Ji Gong: Legendary Ancient Monk Who Defended People Against Injustice

Ellen Lloyd – MessageToEagle.com – Ji Gong was a legendary ancient Chinese monk who was an intriguing and controversial personality. He has been credited with supernatural powers, which he used to help the poor and stand up to injustice.  Ji Gong also violated a number of Buddhist monastic rules and was expelled from his monastery. However, his benevolent and compassionate nature made him loved among people and in time he became worshipped as a deity.

The legend of Ji Gong takes root in a real historical figure. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the legend of Ji Gong has been extensively spreading across China as a widely known folk tale. There also exist abundant folk customs and stories related to him.

Ji Gong (February 1130 – 16 May 1207), born Li Xiuyuan was also known as “Chan Master Daoji”. He was the son to former military advisor, Li Maochun. When Ji Gong was 18 years his parents died and he was sent to Hangzhou, the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in

He was mentored by the vinaya master Huiyuan and was given the monastic name Daoji.

Ji Gong broke the rules and was expelled from the monastery

Ji Gong had difficulties to accept the monastery’s rules. He had a penchant for openly eating meat and drinking wine. His robes were often tattered and dirty from travelling from place to place, and stumbling while intoxicated. However, Daoji had a very good heart and was always ready to lend a helping hand to ordinary people. He would often treat the sick and fight against injustice.

The monks disapproved of his bewildering behavior and expelled Daoji from the monastery. From then on, Daoji roamed the streets and helped people whenever he could. He was with the title of “Ji Gong” living Buddha for his pleasure in defending people against injustice, rewarding virtue, and punishing vice, as well as his almsgiving to the poor.

Ji Gong and his supernatural powers

An ancient legend tells that while cultivating the Buddha’s teaching, Daoji attained supernatural powers.

One popular story tells of Ji Gong using supernatural powers to pull logs out of a well. A temple was to be built in Hangzhou and wood was needed. However, the best wood was found only in Sichuan province, some 900 miles away. The monks were desperate, but that did not stop Ji Gong. He used his powers to bring the logs over one after another. The other monks piled them up, until the monk charged with counting them suddenly shouted: “Enough!” Ji Gong had already beckoned another log, but hearing the monk yell, he stopped it.

That last log remained half-submerged in the well, and later generations built a pavilion over it, naming it the “Divine Teleportation Well.”

Another story tells he possessed the gift of clairvoyance. One day he “saw” that a mountain peak was about to come crashing down on a nearby village. Alarmed, Ji Gong began shouting to the townspeople, warning them to run for their lives. But they just laughed and dismissed him as “that crazy monk talking nonsense again.”

Jo Gong understood he must do something drastic to save the people in the village. When he spotted a wedding procession in the village he quickly snatched the bride, threw her over his shoulder, and ran. Alarmed, the groom and wedding guests called all of their family and friends to chase after the kidnapper. Before long, the entire village was chasing after them.

As soon as people had gone past the village gate than a giant mountain peak nearby collapsed, landing on the village with a crash. Huge rocks flew everywhere, shattering roofs and flattening buildings in an instant.

Ji Gong becomes worshipped as a deity

Many who noticed his eccentric yet benevolent and compassionate nature began to think that he was an incarnate of a bodhisattva, or a reincarnate of an arhat. He was widely recognized by people as the incarnate of the Taming Dragon Arhat, one of the Eighteen Arhats.

The Eiaghteen Arhats are depicted in Mahayana Buddhism as the original followers of the Buddha who have followed the Eightfold Path and attained the Four Stages of Enlightenment. They have reached the state of Nirvana and are free of worldly cravings.

When Ji GOng died, he was buried in Running Tiger Spring Area, and a special monastery named Jigong Tayuan was built in memory of him.

Ji Gong is still remembered as a legendary monk who helped people with a magic fan and over the years, the legend of Ji Gong has been serving as inexhaustible materials for literature and art.

Written by – Ellen Lloyd  – MessageToEagle.com 

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