Hanshan (1546-1623) had the legal name Deqing, the courtesy name Chengyin, and his nickname Hanshan. One of the "Four Great Monks" of the Ming Dynasty, he was a native of Gucai Qian, Quanjiao County, Jinling, Ming Dynasty (now Chuomiao Xianfeng Village, He County, Anhui Province). His common surname was Cai, and he was born in the 24th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1545). The master became acquainted with Buddhism at a young age. He went to Jinling Baoen Temple to find Buddha at the age of twelve, and became a monk at the age of nineteen. In particular, he went through untold hardships to rebuild Nanhua Temple, which had a profound influence and was known as the Grandmaster of the Zhongxing Ancestral Court. The master devoted his life to the study of Buddhism, wrote numerous books, and had thousands of disciples. Tomorrow, on October 11th, the third year of Kai Ming Dynasty (1623), the Zen master’s worldly fate has ended and he passed away in Nanhua Zen Temple at the age of seventy-eight. The master's physical statue is now enshrined in Nanhua Temple in Guangdong.
In the middle of Ming Dynasty, for more than 100 years from Xuanzong to Muzong of Ming Dynasty, all Buddhist sects were in decline. Since the Wanli period of Shenzong in the Ming Dynasty, famous Buddhist monks have emerged in large numbers, forming a prosperous scene of the revival of Buddhism in China. The four eminent monks Hanshan, Yunqi (ie Zhuan Hong), Zibai (ie Zhenke) and Ouyi (ie Zhixu) are The best of them all.
Hanshan became a monk at the age of nineteen and went to Qixia Mountain to study Zen, and later learned the Pure Land Sect's method of chanting Buddha's name. After that, Han Shan traveled around various places and became more and more famous. In the first year of Wanli (1573), he came to Mount Wutai. He loved the magical beauty of Mount Wutai and took this as his nickname. In the 14th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty gave fifteen volumes of the Tripitaka to famous mountain temples all over the world. The Queen Mother gave one of them to Hanshan in Laoshan (Laoshan, Qingdao) in the East China Sea. The imperial court established Haiyin Temple in Laoshan. Hanshan is specially invited to host. In the 23rd year of Wanli, Hanshan was convicted of "privately building" a temple and was exiled to Leizhou, Guangdong. He continued to promote Zen in Guangdong and went to the Caoxi Baolin Temple of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng to preach, advocating the integration of Zen and Huayan Sect, and the integration of Buddhism and Taoism. The integration of Confucianism and Confucianism was approved by people at that time. Hanshan has been in Guangdong for five years and has become famous all over the country.
Later, Hanshan was allowed to return to Haiyin Temple in Laoshan. He wrote more than ten books, including "General Meanings of the Lotus Sutra" and "Annotations to the Internal Chapters of Zhuangzi", covering Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. His disciples also compiled "Hanshan Dreamwalking Collection" "Fifty-five volumes" and "Hanshan Quotations" twenty volumes. Master Hanshan passed away in the third year of Tianqi (1623). He died at the age of seventy-eight, and his physical body still exists in Nanhua Temple for future generations to pay homage and praise. .
His works are prolific, not limited to those of one family. He created a new trend in the history of Chinese Buddhist thought and had a profound influence. His main works include the eighty volumes of "The Outline of the Avatamsaka", the ten volumes of "The Surangama Sutra", and "The Lotus Sutra". "Yi" seven volumes, "Pure Land Huiyu", "Laozi's Notes on the Tao Te Ching", "Zuo Shi's Mental Methods of the Spring and Autumn Period" and "University Outline Judgment", etc. His disciples compiled the "Complete Works of Sleepwalking", which has been included in the Tripitaka and Sikuquanshu respectively.
In terms of poetry and calligraphy, all the masters are accomplished. When he was young, he was friends with Xuelang Hongen's calligraphy. In his later years, he displayed paper and letter pens, and they all came from Guangming Zang. , subtle and concise, elegant and neutral, and seeing the power in the ordinary, which is closely related to his ginseng and pure karma. The "Huayan Sutra" written in blood, and the running script "Poetic Notes on the Pure Land" are circulated.
"Banners with Six-Character Verse in Running Script" (with Liang Qichao's appreciation stamps on both sides) Collection of Taiwan's Ho Chuangshi Calligraphy Art Museum
Explanation: I forget my fate and feel lonely, and the light shines alone. Seeing through lightning in the sky is different from flying fireflies under the sun.
Under the influence of Dong Qichang's calligraphy style in the late Ming Dynasty, although Hanshan was a master of Qianmen, his calligraphy was not immune to his influence. The strokes at the beginning and end are graceful and graceful. The strokes at the top are not angry, and there is a large space between the strokes and the spacing between the words. Master Hongyi’s strokes also have a larger spacing. Perhaps this is a representation of the practitioner’s spiritual space.
