“Blind
Venerable Jian Zhen sailed the Eastern Sea,
His
sincerity illuminates the universe.
He
sacrifices to let others know the Dharma;
This is
poem written by a famous modern scholar Guo Muruo in 1963 to commemorate the
1200th anniversary of Venerable Jian Zhen voyage to Japan.
Venerable
Jian Zhen, became a monk at the age of 14. At 45, he became an authority in the
Vinaya. More than 40 000 monks were ordained by him.
Venerable
Jian Zhen commenced his historical voyage to Japan at the age of 55 and
strived towards his goal for 12 long years.
During the
12 years, he attempted the voyage to Japan 6 times. The first 5 tries were
utter failures.
On the
fifth attempt, he and his followers met a storm and the ship was blown to
Hainan Island. This disastrous journey took the lives of 36 members of
Venerable Jian Zhen’s crew and more than 200 abandoned him out of
fear and frustration.
Venerable
Jian Zhen lost his sight at this attempt.
However,
Venerable Jian Zhen’s determination to propagate Buddhism in Japan did not
falter. In AD753, 12th year of the reign of Tian Bao of Tang,
Venerable Jian Zhen finally arrived at Japan after drifting for a month at sea.
He
introduced the advanced technology and culture of the Great Chinese Tang
Dynasty to Japan. This provided much fuel for the development of Japanese
culture.
The first
changes were felt most is in Japanese Buddhism. By the efforts of
Venerable Jian Zhen and his disciples, the Vinaya School in Japan was
set up.
In field of
architecture, he had the Toshodaiji Monastery built using the most
advanced building techniques. In the field of Arts, he introduced
Chinese Calligraphy and sculptures.
Venerable
Jian Zhen also introduced Chinese Medical Science to Japan.
In
Japan, Venerable Jian Zhen is also honoured as the Patriarch of sugar extraction, sewing,
beancurd making and soya sauce
production. They respectfully refer to him as the “Master who crossed the
sea.”