A series of reports on the study of historical figures in western Fujian
【Editor's note】Longyan has a long history, beautiful and beautiful, a gathering of humanities, and a treasure of nature. Since the Tang Dynasty, there have been some outstanding historical figures who have made significant contributions to Longyan in all dynasties. Their outstanding contributions have accumulated into a valuable spiritual wealth of Longyan's history and culture, and have become a beautiful "city business card" to inspire future generations to unite and forge ahead. In order to thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the symposium on cultural inheritance and development, the Municipal Financial Media Center has set up a column of "Research on Historical Figures in Western Fujian" sponsored by the Propaganda Department of the Municipal Party Committee and undertaken by the Party History and Local Chronicles Research Office of the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Financial Media Center on all-media platforms such as "newspapers, networks, micro and terminals", so as to "play five cards and build a new Longyan" and accelerate the construction of a high-quality development demonstration area in the old revolutionary base area of western Fujian. This journal publishes a series of reports on the study of historical figures in western Fujian [18] "Folk Belief in Dingguang Buddha Rooted in Western Fujian and Spread to Taiwan", so stay tuned.
The folk belief of Dingguang Buddha is rooted in western Fujian and widely spread to Taiwan
Dingguang Buddha, commonly known as "Dingguang Ancient Buddha" and "Dingguang Master", is also known as "Ingot Buddha", "Burning Lamp Buddha" and "Burning Lamp Prince" in Buddhist classics, and is the protector of the Hakka people in Fujian and Taiwan. According to the Southern Song Dynasty "Linting Chronicles": Dingguang ancient Buddha common surname Zheng, the name is strict, born in the first year of the Later Tang Dynasty (934), Quanzhou Tong'an County, Fujian. His grandfather was in the Tang Dynasty, and he was the envoy of the four gates, and his father was appointed to the same security order. At the age of 11, he became a monk and took refuge under the seat of Master Qiyuan of Jianxing Temple in this county. At the age of 17, he traveled to Yuzhang and Luling in Jiangxi, worshiped the monk Xifeng Yuanjing as a teacher, and after five years in this circle, he bid farewell to Master Yuanjing and traveled the world. From the middle of the Five Dynasties to the early Northern Song Dynasty, his footprints covered Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Guangdong. The belief in Dingguang Buddha originated from the ancient Buddha who came to the lion rock to preach the Dharma. Legend has it that he was able to subdue the tiger and save the people from fire and water. Dingguang Buddha is the only monk in history who was officially awarded the title of "Reincarnation of Dingguang Buddha" (meaning the reincarnation of Shakyamuni teacher) by the imperial court, and is the main deity of the Hakka people in western Fujian.
Stills from the Chinese drama "Dingguang Buddha".
Dingguang Ancient Buddha Lion Rock propagation of the Dharma
In the second year of Qiande in the Northern Song Dynasty (64 years), Zheng Ziyan was 31 years old, traveled to Wuping Rock to raise money, and saw the south rock cave where He Dalang, the ancestor of Kaiji in front of the rock, was magical, and the mountains and rivers were beautiful all around, and it could be used as a dojo. Under the guidance of Zheng Ziyan, He Dalang's family agreed to give Zheng Ziyan a dojo that had been established for 37 years. Since then, Zheng Ziyan has set up a dojo here to preach the Dharma for more than 50 years, and Song Zhenzong was named "Junqingyuan" (now a cultural relics protection unit). In the early years of Jingde (about 1004), Zheng Ziyan was invited to Kangpangu Mountain in southwest Jiangxi Province to preach the Dharma and abbot the Zen Monastery, and became a "master" three years later, and returned to Nan'anyan. In the fourth year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1011), Zhao Suiliang, the county guard of Tingzhou, invited Dingguang Buddha to Tingzhou City, and built a temple nunnery in the back of the house for him to live.
