【The origin of Putuo Mountain] Refusing to go to Guanyin and Huiyan to open the mountain

Chinese Buddhism spread to Japan in the east during the Tang Dynasty. In the second year of Liang Mingzhen in the Five Dynasties, many Japanese monks who studied abroad in order to seek Dharma came to China to visit Taoism and seek teachers. Among them, monk Huiyan crossed the ocean and sailed to our great country of China. On the one hand, he searched for teachers and Taoism, and on the other hand, he attended Buddhist holy places everywhere. One day, I came to Mount Wutai, Shanxi, worshipped the Great Wisdom Manjushri Bodhisattva, visited Wutai Shengshan, visited famous scenic spots, and saw a holy statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva, which was pure and solemn, and I was envious. I wanted to discuss with the head master of the temple to ask for a request to go back to Japan for offering, but I am afraid that the other person would not agree to what he asked for, so his last solution was to take it without giving it to him. He thought this was out of kindness, which could make the Japanese people feel faith and respectful when they see the holy image. "The blessings of those who convert will increase infinitely, and those who recite rituals will destroy the sand of rivers." This practice would not be a violation of the "stealing precepts that are not taken with" in the Buddhist precepts, right? So he made up his mind and secretly invited the statue away.

Since Monk Huiyan obtained this supreme treasure statue, of course he did not dare to stay in Mount Wutai. He immediately put on his clothes and bought a boat to cross the east, preparing to return to his country. When the boat sailed to the Zhoushan Islands, which belongs to Dinghai County, Zhejiang Province, there was a place called Xinluo Reef. Suddenly, countless iron lotus flowers appeared in the ocean. They could not move forward. This was the case for three days and three nights. The boat could not be opened, and it could only be circling far away in Putuo Shanxi Zhou. If it blooms eastward, an iron lotus emerges from the sea and blocks the road. Monk Huiyan was already frightened and panicked at this time, and was uneasy. As the saying goes, I will not be surprised if I do not do anything bad for others, and I will not be shocked when I thunder in the air. At this time, he began to sit in meditation and ponder his mistakes. He asked himself, he had never done anything bad in his life, and had never done anything ulterior motives. Why was he blocked in the ocean today and unable to advance or retreat? When Buddhists encounter difficult things that cannot be solved, their only magic weapon is to kneel in front of the Buddha and ask for repentance. When he knelt in front of the Bodhisattva statue, he suddenly remembered that this Bodhisattva had stolen it without any help. At this time, he suddenly realized and felt ashamed of his fault. He quickly knelt down and prayed, "Master! Because I saw the majestic statue of the Bodhisattva, my country’s Buddhism has not been widely seen, and the holy statue is rare. I want to invite the Bodhisattva statue back to Japan to worship. If the sentient beings in our country do not have the opportunity to see you at this time, we should follow our direction. The disciple will build a monastery and worship the holy statue." After praying, I finally arrived at the edge of Chaoyin Cave and stopped safely.

At that time, Putuo Mountain was still a deserted island and was not crowded. Although in the Han Dynasty, there was Mr. Mei Zizhen, the father-in-law of Emperor Guangwu of Han, who lived in seclusion on this mountain to cultivate truth and cultivate nature. However, few people know that there is this mountain in the sea. Until the reign of the Liang Mingzhen of the Five Dynasties, it was still a deserted mountain and an isolated island. There were only a few fishermen who were catching fish. They built a few thatched squids on the mountain and lived in the mountain depression by the sea. At that time, Master Huiyan was on a boat to go up the mountain. After searching for more than a day, he finally found a fisherman's hut next to the mountain not far from Chaoyin Cave. The owner of the house was Zhang Yuweng, who was fishing for the job. After monk Huiyan explained his purpose, he was very moved and was extremely happy. The Bodhisattva was not willing to go to Japan, but wanted to live in the deserted mountains of our isolated island. This deserted mountain really had a great cause and effect with the Bodhisattva. The people who live nearby here really have great blessings and good roots, so they can get Guanyin Bodhisattva to manifest this mountain. At this point, he said generously to the monk Huiyan: "Master! Since people in your country have no chance to see the Buddha, you will live in our mountain with the Bodhisattva. I will give up the house and place I live in. You can build a temple to worship the Bodhisattva. I will go across the sea and ask people from all over the world to come to the mountain to worship the Buddha and offer to you. Don’t go back to Japan again. ”

Therefore, Zen Master Huiyan did not return to Japan, so he built a temple on the mountain to live in peace, calling him "I refuse to go to Guanyin Courtyard." As a result, he became the first generation of founding masters of Putuo Mountain, which is the origin of Putuo Mountain's founding. (Excerpted from "Legends of Putuo Mountain, South China Sea" /Master Zhuoyun )