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Buddhist story: The story of the great monks: Tan Rong (A monk in troubled times )

Buddhist stories: The stories of great monks and great masters 2023-07-24

Tanrong (A monk in troubled times )

There was a group of people gathered in the temple, including monks wearing cassocks and some ordinary people who had become monks.People sat there quietly and listened to a monk preaching the Avatamsaka Sutra carefully.The master's name is Lingyu, and he was a famous monk from the Southern and Northern Dynasties and Sui Dynasty, and was known as Yu Bodhisattva.

Among the people I heard about, there is a young man who just arrived from a distance.He came to join Lingyu to become a monk.This young man became very interested in Buddhist scriptures when he was born.Later, he actually devoted all his body and mind to studying Buddhist scriptures.He had long wanted to escape from the world and become a monk, but he had never met a good mage.When I heard that Master Lingyu was profound in Taoism and famous throughout the world, he came to become a disciple without hesitation.Just as Master Gan was preaching, he sat down and listened.

Soon, his attention was attracted by Master Lingyu's wonderful lectures, and the fatigue of the journey disappeared.The master sometimes analyzes Buddhist principles and sometimes answers questions, and the content he says is in line with the subtle meaning of Buddhism.This young man who listened to the lecture felt that he had realized every word from the master, but he didn't quite understand it.He smiled knowingly, as if he had entered a state of happiness.

The fort ends.The young man walked quickly to Lingyu, knelt down with a pounce, and said earnestly to Lingyu:

Master, please accept the disciples!

Ling Yu helped him up, looked at the young man's clothes soaked in sweat from the long journey, and his sincere and eager expression, then nodded and accepted the young man.

This young man is Tanrong.

Tanrong studied Buddhism from Lingyu. He first studied the science and law, and then read other Buddhist scriptures.Finally, he became a monk who was familiar with the sutras.

When Emperor Wu of Zhou destroyed the Dharma, Tan Rong wore the clothes of ordinary people and read the scriptures and practiced continuously.In the early years of the Sui Dynasty, Buddhism was revived, and he still did not seek to show his reputation. He just practiced quietly, wandered in freedom, and gave up all kinds of greed.It seemed as if the vicissitudes of the world were completely out of his way.

When Tanrong was forty, he studied to travel the west to seek the ultimate truth.Go to Shangdang (Today, Changzhi County, Shanxi )In the mountains, he built a temple along the mountain to practice here.Soon someone came to him to study the Fa.Tanrong once again opened up the flat ground in a thorny place and built meditation rooms.There were endless people coming to join him when he heard Tan Rong's name.

At the end of the Sui Dynasty, the war was in chaos and those who studied the Fa wholeheartedly were in trouble and few people could stick to the precepts.In order to change this situation and eliminate the pollution of people's hearts in troubled times, Tanrong personally acted as the ruler, preached Buddhist principles, and corrected customs.

Every spring and summer, Tanrong explains Mahayana Buddhist scriptures to his disciples;In winter and autumn, we lead everyone to meditate.There are four Zen houses built by Tanrong, where monks and nuns live in villas.

In this chaotic era, the temple hosted by Tanrong has achieved great development, and its scale and reputation are keeping pace with the times. Those who come to study the Dharma are better than those in the past.For a time, Tan Rong passed on the Dharma throughout Jin, Wei, Han, Zhao, Zhou, Zheng and other places.

During this period, Tanrong went to Hanzhou Township (Today's eastern Shaanxi )Yansheng Temple set up a method of repentance.There is a local governor named Feng Tongren who has always worshipped the Shi family, and this has been the case for generations.When the governor heard that Tan Rong had come here, he presented the three relics he had passed down to Tan Rong for the monks and laymen to admire.Although Tanrong was old, he still led his disciples and ordinary people to hike for relics for twenty miles.

After welcoming the relics to the temple, Tanrong announced to his disciples:

The relics have infinite merits and infinite magic power. If the accumulated sins have been eliminated and you can ask the Buddha for treasure, you can get what you wish.

So, each person put a bowl of water in front of him, then burned incense and recited it, and prayed silently.Later, in the bowl, more than 400 relics were obtained.

This incident soon spread to Xiangyi County.The county magistrate was afraid that Tan Rong would gather together and did not comply with the rules, so he wanted to stop Tan Rong's actions.But that night, a monster kept roaring in the courtyard of the county magistrate's house, and the surrounding residents were uneasy all night.The next morning, the county magistrate went to Tanrong to repent and followed Tanrong to receive Buddhism.

Although Tanrong went through hardships, he firmly advocated Buddhism and adhered to the precepts.In his forties, Tanrong ate only a few grains and was extremely frugal.Tanrong is a pure nature by nature.Every day he had to check in the monk's residence and kitchen. When he saw unclean areas, he immediately cleared them.Tanrong set up a piece of clean land in each room in the temple, and used herbs to remove miscellaneous smells, as a place to clean the magic instrument with warm water.Every year when practicing the repentance method, Tan Rong had to bathe and cleanse his disciples first, then stand respectfully and perform repentance.

Tang Wude (Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan's name )In the summer of the ninth year, Tanrong preached Buddhism in Jiaozha Village, Lucheng.The meditation hall where he lived suddenly collapsed, but the Buddha statues and relics in the house jumped out on their own and scattered into the yard without any damage.

In Zhenguan (Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty )In the seventh year, a man named Chang Yibao and several other lay Buddhists invited Tan Rong to the Dharma Temple in the Prefecture to set up a precept for repentance.

At that time, there was a monk named Monk Ding in Fazhu Temple who sincerely kept his precepts and practiced continuously, and his skills had reached the best level.On this day, monk Ding suddenly saw a great light in the temple. Five kinds of colorful lights shone brightly from top to bottom. There were seven true Buddhas in the five-colored halo, with a dignified appearance.Six of the Buddhas said to him:

We are Vibha.Since the true nature is righteous enlightenment, because your sins have been eliminated and your merits have been fulfilled, we will give a testimony.But only your teacher can give you a prophecy.

The last Buddha said again:

I am your teacher, Shigamuni.Because your sins have been eliminated, I will give you a prophecy.Tanrong is your best opportunity to eliminate sins. He is Puning Buddha among the Buddhas.Your fundamental purity will become a Buddha in the future, and it is called Puming.

Later, Tanrong got sick at Fazhu Temple.He shed tears on the bed of pain.The disciples said:

The monk was born in Debu and there would definitely be no disaster. What else would you have to be sad about?

Tanrong replied:

My death is approaching, and I regret not being able to guide the lost public.

Wei Zong asked him:

Why do you have to die?

Tanrong said again:

Since Buddhism flourished again, I have never been able to keep the precepts once.Now that I am sick like this, I must have finished my energy.

In December of the 13th year of Zhenguan, Tanrong passed away in the temple.At the age of eighty-five.

2024-02-05 18:02
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