a Buddhist monk knows how to write calligraphy and cannot write metrical poems, it always seems that something is missing, at least in my opinion.
So, what is a "cultural monk"? Simply put, those monks with traditional Chinese culture cultivation and skills are "cultural monks", and those monks who can both precept, concentration and wisdom, and poetry, calligraphy and painting are "cultural monks".Of course, this is a more vivid and popular explanation of the "cultural monk". Readers only need to see the meaning of it. Do not regard it as the definition of "cultural monk", because as shown in the main text, the meaning of "cultural monk" should be more extensive.
1. "Five Lantern Festival" ):Chinese monks' Chinese cultural charm
《Five Lanterns and Yuan" is a "Zen Monk Case" (Aphorized as "Confucianism" ),There are many long and short "monk cases" in the inner world that are dazzling, so let me give you two examples.One is:
Master Cippi Shao from Taizhou Guoqing went to the hall: "Lingyun understands peach blossoms, but the mysterious river is unwilling to do so. How many foolish Zen is harmonious, carrying the snow to fill the well.The flowers bloom again this spring, who can grasp this meaning? Few people know that the flowers fall and the spring breeze is quiet."The second is:
Zen Master Shengqin of Xiuzhou Zisheng Academy, the monk asked, "What is the correct Dharma eye?" The master said, "The mountains are green and the water is green."Question: "How to practice among the four dignity?" The master said: "The egret stands on the snow."He said, "If you hear the bell, hold the bowl and go up to the railings on the sun."The master said: "Fish leaps through the river, and dragons soar into the clouds of thousands of miles."He said, "After all, what?" The master said, "I met a beast in the mountains and a star in the sky.""In the hall, I said, "I am not a god or a man who is enlightened for many years, but I am clearly not on the lamp."He held the stick and said, "The ancestor on his head is on his cane, and Maitreya is under his lantern.…” After a long time, he said, “The water flows thousands of times and the mountains lock in a stream of clouds."Zhuo leaned on a cane and got off his seat.
《The "monk cases" in the Five Dildos Huiyuan" can be said to be in this style. They have always been considered difficult to understand or even unknown. Not only are the two "monk cases" mentioned above, but other "monk cases" are no exception.However, I think that "Five Lanterns and Yuan" is also not for reading, but for savoring, like other texts in traditional Chinese culture;In other words, it is not for interpretation and understanding, but for savoring and feeling (The texts of Western culture are exactly the opposite of this )。So, from "Five Lanterns and Yuan" - for example, from the above two "monk cases" - what can we taste? What can we feel? Some people say that we taste a Zen opportunity, some people say that we feel a Buddha realm, and only people say that we feel a Buddha realm, but I am savoring and feeling the protagonist of the "monk cases" from "Five Lanterns and Yuan" - the monk (Or Zen Master )——The rich Chinese cultural atmosphere emitted from the body is not the Zen Buddhist realm, although the purpose of "Five Lanterns Huiyuan" is undoubtedly to express the Zen Buddhist realm.
It is not difficult to see that the monks in "Five Lanterns" not only have the Buddhist nature, that is, the Zen Buddha realm, but also clearly show the Chinese cultural nature, which is exactly what I want to pay attention to.Frankly speaking, although I know that the purpose of establishing the "Monk Case" in "Five Lanterns" is to express and promote the Zen Buddhist realm of monks, I have no idea what Zen Buddhist realm these "Monk Case" express. (This seems to be a paradox )。If I say I know, it's self-deception, either following the crowd or not, or I don't know what I say. (I'm very sorry, many people may not know the Zen Buddha realm. ),Because I am an ordinary person without a Buddhist realm, it is difficult to understand the Zen Buddha realm in "Five Lanterns Huiyuan".However, I can clearly see that these Zen Buddhist realms are expressed through "Chinese poetry". In other words, the monks in "Five Lantern Huiyuan" are all poets, and they can use the unique Chinese cultural method of reciting poems and essays to express Zen Buddhist realms. They speak nonsense, and they will express them naturally without any trace. Their high level is amazing - this is the Chinese cultural heritage of the monks in "Five Lantern Huiyuan".