Iwamae "Hyunko-in"
The ancient Buddha of Dingguang almost traveled all over the land of western Fujian. Liancheng Guanzhi Mountain, Qingliu Lingtai Mountain, Taining Dajin Lake, Shanghang Dong'anyan, Yongding Jinfeng Mountain and other places have left the footprints of self-strict monks. Therefore, in the vicinity of Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi, especially in Wuping County, there are a large number of stories and legends about the ancient Buddha of Dingguang who gave good deeds and benefited the people, which can be summarized as follows: one is to get rid of the tiger and eliminate the harm for the people; the second is to dredge the waterway and find spring water; the third is to pray for rain and the sun, and to build a temple to open up the Zhen; the fourth is to care for the people and ask for the people's lives; the fifth is to be merciful and punish the powerful; and the sixth is to give heirs and send children to the three worlds.
According to the "Linting Chronicles", when he was alive, there were many miraculous deeds about him among the local folk:
Except for the Jiaofu Tiger. Legend has it that in the second year of Song Qiande, after arriving in Nan'anyan from Yan, he subdued the dragon in the lake with verses, golden bells, iron chains, etc. (the ruins still exist). It is also rumored that when he set up a dojo in Shiyan, the python was in front of the python and the tiger was eyeing each other, and for a long time, they all fell down.
Dredging the shipping lanes. Legend has it that at the beginning of Song Jingde (1004), the ancient Buddha of Dingguang was invited to Kangpangu Mountain in southwest Jiangxi to promote Buddhism. There was no rain in the evening, and the waters rose and went away. ”
Pray for sunshine and rain. Legend has it that in the fourth year of Song Xiangfu (1011), it rained for a long time in Tingzhou, and Zhao Suiliang, the county guard, asked the ancient Buddha of Dingguang to set up a platform to pray for the sunshine, and was answered. Soon, there was a drought again, the county guard Hu Xianzhi sent an envoy to Wuping Nananyan to ask the Dingguang ancient Buddha to pray for rain, the Dingguang ancient Buddha wrote a verse, to bring back to Tingzhou to the envoy, just entered the territory of Tingzhou, the heavy rain poured, it was a bumper harvest in the year.
Look for springs. Legend has it that Song Xiangfu four years (1011), after the county guard Zhao Suiliang knotted the nunnery, please Dingguang ancient Buddha abbot, there is a dry pond in front of the nunnery, Dingguang ancient Buddha "cast and overflow, now the name is 'golden milk'".
Ask for the people's lives. In the sixth year of Song Xianping (1003), the government levied cloth from the monastery, and the cloth was handed over by the local people. When the government found out, they were very angry and arrested him for interrogation, but he refused to answer, and the county guard Zhang Ye became more and more angry, and made people burn the hat, and poured it with blood and garlic juice, but the fire burned out, and the hat became whiter and whiter, so he had to let him go.
In addition, according to the inscription of "The Deeds of Master Dingguang to Rock": Ninghua Yu, ask for an heir. After the couple hugged their son and thanked him, twenty miles away from the rock, the son died suddenly. Mr. and Mrs. Yu did not change their respect, and temporarily sent their son to the barren ridge, but still went to the rock. After fasting, he returned, sat down and ate steamed buns, and then gave up his property to enter the temple. Today, Qiling still spreads the "send-son" cloud.
In some places, wonderful legends have even been left behind. For example, a place in Changting built a place to divert water, but the water flow was turbulent, and it could not be closed for a long time. One day, an old woman delivered food to the construction workers, and Dingguang Buddha disguised herself as a beggar to beg for food from the old woman. The old woman's face was difficult, and the Dingguang Buddha retired. Seeing that he was hungry, the old woman was moved by compassion, so she called back the Buddha of Dingguang and gave him food. Helplessly, the Dingguang Buddha ate too much food, and ate all the food in the basket. The woman wanted to go home and get it again, but the Buddha asked her to lead the way to the site of Zhubi. After arriving, the Dingguang Buddha asked the old woman to ask the construction workers to stop the construction, leave the site to avoid for a while, and take off the straw sandals and throw them to the dragon's mouth. In an instant, the dragon was successful, the water was horizontal, the stream overflowed, and the water was diverted to irrigate the fields, which was not destroyed for a long time. This time is then called "Dingguang Pi".
