Jian Zhen (688~763), also known as Jian Zhen (がんじじんんんんん) in Japanese, is a monk of the Tang Dynasty in China, a descendant of the Nanshan Sect of the Legality Sect, the founder of the Japanese Buddhism Legality Sect, and a famous doctor. The Japanese people call Jian Zhen "the Meng of Tianping", meaning that his achievements are enough to represent the roof of the culture of the Tianping era (meaning the peak).

In the first year of Tianbao, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Yangzhou City in the early winter was still full of music, the Grand Canal was still full of sails, and the bell of Daming Temple sounded more profound and distant.

That day, several dusty Japanese monks came to Daming Temple. It turned out that they were members of the Japanese envoy to the Tang Dynasty, who came to China to study law. This time, Daohang introduced them to pay homage to Jianzhen, a famous law monk in the Jianghuai area.

The two Japanese monks led by Rong Rui and Pu Zhao met Jian Zhen and opened the door to the mountain: "Buddhism has been introduced into our country for more than 180 years, and now it is at the height of the sun. But because there is no preacher who has been taught the true precepts, they have been unable to teach them formally. Monks are worried that their piety will not be recognized, so they are eager to see the great virtue of preaching precepts. When we come to Yangzhou, we ask you to recommend a lawyer to our country to promote Buddhism and rectify the precepts. "

Jianzhen kept nodding while listening to the earnest words of Rongrui and Puzhao. He thought for a moment and said, "I once heard that after the death of Zen Master Huisi in the Southern Dynasty, Tuo Sheng became a prince in Japan and promoted Buddhism. I also heard that there was a prince in Nagoya in Japan who had made a thousand cassocks and sent them to Chinese monks. He also embroidered four lines on his cassocks, saying, 'Mountains and rivers are different from each other, the wind and moon are the same day, send them to Buddha, and make a common bond'. From this point of view, Japan is a country connected with Buddhism. Now they come here specially. Who of you would like to work as a preacher in Japan? "

Jianzhen looked at his disciples and for a long time no one said anything.

"Master, I heard that Japan is a very far country, and it is difficult for one in a hundred people to cross the vast ocean. As the saying goes," A person is hard to live in, but China is hard to live in. "A disciple named Xiangyan mustered up his courage.

Jianzhen asked again who would like to go, and everyone lowered their heads quickly. There was another silence in the temple.

Jianzhen stood up and looked very serious. He faced the magnificent sitting statue of Sakyamuni and said slowly, "It's not enough to be afraid of the vast sea of people who pass the Dharma. Monks should have put their lives aside. If you don't go, let me go!"

The disciples were so ashamed that they finally expressed their willingness to follow Jian Zhen to Japan.

Rong Rui and Puzhao had no idea that Jian Zhen would lead his disciples to Japan in person. They were so excited that their minds went blank. They just kept bowing to Jian Zhen deeply.

However, the eastward crossing of Japan was not a matter of ten and a half days, and the Tang Dynasty had very strict restrictions on crossing the sea and going abroad, which must be done secretly. Crossing the sea requires not only storing large quantities of food, but also building ships. In order to avoid people's attention, Jianzhen said that they were only offering sacrifices to Guoqing Temple in Tiantai Mountain, and they obtained the handwriting of Li Linzong, the brother of the Prime Minister Li Linfu, through relations. Cao Licao of Yangzhou Cang is Li Linfu's nephew. He read Li Linzong's handwriting and agreed with them to build a ship.

By the spring of the second year of Tianbao, everything was ready. However, the date of sailing cannot be determined because piracy is rampant in the southeast coast. Both public ships and private ships will plunder.

Then something happened.

Among the monks who came to Daming Temple with Rong Rui, there was a Korean monk named Ruhai (today's Korea). He was very enthusiastic about going to Japan, so as to follow Jian Zhen and get a good result early. In consideration of this trip to Japan, Dao Hang needs knowledgeable monks and skilled craftsmen if he wants to teach the precepts completely. He felt that Ruhai could do nothing but sit and chant sutras, so there was no need to waste a place in the fleet. Ruhai gradually felt that everyone was looking at him incorrectly. From the tone of others' conversation, he realized that he was excluded from the ferry team.