2. "Cultural Monk": The ideal state of Chinese monks
Some people may say that for the monks in "Five Lantern Huiyuan", I do not pay attention to their Zen Buddhist realm, but rather to their non-Buddhist factors, that is, their ability to recite poems and write essays. This is a bit of putting the cart before the horse, or "lost the watermelon and picked up mung beans." However, I want to say that the monks in "Five Lantern Huiyuan" are neither Indian monks nor Tibetan monks nor Thai monks, but Chinese monks.As Chinese monks, they not only have the realm of Buddhism, but also have the charm of Chinese culture.In short, the monks in "Five Lanterns" have the dual characteristics of Buddhism and Chinese culture, and this should also be the ideal state of Chinese monks.
A Chinese monk, we can call him a "monk", a "Buddhist", a "monk", or a "master" (If it is a Zen school, it is called "Zen Master" )、“Monks" and "practiceists", there were also people in ancient times called "sammen" (Ru Huiyuan wrote "Theory of the Disrespect of the King" ),However, these titles can only indicate that the monk has Buddhist characteristics, such as "monk" (Upadhyaya),It means "professional teacher", which means "teacher" that makes people easily approachable."Personal teacher" teaches people how to free themselves from troubled life.The title "Buddhist" is very straightforward and refers to Buddhist believers."Bhikkhu" (Bhiksu)It means a person who has received Buddhist precepts after becoming a monk."Master" means those who are proficient in Buddhism and can become teachers (Some are also explained as "those who take the Dharma as their teacher" )。“Zen master” means those who understand the Zen realm, master the Zen path and can teach people the meditation method."Monk" is the most common title, meaning to become a monk after leaving the secular family."Practitioner" means a person who practices according to Buddhism (Sometimes it is also referred to as "Walker" for short )。As for the "Sander" (Srmana),It refers to a person who "calms the mind and purifies his will".However, the above titles can not only be used to refer to Chinese monks, but also to refer to Indian monks and Tibetan monks, and even all monks in the world can be called this way.Therefore, from these titles themselves, we cannot see the Chinese cultural characteristics of Chinese monks.But a true Chinese monk, or an ideal Chinese monk, must have the characteristics of Chinese culture and must have a unique personality compared to monks in other cultural backgrounds.We might as well say that the behavior required by the Buddhist realm or Buddhist system is the commonality of all monks, but monks under different cultural backgrounds should have cultural personalities corresponding to different cultural backgrounds. For example, monks in "Five Lanterns Huiyuan" can recite poems and write essays, and have skillful "Chinese poetry" skills. This is their Chinese cultural personality, or Chinese cultural charm as Chinese monks.We might as well call monks with Chinese cultural charm "cultural monks"."Cultural monks" not only have a considerable Buddhist realm, but also should have a considerable cultural charm;In other words, "cultural monks" are not only "Buddhist people", but also "cultural people" - such "cultural monks" are the ideal state of Chinese monks.
In the history of Chinese Buddhism, there have been many "cultural monks" since ancient times. The "cultural monks" recorded in "Five Lantern Huiyuan" only reflect the cultural taste of "Chinese poetry". In fact, there are more types of "cultural monks", who all reflect the characteristics of Chinese culture in all aspects. For example, there have been so-called painting monks, poetry monks, and book monks in China since ancient times. (A monk who is good at calligraphy )、The monk (A monk who practices martial arts )、Chess monk (A monk who is proficient in Go )、Tea monk (A monk who is proficient in tea ceremony )、Medical monk (Good at traditional Chinese medicine ),These are all "cultural monks"."Cultural monks" are well aware of Chinese piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, songs, martial arts, tea ceremony, and even easy to occupy r、, And combine them with learning Buddhism and practicing Zen to form Buddhist patterns such as "there is painting in Zen, Zen in painting", "there is Zen in martial arts, and martial arts in Zen".Like Jiadao (Poetry monk )、Shi Tao (Painting monk )、Huaisu (Book monk )、Changfu (Tea monk )All ancient Chinese "cultural monks" have been recorded and well-known. As for those "cultural monks" who were buried in the torrent of history for various reasons, there are countless.
