Huijue 會覺

Huìjué 會覺 (1892-1971)

One of Tàixū's leading disciples, and a teacher of monks.

Biography:

Huìjué took tonsure and ordained at age 12 at Hǎiyìn Temple 海印寺 in Níngxiāng 寧鄉. In 1921 he entered the Hunan Buddhist Training Institute 湖南佛學講習所 at Kāifú Temple 開福寺 in Changsha，where he studied under Kōngyě 空也.

In 1922, Huìjué enrolled in the first class at the Wuchang Buddhist Seminary 武昌佛學院, graduating in 1924. He became one of Tàixū's 太虛 four main disciples, along with Dàxǐng 大醒, Zhīfēng 芝峰, and Fǎzūn 法尊. When Tàixū passed away in 1947, it fell to Huìjué to offer incense on behalf of all of Tàixū's disciples.

In the summer of 1925, he participated in an English training camp on Lúshān 廬山. That same year (starting with volume 6, number 9), Huìjué began editing the Hǎicháo yīn 海潮音 at Lúshān.

In 1927, he and Mǎnzhì 滿智 went to run the newly established Minnan Buddhist Seminary 閩南佛學院 in Xiàmén 廈門 . In 1933 he began teaching at the Research Division of the Seminary, where he specialized in the Chéng wéishì lùn 成唯識論, but due to poor health, he was only able to teach part-time.

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Juébīn 覺斌, abbot of Nánpǔtuó Temple 南普陀寺 passed away and Huìjué served as abbot for the remainder of the War. Beginning in 1946 (after the end of the war), he served as principal at the Wǔlín Buddhist Seminary 武林佛學院, which was housed at Língfēng Temple 靈峰寺 in Hángzhōu 杭州. He left that position in the fall of 1948.

In 1962, Huìjué returned to Kāifú Temple and stayed for several months as a guest. He died in Xiàmén in 1971.

References:

• Shì Dōngchū 釋東初. Zhōngguó Fójiào jìndài shǐ 中國佛教近代史 (A History of Early Contemporary Chinese Buddhism), in Dōngchū lǎorén quánjí 東初老人全集 (Complete Collection of Old Man Dongchu), vols. 1-2. Taipei: Dongchu, 1974 Pp. 2.892-893.
• Yú Língbō 于凌波, ed. Xiàndài Fójiào rénwù cídiǎn 現代佛教人物辭典 (A Dictionary of Modern Buddhist Persons), 2 vols. Taipei: Foguang, 2004. Pp. 2.1308a-1309a.