Editor's note: master miao-xin foyuan (1923-2009) was one of the successors of the shushan Buddhism and the 13th patriarch of the yunmen sect.In his life, the old monk had a firm moral integrity, kept strict precepts, and promoted the style of Buddhism, which made the cloud gate zen scenery famous both at home and abroad, and had a profound impact on the future of zen and Buddhism in China.In 2019, it will be the 10th anniversary of the death of the old monk, and ifeng.com Buddhism will launch a special commemorative theme "cloud gate true iron man" to commemorate the life of the old monk.This article is written by master yao zhi, abbot of the big Buddha temple in guangzhou.

Old monk fu yuan and master yao zhi (photo: yunmen temple, shaoguan, China)

    I have been close to him for more than ten years. In 1996, I received him as a buddhist monk.From the autobiography of the old monk Buddha source, I saw a lot of deeds, he has been following the old monk xu yun early years, experienced the cloud gate incident and so on.It is because of this extraordinary life experience, so it made him become a generation of eminent monks, zen master.

    I visit the old monk at yunmen temple every year.I deeply feel that the old monk is very responsible for the monk group, cloud gate temple of the wind, from the nongchan equal attention to be reflected, this is also inherited the spirit of the old monk.Whether he praised his disciples or praised them, he showed them compassion and love.From my heart, I hope the old monk can give me a few more times.

    I talked to one of his apprentices, and I said, "will you be angry if the old monk scolds you like this?"He said: "not angry, if he did not scold, but worried.Therefore, although he was scolding his disciple, everyone knew that he was more compassionate than anyone else, and there was no resentment in his heart.

    The old monk kept the precepts strictly all his life and taught them many times.Our young generation, under the impact of fame and benefits, often difficult to control their own, the old monk's words and deeds style, to help us a lot.His sense of responsibility to the sangha greatly inspired us on how to run the ashram well.So we often come to yunmen temple and ask the old monk for help.

    Two years before the old monk died, his illness was very serious.Therefore, we have come to realize that an eminent monk with spiritual practice and great vows will become a Buddha and ancestor in his lifetime, and he will report in advance if he has more karma.But it is a great comfort to us that when he died, his heart knew better than anyone that this was what the old monk had been doing all his life.Without it, no one could bear such pain!The end will be reversed with the delusion, karmic creditors away.So I especially praise the old monk, also pray that he can take the wish to come again, the breadth of living beings!