The "cultural monks" in ancient China were not only famous in the aspects of traditional Chinese skills such as piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, martial arts and tea ceremony, but some of them also achieved some in traditional Chinese philosophy.There were three schools of ancient Chinese philosophy: Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Many monks not only had a deep understanding of Buddhist philosophy, but also were experts in Confucian philosophy and Taoist philosophy. For example, Zhiyuan wrote "The Interpretation of the Doctrine of the Mean", Zhixu wrote "The Interpretation of the Four Books·Zhouyi Zen", and Deqing wrote "The Interpretation of the Tao Te Ching". They knew the classics of Confucianism and Taoism with unique insights that were beyond ordinary people's reach.Let’s look at the analysis and discussions made by De Qing when comparing the concept of “physical and functional” of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism:
Some people say: The sages of the three religions teach people that they must first break the attachment to self, so that the body of selflessness will be the same.But how can it be different from the use of practice, forgetting the world, and being born? The answer is: The body and use are the same, but there are differences between shallow, deep, small and big.If Confucius had self, but only for one's own selfishness, how could he manage the world? The Buddha's old fruit was peerless, so how could he benefit sentient beings? It is known that only by no self can he manage the world, and only by benefiting sentient beings can he see no self, which is actually one.If Kong Yu said: It is quiet and unmoving, and it is touching and understanding the world, it is useful: if it is bright, it is sincere, and it is physical;Sincerity means body, use: be upright and sincere in mind, and body means body: cultivate the body, the family, the country, the world is peaceful, and use.Lao Yu is nameless, and his body is: doing nothing but doing something, and using it.Confucius said: Only heaven is great, only Yao will it be, and the people are incapable of being named. It is also said: Those who govern without doing anything are Shun? And the people are born with Yao and Shun. How can they be named and acted?
Without an in-depth understanding of the ideas of Confucianism and Taoism, it would be impossible for a Buddhist monk to make such a profound discussion.From this passage, we will find that Deqing is not only a monk, but also a scholar, thinker and philosopher who is proficient in Confucian and Taoist thoughts - in short, he is also a "cultural monk".
3. The contemporary "cultural monk" Zhenzen master
Not only were there many "cultural monks" in ancient China, but there are also many people in modern times.Among the modern "cultural monks", Master Hongyi is of course the most popular;As for contemporary times, due to various ideology and other reasons, people always believe that monks are passive and superstitious people who only know how to recite scriptures, eat vegetarian food, burn incense and worship Buddha. They do not look at Chinese monks from the perspective of "cultural monks", so they cannot find "cultural monks" from it.In fact, there are still many "cultural monks" in contemporary China, such as Master Zhenchan is an outstanding representative.
As a "cultural monk" in China, I think at least the following three conditions should be met, namely: (one )A higher level of Buddhism, which is commonly known as having good and practical practice; (two )Have profound Buddhist attainments and have a deep and unique understanding of Buddhist principles; (three )Have considerable Chinese cultural cultivation.Master Zhenchan is obviously qualified in these three aspects.First of all, from the perspective of one's own practice, all those who know Master Zhenchan praise Master Zhenchan's practice. For example, when Master Xingkong recalled Master Zhenchan's performance before his death, he said:
Later, I repeatedly asked for the news and asked, why did I leave so quickly in the end.It turned out that the heart disease recurred in the middle of the night. Master Zhenchan considered not to disturb others' sleep because of his condition in the middle of the night - he woke others up and felt sorry for it. He had to endure the torture of the illness and wanted to wait for dawn, but he delayed the treatment time and did not receive timely treatment. Later, it was about the second half of the night and was discovered and rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. It was too late and there was no power to turn the world back.