On the sixth day of the first month of the eighth year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1015), after passing away in the rock cave in front of the south of Wuping Rock, he still repeatedly showed his magical powers, protected the city and blessed the people, and scared away the thieves and so on. Because of "the master's high morality and deep morality during his lifetime, and many good deeds", after his death, the local people "collected the relics and molded them as the truth and worshiped them as Buddhas", which became the beginning of Dingguang's belief and culture. Since the death of the monk Yan, the divine power of Buddhism and good deeds before and after his death have been widely spread in western Fujian. Master Dingguang and his disciples conformed to the characteristics of the Hakka people's beliefs, blended Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and witchcraft, and constantly adjusted and supplemented in subsequent practices, integrated other sects, and lived in harmony, forming a common and relatively solid belief in Hakka society later - Dingguang Ancient Buddha Faith.
The Great Song Dynasty was enthroned five times
After the death of the master, after more than 150 years, the imperial court sealed it five times before and after: in the eighth year of Xining in the Northern Song Dynasty (1075), the prefect of Tingzhou Xu Dang gave the imperial court a table, and Song Shenzong issued an edict to the title of "Dingying" master; in the third year of Chongning (1104), the prefect of Tingzhou Chen Cui was on the table, and Huizong of the Song Dynasty issued an order to seal the master of "Dingguang Yuanying"; in the second year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty (1132), the master of Dingguang put five colors of light on the tower of Qianhua County, Jiangxi, and broke the thief Li Dunren and recovered the two countiesIn the third year of the Southern Song Dynasty (1167), because of the apparition deeds of expelling robbers and protecting the residents, the Fujian Transshipment Division played the edict with the word "Tzu Chi" and was named the master of "Dingguang Yuanying Ordinary Tzu Chi"; in the fourth year of Jiaxi in the Southern Song Dynasty (1240), the imperial court issued an edict to give the temple of Tingzhou Yahou Monastery where Master Dingguang had lived as "Dingguang Temple", and slightly changed the original eight-character master number of Dingguang Buddha to highlight the word "Tongsheng" and named it "Dingguang Yuanying Puci Tongsheng Master" , and issued an edict to allow the real body statue of the master to stay forever at the foot of Wolong Mountain in the state back nunnery, and worship permanently. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the belief and customs of Dingguang Buddhism became more prosperous, and it has continued to the present day, with a long history and full of rural folk customs.
Su Shi, a famous poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, Hui Hong, the author of "Shimen Text Zen", Shen Liao, who served as a judge in the imperial court when Xining changed the law, and the famous poet Huang Tingjian, Li Gang, the supervisor of Jianzhou and Wuping County in the Southern Song Dynasty, Chen Xuan, Liu Tao, Guo Xiangzheng, Ming Chongzhen, Gu Yuanjing, Tang Shihan, the prefect of Tingzhou, Liang Yingzhen, Sun Zhang, Cheng Dunmu, Chen Ting, Wang Tingluan, Wang Tingluan, Huang Tian, Zhao Liangsheng, Huang Tian, Zhao Liangsheng, Gan Jinxi, Mo Shuchun, Zhong Tongguang, Fu Shuochen, Yang Dengxi, Fang Kaizhi, Qiu Fengjia and other celebrity eunuchs are all commemorated by poems. Now there are 39 poems, words, and endowments in the praise of the hereditary history, chronicles, and ancient books (including the Dingguang Master Death Land - Shiyan Cave), totaling more than 1,000 words, 71 couplets stored in the Dingguang Ancient Buddha Temple, 12 plaques, 100 Qianwen, one of the "Dingguang Ancient Buddha Salvation and Awakening Sutra", and two "Blessings".
