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Xueting Fuyu

Shaolin Abbot Xueting Fuyu

Fuyu (1203–1275; Traditional Chinese Kan-chih Calendar 3899 to 3900 – 3971 to 3972), also named Xueting (Chin.: Xuětíng Fúyù 雪庭福裕), was a renowned Ch'an master of the Caodong Sect during the early years of the Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty (1206–1368; Traditional Chinese Kan-chih Calendar 3902 to 3903 – 4064 to 4065). The Caodong Sect was one of the five schools of Ch'an (Chinese Zen) that developed after the end of Bodhidharma's lineage. Fuyu was the first abbot of the new lineage of Shaolin monks and nuns that emerged at the Shaolin Temple (Shàolín Sì 少林寺; lit. "Young/New Forest Temple").

Fuyu was born in Wenshui County, Hebei Province. His original surname was Zhang. Fuyu began schooling at nine. He soon displayed a great intellect and was called "Saint Child" by his peers. At 21, he took the Dharma name Fuyu and began studying Buddhism in Yanjing (modern Beijing) under the Caodong monk Wansong Xingxiu (Chin.: Wànsōng Xíngxiù 万松行秀). The Caodong Sect stressed sitting meditation and "silent illumination" techniques. Fuyu studied under Wansong for ten years, attaining distinction as a great Buddhist scholar. He eventually succeeded Wansong as the head of Caodong Sect.

The Caodong sect was named after Cáoxī (曹溪), the "mountain-name" of Dajian Huineng (大鑒惠能) [638–713; Traditional Chinese Kan-chih Calendar 3334 to 3335 – 3409 to 3410], the official Sixth Ancestor of Ch'an and the last master of the lineage of Bodhidharma (Sanskrit: बोधिधर्म; Traditional Chinese: 達摩; pinyin: Pútídámó) [c. 483–c. 536; Traditional Chinese Kan-chih Calendar 3179 to 3180 – 3232 to 3233].

Huineng had replaced Yuquan Shenxiu (玉泉神秀) [606–706; Traditional Chinese Kan-chih Calendar 3302 to 3303 – 3402 to 3403], who was the first Sixth Ancestor of Ch'an, following the Northern School of Ch'an Versus Southern School of Ch'an Controversy. The controversy had been engineered by a disciple of Huineng's named Heze Shenui (菏泽神會/神会) [684–758; Traditional Chinese Kan-chih Calendar 3380 to 3381 – 3454 to 3455], who had hoped to be named the Seventh Ancestor following Huineng.

In 1245 (Traditional Chinese Kan-chih Calendar 3941 to 3942), Fuyu was appointed by the first Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan (Chin.: Yuán shìzǔ Hūbìliè 元世祖忽必烈) as the abbot of Shaolin Temple before the former took the throne. In 1248 (Traditional Chinese Kan-chih Calendar 3944 to 3945), he was summoned to the court palace by Emperor Xianzong (Chin.: Xiànzōng 憲宗), the grandson of Kublai Khan, and was appointed the head of Buddhism throughout China.

Fuyu became abbot of the Shaolin Temple during a war-torn period in China's history. He sought to create one style of Shaolin martial arts, which were called Shaolin Chuan Fa (Chin.: Shàolín Chuān Fǎ 少林穿法; lit: "Shaolin fist technique") or Shaolin Wugong (Chin.: Shàolín Wǔgōng 少林武功; lit. "Shaolin martial arts feats"). For this purpose, he held symposia three times, each lasting three years, during which he invited prominent Wǔgōng masters from all of China to come to the Shaolin Temple and share their techniques and knowledge. The Shaolin monks and nuns recorded the accumulated techniques and martial forms in a library maintained at the temple. The attending Wǔgōng masters returned to their homes, bringing back Shaolin techniques with them.

As a result of Fuyu's symposia, a unified system emerged and it was called Songshan Shaolin (Chin.: Sōngshān Shàolín 嵩山少林). Numerous martial arts styles in China, Korean, and today trace their beginnings to the Shaolin Temple, which is why it is sometimes mistakenly considered "the birthplace of martial arts."