When a master like Zhenchan, a high-quality old monk like Master Zhenchan, he would just say whatever he wanted, no matter whether it was day or midnight, someone would come to take care of him immediately. However, he "considered that he should not disturb others' sleep in the middle of the night because of his illness - he felt sorry for waking others up." As a result, he "did not delay the treatment time" and finally passed away. What a state of practice!
Furthermore, from the perspective of Buddhist attainments, Master Zhenchan’s rich Buddhist writings can explain everything.Gao Zhennong divided the writings of Master Zhenchan into the following seven categories e:
(one )The main works on hearing and describing Buddhist theory include "A Brief Discussion on Huayan Sect", "The Three Methods of Huineng - One of Caoxi Zen", "Targeting the Heart of the People, Seeing the Nature and Becoming a Buddha - The Second of Caoxi Zen", "Baizhang Zen Style Through the Eternal Era - The Third of Caoxi Zen", "Talk about Zen", "Talk about Zen", "On the Second of the {Everything in life is bitter )The meaning and influence of thoughts", "On the Pure Land of the World", "Avatamsaka Sutra and Huayan Sect", "Buddha·Society·Life", "How to Learn Buddhism", etc.Among them, the book "Buddha·Society·Life", contains 13 short articles including "Buddha and Life", "Buddha and Being a Human", "Buddha and Cultivating Nature and Cultivating Nature", "Buddha and Science Fantasy", "Buddha and Social Morality", "Buddha and Philosophy", "Buddha and Medicine", "Buddha and Health and Longevity", "Buddha and Chinese Novels", "Buddha and Poetry Creation", "Buddha and Painting", "Buddha and Calligraphy", "Talking about the Issues of the Improperity of Buddhism and Socialist Society with Chinese Characteristics".
(two )The main works on the annotation of Buddhist scriptures include "Lecture Notes on the Heart Sutra of Prajna Paramita", "A Brief Interpretation of Samantabhadra's Practice and Vows of the Great Blessed Buddha's Avatamsaka Sutra", "A Brief Interpretation of the Original Sutra of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva", "A Brief Interpretation of the Amitabha Sutra of Amitabha", "A Brief Interpretation of the Sutra of the Buddha's Parents' Gratitude", "A Brief Interpretation of the Sutra of the Ten Stages of the Avatamsaka Sutra", etc.
(three )His works on visits and spreading the Dharma include "The Book of the Path of Xuanzang's Path of Seeking the Dharma", "The Book of Pilgrimage to Tibet", "The Book of Visits to Yunnan", "The Book of Speeches to Return to Hometown to Propagate the Dharma", "The Book of Speeches in Jiuhua Mountain", etc.
(Four )His works on overseas exchanges include "Lab Master Ying Jin Yutang and American Buddhism", "Australia's Dharma Propagation Disciplines", "Indian Records" and "Traveling the Dharma from the Ocean to spread the Dharma - Recording the First Visit to the Dharma", "The Book of the Oath Fa-A Record of the Dharma", "The Book of the Hong Kong Dharma Propagation", "Taiwan Dharma Propagation", "Thailand Dharma Propagation", "The Book of the Seven European Kingdoms", etc.
(five )The main works on the biographies of eminent monks include "A Brief Biography of Master Xuanzang", "On the Buddhist Thoughts of Master Zhenhua", "The Life and Zen Method of Bodhidharma", "Remembrance of the Zen Master Xuyun", "Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Master Taixu", "Inscription on the Pagoda of the Jade Buddha Temple", "Biography of Monk Huayi", "Monument of the Monk Huafang Industry Monk", "The Monk of the Heart Rock Monk", "The Memorial of the Master Chang Xing's Death", "Remembering the Master of Huayan Master Ying Ci", "Hou Kuan Biography of the Old Monk", "Reciting Buddha's name and not forgetting to save the country, saving the country and not forgetting to recite the Buddha's name - Commemorating the 110th anniversary of Master Hongyi's birth", "The Inscription of Master Baisheng's Relics", "Sheng Mourning the Root Master", "In the Days of Getting Close to Master Yuanying", "The Biography of Monk Huazong", "The Biography of Monk Huacheng", "A Generation of A Great Model, A Model of the Younger Generation", "Mourning of Teacher Huiping, I Respected", "Remembering Master Chisong and Making Greater Contributions to the cause of Buddhism", "The Condolences of Elder Utan's First Anniversary of Ascension", etc.
