"Broken shoes, torn hats, torn robes... You laugh at me, he laughs at me, a fan breaks..." Whenever this familiar melody sounds, the plot of the mythical TV series "Jigong" emerges. The living Buddha Jigong in the play is funny and cute, and can write poetry, he punishes evil, promotes good, and helps the needy.
The prototype of Jigong is called Daoji, a native of Tiantai, Zhejiang, a senior monk of the Southern Song Dynasty, and later respected as the "Living Buddha of Jigong". The legend of Jigong is a kind of folk oral literature developed from the story of the Southern Song Dynasty Zen monk Daoji.
According to legend, Jigong first arrived at West Lake and became a fire-burning monk in Lingyin Temple, and then came to Jingci Temple to become a secretary who copied scriptures. Jingci Temple was founded by King Qian Miu of Wuyue in 961 AD, and has a history of more than a thousand years, during which there have been nearly six fires close to destruction. Due to the frequent occurrence of fires, the temple has also increased its awareness of prevention and improved fire prevention measures.
During the Xining period of the Northern Song Dynasty (1068-1077), a feng shui man suggested to Jingci Temple to dig a pool in front of the temple to eliminate the fire. The monk Zongben of the temple adopted the opinion and raised a pool in Hangzhou City.
About the Jigong and Jingci Temple fires
And such a legend ...
According to legend, the third month of the lunar calendar is the birthday of the god of fire. On this day, a young woman came to the gate of Jingci Temple, wearing a red silk dress and looking around with her eyes wide open. When Jigong saw it, he pinched his fingers and counted, today is June Gansan, it is the birthday of the fire god, and the woman in red in front of him is changed by the fire god, and she must have come to Jingci Temple to set fire to celebrate herself.
So, Jigong stretched out his hands to block the door. The woman didn't know how to kill a crazy monk halfway, she rushed left and right and couldn't get in, and the pilgrims gathered to see the liveliness. When the elder heard the news, he rushed and drank Ling Jigong to be rude. Jigong was not annoyed or angry, and asked, "Master, do you say that it is good to have a temple or not to have a temple?" The elder didn't understand what he meant, thinking that more was better than less, so he said, "It's okay, of course it's okay!" As soon as Jigong heard that "no temple is good", he muttered and went to enjoy the shade under the trees.
At this moment, a strong wind suddenly blew, and the candles lit on the incense case somehow splashed on the drapery of the hall, and the wind took advantage of the fire, and instantly the whole temple burst into flames. The golden temple turned into a pile of rubble in a blink of an eye. The elder beat his chest and looked up to see that Jigong was still enjoying the shade under the big tree, and he was even more angry. At this time, Jigong slowly opened his eyes and said, "Master, just now I saw that the woman was changed by the fire god, and I didn't let her in, because I was afraid that she would burn the temple." You came, I asked you, is it good to have a temple or not a temple, you said that there is no temple is good. Well, now there is no temple. When the elder listened, he immediately repented and remorseful.
Later, the temple was rebuilt, and a list written by Jigong caused a sensation in the entire city of Hangzhou, and people came to donate every day, and the emperor also gave 30,000 taels. The temple was urgently used for timber, so Jigong went to Sichuan to raise wood, transported wood through ancient wells, and people pulled out 199 logs from the well, and later the main beams of Jingci Temple were also rolled by Jigong shavings. Jigong looks crazy, but behind it lies profound knowledge and the character of accumulating virtue and doing good without expecting anything in return.
The legend of Jigong is attached to real historical figures, and the plot has a magical color, becoming a well-known Chinese folk tale, and at the same time pinning on the ancient working people's yearning for a happy life. On May 20, 2006, the legend of Jigong was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.