"Well, I asked for help from my family to raise money and food for the cause of crossing the sea. I said many good words and made many great hopes in front of the Buddha. In the end, I ended up with the result that 'all the birds are high and all the bows are good.' It should be on me. Since you don't care about your kindness and don't want to share the happiness, you can't go with the Buddha!"

Ruhai became more and more angry when he thought about it, and his sense of loss accumulated into a group of exasperation. He went to the government and accused Dao Hang of colluding with Japanese monks and pirates, prepared ship food, and invited hundreds of pirates to kill and set fire in the city.

The government was shocked and immediately sent a large number of captors to arrest Dao Hang and Rong Rui and their gang for interrogation.

Fortunately, the truth of Jianzhen's eastward journey was not revealed, so Daohang denied any collusion with pirates. The boat food was intended to go to Guoqing Temple in Tiantai, and Li Linzong's handwriting testified.

Things are clear. Ruhai was beaten 60 times for false accusation and ordered to return to secular life, but the ship and food were confiscated. After half a year's hard work, the plan failed.

Rongrui and Puzhao are very depressed. They can't go back to Japan empty handed. I'm afraid Monk Jianzhen has given up the idea of going to Japan after this setback. At that time, many people were extremely discouraged and left Yangzhou one after another. People as active as Dao Hang also returned to Chang'an.

But when they met Jian Zhen in Daming Temple, these concerns were swept away.

Jian Zhen said, "Don't worry. I think there will always be a chance for our great dream of preaching to be realized."

This time, Jianzhen's eastward voyage was even larger. He paid a huge sum of money to interview Lingnan Dao and made Liu Julin buy a military ship. He also recruited 85 craftsmen, including painters, embroiderers, jade craftsmen, carpenters, and those who are proficient in carving and engraving steles. Jianzhen, who is over 50 years old, dreams of building numerous solemn temples across the sea in Japan, and spreading compassion on foreign lands like seeds. He took as many things as he could with him. In addition to a large number of food, he also had 30 lacquer boxes and plates. He also had a shop of five paintings, a shop of treasure images, a shop of gold clay images, a six fan barrier for Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, a gold word Huayan Sutra, a gold word Dapin Sutra, a gold word Daji Sutra, a gold word Danirvana Sutra, and a hundred miscellaneous sutras, There is a moon barrier, a sky barrier, 120 Taoist flags, 14 beads, eight jade ring hand flags, 50 mother of pearl scripture letters, 20 copper bottles, 24 Chinese felt collars, 1000 cassocks, 1000 pairs of local clothes, 1000 beds, four large copper covers, 40 bamboo leaf covers, 20 large copper plates, 20 medium copper plates, and 44 small copper plates, Two hundred pieces of copper are folded on a foot surface, sixteen pieces of white rattan mat, six pieces of five colored rattan mushroom, twenty doses of musk, agarwood, agarwood, stack incense, gum rosin, borneol, dantangxiang, benzoin, Lingling incense, green wood incense, smoked incense, a total of more than 600 jin, and there are more than 500 jin of Bi Bo, He Li Le, pepper, ferula, rock sugar, sugar, ten honey bees, 80 bundles of sugar cane, and ten thousand tons of green coins, Ten thousand pieces of Zhenglu coins, five thousand pieces of purple border coins, two thousand pieces of Luodang coins, thirty pieces of hemp boots and thirty pieces of monk hats.

In December of the second year of Tianbao, they set out quietly. Unexpectedly, just out of the mouth of the Yangtze River, there was a hurricane, and the huge waves damaged the ship. Everyone was on the beach, soaking in waist deep tide. After one night, everyone was almost speechless with cold.

The next day, when the wind and waves calmed down, the boatmen repaired the boat quickly and continued sailing. As the wind was uncertain, they had to stop and go.

More than a month later, the ship hit the rocks in Zhoushan sea. Jianzhen escaped to a desert island. Before the boat could struggle, it was swept away by the wind and waves. The scriptures, statues, utensils, spices, medicines and large quantities of food on board were all swallowed up by the sea. The effort was in vain again. Some monks couldn't help crying. Jian Zhen comforted them and said, "The Dragon King is greedy. He has read our scriptures. It's unknown that he will abandon evil and do good. Maybe it will be convenient for us next time."

They didn't eat or drink on the desert island. It took them three days and three nights to be rescued. They were moved to Asoka Temple in Mingzhou (now Ningbo, Zhejiang) by the government.

