Monk Zhichao lived 71 years and became a Buddha in the Baofu Temple. He was the first person of Han nationality to become a Buddha and was considered the reincarnation of the ancient Kongwang Buddha (Kongwang means King of Emptiness).
The statue which holds his true body remains in the temple. Baofu was the name granted by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty who reigned from 629 A.D. to 649 A.D. Today the temple is called the Yunfeng Temple.
Many legends surrounded Monk Zhichao, the most well-known of which is how he helped Emperor Taizong alleviate a devastating drought.
Living Buddha in the Mountains
According to historical archives, 14 years into Taizong’s reign in 640 A.D., a severe drought hit the Shanxi and neighboring areas.
Emperor Taizong learned that only in the Mian Mountains in Jiexiu were people continuing to enjoy favorable weather with timely wind and rain for crops. Locals were saying that all this was due to the mighty virtue of Monk Zhichao who cultivated in the Mian Mountains.
Emperor Taizong went to visit him personally. Zhichao asked his disciple Muo Si, who was cooking, to spread a ladle of water left from rinsing rice toward the southwest direction where the drought-hit Shanxi area is located. Rainfall immediately followed, and the severe drought ended.
Millions of Tang residents applauded Monk Zhichao’s mercy. People called him the “Living Buddha in the Mian Mountains.”
Emperor Taizong issued an order to invite Monk Zhichao to the capital to serve in the imperial court, which Zhichao declined. The following year, Emperor Taizong led his civilian and military officials to the Mian Mountains to express their gratitude to Zichao for ending the drought.
Yinkong, a disciple of Zhichao, greeted the emperor at Baofu Rock. He informed Taizong that his master had passed away earlier that year, in 641 A.D. Taizong was saddened. He looked up to the sky and sighed, “This journey to visit the Buddha ended in vain.”
In Chinese, a visit in vain is pronounced kongwang. All of a sudden, the image of Monk Zhichao appeared in the sky together with four golden characters: Empty-King-Ancient-Buddha. Coincidentally, Empty King is also pronounced kongwang in Chinese.
According to Buddhist scriptures, Kongwang Buddha, or Empty King Buddha, is one of the ancient Buddhas who came to this world, known for his immeasurable power and mercy.
Taizong and the people of the Tang Dynasty knew that Monk Zhichao was the reincarnation of Kongwang Buddha. Taizong issued an order to establish the Baofu Temple in which a statue that wrapped Monk Zhichao’s body was built.
On their way to return to the imperial palace, Taizong stopped at the Lingxi Temple in the Kong Mountains for six days, where he also wrote a poem. The Lingxi Temple was hence renamed the “Temple of Returning to the Palace.”
Diligent in Cultivation
Monk Zhichao was born during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, 420 A.D. to 589 A.D., in a Tian family in today’s Shanxi Province.
He became a monk at the age of 27. He entered the Kaihua Temple in today’s Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, becoming a disciple of Huizan.
Huizan did not take him in at the beginning, and asked him to do all sorts of chores as a test. Zhichao was not discouraged. He got up early every day and worked till very late.
There were several hundred monks in the temple, and Zhichao always volunteered to take the most arduous jobs. Huizan was glad to see that Zhichao was highly self-disciplined, endowed with wisdom, and willing to endure hardship. He accepted him as his disciple.
After taking oaths, Zhichao excelled in studying Buddhist scriptures. Later he returned to his home town. He found a mountain and continued cultivation there. He set up a Zen school, cultivated in hardship, and attracted followers from nearby villages as well as faraway places.
Safeguarding Buddha’s Law
As Emperor Yang of Sui took power and reigned from 604 A.D. to 618 A.D., people were repelled by his excesses and disrespect for traditions. There were frequent uprisings.
Emperor Yang ordered all temples shut down and prevented monks from traveling in groups. Zhichao became worried upon learning the order and wrote articles to defend Buddhism.
He traveled to major cosmopolitan areas to appeal. He put on a monk’s robe and took his articles to officials, but all of them ignored his appeal.
He did not give up, went to the capital city of Jiangdu, and handed his written testimony to Emperor Yang’s official historian.
Toward the end of Emperor Yang’s repressive rule, war broke out everywhere, bandits were out of control, and civilians died in misery. Zhichao continued to lead his followers in studying Buddha’s law.
His followers carried some food with them. They worried about being robbed by bandits and thought of quitting and going their separate ways.
Zhichao told them not to be disturbed, explaining that cultivation is quite serious and can not be aborted half way through. Disciples calmed down and continued to cultivate Buddhahood.
One night, a group of robbers set fire and broke in while Zhichao and his disciples were sitting in meditation.
Each robber carried a shining steel knife. However, all the monks continued to sit in peace, and none was perturbed. The robbers were moved. They knelt and confessed their sins. Zhichao accepted them as followers.
He adapted his teachings according to their varying intelligence and inborn quality. All of the former robbers cultivated diligently to eliminate the sins they had committed in the past.
Inspiring Modern Generations
Li Yuan, the father of Emperor Taizong who later became Emperor Gaozu of Tang, started a military uprising in Taiyuan.
It gained support across the country. Zhichao realized the heavenly climate change and understood that the Li family was to acquire the country. He supported Gaozu.
When Gaozu restored peace to the vast middle plains which made up much of China, Zhichao and 20 or so of his disciples went to the new capital to congratulate him.
Gaozu respected Zhichao immensely, invited him to step into the emperor’s palace, and accorded him the courtesy due to a divine being.
Zhichao took wealth and comfort lightly. He bid farewell to Emperor Gaozu and his officials. In the fifth year of Gaozu’s reign, after many detours, he arrived at Baofu Cliff in today’s Shanxi Province to continue his cultivation.
Baofu Cliff is in the Mian Mountains, about 12 miles southwest of today’s Jiexiu City, Shanxi Province.
It was known for its splendid scenery with deep valleys, tall mountain ridges, clear creeks, shady woods, and favorable weather. It was like a fairyland.
Over 1,300 years have passed. Ever since the imperial order from Emperor Taizong of Tang to build the Baofu Temple and commemorate the true body of Kongwang Buddha, it has become a tradition for people to come to burn incense and pay their respects to Kongwang Buddha.
This piece of Chinese culture jointly created by a virtuous emperor and an eminent monk continues to benefit today’s world and inspire modern generations.
Source : http://www.theepochtimes.com