Su Shi's "Nan'an Rock Lord Dingguang Master Truth Praise" wrote: "Dingguang ancient Buddha, do not show its light, the ancient cone penetrates, and the big thousand is the bag." Lying like a monk, the West Peak Approach, also vulgar and true, one three treasures. Nan'an Grottoes, open the manna door, live in the alien, and have no heaven in the respect. He is obedient to me, he is obedient to me, and he is pursuing it, and the void is gathered. Drive the grass and trees, teach the snakes and tigers, sorrow the sun, drought and rain. If there is no man to get a man, and no woman to get a woman, the law is like this, who will take who and whom? If you are angry, you will not let me ga pear, and then you will end up in white clothes. Shou hat plain shoes, hair and sideburns, eighty-two years old, with the world. Poor cliffs and plants, dry wax wind and rain, seven Fujian incense, home as the ancestor. Sa Yu Tian, Song has ten thousand surnames, is a tin elephant suit, the name is Dingying. Hui Hong's work "The Birthday of the Lord of Nan'an Yan on the Sixth Day of the First Lunar Month", which is included in the "King James Siku Quanshu", wrote: "Even if there is no back in life and death, the name is turned from your tongue, the past has died and now should be born, today is life and why is not seen, is the vulgar why there is no sideburns, is the monk why not have a pear." Monks and laymen can't see whether they are alive or dead, and a plaque for group music is like a cone. Huang Tingjian's "Nan'an Rock Lord Ziyan Zen Master Praise" wrote: "The stone comes out of the mountain and moistens from the hills and ravines, and the pine does not spring and the bones stand frost." Today, I have the cane of the cloud gate to break the ghost cave spirit bed. Its stone will also be able to produce clouds and rain for thousands of miles. Its pine is also to be shaded with the Three Realms. This seems to be the people of the past, not the people of the past, and the old friends in the mountains are discussed. During the Xuanhe period of the Northern Song Dynasty, Li Gang, who supervised Jianzhou and Wuping County, wrote in "Nan'an Yan Gong Dingguang Yuanying Zen Master Two Songs": "The white clothes are hidden in the blue rock sky, and the tower temple is in the east of the sea. The differentiation is as promised, and the poems are written in the middle. The green mountains and green waters are good every year, and the bright moon and breeze are the same everywhere. It is good to live in the shade, and there is no need to chase Sibinong. "Lingqiao travels through Wanqu Pan, and returns to the north to Nan'an. The mountain spring stone has an ancient meaning, and the pine in the mouth is cold in the day. Quite tired of being sick and dreaming, and wants to spend the rest of his days on the rock. The ancient Buddha of Dingguang is still there, please ask where to see this light. ”
The ancient Buddhist belief was widely spread in Taiwan
At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the belief in the ancient Buddha of Dingguang spread to Taiwan with the migration of the Hakka people, among which the Yinshan Temple and the Dingguang Buddhist Temple in Changhua were the most important and famous in Tamsui Town, Taipei County. From the couplets of Changhua Dingguang Buddhist Temple, we can still get a glimpse of the origin of the temple and the Hakka people in Tingzhou:
The historic sites trace the Yinjiang River, change the bones and get rid of the empty hue, outside the round light;
On the island of Foenshitai, the magic of the spirit sign shows the good fortune and the evil, and it is in the predetermined.
At that time, in the era of competition among people of all nationalities, Dingguang Buddhist Temple gave spiritual sustenance to the Hakka people who were far away from their hometowns, and played the function of uniting and caring for their fellow villagers. In the process of moving to Taiwan, the Hakka people in Tingzhou Mansion in Taiwan have never broken their ties to their ancestral homeland. For example, Liu Deng's "Reconstruction of the Three Treasures Hall Inscription" describes the rebuilding of Junqing Temple in the fifteenth year of Qianlong (1750), that is, the participation of Taiwanese believers: "Gathering the same people, enthusiastically donating, raising ten parties, as far as Taiwan, about a total of 1,000 silver." In January 2002, a stone tablet was excavated next to the Junqing Temple in Nanyan Dingguang Ancient Buddhist Temple, and the front of the stele was engraved with "Recruit and knock Taiwan Lezhu Tablet", and the left side was "the eleventh year of Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty (1733) years old and Meng Chunyue presided over the monk Shengshan, Deji, and Yuanduo each donated money to Taiwan Shizi Hongzi to ascend to Jidanli", and the back side was "Taiwan Mansion Shanxin Lezhu built a Buddhist building to reinstall the Buddha and Bodhisattva Tablet" The stele totaled more than 960 Taiwanese men and women who donated silver taels to help build the Immortal Buddha Building, which once again proved the origin of Taiwan and the ancient Buddha of Dingguang more than 300 years ago. Today, there are hundreds of temples dedicated to the ancient Buddha of Dingguang on the island of Taiwan, and the population of the ancient Buddha of Dingguang is more than one million.
