Did Master Hai Deng become a monk in Shaolin Temple?

Master Hai Deng was not ordained in the Shaolin Temple. Please see the following article for details.

Master Haideng’s common name is Fan Wubing, a native of Sichuan. Haideng means “a lonely lamp in the vast sea”.

Fan Wubing was intelligent and studious since childhood, and loved literature and martial arts. At the age of nineteen, he was admitted to the School of Liberal Arts of Sichuan University. Because of his poor family, he changed to the publicly funded Sichuan Provincial Police Supervisory School. While studying in Chengdu, he visited famous martial arts masters such as Shandong Taoist Zhi Hanzi and Songshan Shaolin Temple monk Rufeng who traveled to Sichuan.

Master Haideng converted to Buddhism in 1928, became a monk in Chengdu, practiced asceticism, studied Buddhism, practiced martial arts, explored literature, and studied traditional Chinese medicine, becoming a legendary figure in contemporary China. There are three great skills in life: plum blossom pile boxing, two-finger Zen, and boy's skill. In 1956, Master Haideng traveled to Xishan and saw the beautiful scenery and outstanding people here, so he settled here and became an abbot in Shigong'an.

Master Hai Deng was famous for a while, but later on he received more and more negative reports. Now, except for people from his hometown who speak for him, everyone basically accepts the actual facts about Hai Deng that were later reported. affected.

Attachment: Article about Hai Deng himself

Many readers will be familiar with the mention of "Master Hai Deng". Hai Deng once claimed to be "the 32nd generation descendant of the authentic Shaolin sect", "Shaolin abbot", and "Shaolin Temple martial arts professor". Speaking of martial arts, Master Hai Deng's "chief disciple" Fan Yinglian wrote in "Mentor" that "Master Hai Deng is good at 'Tong Zi Kung Fu', 'One Finger Zen, Two Finger Famous Kung Fu', 'Plum Blossom Stake' and 'Tie Bu Shi' 'The Four Great Skills'. Speaking of Qigong, Master Hai Deng said that he received guidance from an expert when he was young and learned "Dharma Qigong", "Shaolin Qigong" and "Liu Tong Qigong". Hai Deng also wrote a book "Essence of Qigong" for this purpose, saying , self-defense, "can use a breath of air to hit people a hundred steps away, and can practice the 'cancer release skill' and 'longevity skill' in physical fitness."

The myth began in the 1950s and became more and more popular in the 1980s. It’s getting weirder and weirder. Various reports, movies, and TV series strive to promote Hai Deng. Master Hai Deng has become a hero who once fought against imperialism and feudalism, eradicated violence, and fought against Japanese pirates and US imperialism. Devoted men and women began to worship Master Hai Deng. Jiangyou County, Sichuan built the "Master Hai Deng Martial Arts Hall" for him before his death. The martial arts hall covers an area of ??24 acres and has a construction area of ??4212 square meters, like a small Forbidden City. . Hai Deng passed away on January 10, 1989, and his ashes were sent to many temples across the country for burial. From the early 1980s until now, many people still worship Hai Deng as a god.

On December 14, 1988, "Sichuan Daily" reporter Jing Yongxiang published his different views on Haideng in Xinhua News Agency's "Domestic News". On December 25 of the same year, an article was published in the widely circulated "Selected Internal References" titled "Jing Yongxiang puts forward different views on Master Hai Deng", which had the momentum to pull Master Hai Deng from the altar. In August 1989, Jing Yongxiang published a long reportage ""Sea Lantern Phenomenon"--a God-making Movement in the 1980s" in Beijing's "Reportage" magazine and Hainan's "Jindao" magazine. ” was reproduced by dozens of media outlets across the country, causing public outcry.

But Master Haideng traveled far and wide and had thousands of disciples. How could they allow anyone to casually shake the dignity of the "god"? They said this was "slandering the Buddha" and took Jing Yongxiang to court. Jing Yongxiang was involved in a ten-year marathon lawsuit. The lawsuit is the "Hai Deng Case" that caused shock at home and abroad. The full name is "Fan Yinglian v. Jing Yongxiang's case of infringement of Hai Deng's and my reputation rights."