(six )His works on poetry mainly include the book "Zhen Zen Collection", which contains 153 poems, couplets, etc.
(seven )In addition, the "Jade Buddha's Secret Collection" also contains some teachings, French, as well as the preface, preface, inscription, postscript, etc. by Master Zhenzen.
Among these seven types of writings, (one )、(two )Both types are obviously serious Buddhist scriptures, while the other types of writing also reflect the Buddhist thoughts of Master Zhen Chan in different writing methods.
Finally, some of the above-mentioned accounts have already explained the problem. For example, the book "Zhen Chan Algae Collection" is a collection of Chinese poetry and couplets written by Zhen Chan Master;And "Buddhism and Chinese Novels", {Works such as Buddhism and Poetry Creation, Buddhism and Painting, and Buddhism and Calligraphy reflect Master Zhen Chan's in-depth understanding of Chinese traditional novels, poetry, painting and calligraphy.Of course, if you want to truly understand Master Zhen Chan's Chinese cultural cultivation, it is the best angle to appreciate his poems, couplets and calligraphy works, because he has profound attainments in this regard.When Master Xingkong talked about Master Zhenchan leaving ink treasures for Hanshan Temple, he had the following memories, saying:
I said that after the tower courtyard was created, please leave some ink treasures for me. I will engrave it into a monument in the future. Zhen Chan Lao happily agreed. It is now displayed in the northwest corner of the stele corridor of the tower courtyard. The poem on the monument was written by Zhen Chan Lao himself and written by himself. The poem is well done, and the pen is also very charming and has a very commemorative value.The content of the poem is: the towering pagoda Hanshan Temple, the sea is peaceful and the guests are everywhere, the sound of the clear sounds overflowing on the wall, and the Futuyan on the eternal side of the Maple Bridge.
Master Zhenchan's calligraphy works are soft and hard, just like a Buddha standing in the wind (For example, the "Great Perfect Awakening" written on the "Mahara Temple" in Lingshan, Wuxi ),It has a very artistic temperament, but in this article I cannot display it for everyone to appreciate. We should follow the principle of convenience and appreciate the couplets written by Master Zhen Chan for many temples.For example, the couplet written by Master Zhenchan for the "Mahara Temple" of Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple is:
The jade palace and the jade tower, the golden land of Huachi, are only in your own heart. If you ask where to form a lotus fetus, you must first have a pure source of faith;
The Buddha talks about the ancestors' teachings, and the holy edicts and wise men are not passed on to other Dharmas. He teaches you to open up treasures immediately and travel together to the sea of Dharma.
For Shanghai Agarwood Pavilion (Also known as Ciyun Zen Temple )The couplet written by Master Yingci Memorial Hall says:
The wind of Xiayue Sect does not fall into the Buddha's sea Yuanrong once said the three translations of Huayan and called the leader of the teachings;
The grand event of the Shishimen Lingshan Festival is still the realm of the true Dharma.
Let’s look at other couplets written by Master Zhenchan:
The sound of the tide in Shanghai is like this, and the world is the most powerful in the world;
The Caoxi Dharma vein is endless today, and the Shaozhen teachings are one flower and five leaves.
(Inscription on the Main Hall of the Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai )
Swearing as deep as the sea, you can respond to all directions, and the nectar on the willow branches is sprinkled;
Develop great compassion, achieve wonderful merits, and the treasure lotus in the world of the everlasting sand will bloom.
