Yin and yang, Shakyamuni was a saint in India, why is he a "Rulai Buddha" in China

Original2022-01-27 11:26 · Smart Lotte Pie at will

Buddhism originated in India in the sixth century BC, a period of explosion of human thought that dates back more than 2,500 years. Similar to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period on the mainland, India also had a period of cultural prosperity in which a Buddhist sage comparable to Confucius appeared = Shakyamuni.

Shakyamuni is not his name, but his honorific title, just as the title of "Confucius" belongs to the honorific title rather than the name. Shakyamuni's real name was Siddhartha, his surname was Gautama, and he belonged to the Shakya people in India, so he was called Shakyamuni, which means "sage of the Shakya tribe".

Buddha Shakyamuni became a monk

Shakyamuni was born in present-day Nepal, and he was the eldest son of a king named Kapilava, his father's name was Jingdi, and his mother's name was Maya. According to the custom of the time, the mother had to return to her mother's house to give birth, and On the way back to her mother's house, Mrs. Maya passed through the Lumbini Garden, rested under the tree, and gave birth to Prince Siddhartha.

Master Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty of China traveled west to seek sutras and once visited the birthplace of the Buddha. According to Xuanzang's "Records of the Western Regions of the Great Tang Dynasty", he once saw the stone pillar where the Buddha was born, but the stone pillar he saw had been struck by lightning, and the pillar head fell to the ground. In later generations, because no one could read the words on the pillar, the place where the Buddha was born was lost in the long river of history.

It was not until 1897, when archaeologists examined the writing on the stone pillars, that the ruins of lumbini garden were excavated.

Siddhartha's mother died early, and the young Siddhartha was raised by his aunt. From an early age, he was gifted and intelligent, and his father, King Jingyi, hoped that he would inherit the throne when he grew up, and from an early age he let him study literature and philosophy with scholars, and also learn martial arts from his teachers. His father cultivated him into an all-round talent who could write and fight, hoping that he would be able to make meritorious achievements and become a "wheel king" when he became an adult.

Prince Siddhartha developed the habit of contemplation at an early age. Many phenomena in the world can trigger his feelings and deep thoughts: farmers who are hungry, thirsty, and sleepy, ploughing the fields under the scorching sun; Ropes whipped, mouths gasping and sweat dragging plows to plough the land of cattle; There are also scenes of snakes, insects, birds, and beasts eating the weak and the strong, as well as the old man with the old dragon bell, the patient who tosses and groans, the dead man in the crying and funeral of relatives and friends... These sad scenes all prompted him to ponder a question: How to relieve the suffering of the world?

Prince Siddhartha's existing knowledge and future powers could not solve these problems, so he decided to become a monk. At the age of twenty-nine, on a quiet night, he sneaked out of the city, into a forest, changed into the clothes of a prince, shaved his beard, and began to meditate on the path of enlightenment.

Siddhartha began practicing asceticism on the Nilian Zen River for six years, tasting all the hardships and bitterness, but in vain. So he went into the Nilian Zen River to wash away the dirt that had accumulated for six years and accepted milk from a shepherd's offering. Go under a tree, sit cross-legged to the east, and swear, "I am not a supreme awakening today, and I would rather let this body shatter than be able to rise to this seat." ”

Finally, in a bright night, overcome the obstacles and become enlightened. And this tree of his enlightenment, known as the Bodhi Tree "Rulai Buddha", is the honorific title of all Buddhas

"Rulai" is a noun transliterated from the Indian Sanskrit, meaning "true as", the true situation of all things, and also means "as it is".

In the Diamond Sutra, Shakyamuni himself gave a commentary to "Rulai": "There is nowhere to come, and there is nowhere to go, so the name is Rulai." "There is no coming and no going, that is, there is no movement and no stillness, of course, there is no joy and no worry, this truth is like this."

That is to say, "Rulai" is the general name of the enlightened Buddha, which is equivalent to us calling Confucius a saint and Shakyamuni "Rulai", which is a name for the Buddha. The Buddhist scripture interpretation of "Rulai" is "to come by the way of truth", and Shakyamuni Buddha can be called Shakyamuni Rulai.

"Rulai" also becomes the code name of "Buddha", and people are accustomed to linking "Rulai" and "Buddha" together as "Rulai Buddha", which is to superimpose the same title and mean the same meaning.

After Shakyamuni became a Buddha, he first spoke in Luyeyuan, and Buddhism called this first saying "the first turn of the Wheel of Dharma." From the beginning of the saying, Buddhism was formally established, and it also possessed the Three Jewels.

The Three Jewels of Buddhism: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, buddha refers to Shakyamuni Buddha; The Dharma is the teachings of the Buddha that he speaks for his disciples to learn based on his true understanding of all things; Monks are groups of monastic disciples around the Buddha.