Jing Yongxiang finally lost the ten-year lawsuit, but does the victory or defeat of the lawsuit really prove that Hai Deng is innocent?

In the past ten years, Zhang Yang, the vice chairman of the Hunan Provincial Writers Association and a professional writer who had never met Jing Yongxiang, stepped forward and compiled the evidence and materials provided by Jing Yongxiang into a book The 700,000-word "The Myth of Sea Deng" was published by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Press in April 1998. However, because the article piled up a lot of evidence and was too long, the circulation was not very good. Academician He Zuoxiu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences suggested condensing it and writing a concise "popular book" to let the masses know the true face of Hai Deng.

After many twists and turns, this book finally came out during the Spring Festival. The book is called "Lies Repeated a Thousand Times". The author's intention is to tear Hai Deng's mask to pieces.

Revealing the truth about Hai Deng and fulfilling journalistic responsibilities

On the evening of January 30, we called Jing Yongxiang, a reporter from Sichuan Daily in Chengdu. Although the Sichuan Provincial High Court finally ruled against Jing Yongxiang on August 17, 1998, and the Chengdu Intermediate People's Court issued an "execution notice" on April 8, 1999, Jing Yongxiang flatly refused to implement it.

On the one hand, Jing Yongxiang lost the lawsuit, and the halo on Hai Deng's head still seemed to be dazzling; but on the other hand, on November 28, 2000, Jing Yongxiang was awarded the second "anti-revolutionary award" in Beijing. "Outstanding Contribution Award to Pseudoscience".

Author: The "Hai Deng Case" originated from your 1989 article "Jing Yongxiang Puts Different Views on Master Hai Deng's Martial Arts" which disclosed the truth about Hai Deng, and the subsequent article that was tens of thousands of years old "Hai Deng Phenomenon", but as far as I know, you were one of the first people to speak for Master Hai Deng. On November 27, 1982, you and Xiao Dingpei jointly published a short article in "Sichuan Daily" "Master Hai Deng talks about "Shaolin"", the full text is more than 900 words, it is an article praising Master Hai Deng, what is going on?

Jing Yongxiang: In 1982, I was the deputy director of the Group Work Department of Sichuan Daily. The propaganda policy at that time was to implement the peaceful atmosphere of the "Third Plenary Session" of redressing unjust, false and wrongful cases. Xiao Dingpei and I also heard that there was a monk named "Hai Deng" in Jiangyou, Sichuan, and thought it would be a good topic to interview. I went to interview Hai Deng at that time. But I mainly talked about Shaolin martial arts, which was also the case later in the article. Although there are indeed some contents in it that are untrue, such as about Hai Deng being a "famous Shaolin martial artist", "Shaolin Temple martial arts teacher", etc., these are all what Hai Deng said, and we believed them in a daze. .

Author: When did you start not believing it anymore? Why don't you believe it?

Jing Yongxiang: Since that report, Hai Deng’s identity has become more and more popular, and it is almost miraculous. Not long after, he turned out to be the "abbot of Shaolin Temple", "Shaolin's authentic martial arts master", "the 32nd generation successor of Shaolin", "Shaolin Living Buddha" and "Shaolin Pharaoh". Of course, this was largely due to media hype, which made many people begin to blindly worship him. After that, I prepared to write an internal reference to Xinhua News Agency, asking relevant people in the party to pay full attention to the "sea lantern phenomenon." Since the incident originated from my report, as a reporter for a party newspaper, I believe it is my responsibility to clarify this matter.

The fictitious "Abbot of Shaolin" and "Two-finger Zen"

Jing Yongxiang told reporters that the core issue in the "Hai Deng case" is "whether Hai Deng belongs to the Shaolin Temple" Abbot" and "Can Hai Deng know two-finger Zen?"

Hai Deng actually received a true biography from a monk who passed away more than 600 years ago.

Hai Deng "passed away" on January 10, 1989. At the "Master Hai Deng Memorial Service" held at the Chengdu Funeral Home, many government agencies, organizations and people from all walks of life sent wreaths and messages of condolence. But among all the wreaths and messages of condolence, "Shaolin Temple" was missing.