(Inscription on the Main Hall of the Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai )
Quiet and bright, and not chaotic, so the ordinary mind is obtained to form a holy fetus, and the four-color lotus blooms with precious stamens;
By abiding by inaction, one can immediately ascend to the Tushita and rise to the world of the ten directions.
(Inscription on the Main Hall of Jing'an Temple in Shanghai )
Release all treasures without fear, and always be bright when experiencing wisdom;
Entering Samadhi is very profound and subtle, and all the square hearts are all round.
(Yuyao Longquan Temple Main Hall )
The reading platform is high and the pagoda is vast;
A golden man enters a dream, and a white horse carries the scriptures.
(Inscription on the Vilu Hall of White Horse Temple in Luoyang )
My Buddha should be happy to see all good men and women;
This pagoda has the seven treasures and the Mahayana supreme appearance, how solemn it is.
(Inscription on Duobao Pagoda of Fayin Temple in Qidong, Jiangsu )
The roots are further studied, and the heart is the same as the Great Perfection;
The magical power of creation, the light and wind brings Padmasambhava from afar.
(Inscription on the Great Perfection of Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism in New York, USA )
Although the content of the above exquisite couplets reflects Buddhist thoughts and realms, their forms are all traditional Chinese poetry, which shows that Master Zhen Chan's Chinese cultural cultivation is extraordinary.
To sum up, Master Zhenchan deserves his name as a "cultural monk".
4. Contemporary "cultural monks" and inheritance of Chinese culture
Buddhism has been inherited from India, and has gradually formed a unique Chinese Buddhism. While inheriting the Indian Buddhist thoughts and spirit, Chinese Buddhism also serves as the function of inheriting Chinese culture. The actual executors of this work are a large number of "cultural monks" who grew up in the Chinese cultural atmosphere and have a lot of Chinese cultural cultivation.
In ancient China, many people became monks and monks, and they belonged to the category of "empty heart and the first place".After they fail the imperial examination, they often escape from Buddhism.But, to be honest, culturally, they are not losers, they are just not adapting to the cruel and unreasonable imperial examination system and lack human basis.These people are well-read and often have good poetry, calligraphy and painting.After entering Buddhism, they naturally took on the role of a Chinese "cultural monk".While promoting Buddhism, they also successfully inherited Chinese culture.Compared with the "cultural people" in secular society, they are more of a pure "cultural people" without any dust, so they can display the authentic Chinese culture;On the contrary, "cultural people" in secular society often have "odor" (Like the smell of copper )。In fact, if we examine the "cultural people" in the ancient secular society of Buddhists after China, then those secular "cultural people" who have truly achieved success are generally Buddhist lay Buddhists or people with a transcendent Buddhist realm. (For example, Wang Wei and Su Dongpo )。As for those "cultural monks" who are themselves monks, they "have the moon first when they approach the water and towers". They have a transcendent Buddhist realm. The Chinese cultural cultivation they have achieved on this basis is even better than that of secular "cultural people".However, when we talk about Chinese cultural achievements, we often think of secular "cultural people" first, rather than those "cultural monks".Because "cultural monks" are not secular and ordinary Buddhist scriptures only talk about their Buddhist achievements rather than their cultural achievements, this makes the cultural achievements of "cultural monks" and their role in inheriting Chinese culture less well-known.In fact, those unknown "cultural monks" are a very important channel for the passing of Chinese culture from generation to generation.
With the opening of the country after the Opium War in 1840, Western culture surged in China in various ways, and Chinese culture and its inheritance system were severely impacted.At present, the existence and increasingly mainstreaming of Western culture in Chinese society have become a fact, so that the calls for "returning to Chinese cultural traditions" and "respecting Chinese traditional culture" are heard and are rising. However, these are basically the accent and official tone, rather than the conscious demands of the public, such as the "national study fever" in the academic community, the "Confucian ceremony" and the "Yanhuang ceremony" organized by the official, and the "Bible reading activities" advocated by enthusiastic people. These cultural operations do not reflect the folk atmosphere of traditional culture in China. On the contrary, they reflect the urgent desire of the relevant parties to hope for a rebound in traditional culture under the situation where China has declined.
