The Venerable Kang Senghui \u5eb7\u50e7\u6703\u5c0a\u8005<\/p>\n
The Greatly Virtuous Indian Bhikshu, Kang Senghui of the Third Century, A.D., mastered all worldly knowledge by an early age. His father, a businessman who travelled throughout India and South-east Asia, settled his family in Jiaozhi (\u4ea4\u8dbe), the present day Vietnam. When Kang Senghui was eleven or twelve years old, both his parents died simultaneously. After observing the practices of filial piety, he left home, vowing to spread the Buddhadharma. His vow power and conduct were lofty, and he strictly upheld the Vinaya; he studied many Sutras and was able to read thirty-thousand gathas every day.<\/p>\n
Earlier in China, Zhi Chen (\u652f\u8b96) had translated many Sutras and had instructed a fellow student, Ji Ming (\u7d00\u660e). He, in turn, transmitted the teaching to Zhi Qian (\u652f\u8b19), a contemporary of Kang Senghui, who was an exceptionally gifted Bhikshu. He had penetrated the principles of the entire Tripitaka and spoke six languages.<\/p>\n
At that time, Emperor Sun Quan (\u5b6b\u6b0a) had just established the kingdom of Wu (\u5433). As Wu was a peaceful country, Zhi Qian decided to travel there to avoid the political unrest brought about under the reign of Emperor Xian (\u737b\u5e1d) of the Eastern Han Dynasty. When Emperor Sun Quan heard that the famous and talented Zhi Qian had come to his country, he asked for his advice and conferred upon him the honorary title of Doctor of Philosophy. Zhi Qian was as tall and thin as a bamboo pole. His bright eyes had shining gold pupils, and people said of him:<\/p>\n
Zhi\u2019s eyes are yellow in the middle;
\nHis frame is thin,
\nHe is a bag of wisdom.<\/p>\n
He was tall and thin, and full of wisdom, but because he was a foreigner, he is not recorded in the historical documents of Wu.<\/p>\n
When Zhi Qian died in China, Kang Senghui in India knew about his death and decided that since Zhi Qian had not established
\nany temples in China, he would go there and establish some. He wore monk\u2019s clothes, hat, shoes, socks, and robes. When he arrived, he built a small hut, made offerings to a Buddha image, and cultivated. However, in his cultivation, he had trouble. Although there was some Buddhadharma in China, Shramanas were rarely seen. \u201cLook at him!\u201d people would exclaim, \u201cwearing such strange clothes and doing strange things! See? He gets down on the ground and then gets up, gets down on the ground and then gets up. Just what does he think he is doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
The government sent the \u201cF.B.I.\u201d to investigate. When Kang Senghui was called before the Emperor Sun Quan, the Emperor said, \u201cWhy, the Han Emperor Ming1<\/sup> saw such a person in a dream! He is a member of the Sangha, a student of the Buddhadharma!\u201d Then he asked Kang Senghui, \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am studying the Buddhadharma,\u201d Kang Senghui replied.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd who is the Buddha?\u201d the Emperor asked.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Buddha was an Indian prince who cultivated in the Himalayas for six years. Then he sat beneath the Bodhi Tree, saw a star, and became enlightened. After his entry into Nirvana, King Ashoka built eighty-four thousand stupas to hold his sharira. The Buddha is a most awesome and powerful person!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou are deliberately overstating this,\u201d said the Emperor, \u201cby making the Buddha so mysterious and wonderful. There is no such person, no such principle. But if you can show me a sharira2<\/sup>, I will build you a stupa.\u201d<\/p>\n Surrounded by his many disciples, Kang Senghui answered boldly, \u201cIn one week we shall give you sharira!\u201d<\/p>\n Kang Senghui and his disciples put on clean clothes, placed a small brass urn on a table before the Buddha, and vowed, \u201cIn this week we shall certainly obtain a sharira!\u201d<\/p>\n Kang Senghui then addressed his disciples: \u201cThe success or failure of Buddhism in China will be decided right here. If we obtain sharira, Buddhism will flourish; if we do not, Buddhism is finished. It is fitting that the Dharma comes to China. Therefore, we must be extremely sincere in our efforts this week.\u201d<\/p>\n Although they worshipped the Buddha all week, when Emperor Sun Quan asked to see the sharira, Kang Senghui could only reply that there were none yet, and he requested another week. Sun Quan agreed.<\/p>\n With utmost sincerity, they prayed before the Buddha, but the second week passed and still there were no sharira. Emperor Sun Quan was displeased: \u201cYou lied to me!\u201d he said, \u201cI have laws in my country. Do you know about them?\u201d He wished to have Kang Senghui put to death, but Kang Senghui exclaimed, \u201cGive us one more week!\u201d Being wise and magnanimous, the Emperor assented.