Who is Jigong? I believe everyone is familiar with him. We often see him in some film and television works. Jigong always faced the world with a crazy image, so people also called him Jidian. Because he often wears shabby clothes and a pair of shabby shoes, his signature is also a shabby fan. So in real history, did Jigong really exist? The answer is yes. Jigong not only existed in history, but also had a great reputation. He was a very knowledgeable and enlightened monk and had a high status in Buddhism.
Today we will take a look at this eminent monk. What interesting and interesting things does he have about him? Jigong's common surname is Li, and his given name is Li Xiuyuan. He is from a famous family in Zhejiang. His family is very famous in Zhejiang and has a very wealthy family. It belongs to the Zhongming Dingshi family. Jigong's father, named Li Maochun, was over fifty and had no children. Although his family was very wealthy, he had no one to inherit the family wealth. Li Maochun sincerely prayed to the Buddha, hoping that the Buddha would grant him a child.
With Li Maochun’s devout prayers, he finally gave birth to a boy after he was fifty. In order to thank the Buddha for his gift, Li Maochun named the child Li Xiuyuan, who later became Jigong. In order to thank the Buddha for his gift, Li Maochun asked his son to become a Buddhist monk at a very young age. Although Li Xiuyuan was born in a wealthy family, he was not disturbed by luxury. He devoted himself to learning and conducted in-depth research on Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. After the death of Li Xiuyuan's parents, Li Xiuyuan completely entered Buddhism and began his own path to Buddhism, becoming a monk at the Guoqing Temple.
The abbot of Guoqing Temple at that time was monk Huiyuan. Li Xiuyuan worshiped under his disciple and began to practice Buddhism. Master Huiyuan named him Daoji. Under the guidance of Master Huiyuan, Daoji's Buddhism made rapid progress and became one of the eminent monks of Guoqing Temple, finally inheriting the mantle of Master Huiyuan. From then on, Daoji began his wandering journey, going to many temples to study Buddhism, and finally settled in Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou. From what we have seen about Jigong's deeds, most people think that he was a monk of Lingyin Temple, and few people know about his previous history.
The Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou was a famous temple at that time. Many people did not like this disheveled monk because he tarnished the image of the famous and upright sect. This is where Jigong's nickname Jidian comes from. Not only was he disheveled, he was also very unhygienic. In addition, the most intolerable thing for others is that Jigong loves wine and meat, and he will not refuse meat and fish, which is contrary to the monk's rules and precepts. However, the abbot at that time believed in him and thought that he had Buddhist wisdom, so he often protected him, and Jigong was not driven away by others.
We all know that most of the people called "Gong" in history were people with great talents and contributions. Why can a crazy monk be called Jigong? This is also inseparable from Jigong's character and behavior. Jigong was hyperactive by nature and did not like Buddhist meditation. Instead, he liked to practice martial arts. He used his martial arts to fight injustice and help the weak, and he had the spirit of a hero in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. In addition, Jigong was good at charity. After his parents passed away, Jigong spent all his wealth to help poor people live a good life, so people have deep feelings for him.