Master Xu Yun Did Not Teach or Advocate Japanese Zen

The venerable Xu Yun (who lived to 120 years old) was in attendance of this meeting when these monks arrived and made their case. He listened quietly to these monks and then hit his palm on the table in an angry manner. He stated that a Buddhist monk and his robe cannot be separated, and that in China, a Buddhist robe signifies the practice of both strict celibacy and vegetarianism – without the Vinaya Discipline – Chinese Buddhism simply would not make sense.

Master Xu Yun and Tibet 1911-12

Xu Yun achieved this by requesting that the well known Tibetan Lama living in China – the Venerable Dong Bao – also known as the ‘The Dharma King of the Four Gems’, be sent to Tibet to mediate between the Tibetan authorities and the Nationalist Government. Xu Yun was sent to personally meet with Dong Bao and deliver a Government letter requesting his help. At first Dong Bao declined due to old age, but Xu Yun said that the Tibetan people still tremble at the memory of a previous punitive Chinese army led by Zhao Er Feng – and that bloodshed could be avoided through discussion.

1 18 19 20 21