Both Hai Deng and Fan Yinglian once said, “When the Shaolin Temple was burned for the third time in 1928, Master Ru Feng, a Shaolin martial arts professor, went to Chengdu, Sichuan to take Hai Deng as his disciple on the orders of Miao Xing, the abbot of the Shaolin Temple at that time. , taught the true skills, and designated him as the 32nd generation successor of Shaolin Temple. Later, he also received the guidance of "Old Man Yunchan" and "Master Ruyan"... In 1946, Hai Deng was hired by the abbot Deyi of Shaolin Temple to teach martial arts in Shaolin Temple. Professor... On November 18, 1982, Shaolin head monk Xingzheng and his disciples came to invite Hai Deng in person, hoping to restore 'Shaolin authenticity in China'... Then Hai Deng took charge of affairs in Shaolin and came in and out of the abbot's room. , began the life of the "32nd generation abbot". "

But what are the facts?

--- Shaolin Temple eminent monk Dechan pointed out: "According to the pedigree of Shaolin Temple, the generation with the character 'Ru' belongs to the 67th generation, and the current pedigree is only It continues to the 34th generation of 'Yan' generation, and the monks of 'Ru' generation will not appear until three hundred years later. It is certain that Shaolin Temple has never had a 'Ru Feng' person. "The "Shaolin Temple Chronicles" compiled by the County Chronicle Office of Dengfeng County, Henan Province in November 1985 is the authoritative material for the study of Shaolin Temple. It records the genealogy of the Shaolin sect, with seventy words arranged in it. The current Master Dechan of Shaolin Temple is The character "德" is ranked 31st, and Master Xingzheng's character "行" is ranked 32nd.

——Dechan is still on the sickbed. He provided testimony to the lawyer, saying, "I became a monk in Shaolin when I was seven years old and have not left the temple for more than 70 years. In 1946, Hai Deng came to the Shaolin Temple to 'stand up' and asked my master, Master Zhenjun, to correct his fists. Master Zhenjun thought that Hai Deng Deng was a charlatan, so he didn't give him any advice. Soon, Hai Deng left. Deyi was not a master at that time, but an ordinary deacon monk in the Shaolin Temple, not a head monk. Hai Deng had never been hired as a martial arts professor. Among the five seals on the appointment letter, there were four large square seals that the Shaolin Temple had never had. Another seal engraved with the "Jiuhua Jade Seal" was when Hai Deng went to Shaolin Temple for the third time in the winter of 1966. He took it from Master Xingzheng, who was already blind, and said that he wanted to open a "road guide", and then in the blank On the paper, several were even covered. "On December 12, 1988, Shaolin Temple head monk Yongxin showed reporters two Shaolin Temple seals. These two seals have been used from the Republic of China to today, and there are no other seals.

—— - In terms of abbot, the imperial court appointed the 28th generation great monk Caodong Zhengzong (that is, Zen Master Haikuan) as abbot. The abbot passed away in June of the fifth year of Kangxi (AD 1666). Since then, there has been no abbot for more than 300 years. In 1986, the Buddhist Association of China approved Master Xingzheng as the 29th "Abbot", and Master Dechan as the "Honorary Abbot", ending a gap of more than 300 years in the history of the abbot. , He Lai Hai Deng is said to be the thirty-second generation successor.

————Dechan said, “A person who is appointed as the abbot and monk of Shaolin Temple must meet four conditions: first, he must be highly virtuous; second, he must be proficient in the Three Classics; third, he must have good facial features and have the dignity of a great monk. Appearance; the fourth is the order of the imperial court. Hai Deng is short, only 1.53 meters, so I am afraid he is not qualified for this." ——Hai Deng said that there is his master "Ru Feng" in the tower forest. "The monks went with him to the pagoda forest to search for the master's name, but Hai Deng remembered the name incorrectly. The stele said "Pagoda of Monk Rufeng", and "Monk Rufeng" was a monk from the Yuan Dynasty. According to this It has a history of six to seven hundred years, and Hai Deng, who is seventy or eighty years old, actually worships such an ancient master!