<\/p>\n Kang Senghui said to his disciples, \u201cIf we obtain no sharira this week, we should not wait for the Emperor to execute us; we should all commit suicide together! The Buddhadharma should be efficacious. If we elicit no response, what right have we to continue to propagate the Law?\u201d Accordingly, they vowed, \u201cIf we obtain no sharira, we shall all die.\u201d<\/p>\n They bowed to the Buddha night and day, but by the evening of the sixth day, nothing whatsoever had happened. They had not even had any dreams. Remembering their vow, they were afraid. \u201cTomorrow we die!\u201d they cried. But at about five o\u2019clock in the morning on the seventh day, suddenly they heard from the brass urn:<\/p>\n \u201cBANG!\u201d<\/p>\n Kang Senghui rushed forward to look in the urn. There was a brilliant five-colored sharira.<\/p>\n Emperor Sun Quan and the scholars and officials of the Court were amazed. When Sun Quan overturned the urn onto a brass tray, the sharira rolled out and shattered the tray. \u201cThis is a miracle,\u201d said the Emperor, \u201ca true jewel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a manifestation of the Buddha\u2019s might,\u201d said Kang Senghui. \u201cThe fire at the end of the kalpa cannot burn this sharira.\u201d3<\/sup><\/p>\n Sun Quan said, \u201cWe shall see.\u201d He placed the sharira on an anvil and struck it with a large hammer. The anvil and hammer were dented, but the sharira was unscratched. “This is harder than a diamond,” he said. Everyone who saw this incredible sharira believed in the Buddha, and the Emperor Sun Quan spread the Dharma far and wide.<\/p>\n Seeing the sharira which appeared in response to Kang Senghui\u2019s prayers, Emperor Sun Quan came to believe in the Buddhadharma. He built First Established Monastery (\u5efa\u521d\u5bfa) in Fotuo (Buddha) Village (\u4f5b\u9640\u91cc). Here, at the Emperor\u2019s request, Kang Senghui was asked to live. The monastery, as well as its stupa, were the first in China. After that, most of the people of the country of Wu became Buddhists. To this day in Suzhou (\u8607\u5dde), Hangzhou (\u676d\u5dde) and Nanjing (\u5357\u4eac), many believe in the Buddha because of this incident.<\/p>\n The Buddhadharma has its ups and downs; some believe and some do not. Emperor Sun Quan may have believed in the Buddha, but his son Sun Hao (\u5b6b\u7693, reign dates: A.D. 264-280), did not. He thought that his father was a stupid dolt, while he felt himself to be supremely intelligent. He wanted the Buddhist monasteries burned and the Buddhist practices discontinued. \u201cWho started this Buddhism?\u201d he asked his court officials. \u201cWho is responsible for these meaningless rituals? Ultimately, what use are they? If Buddhism is useful, we should keep it, but if it doesn\u2019t benefit mankind, society, and the world, we should get rid of it!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe spiritual power and awesome virtue of the Buddha are inconceivable,\u201d replied the court officials. \u201cYou cannot just burn down Buddhist temples.\u201d<\/p>\n Sun Hao then sent a famous debater to visit the High Master Kang Senghui, but no matter what principles or rhetoric he used, he could not defeat the Master. As the debater was leaving, he saw that in a small temple beside the monastery gate, people were sacrificing chickens and pigs to the gods. \u201cHow can such an improper place stand beside a proper, orthodox Buddhist monastery?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Kang Senghui replied, “Thunder may rend the mountains, but the deaf do not hear it. The Buddha is efficacious, but these senseless ones pay no attention.”<\/p>\n \u201cThat has principle,\u201d said the debater. He returned to the Emperor and said, \u201cShramana Kang Senghui is a man of great wisdom and intelligence. I cannot fathom his wisdom with my knowledge. The Emperor had best go see for himself.\u201d So the Emperor got into a beautiful four-horse cart and rode off to see Kang Senghui.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is magical about the Buddhadharma?\u201d the Emperor asked. \u201cWhat is meant by good and evil retribution? And what about ghosts and spirits? How do you explain these things?\u201d<\/p>\n Kang Senghui replied, \u201cI Ching (The Book of Changes) states that \u2018A family that does good will have reason to rejoice; a family that does evil will encounter calamities.\u2019 If you do evil in secret, the ghosts pay you back, and if you do evil openly, other men take revenge\u2014they will kill you. Such is the retribution of good and evil.\u201d<\/p>\n The Emperor said, \u201cConfucius and the Duke of Zhou taught these principles long ago. What\u2019s so great about Buddhism expounding them now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was taught before was obvious and superficial. The Buddhadharma explains \u2019retribution\u2019 in such profound and far-reaching terms that it leads men to refrain from evil and do good. Is this not fine?