Views
Yīngcí 應慈 (1873-1965)
|
 |
|
Lay surname 姓: Yú 余
|
| Notable Associates: |
|
Yīngcí 應慈 (1873-1965)
Short bio.
Biography
Yīngcí was born to a family that originally hailed from Ānhui1 安徽, but had several generations before moved to Jiāngsū and become wealthy in the salt industry. Yīngcí began studying under his father's tutelage at a young age, and received his Xiùcái 秀才 degree at age 15 suì 歲. His father died the following year.
In 1898, Yīngcí decided to ordain and traveled to Pǔtuóshān 普陀山, where, at Fǎyǔ Temple 法雨寺, he met and was tonsured by Chán Master Míngxiìng 明性. He followed Míngxìng to Nánjīng, and studied Chán and various Mahāyāna texts under him until 1900, when he went to Tiāntóng Temple 天童寺 in Níngbō 寧波. There, he received full ordination under Jìchán 寄禪. Following his ordination he studied Chán for several years under Dàdìng at Jīnshān's 金山 Jiāngtián Temple 江天寺, and under Yuèlǎng 月朗 at Gāomǐn Temple 高旻寺 in Yánghzōu 揚州.
In 90, Yīngcí began studying under Chán Master Zhìkāi 治開 at Tiānníng Temple 天寧寺in Chángzhōu 常州. That year he received from Zhìkāi listen to teach (rènkě 認可), and three years later, on the first day of the eighth lunar month of Guāngxù 光緒 32 (1906), he received dharma transmission from Zhìkāi and was made abbot of the temple. All together, four monks received dharma transmission from Zhìkāi that day, the other three were Míngjìng 明鏡, Yuèxiá 月霞, and Wéikuān 惟寬. They each became 42nd-generation dharma holders in the Línjì 臨濟 lineage. Neither Yīngcí nor Yuèxiá wished to remain abbot, and Yīngcí soon followed Yuèxiá (who was 17 years his senior) as the latter embarked on a sūtra lecture tour.
Over the following years, Yīngcí continued to accompany Yuèxiá. In 1909, Yuèxiá accepted the invitation of Zhāng Tàiyán 章太炎 to come to Tokyo to lecture. There he lectured on the Laṅkāvatāra 楞伽 and Vimalakīrti Sūtras 維摩經 and the Sūtra of Perfect Enlightenment 圓覺經 were attended by many notable Chinese, and he influenced many of them to take an interest in Buddhism. Yīngcí and Yuèxiá stayed in Japan for eight months. When they returned in 1910, Yuèxiá was recommended by Yáng Wénhuì 楊文會 to serve as president of the nascent Jiāngsū Sangha Education Association 江蘇僧教育會, and run the Jiāngsū Sangha Normal Study Hall 江蘇僧師範學堂. Yīngcí also taught at the Study Hall during that period. In 1911, they took an invitation to lecture at Bǎotōng Temple 寶通寺 in Húběi 湖北, and Dìxián 諦閑 took charge of the School.
With the outbreak of the revolution, Yuèxiá and Yīngcí went to Shànghǎi where they began living at Hardoon Gardens with the support of the Gardens' owner, Liza Roos (aka Mrs. Silas Hardoon) 羅迦陵. In 1912, she helped them set up Huáyán University 華嚴大學 there. The school moved to Hǎicháo Temple 海潮寺 in Hángzhōu 杭州 in 1916, or thereabouts.[1]
In 1917, Yuèxiá followed Zhìkāi's orders and became abbot of Xīngfú Temple 興福寺 on Yú shān 虞山 in Chángrè 常熱, but he became ill and traveled to Yùquán Temple 玉泉寺, Hángzhōu 杭州, where he died. After Yuèxiá's death, Yīngcí returned to Xīngfú Temple where, acting on one of Yuèxiá's last requests, transmitted the dharma to Chísōng 持松 and started the Dharmadhatu Seminary 法界學院 in 1919. He spent much of the next few at Xīngfú Temple.
From 1922 to 1924, Yīngcí went into bìguān 閉關 at Pútí Temple 菩提寺 in Hángzhou1 杭州.
Important Works
Notable Students
- Chísōng 持松
Notes
- ↑ Yú says this was because Liza Roos had started practicing some "outer path" 外道 and was forcing the monks to all come and pay homage to her and receive her blessing. Yú, 1.146c.
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. 2.765-768.
- 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. 2.1656b-1659c.