————On December 11, 1989, Jing Yongxiang’s lawyer Zhou Shousen once made a transcript of a farmer named Wang Muduo. Wang Muduo said that Hai Deng once took a piece of paper and asked him to carve it. The stele should be 2.2 meters high, 1.1 meters wide and 25 centimeters thick. The content of the engraving was: "Hai Deng, the founder of Shaolin." Within 20 days, After the work was completed, he promised to pay him 1,500 yuan in wages and paid him 800 yuan in advance. Later, Xing Zheng of Shaolin Temple disagreed and did not continue to engrave it.

However, although Hai Deng did not become an abbot later, he still enjoyed the treatment of an abbot. Not only did he become the "Vice President of the Henan Buddhist Association", he was also honored as a member of the County CPPCC, Provincial CPPCC and Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. When he filled out his household registration, he actually filled in "Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference" in the occupation column.

The Flaws of "One-Finger Zen and Two-Finger Magic"

Fan Yinglian wrote in the 23rd section of "Teacher" written by Hai Deng: "In the 1950s, Hai Deng was in Shanghai. When martial artists Yang Ji'e and Lu Songgao asked about "One Finger Zen", Hai Deng practiced it on the spot, with his left index finger on the ground and his left and right feet on the pillars for more than two minutes.

Section 24 reads: "In 1961, Hai Deng performed one-finger meditation in Ningbo...two minutes later, his fingers were shining..."

Page 57 Wrote: "He used the index finger of his right hand on the ground and put his feet on the tree for 3 minutes. ... Although he didn't know Kung Fu, he also knew the power of the two fingers." ——"Left hand" suddenly became "Right hand", "one-finger Zen" suddenly turned into "two-finger Zen".

————The "Two Finger Zen" photo of Hai Deng in 1979 and the "One Finger Zen" photo in 1983 both used his left hand. Why does Hai Deng, who is right-handed, use his left hand for all his unique skills? ? Later, according to Jing Yongxiang, Fan Yinglian argued that the master could do it with both hands.

————Shanghai folk martial artist Liu Lishi and many martial arts experts have questioned Hai Deng’s “Two Finger Zen”. Liu Lishi once asked Zhang Yuezhong, his apprentice who has followed Hai Deng for more than 20 years. He said that he had never seen Master doing inverted two-finger meditation. In the 1960s, Liu Lishi also saw Hai Deng standing upside down against the wall with his fists supported. It was called a "gold steel hammer". He had never seen the "two-finger Zen" that Hai Deng called. How did "fist" become "two fingers"?

——Liu Xuewen, one of Master Haideng’s disciples and from Sichuan Xinhua Printing Factory, provided evidence to Jing Yongxiang: In mid-September 1979, their master and disciples lived in Baoguang Temple and prepared to take pictures. The movie "Sichuan Wonders", but Hai Deng was "sick", "not getting better", and had "finger injuries from the past". Liu Xuewen came forward to find Director Sun of the film studio, "requiring special effects photography. ... Finally, he prepared a cloth tape and a piece of plywood for the master. Hai Deng chose the cloth tape... In addition to the film crew, director, and five of us Except for the apprentice, no one else was allowed to visit. Then a cloth strap was tied around his left ankle; the other end of the cloth strap was passed through the gap between the two windows. A senior brother tightened the cloth strap, and the master was taken away. We helped him up, pointing to the ground with his feet against the door and window, and took the photo of "Two-finger Zen". Pan Yanjun, an artist from Emei Film Studio who was on hand to record the scene, also certified Jing Yongxiang.

————In another movie "Shaolin Master Hai Deng", Hai Deng performed "One Finger Zen" again. However, the two parties in the lawsuit did not argue about "One Finger Zen" because they were filming Hai Deng. The lamp performs "one-finger Zen" and is truly a rope."

————On December 16, 1985, Zhao Puchu, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and President of the Buddhist Association of China, wrote in a reply letter to Comrade Han Shuying, then Vice President of the Party School of the Central Committee: “… several times. Over the past few years, many newspapers have gone too far in their publicity reports on him, and even film studios have made special films about him, not only on the issue of the abbot of Shaolin Temple, but also on other matters..."

So far. , the two brightest "golden signs" promoted by Master Haideng - "Abbot of Shaolin Temple" and "Two-Finger Magic" were refuted and their true colors were revealed.