Chapter 8 Chapter 7 Master of Propagating Dharma—Kukai, a scholarly monk who stayed in Tang Dynasty

In the Tang Dynasty, Chinese Buddhism was at its peak, with complete codes and a forest of eminent monks, so it was very attractive to the Japanese Buddhist circle.On the one hand, the Japanese Buddhist circles did everything possible to invite eminent monks of the Tang Dynasty, such as Jianzhen, to teach scriptures and teachings, and on the other hand, they continued to send monks to the Tang Dynasty to study the Dharma and learn the scriptures.According to incomplete statistics, in the more than 200 years after 653 A.D., about 100 Japanese monks of learning entered the Tang Dynasty, more than the number of students studying in the Tang Dynasty.In the early days of the Heian period, Japanese monks went to the Tang Dynasty to study and seek Buddhist scriptures, and the wind became more popular, and many classics were brought back.They have made great contributions to the development of Japanese Buddhism and the communication between Chinese and Japanese cultures. Kobo Master Kukai is one of the outstanding representatives.

Kong Hai (774-835 A.D.), the Buddhist Dharma name of King Kong, and the posthumous title of Hongfa Master.His common surname is Saeki, and he was born in Pingfengpu, Tado County, Sanki Country, Japan (now Kagawa County, Shikoku).When he was a teenager, he went to Nara with his uncle to study Confucian rhetoric. At the age of 18, he entered the university to study classics and history. However, he did not pursue high officials and rich salary, but became interested in Buddhism. At the age of 18, he wrote "The Return of the Three Religions", which commented and compared the three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in China. At the age of 20, he formally became a monk, and worshiped Qin Cao, a famous monk at Shiyuan Temple in Makio Mountain, as his teacher. In 795, he was ordained at Kaidan-in Temple, Todai-ji Temple, Nara.In the following 10 years, he practiced painstakingly and devoted himself to studying Buddhism.In order to seek the true meaning of Buddhism, he asked poorly and determined to travel westward to study in China.Because he has a solid foundation in Sinology and Buddhism, and admires Chinese culture, he was selected to study in the Tang Dynasty.

In 804, Japan sent an envoy to the Tang Dynasty for the 17th time to go west. The ambassador was Fujiwara Kusano Maro, accompanied by the learned monk Kukai, Saisumi, and Tachibana Itsze, an overseas student. On May 12th, we departed from Weihazu (Osaka), and on July 6th, we sailed with the wind from Hizen Kunitaura, Kyushu. The next day, we encountered a storm, and the first ship on which Kukai and the ambassadors were on lost contact with other ships and was bumpy. In the waves, after a 43-day voyage, it arrived at Haikou, Chi'an Town, Changxi County, Fuzhou on August 10.Fuzhou was not originally a port to receive Japanese envoys. Kukai wrote a letter on behalf of the ambassador: "I wish you the favor of the gentle and the far away, and the righteousness of the neighbors."Dozens of days later, the imperial court ordered that the ambassador, Kukai and other 23 people go back to the Minjiang River, leave Hangzhou, follow the canal, pass through the Suhuai River, then follow the Bian River to Luoyang, enter Hangu Pass in the west, and finally arrive at Chang'an City on December 21. Foreign Minister Leyi.Zhao Zhong, the envoy of the Tang Dynasty, brought 23 horses to welcome him, entered the city through Chunming Gate, and lived in the official residence of Xuanyangfang outside the imperial city.On February 21 of the following year, Ambassador Fujiwara and others returned to the east, and Kukai was allowed to study abroad and live in Ximing Temple in Chang'an.This is a famous temple in the Tang Dynasty built in imitation of the Zhiyuan Jingshe in Tianzhu (India), where Xuanzang, the master of Sanzang, once translated scriptures.

In May 805, Kukai paid homage to Huiguo, the eminent monk of Chang'an Qinglong Temple, the national teacher of the Three Dynasties, and the seventh generation ancestor of the Shingon School (Esoteric School).The master and the apprentice met each other as before, and Huiguo attached great importance to Kukai, "pointing out his wonderful taste and teaching him secret treasures".He also encouraged him to spread the Dharma in the Eastern Kingdom and spread it to the world after he finished his studies.Kukai also "treats him like a father and caresses him like a mother" to his master.In December of the same year, Monk Huiguo passed away, and the monks commissioned Kukai to write an inscription for him. The words were sincere, "the heart is broken."

During the Tang Dynasty, Kukai not only studied Buddhist scriptures, but also read widely.He also communicated with many Chinese literati and celebrities, and chanted poems to each other.Chinese literati praised Kukai's talent and learning in their poems, such as the poem by Mr. Ma, who was an official to Huaixi Jiedushi and Hubu Shangshu, said: "Native people are as rare as children", thinking that a monk as versatile as Kukai is rare in China. more common.The Chinese poet Hu Bochong wrote: "My teacher has many tricks, but the sage of Chinese grass is the most wild." He compared Kukai to Zhang Zhi, the "sage of grass" of the Eastern Han calligrapher, and spoke highly of his calligraphy art.Kukai also loves China's natural scenery, culture and art very much, and at the same time cares about the progress of his country.When he was visiting Chang'an, he once wrote a poem: "Look at the bamboo and see the flowers in the country's spring, and the voice of the birds and the Han family's new".When he sees the flowers and bamboos in the garden, he thinks of spring in Japan.Although the scenery in front of me is the same as that of Japan, the impression of hearing Chinese voices and birdsong is more fresh.