The reasons for the loss of traditional culture in China are not only the external factor of the invasion of Western culture, but also the problems of Chinese culture itself. Regarding this, Mr. Fang Litian's following analysis can be said to be incisive. He said:
China has its own inherent traditional culture, Confucianism and Taoism. China is also a big country, and it is not easy for outside religions to come in.I think that Buddhism can become one of the traditional Chinese culture and can take root and bear fruit on China's land. I think it is related to the limitations of Confucianism and Taoism.Some issues discussed in Buddhism are not discussed very much by Confucianism and Taoism, so they are needed and can complement each other, which is of course related to the openness of Confucianism and Taoism.Especially on the issue of life and death, Confucianism and Taoism did not talk about it. We can see that Christianity seems to be still worried about this issue until now, and is still considering how to integrate into traditional culture.After the mutual adjustment, Buddhism quickly integrates into traditional culture, which means it has cultural advantages.As an alien culture, it complements our inherent culture in China.Now we can see a phenomenon that history has entered modern times, especially at present. I have a view that may not be correct. It seems that the three schools of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are the most active in Buddhism.It seems that it plays the greatest role in the cultural and social fields.Here, there is room for "it seems" to be discussed, which can be modified.We can briefly see that Confucianism was very important in the past. It was the dominant form of national consciousness. It had institutional support. The government needed to use Confucian classics as its basis, but it disappeared later, and this institutional support disappeared in the future.In addition, Confucianism does not carry too many entities. There are Confucius Temples, but not as many entities as Buddhism, so there are very few.After the May Fourth Movement, ***”,Some of them have also been broken. Of course, we need to make a correct evaluation of Confucianism now. At present, its role is not very great, and there are not many academic associations, including the "International Confucian Federation" and the "Confucian Research Association". The activities there are not particularly active, and they play a limited role, and there are many problems.In addition, there are few people who believe in Taoism now, and not many people who have become monks and become Taoists.Taoism has a fundamental nature, this is a religion we founded ourselves, and of course we have a very natural feeling.However, our first religion has a fatal weakness. In theory, it pursues immortality, and there has been no phenomenon of immortality in history.That alchemy has contributed to chemistry and medicine, but it is a drug when it is eaten, poisoned, and has limitations.
Mr. Fang Litian believes that Confucianism and Taoism, as the local culture of China, have certain limitations in content, dissemination and resistance to foreign cultures, which leads to the easy popularity of foreign cultures in China. (For example, the popularity of Buddhism itself in China is a powerful evidence );At the same time, it also led to the loss of Chinese traditional culture with Confucianism and Taoism as the main ranks in the contemporary era.However, no matter what, after more than two thousand years of development in China, Buddhism has gradually become a local Chinese culture, or has been marked by local Chinese culture. Now no one will say that Buddhism is not Chinese culture anymore.There are many related research on the characteristics of Chinese Buddhism, but they are generally discussed from the perspective of how Chinese Buddhist thought absorbs elements from Confucianism and Taoism. What I want to talk about here is the "cultural monk" who is a living factor in Chinese Buddhism.The Chinese cultural literacy of "cultural monks" and its role in Chinese cultural heritage are the most active "Chinese sex" factor in Chinese Buddhism.
The most urgent cultural issue in contemporary China is the inheritance of traditional culture.Today, the inheritance of Chinese culture is at risk of being cut off by Western culture. Therefore, how to inherit and who to inherit is a realistic and urgent problem in the development of Chinese contemporary culture.According to Mr. Fang Litian's view, Confucianism and Taoism are difficult to play an effective role in cultural heritage due to their various limitations. They are in danger of "the clay bodhisattva crossing the river and it is difficult to protect themselves" in the face of Western culture.However, Chinese Buddhism has complete personnel, systems and base facilities, as well as profound and systematic ideological resources that can match Western thoughts because of its profound and systematic ideological resources. (Western scholars also acknowledge this ),Therefore, while inheriting Buddhist thoughts, it can also effectively inherit Chinese culture under the "protective color" of Buddhism - those "cultural monks" like Master Zhen Chan are "shoulder-carrying" figures who both bear the Tathagata's family business and inherit Chinese culture;In other words, the "cultural monks" are both inheriting "this is what I hear" and "this is what".