Fuyu wrote a 70-character Ch'an poem which is the basis for the current Shaolin "character generation" (Chin.: zìbèi 字辈) naming system used by masters to give Dharma names to their disciples. In the nearly 800 years that have followed Fuyu, there have been about thirty-six generations of monks, nuns, and disciples. Each generation uses the following word in the poem. For example, the generational name of a monk, nun, or disciple of the 24th generation would be Rú (如) since it is the 24th word in the poem. The generational name of his or her master would be since it is the 23rd word in the poem.

The 27th Shaolin abbot, Shi Chun Pu (Chin.: Shì Chún Pú 释淳朴), was of the 28th generation. The character of Chún (淳) is the 28th word in the poem.

Chun Pu headed the Shaolin Temple from 1927 to 1929 (Traditional Chinese Kan-chih Calendar 4623 to 4624 – 4625 to 4626) during the turbulent era of the Republic of China (Chin.: Zhōnghuá Mínguó 中華民國). Its capital was based in Beijing in Northern China and it ruled the mainland from 1912 to 1949 (Traditional Chinese Kan-chih Calendar 4608 to 4609 – 4645 to 4646). During its early years, the Republic of China contended with regional warlords throughout the country. In 1928, a Christian warlord named Feng Yuxiang (冯玉祥) [1882–1948; Traditional Chinese Kan-chih Calendar 4578 to 4579 – 4644 to 4645] ordered his subordinate, Shi Yousan (石友三), to burn the Shaolin Temple down.

From 2017 (Traditional Chinese Kan-chih Calendar 4713), the monk generations use the ideograms of Dé (德; 31st generation), Xíng (行; 32nd generation), Yǒng (永; 33rd generation), Yán (延; 34th generation), Héng (恒; 35th generation), and Miào (妙; 36th generation) in the generational component of their Dharma name.

Shaolin Generational Names List

Generation
Generation Name
Generation
Generation Name
1
Fú (福)
36
Miào (妙)
2
Hui (慧)
37
Tǐ (體)
3
Zhi (智)
38
Cháng (常)
4
Zi (子)
39
Jiān (堅)
5
Jué (覺)
40
Gù (固)
6
Liǎo (了)
41
Xīn (心)
7
Běn (本)
42
Lǎng (朗)
8
Yuán (圓)
43
Zhào (照)
9
Kě (可)
44
Yōu (幽)
10
Wù (悟)
45
Shēn (深)
11
Zhōu (周)
46
Xìng (性)
12
Hóng (洪)
47
Mìng (明)
13
Pǔ (普)
48
Jiàn (鑒)
14
Guǎng (廣)
49
Zōng (宗)
15
Zōng (宗)
50
Zuò (祚)
16
Dào (道)
51
Zhōng (忠)
17
Qìng (慶)
52
Zhèng (正)
18
Tóng (同)
53
Shàn (善)
19
Xuán (玄)
54
Xǐ (禧)
20
Zǔ (祖)
55
Xiáng (祥)
21
Qīng (清)
56
Jǐn (謹)
22
Jìng (靜)
57
Què (悫)
23
Zhēn (真)
58
Yuán (原)
24
Rú (如)
59
Jì (濟)
25
Hǎi (海)
60
Dù (度)
26
Zhàn (湛)
61
Xuě (雪)
27
Jì (寂)
62
Tíng (庭)
28
Chún (淳)
63
Wèi (為)
29
Zhēn (貞)
64
Dǎo (導)
30
Sù (素)
65
Shī (師)
31
Dé (德)
66
Yǐn (引)
32
Xíng (行)
67
Rǔ (汝)
33
Yǒng (永)
68
Guī (歸)
34
Yán (延)
69
Xuàn (鉉)
35
Héng (恒)
70
Lù (路)

The Michigan Shaolin Wugong Temple offers instruction on the practical techniques of the Shaolin monks and nuns in its martial arts classes.

 

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