Taiwan's government Shanxin Lele helped build the Buddha building and reinstall the Buddha and Bodhisattva monument
In 1991, Hu Junyan, the abbot of Yinshan Temple in Tamsui Town, Taipei, organized the Dingguang Ancient Buddha to visit the ancestors for the second time, and after several twists and turns, he traced the source back to Yanqian Shiyan, Wuping County, Fujian Province, realizing the dream of several generations to find the roots of the Dingguang Ancient Buddha, and bringing back to Taiwan the incense ashes burned out in front of the Dingguang Ancient Buddha statue. On the first day of the seventh lunar month in 1992, Hu Junyan crossed the strait again and escorted the statue of the ancient Buddha of Dingguang to the lion rock in front of Wuping Rock and carried out the consecration ceremony. Since then, believers of the ancient Buddha of Dingguang on both sides of the strait have frequently held friendly exchanges. Yinshan Temple, Tamsui Town, Taipei, also set a rule: every three years on the third day of the first lunar month, send believers back to Wuping County Yanqian Shiyan, in front of the statue of the ancient Buddha of Dingguang to pack incense ashes back to Taiwan, in order to show that the aura of the ancient Buddha of Dingguang will live forever and bless everyone's peace and well-being. This activity has never stopped. In 2000, Taiwan's Dazhu Town specially sent people to Wuping Yanqian Junqing Temple to hold an incense ceremony. On June 23, 2007, Taiwan's religious and cultural delegation came to Shiyan Junqing Temple in front of the rock to participate in the Dingguang Ancient Buddha Temple and offer incense to the Dingguang Ancient Buddha. On September 11, 2010, more than 150 believers of the Dingguang Ancient Buddha in Taiwan also made a special trip to the Junqing Temple in front of Wuping Yanqian to participate in the worship of the Dingguang Ancient Buddha.
Create a brand of "Dingguang Buddha Culture".
After thousands of years of dissemination, the belief in ancient Buddhism in Dingguang has become the most typical Hakka folk belief in Fujian and Taiwan, and is an important link between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to enhance cohesion, carry out cultural exchanges, and economic and trade exchanges. Since 2010, Wuping County has actively built the brand of "Dingguang Buddha Culture", renovated the Junqing Temple of Dingguang Buddha Temple, built the Bell and Drum Tower of Junqing Temple, added Buddha statues and ritual vessels to the Tianwang Hall of the Institute, and restored the Buddha statues of the Thousand Buddha Building and the Dingguang Buddha Hall of the Academy. Carry out a number of cross-strait Dingguang Buddha cultural exchange activities. From 2011 to 2015 and in 2017, 2019 and 2023, eight cross-strait Dingguang Buddha Cultural Festivals were successfully held, of which the fifth was held in Taiwan.
