Hanshan Deqing’s character evaluation

Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, once wrote the "Imperial Praise for the Dharma Statue of the Old Monk Hanshan" for him, saying: "What kind of behavior does the old monk have? He supports the Dharma and has become a pillar. He has been hammered by the emperor and has become a Buddha. "Wu Yingbin believes that "although he enjoys talking about unimpeded debates, he can express a single transmission and melt into the world of dharma, just like Guifeng (Zongmi); he can explain prajna in words and gain more in the world. Obstacles and difficulties are like awakening the fan (Huihong); the forest and the myriads of activities are united in one mind, and they produce the land of no rebirth and afterlife, and they are like eternal brightness (prolonging life)."

Liang Qichao’s inscription on Deqing’s works reads: Master Hanshan’s handwritten verses are stored in the Yinbing Room. Master Hanshan banished me to Guangdong and revived Caoxi for the sake of Buddhist dharma. Although he once crossed the mountains in his later years and went to the mountains of Henglu to preach the Dharma, he died and remained silent in Caoxi. Master Gai and our hometown have a deep connection with each other. There are very few ink paintings handed down from generation to generation, so I am very happy to have this. In the first month of Xinyou (1921), Qi Chao Ji was recorded.

Professor Xu Songpeng believes that Hanshan Deqing was a monk leader in the Ming Dynasty, and published the book "The Life and Thoughts of Hanshan Deqing, a Monk Leader in the Ming Dynasty".

Qi Gong, president of Beijing Normal University and chairman of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, has made many comments on Master Hanshan's calligraphy. One of his poems reads: "After the Qing Dynasty, Hanshan broke the mountain and became bright. In the past five hundred years, I have seen him several times. His writing style was better than that of the monk during the Jin and Tang dynasties.

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