The ascetic monk who recites scriptures and drives away tigers: Master Mingde

During the Wanli period of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty (1573 AD 1620), there was an ascetic monk who always worked hard during the day, fetching water and firewood for the temple, cooking firewood, serving Master Hou and other brothers. It was really meticulous, but he was still happy and never had any resentment.At night, he didn't feel tired at all. He sat in the room like a different person, accompanied by the ancient Buddha's green lamp, and studied Buddhism.

One day, the ascetic monk occasionally passed by a mountain with dense trees covering the sky and sun. He suddenly found a tiger with his eyes standing in the middle of the road, staring at it covetously and shining with a lush and lush attitude.Looking around, there is no other fork in the road.In this situation of being in a dilemma and having no way out, the quiet ascetic monk was calm and resolute, beating the wooden fish, muttering something in his mouth, and walking forward

When the ascetic monk was about to approach the tiger, suddenly, the big tiger with a hungry eye-spotted forehead seemed to be afraid, got up, clamped its tail and fled!

This ascetic monk who was boundless in Buddhism and recited scriptures to drive away tigers was no other person, but was Master Mingde, who was famous at that time and was amazing.

Master Mingde originally had a different name from Yueting. Later, because he studied under Master Wan Songlin of Shaoxing Prefecture (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang), in order to show his respect for his master, he specially changed his alias to Qiansong, so as not as modest as his mentor.His ancestral home was Wucheng, Huzhou (now Wuxing County, Zhejiang), and his father's surname was Zhou.

Shortly after being born, Master Mingde showed his extraordinary significance.Once, when he was five or six years old, he followed his father to a place called Zi Taoist temple. In the evening, he stayed in a temple and saw a portrait of arhat on the wall. Mingde, who was young, asked his father seriously: Who are these?Why don’t we wear the same clothes?Are they monks?

When my father saw that his child with a drooping bun was suddenly attracted by these portraits of Arhats, and asked these amazing questions, he couldn't help but feel moved and said with emotion: They are also those monks with boundless magic power and saving sentient beings.

When Mingde heard this, he couldn't help but exclaim and said to his father firmly: I am willing to be such a person!After saying that, he asked his father to agree to become a monk and practice.Where would his father agree?When he returned home, he begged his mother again, but he still failed to agree.

This way, when he grew up to thirteen years old, his parents saw that their son was still determined to become a monk and had no choice but to agree to him become a monk and practice.

So, Master Mingde came to Shuanglin Qingshan Temple in our county and worshipped Monk Xingxiang as his teacher to learn yoga teachings.Four years later, he was shaved and officially became a monk.