Gregory Adam Scott
史瑞戈
Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Religion, Columbia University
哥倫比亞大學宗教系博士候選人
The Buddhist Three Character Classic 釋教三字經
Preface by Guangzhen
Among the Confucians they have the Three Character Classic for the education of children, which they wish the young to recite and memorize, and upon maturing attain insight. Thus the emperor has written: The beginnings of human virtue cannot be attained and then forgotten. In our own teaching, Shakyamuni descended and was born in the human realm so that he could scale the palace wall and attain the Way, establish the teachings and promulgate the denominations. This is something that can be distinctly verified, and one can cite and describe it. How could one not be willing to use it for the education of novices? Four days before the Yuanxiao festival [on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month] I picked up a brush and found paper, writing Three Character Classic. My wish is that in the future as our mouths merely mumble away, we may yet mature and attain insight. Comparing this to “Men at their birth are naturally good”, there is a difference!
儒有三字經. 為童子學. 葢欲童齡誦習. 逮其壯而開悟. 則 帝王紀網. 人倫之序. 不可得而忘也. 我教自 釋迦如來. 降生人間. 以致踰城證道. 立教敷宗. 厯厯可據者. 亦可例而述之. 甯不為沙彌便學耶. 元夕前四日. 援筆搜成一帖. 題曰三字經. 願將來吾輩. 口頭哩哩囉囉耳. 倘亦壯而開悟. 其為人之初. 性本善. 有不同也乎. 蜀東吹萬老人謹序.
Duan Qirui 段祺瑞 1865 - 1936 Warlord and later Premier of the Republic of China, Duan turned to Buddhism after suffering military defeat in the 1920s. Appears to have been associated with the Eastern (Japanese) Esoteric school. Also supported the publication of Ding Fubao's Foxue congshu.
Li Yinchen 李隱塵 1871 - 1929 Government official, took the lay precepts in 1918 (under Taixu?)
Gao Henian 高鶴年 1872 - 1962
Yang Du 楊度 1875-1931 Originally called Chengzan 承瓉, courtesy name Zhezi 楊哲子, later changed his name to Du 楊度, aliases Hugong 虎公 and Huchan 虎禪, often called himself Chan Master Tiger 虎禪師, the Tiger asetic 虎頭陀 and Shakya Tiger 釋虎 Yang had a five or six year involvement with Buddhist ideas, especially those of the Southern Chan, as he searched for methods to solve political and social problems. See Liu Qingbo, 14-16.
The Dalai Lama 大賴 1876-1933 Tibetan name: Thubten Gyatso 土登嘉措
Dehao 德浩 1881-1942 Led the movement to restore the Baima Temple. [1]
Li Bingnan 李炳南 1890-1986 Called Yan 李艷, courtesy name Bingnan 李炳南, styled Xuelu 雪廬, Dharma name Deming 德明, also called "Old Man of the Snows" 雪叟 Helped to establish a Lotus Society 蓮社 lay Buddhist organzation in Taizhong in 1950. Worked toward the propagation of Buddhism in Taiwan.
Zhangjia 章嘉 1891-1978 Also called 靂迎葉錫道爾濟. [2] [3]
Tan Yunshan 譚雲山 1901-1983 A proponent of China-India cooperation
Liu Manqing 劉曼卿 1906-1941 Born in Lhasa but brought up in Beijing, Liu was a bilingual special envoy whose account of her journey to Tibet in 1929 on behalf of the central government was published as 康藏軺征 (The Pacification of Kham-Zang). [4]
Jia Benyang 嘉本樣 1908-2004 Also called 雍增仁波切 and 拉茂雍增 · 洛桑克珠嘉措 (transliterated Tibetan names). [5]
Li Zikuan 李子寬 1882-1973
Note to self: The special characters input list is located at MediaWiki:Copyrightwarning