The Buddha's way of teaching was to approach the common people, to show sympathy for the unfortunate, to let people cut off their inner troubles in order to seek liberation, to sow good causes, to obtain good results.

According to records, the place where the Buddha lived the most was the Wangshe City of Magadha, and there was a bamboo forest outside the city, which was called "Bamboo Forest Jingshe" by posterity, which was an important place for the Buddha's sayings at that time.

Buddhism in India is only 1,600 years old and died out in the 12th century AD. Buddhism in India today was reintroduced in the late nineteenth century, and there was no Buddhism in India for the intervening seven hundred years. The demise of Buddhism in India was caused by the turkic invasion of India from Central Asia Minor and the destruction of the way.

The spread and development of Buddhism in China

Buddhism was introduced to China, and the earliest record in the history books is that in the Western Han Dynasty in 2 BC, a king in Central Asia called the Great Moon Branch Sent emissary Yi Cun to Chang'an, the capital of the Han Dynasty, and he dictated Buddhist scriptures to a man named Jinglu.

It is generally accepted that Buddhism was first introduced to China in the 10th year of the Reign of emperor Yongping of the Han Dynasty, that is, in 67 AD. Emperor Hanming sent emissaries to visit the Dharma, bringing back sutras and statues from India, as well as a group of Indian monks who came to China with them. The following year, in 68 AD, the white horse temple in China was built in Luoyang, with a history of more than 1,900 years.

The Temple of the White Horse is named after "the White Horse arrived in China with scriptures and Buddha statues". It can be said that Buddhism was recognized by the official rulers in China, beginning in the era of the Han Ming Emperor, and the "White Horse Temple" is the best witness.

The prosperity of Buddhism in China is inseparable from the translation of Buddhist scriptures by official organizations and people spontaneously, and the earliest translation work is the "Forty-two Chapters Sutra" translated by the official during the HanMing Emperor period. The Translation of Buddhist scriptures in the Han Dynasty was divided into two systems, one of which was Theravada Buddhism, with the Ahan Sutra and "Zen Numbers" as the mainstay; The second is Mahayana Buddhism, which is dominated by the Prajnaparamita Sutra and the Pure Land Sutra. These translations made great contributions to the spread and development of Buddhism in China.

In the fourth century AD, a very important figure appeared in the Chinese Buddhist circles, that is, The Leader of the Chinese Buddhist Circles, Master Dao'an. He was the founder of the Buddhist system in the mainland, and the Chinese monks of the Shaolin Temple were all surnamed "Shi", which was advocated and started by him. For this reason, monks are also called "disciples of the Shakyas."

With official support, Buddhism flourished in China, and by the beginning of the fifth century, there was another brilliant and wise Buddhist master in China, who was Kumarosh of Indian descent. Together, Kumarosh and later Xuanzang became two great masters in the translation of Buddhist scriptures, and their translations of Buddhist classics were not only treasures of Buddhism, but also an important part of Chinese philosophy and literature.

During the Tang Dynasty, when Chinese Buddhism was at its peak, various Buddhist sects rose up one after another and a hundred flowers blossomed. After the Tang and Song dynasties, Zen Buddhism became the mainstream of Buddhism, and the unique wisdom of Zen Buddhism was "seeing nature to become a Buddha", and the advent of the Six Ancestral Altar Sutras was a milestone in the history of the development of Chinese Buddhism.

Throughout the development of Buddhism in China, the title of Shakyamuni Buddha has always been Buddha and WorldLy Venerable. That is to say, in Buddhism in the traditional sense, Shakyamuni did not form a special relationship with the "Rulai Buddha". Shakyamuni was a Buddhist sage, and "Rulai" is an honorific title for all Buddhas.

However, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, because of the popularity of novels and the later appearance of "Journey to the West", "Rulai Buddha" gradually became the exclusive title of Shakyamuni Buddha.

In 1986, after the film and television version of "Journey to the West" was broadcast, the people of the mainland were influenced by film and television works, and the name "Rulai Buddha" became more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and Rulai Buddha and Shakyamuni were equated. Shakyamuni is the Buddha, and the Buddha is Shakyamuni. However, The Buddhas of Rulai and Amitabha are only Buddhas of another world in mythological novels, and are not directly related to the "Shakyamuni Buddha" in extant Buddhism.

Buddhism was once known as the "Three Schools of Confucianism" along with Taoism and Confucianism, which shows its great influence on the transmutation of Chinese culture and philosophical thought. The spirit of "suppressing evil and promoting good" in Buddhism is also of great significance for guiding and educating ordinary people in China.

We are a country that advocates freedom of religious belief, and the continued existence of Buddhism will continue to exert a positive influence on Chinese culture and philosophical thought