Jianzhen lives in the Asoka Temple, and the monks all around come to ask him to teach law. When the monks learned that such a respected master father wanted to go to Japan to preach the Dharma, they were reluctant to stop him. They said that in such a wild place like Japan, the master's magic would not be like casting pearls before swine, and it would be difficult to come back once he left. The Chinese monks suffered greatly from their luck. However, Jian Zhen remained unmoved and patiently explained to people the significance of the eastward journey.

Unable to stop, the local Buddhists complained to the government that the Japanese monk Rongrui had tricked Jianzhen into sneaking into Japan. Rong Rui was immediately arrested and escorted to the capital for questioning. But after some setbacks, he secretly fled back to Asoka Temple.

Jian Zhen could not help sighing: "The prison disaster, the danger of wind and waves, and the hardships of displacement should not discourage Rong Rui and Puzhao. Just to preach the Dharma, they can be so patient. Japan really has a destiny with Buddhism. How can I change my mind?"

So it didn't take long for them to prepare for the fourth eastward voyage. Jian Zhen first asked Fajin to take some people to Fuzhou (today's Fuzhou City, Fujian Province) to prepare. He took more than 30 people with him to worship the Guoqing Temple on Tiantai Mountain. He set out from Mingzhou, prepared to arrive at Tiantai, and then secretly went to Fuzhou to go to sea. On the way over mountains and mountains, because of their eagerness to travel, they could not even appreciate the beautiful scenery along the way. Jianzhen walked in front of them vigorously, and later generations felt more confident.

However, when they came to the Chanlin Temple in Huangyan (today's Huangyan City, Zhejiang Province), a group of officials galloped up and detained Jian Zhen and others.

Everyone is a bit confused. How can the government know our purpose? When they set out, the prefect of Mingzhou also sent them a lot of food.

It turned out that this was caused by Jianzhen's high foot Lingyou who stayed in Yangzhou. He didn't want to let Shifu cross the sea. Now Jianzhen has failed several times in his journey to the east, and he has worked hard for this almost impossible cause, and his health is getting worse every year. He couldn't bear to let his Shifu rest his life on this crazy fantasy, so he joined hands with the deacons of the local monasteries to petition the government to get Jianzhen back.

Besides, Jian Zhen and his party were closely watched and sent back to Yangzhou, and the sea crossing team was basically forced to disband. The monks and laymen in various states are very happy when Jian Zhen comes back. They come to greet each other every day, and the people who give them gifts almost break the threshold. But Jian Zhen was depressed to the extreme, especially for Lingyou, who blocked his plan. She was even more angry and refused to meet him at all. In order to gain Master's understanding, Lingyou stood in front of Jianzhen's gate every day when the moon rose and pleaded guilty until the moon went down. He had stood for sixty nights and had not yet moved Jianzhen.

In addition to Jian Zhen, Rong Rui is certainly the one who suffered the most from the failure of this eastward crossing. The plan has been frustrated repeatedly, and the prospect of preaching is even more bleak. However, he still refused to give up. As long as Jianzhen's determination remains unchanged, there is still hope for the eastward crossing. They tried to meet Jian Zhen, but Jian Zhen said with a smile, "The sea has emptied my mind of all distractions except the determination to cross Japan!"

Rongrui and Puzhao are delighted. In order to relax the government's surveillance of Jian Zhen, they left Jian Zhen, Xiangyan, Situo and others with tears in a melancholy and excited mood, and stayed in Tong'an County (now Anqing City, Anhui Province) near the Yangtze River for three years at once.

In the spring of the seventh year of Tianbao, they came to Yangzhou again, where flowers were blooming, to discuss with Jian Zhen about the fifth eastward crossing.

On June 27, the team that crossed Japan set out again.

Because of the headwind, the ship stayed near the coast for nearly three months, and everyone was worried. How could God be so hard to pass the Dharma! until

On October 16, Jian Zhen said to everyone, "Last night, I dreamt that three officials dressed in red and two in green were standing on the shore, bowing to us. This must be the national god. I think this crossing should be a success!"

After a while, there was a downwind. All the Chinese monks on board knelt down and faced the west with tears, because they didn't know when they would return to their hometown.

The ship is getting farther and farther from the shore. In the evening, a strong wind suddenly blew, and the big sea suddenly opened a pot. The white foam rolled and the wind mixed with the sound of the waves, as if there were hundreds of water monsters roaring under the water. The water was as black as ink. The boat was thrown on the crest of the wave and into the valley. The people on the boat were so confused that the monks began to read the Guanyin Sutra intermittently.