In short, I think that since ancient times, the temples where Chinese "cultural monks" live, and thus the entire Chinese Buddhism, have been a medium or platform for Chinese culture to be passed down from generation to generation, and the same is true today.If contemporary China wants to promote and inherit Chinese culture, the "cultural monk" is one of the candidates who can shoulder this important task.There is a lyric in "My Chinese Heart" sung by Zhang Mingmin, which is called "Although the dress is worn on my body, my heart is still the Chinese heart". I would like to change the lyrics to describe "cultural monk", that is, "Although the cassock is worn on my body, my heart is still the Chinese heart."
There are many deceased or alive "cultural monks" who have a "Chinese heart" in contemporary China. In addition to the Zhenzen master mentioned above, others are also Jinghui and Shengyan. (Taiwan )、nebula (Taiwan )、Xiaoyun (Founder of Huafan University in Taiwan, specializing in painting )Wait, there are many things.These "cultural monks" are not professional "cultural people", that is, they are not professional calligraphers, professional painters, or professional poets. They are all hidden "cultural people". However, because they are not professional "cultural people", they are truly inheritors of Chinese culture in the contemporary era.Why do you say so? Because profession is not the carrier of culture. For example, daily cycling is culture, but professional cycling competition is not culture, but a technology, a business that makes money.
I eagerly hope that all Chinese monks will become "cultural monks", who are proficient in Buddhism and well versed in Chinese culture;I hope that all Buddhist temples in China will become "cultural Buddhist temples", which not only promotes Buddhism and spreads Chinese culture;I hope that Chinese Buddhism will become "cultural Buddhism", which has both the connotation of Buddhism and the meaning of Chinese culture.
In his article "Buddhas of the 21st Century", Master Sheng Yan explores what future Buddhists should be like. He believes that future Buddhists should have a higher level of education. (That is, high education ),It should "from sutras and repentance and farming to culture, education, and social services... like running schools, building hospitals, spreading the Dharma in prisons, helping with poverty and illness, family problems, helping with drug rehabilitation, environmental protection, Zen seven, Buddhist seven and other practice activities.Provide opportunities for practice, methods of practice and places of practice for people at all levels and scopes.”"We should actively participate in cultural, education, politics, academic, industry and commerce, and we will still rely on the Five Precepts, Ten Virtues, and Six Paramitas as our basis, otherwise we will not be orthodox Buddhists."“A cultivated Buddhist can do everything possible to advance and retreat freely in my place;If you are not diligent, you will not be obsessed with it. For the needs of the real environment, you can be big or small, stretch or bend, lift or let go.”...In short, Master Shengyan set many modern standards for future Buddhists, but I think Master Shengyan has put less standard (At least he didn't say it clearly ),That is, future Chinese Buddhists should have a high level of Chinese traditional culture, and be able to learn poetry, calligraphy and painting;Confucius, Mencius, Laozi and Zhuang, can be a "cultural monk" - in fact, Master Shengyan himself is an absolute "cultural monk".I personally think that future Chinese Buddhists should not only promote Buddhism in a social service manner, but also play their role in the inheritance of Chinese traditional culture as a "cultural monk" and allow Chinese traditional culture to continue on themselves.In a nutshell, future Chinese Buddhists should realize their own qualities when returning to the upper level of Chinese cultural traditions.The more Chinese Buddhists develop, the more they need to return to tradition and be a "cultural monk". While carrying the Tathagata's family business, they also inherit Chinese traditional culture.