Kukai originally planned to study in the Tang Dynasty for 20 years, but later decided to change his plan and return to China early in order to follow the teachings of his teacher Huiguo to "return to the dynasty early, spread esoteric teachings, and save all sentient beings".After hearing the news, Chinese friends sent poems to see him off one after another.For example, the poet Zhu Qiancheng praised Kong Hai in his poem sending Kong Hai back to Haidong: "The majesty is changed to the old style, and the writing is crowned with Confucianism."He also presented Kukai with a volume of "Zhu Qiancheng Poetry" and brought it back to Japan.Zhu Shaorui, a scholar from Zhejiang, wrote in his poem about returning to Japan from the sea: "The Zen guest came to his ancestors, and the emperor of China returned."The friendly exchanges between China and Japan are long-term, and I believe there will be a period of time in the future.The Chinese monk Tan Qing described Kukai in his poem: "Come to court the emperor of Tang, and return to translate the Zhugan scriptures (that is, Indian Buddhist scriptures)."Another monk, Hung Chien, wrote a poem wishing that after Kong Kai returned to Japan, he would "go to the country to proclaim the Zhou ceremony, and he would gain the monkhood in the sky."The poet Zheng Ren wrote in his farewell poem: "He continued the history of monks in his year and added a sage." It is predicted that Kukai will make outstanding contributions after returning to China, and his name will go down in history.Kukai also presented poems of farewell to Chinese friends.

The Yicao monk of Qinglong Temple is also Huiguo's apprentice, and he and Kukai are brothers and sisters, and they have a deep relationship.Kukai expressed his deep friendship and farewell feelings in his farewell poem: In 806, Kukai ended his two-year stay in Tang Dynasty with his late teacher's last wish and a large number of Buddhist scriptures and utensils.He brought back 216 Buddhist classics with 561 volumes, 10 Buddhist paintings, and more than 10 kinds of Buddhist utensils from China, and compiled the "Please Come Catalog" to Emperor Pingcheng in the following year.Kukai founded Kongobuji Temple on Mount Koya in Kii. In 823, with the Toji Temple in Kyoto as the center, he propagated Tantric Buddhism and founded the Shingon Sect of Japanese Buddhism.In 828, he founded the first folk school in Japanese history near the Toji Temple. He taught all aspects of Han culture knowledge, not only Confucianism and Buddhism, but also knowledge of law, medicine, music and manual skills. .Books such as "Jijiuzhang" brought back from China were used as enlightenment textbooks.He also presided over the compilation of the book "The Name of Seal and Li Vientiane", which is the earliest book of Chinese characters in Japan.Variety Seed Wisdom Institute provides board and lodging for poor students and popularizes education for common people.Kukai put the opening ceremony of the school on the day of the death of his Chinese master, Hui Guo, to express his memory of his teacher and to hope that China and Japan will be friendly from generation to generation.

The multi-talented Kukai contributed to the cultural exchanges between China and Japan in many ways. He wrote more than 300 Buddhist works in more than 500 volumes in his life, and he has many creative insights into Buddhism.He is also the author of "Wen Jing Mi Fu Lun", which consists of six volumes and 25 sections. It systematically introduces Chinese literary theories and poetry rhythms from the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It has a great influence on the spread of Chinese culture and the development of Japanese literature. influences. Kukai also made great achievements in the art of calligraphy.He earnestly studied various schools of Chinese calligraphy such as Wang Xizhi, Ouyang Xun, Yan Zhenqing, etc., collected various inscription materials extensively, and was also good at seal script, official script, regular script, running script, and cursive script. He created a new style for Japanese calligraphy art and became a master of Japanese calligraphy. .Kukai, Tachibana Yisei, and Emperor Saga are called the "Three Strokes" or "Three Sages" of the Heian period in Japan.After seeing Kukai's calligraphy, Emperor Saga was full of admiration, and immediately wrote a poem:

(Note: "Two Kings" refers to the father and son of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, the great calligraphers of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in China.) Now Kukai's ink "Feng Xin Tie" has been designated as "National Treasure" by the Japanese government.Related to calligraphy, Kukai also brought back to Japan the method of making Chinese brush and ink. Based on his knowledge of Sanskrit, Kukai borrowed Chinese cursive script to create Japanese hiragana.It is said that the well-known "Iroha Song" in Japan is the Japanese hiragana alphabet created by Kukai based on Chinese cursive script.Legend has it that Kukai also introduced Chinese tea-growing technology, and when he returned from the Tang Dynasty, he brought back tea as a gift to Emperor Saga.

In 835, at the age of 62, Kukai died in Koyasan, and was later awarded the title of Kobo Daishi.Before his death, he left his last words in the name of "entering the Tang Dynasty to seek the Dharma monk Kukai", teaching his disciples to learn Sinology well, so as to communicate Japanese and Chinese cultures and promote Japan-China friendship.Therefore, in the third year after his death, his disciples Yuan Xing and others carried on the master's last wish and participated in the 18th Tang mission to China, and specially went to the ancestor Huiguo's tomb to offer offerings from Japan.Kobo Master Kukai’s immortal achievements in promoting Sino-Japanese cultural exchanges and developing Japanese culture will be immortalized in the annals of history.