"The ship is going to sink. Hurry to throw the goods into the sea!" the boatman suddenly shouted.

Some monks refused and held the box tightly, saying, "These are all magic weapons, which are more important than life!"

"Now what is more important than life! Throw it!" The boatman was worried. Several sailors picked up the incense basket and were about to throw it into the sea. Just then, a voice came from the air: "Don't throw it! Don't throw it!" This voice temporarily overcame the sound of wind and waves. The boatman was surprised and immediately put down the incense basket.

Jianzhen said, "Don't panic. Bodhisattva will help us get through the danger!"

The next day, the wind and waves calmed down a lot, and the ship continued to sail.

On the third day, the boat floated to the Snake Sea. Sea snakes several feet long, either green or red, swim around the ship like lightning, which is very frightening. After crossing the Snake Sea, we entered the Flying Fish Sea. Feet long fish leap out of the sea in groups from time to time, shining silver in the sky, dazzling monks. Soon we came to the Sea of Flying Birds again. Groups of giant birds were flying on the sea. The birds were not afraid of people. They always landed on the boat and rested, almost sinking the boat.

Two days later, the wind blew again. All the monks on the ship vomited and lay on the deck. Only Puzhao can walk around and give us some raw rice every day to satisfy our hunger. However, the fresh water on the ship has been used up for a long time, and the sea water is bitter and can't be eaten at all.

Everyone chewed the raw rice and was in great pain. Because their throats were dry, they could neither swallow it nor spit it out. Jianzhen also lay on the deck and encouraged him to "keep on working hard, everyone." Then he tried to swallow the raw rice.

At this time, four big golden fish swam into the sea and circled around the boat. Everyone was surprised when the wind stopped, the sky became very clear and the fish disappeared.

But everyone was still thirsty, and their tongues were as dry as old bark that could be peeled off. Rong Rui has had a fever for several days. On this day, he suddenly spoke with joy.

"I dreamt that two officials asked me to give them precepts. I said I was dying of thirst and wanted to drink some water. The official immediately asked someone to fetch me water, which was as cool as milk. I said that there were more than 30 people on my boat who had not touched water for a long time. Benefactor, bring some water as soon as possible. The official ordered two old men with silver hair to send water to the boat. Everyone, hurry up and get ready to receive the water. "

Rong Rui pointed to the southwest and said loudly, "Look, that's not a white crane coming. Ah, it's a rain cloud. Let's get the water!"

But there was no cloud in the sky. Everyone smiled bitterly. Rong Rui was thirsty and had an illusion.

Fortunately, the next day, when the boat docked on an island, all the people on the boat rushed to the island to look for water. They found a pool of water. They opened their stomachs to drink, and then filled everything that could hold water with water and brought it back to the boat.

At this time, it was winter, but the island was covered with green onions, trees, flowers and fruits, and the climate was like summer. It turned out that Jian Zhen and his colleagues had worked hard for half a year, and instead of going to Japan, they drifted to Hainan Island, which was even farther away from Japan.

Although the local magistrate was a Buddhist and tried to keep Jianzhen, Jianzhen still didn't give up the idea of going east, so the magistrate had to send someone to escort him back to the mainland.

After ten years of Tianbao, Jianzhen returned to Yangzhou after a long journey. After several twists and turns, Jianzhen can't help sighing that the determined Japanese monk Rongrui died on the road. Xiangyan, his favorite disciple, also failed to withstand a long tiredness and died. Because of the summer heat in the south, I was blind. However, Japan is still so far away.

Jian Zhen continued to teach laws and precepts in various temples in Yangzhou, as if he had not experienced a long life of wandering.

Jianzhen is always blurring in the cheers of monks and laymen. If only he were in Japan. He seems to be walking under a cherry tree, smelling the fresh fragrance, which Rongrui introduced to him. Such a bright world may not be visible with your eyes.

In the 13th year of Tianbao's reign, Jian Zhen, a 66 year old man, finally set foot on the land that haunted him on the boat of the Japanese mission to the Tang Dynasty. It was greatly welcomed by the Japanese government and the public. He was appointed as a great monk gang by Emperor Shengwu, who mastered the power of law transmission and became the founder of Japanese law school.