The 8th Cross-Strait Dingguang Cultural Festival
In March 2010, the Wuping County Agricultural Delegation went to Taiwan for exchanges and signed an exchange and cooperation agreement with Changhua Dingguang Buddhist Temple. Subsequently, 14 units and groups, including Changhua Dingguang Buddhist Temple, Tamsui Yinshan Temple, Taiwan Lions Club, Taiwan Daye University, and Taiwan Hakka Public Affairs Association, visited Wuping. In May of the same year, the Wuping County economic, trade and cultural delegation went to Taiwan for exchanges and introduced projects such as scientific and technological development and agricultural and animal husbandry cooperation. In December 2010, at the invitation of the believers of Dingguang Buddhist Temple and Yinshan Temple in Tamsui, the golden body of Dingguang Buddha toured Taiwan for the first time, completing Changhua, Miaoli, Hsinchu, Taoyuan, Taipei, New Taipei and other places for 8 days of patrol activities, and was worshiped by tens of thousands of believers in Taiwan. In June 2011, the first Strait Hakka style plot - Dingguang Buddha Cultural Festival was held in Yanqian Junqing Temple, Wuping County, and more than 1,000 people from all walks of life from both sides of the strait worshiped Dingguang Buddha. In November 2013, at the 3rd Cross-Strait Dingguang Cultural Tourism Festival, "Dingguang builds a new bridge, and the relationship connects the two sides of the strait", Fujian-Taiwan and Longtai exchanges have achieved fruitful results in economic, trade, agriculture, culture, science and technology cooperation. In September 2014, the 2014 "Fresh Fujian Strait Hakka Tourism Festival and the Fourth Cross-Strait Dingguang Cultural Tourism Festival" was held in Wuping County Wenbo Park and Yanqian Junqing Academy, and 12 activities were carried out, including: press conference, opening ceremony, Dingguang Buddha worship, Chinese drama "Dingguang Buddha Yuan" performance, "The First Strait Hakka Culture Communication Forum, Wuping Dingguang Cultural Forum" and other 12 activities, attracting people on both sides of the strait to experience Hakka customs together.
Wuping County has also invested in the construction of the Dingguang Garden Project in the Shiyan Scenic Area and the Junqing Yuan Cultural Square to promote the development of Dingguang Buddhist belief and folk culture. At the same time, a leading group for the application of Dingguang Buddhism and customs for the World Heritage of Dingguang County was established, and personnel were organized to collect and sort out the beliefs and customs of Dingguang Buddhism, strengthen the academic research on the beliefs and customs of Dingguang Buddhism, explore its cultural connotation, and lay a solid foundation for the work of applying for the World Heritage of Dingguang Buddhism.
(Writer: Luo Bingxing, Party History and Local History Research Office of Wuping County Committee of the Communist Party of China)
Sources:
1. "Linting Zhi", Song, Hu Taichu, published by Fujian People's Publishing House in December 2013.
2. "Wuping County Chronicles", edited by the Compilation Committee of Wuping County Chronicles of Fujian Province, published by China Encyclopedia Publishing House in October 1993.
3. "The Common Ancestor of the Hakka in Fujian and Taiwan, the Hometown of the Immortal Buddha - Yanqian", written by Lin Shanke and Luo Bingxing, edited by the Party Committee of Yanqian Town and the People's Government of Yanqian Town, 2011.
4. "The Ancient Buddha of Dingguang for a Thousand Years: A Brief Discussion on the Role of the Ancient Buddha Belief in Dingguang as a Bridge and Bond in Cross-Strait Exchanges", written by Zhang Shiliang, published by Social Sciences Academic Publishing in December 2014.
5. Research on the Culture of Dingguang Ancient Buddha: The Protector of Hakka Immigrants in Western Fujian, Taiwan, written by Liu Dake, published by Social Sciences Academic Press, October 2012.
6. "Fujian and Taiwan Dingguang Buddha: Roots in Wuping", written by He Anqing, edited by the Hakka Friendship Association of Wuping County, Fujian Province, Wuping County Culture, History and Propaganda Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, 2005.
7. "The Grand View of Dingguang Buddha's Folk Beliefs and Customs: The Genealogy of the Ancient Buddha Inheritance of Dingguang for a Thousand Years", written by Zhong Maofu, published by Lujiang Publishing House of Strait Publishing and Distribution Group in December 2020.
8. "Research on Dingguang Culture: On the Role of Dingguang Buddhist Belief in Promoting Cross-Strait Hakka Exchanges and the Peaceful Reunification of the Motherland", written by Lian Chuanfang, published by China Culture and History Publishing House, December 2013.
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