Located in the north of Wenxing Bridge in Yiling Town, Touzi Temple was built during the Kaibao period of the Northern Song Dynasty (968-976), and is one of the famous ancient temples in Dongxiang, Yangzhou. There is a similar story about the origin of the temple's name.
Many years ago, there was a family named Zhongmingren, the couple was in their 40s, happy to have a son, very pampered. Whenever Zhongren had a feast, he would go with his son. As long as his son sees the dish on the table, grasps it with his hands, arches with chopsticks, and serves which bowl he wants to eat, who says he does not listen, slightly unsatisfactory, and even pushes the plate and throws chopsticks, often making the guests unhappy. Relatives and friends all felt that Zhongren was excessive and had no rules.
Later, Zhongren stopped traveling with his son when he went out to socialize, so as not to make people laugh. When his son found out, he first cried, and then he scolded Zhongren for "old things" and "old things don't die", and he wanted to kill "old things".
One day, Zhongren went out to socialize again, and his son in his 10s really sharpened his knife at home, and his mother asked him why? He said: Wait for the "old thing" to come back and kill him with a knife! His mother listened, frightened, and rushed out to inform the old man. Zhongren and his wife went home to see what was going on, and before they reached the door, they heard the scolding and killing sounds in their sons' mouths, which frightened the old two people and did not dare to enter the door, turned around and slipped away. They were also embarrassed to turn to their relatives and friends, so they had to live in exile and beg for a living.
Toshiji Temple (borrowed)
His son had no parents and no place to live, so he wandered around, was taken in by the abbot of the monastery in the Yiling Territory, and became a monk.
Under the teachings of the abbot, the guidance of the monks, and the enlightenment of the Buddha, he repented and received the Dharma title of "Empty Edge." Later, the abbot of the monastery passed away, and Kuki held the will to take over as abbot. As an abbot, he spread the blessings of Buddhism and often provided relief to the poor and needy. One year, on the eighth day of the first lunar month, he instructed the monks to cook more "Lapa Porridge" for the poor to eat, and he personally went to the scene to arrange and inspect it to prevent crowding and chaos.
Suddenly, he saw an old couple in the crowd, like his own parents, and went forward to inquire about the situation. The second elder burst into tears and told the tragedy of the godson's laxity and the harm caused by the indulgence. When he heard this, he was also full of remorse and burst into tears. In order to educate his descendants and warn future generations, the abbot of The Void Edge renamed the temple "Toshiji Temple".
(Wang Yilin)