\u201d Although Sun Hao was intelligent, he had no way to defeat Kang Senghui or discredit the Buddhadharma. He just said, \u201cOkay, forget it.\u201d But he didn\u2019t believe or study the Buddhadharma. There are many like Emperor Sun Hao!<\/p>\n Later, one of his attendants discovered a gold statue in the palace gardens. Not knowing it was a statue of the Buddha, the Emperor placed it in a hole beneath his outhouse so that all the excrement and urine landed on the Buddha image. He and his ministers laughed and joked. \u201cThis is really something,\u201d they said, \u201cWhat kind of efficacy does it have now?\u201d Then trouble came for Sun Hao; his entire body swelled up and his genitals really hurt. As he lay there, rolling over and over and calling out in pain, one of his diviners said, \u201cYou have offended a great spirit.\u201d Not knowing it was the Buddha, he just called it a great spirit. Sun Hao sent his attendants to the temples to offer incense and bow to the spirits, but his condition did not improve and his pain was not relieved at all. Finally, one of his concubines, who was a Buddhist, asked, \u201cHave you sought forgiveness in the temples of the Buddha?\u201d<\/p>\n Sun Hao lifted his head, \u201cIs the Buddha a great spirit?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Buddha is the greatest of spirits,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n Hearing this, Sun Hao woke up and realized what he had done. He had the statue removed from the toilet and told his concubine to wash it clean with scented water. Sun Hao got up and bowed before the statue. He lit incense and repented, setting forth all of his past mistakes; soon he was completely cured and had no more pain. Later he went to First Established Monastery to request the speaking of the Dharma. Kang Senghui spoke to him in eloquent detail of the principles of offenses and blessings, cause and effect, and the Emperor reformed, took refuge, and received the five precepts. He wanted to read the Bhikshu Precepts, but lay people are not allowed to see them, so Kang Senghui wrote out two hundred and fifty vows all of which began, \u201cI vow that living beings…etc.\u201d The vows increased the Emperor\u2019s faith and he instructed his attendants and laborers to take refuge, cultivate, and help spread the Buddhadharma.<\/p>\n Kang Senghui translated many Sutras with great skill and accuracy, but during the fourth year of the Tianji (\u5929\u7d00\u56db\u5e74, A.D. 280) reign period, the Wu Dynasty fell to the Jin (\u6649) Dynasty. In the ninth month of that year, Kang Senghui died of a sudden illness. A stupa was built for him. Later a rebel named Su Jun (\u8607\u5cfb) burned it down and it had to be rebuilt.<\/p>\n There was also Conqueror of the West General Zhao You (\u5e73\u897f\u5c07\u8ecd\u8d99\u8a98) who did not believe in the Buddhadharma and slighted the Triple Jewel saying, \u201cThis is nothing but superstitious nonsense!\u201d until one night he had a dream. He dreamt that he went into Kang Senghui\u2019s stupa and said to the cultivators, \u201cI have heard that this stupa emits light, but I will believe it when I see it.\u201d Just then, a five-colored light exploded from the stupa, totally filling up heaven and earth. When the general woke up, he believed in the Buddha and never dared to slander the Triple Jewel again.<\/p>\n These are the main events in the life of Kang Senghui.<\/p>\n 1<\/sup> Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty, in a dream saw a golden god flying in front of his palace. His astrologer, Fu Yi, told him that this was the Buddha, an Indian Sage who had attained Enlightenment, and whose body was a golden color. The Venerable Kang Senghui \u5eb7\u50e7\u6703\u5c0a\u8005 The Greatly Virtuous Indian Bhikshu, Kang Senghui of the Third Century, A.D., mastered all worldly knowledge by an early age. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1754","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gbm-online.com\/english\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gbm-online.com\/english\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gbm-online.com\/english\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gbm-online.com\/english\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gbm-online.com\/english\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1754"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.gbm-online.com\/english\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1762,"href":"https:\/\/www.gbm-online.com\/english\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1754\/revisions\/1762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gbm-online.com\/english\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n2<\/sup>Sharira are precious relics which remain after the cremation of a Buddha or a saint. They are placed in reliquaries, called stupas, for veneration.
\n3<\/sup>At the end of a kalpa there are the three disasters of: fire, flood, and wind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"