���
YAU Chi On, NGAI Ting Ming
Buddhist andTaoist Temples in Tai PoIntroduction
TemplesandmonasteriesaremainvenuesforChinese
religiousworship,andyettheyplayrolesfarbeyondreligion
inChinesesociety.They form integralpartsofourdaily
lives, labourandproduction,and thepursuitofpersonal
growth.After in-depthobservationandanalysisof these
temples,onecanseethatreligionisindeedindispensableto
everyaspectoflifeintraditionalChina.Asthesayinggoes,
"thereisagodthreefeetaboveus."Chinesepeoplebelieve
that anunexplainable force connects thingsvisible and
invisible.Todenythatsuchaforceexists is tobeblindto
thedevelopmentandchangesinChinesesocietythroughout
history.
DevelopmentofTaiPobeganlaterthanotherdistricts
inHongKong. Inparticular, thebanonseafaring in the
MingDynastyandtheevacuationof thecoast(Qianjie) in
theQingDynasty,whichforcedcoastalsettlement inland
severelystunted thedistrict'sgrowth.Theonlysettlers in
TaiPoatthetime,suchastheMansandTsesofWunYiu,
wererelocated.Nevertheless,althoughtheseearlysettlers
werepioneers inastrange land, theystillgreatly revered
theirgods.Inthe9thyearoftheDaoguangReign(1829),the
Mas–whohadrelocatedtoWunYiu–rebuilttheGodofthe
EarthTempleinthevillage:
The origin of the God of the Earth Temple in Wun Yiu is unknown, as is its age and builder. It has always radiated an aura of grandeur.1
After theQianjieended, theMasmovedtoWunYiu
fromChangleinthe13thyearof theKangxiReign(1674).
Ithadbeentenyearssincethecampaignintheearlyyears
of theKangxiReign,but the temple retained itsoriginal
grandeurandbeauty,reflectingpainstakingefforts invested
bytheunknownvillagerswhobuiltit.
After theoriginal territorywas reinstated, a large
numberofmigrantsarrivedinHongKongfromGuangdong
andanewchapterinTaiPo'shistorybegan.Asthesettlers
came fromdifferent regions inChina,manyvillages in
TaiPohosteddifferent lineages.TheworshipofKwan
Tai(GuanYu)becameaspecialcustomfor thesevillages,
as itunited thevillagers in thebattleagainstnaturaland
humandisasters.ManyvillagesbuiltKwanTaiTemplesand
examplesareKwanTaiTempleinTingKok,HipTinTemple
inPoSumPai,HipTinTempleinCheungShueTanandMo
TaiTempleinWunYiu.
At the same time, migrants from the Mainland
graduallyestablished their livelihood inTaiPowith their
own typicalcharacteristics.Somespecial formsof local
worship began to emerge. For example, Fan Sin ("Fan
Xian" inPutonghua)Temple inWunYiu lookedafter the
potterybusinessof theMa family,whileTaiWongYeh
TemplewasbuiltinYuenChauTsaiforthelivesandmutual
developmentof theboatpeopleand those livingon land.
Thesetemplegodsweredeeplyintegratedintoeveryaspect
ofthevillagers'lives.Celebrationsfordeities'birthdaysand
TaipingQingjiao (Dajiao),ceremonialoccasions, fortune
telling,medical consultancy,villagemeetings andeven
awardpresentationandpunishmentsalltookplaceinsidethe
temples.Blessedbythesegods,themigrantsfinallyplanted
theirrootsinTaiPo.
In modern times, China has experienced drastic
changes thathave impeded thedevelopmentof traditional
religion. Some high-ranking monks travelled south to
HongKong tospread theestablished religionsofChina,
andgraduallychanged the faceof traditional religions in
HongKong.Atthistime,TaiPowaslargelyanagricultural
societyandpeopleweresimpleandunconcernedwith the
outsideworld.Thedistrictwasalsoblessedwithwonderful
landscapesand itbecamean idealplaceof seclusion for
reachingBuddhist enlightenment.At the same time,Tai
Powas conveniently connectedwith theoutsideworld,
withToloHarbourprovidinganoutletbysea.In1911, the
KowloonCantonRailroadwent intooperationandTaiPo
StationbroughtthedistrictclosertoHongKong'sdeveloping
areas.Since then,TaiPohasbecome, inessence,partof
HongKongandhasprogressedwiththecity'surbanisation,
no longer an impoverished town inGuandong'sXin-An
County.
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
These favourable conditionsgave rise toTaiPo's
emergenceasan idealsite forHongKong'sBuddhistand
Taoistworshipsites.Beginninginthe1920s,manyBuddhist
andTaoist siteswereestablished inTaiPo.The founders
of thesesites includedtraditionalspiritual leaders,suchas
MasterTinSiuTsuenofSinTinTaoand theHonourable
BuddhistMasterZengSiu,aswellas"risingstars"suchas
thebraveMasterBhiksuniTszChuengandMasterChan
TszShek,whoexplored themysteriesof life.Therewere
alsopeopleofhumbleorigins,suchasYeeGu,aspiritual
mediumtotheotherworld,andevenmerchants,suchaslay
BuddhistWongSiuWai.ThesefoundersselectedTaiPofor
itsbeautifulnaturalenvironment.Thelectoriums,including
ToYuenTung,YanLoBuddhistMonastery,TaiKwongYuen,
PunChunYuen,LoFungAcademyandManTakYuen,were
built forquiet studyandcontemplation,but theydonot
shuncontactwiththecommunityat large.Forexample,To
YuenTungisthemainlectoriumoftheSinTinTaosectand
maintainsclosecontactwithotherSinTinTaolectoriumin
HongKong.YanLoBuddhistMonasteryisinfactabranch
lectoriumandthemainoneisinthecity.Meanwhile,Master
TszCheungofTaiKwongYuenenjoyed travel-study,and
wasofteninvitedfortravellectures.AsforPunChunYuen,
itprovidedthevenueforahalf-dayretreatforthefounders,
whowerelargelycitydwellers.Whetherthefounderswere
citydwellerswhosoughtescape to realise loftygoalsof
enlightenment in the countryside,or recluseswhoonly
occasionally contacted the outside world, the railroad
connectedtheworldoftheworshipsitesandthatofthecity,
whichat firstglanceseemtorepresentconflicting ideals.
However, inreality, theseworshipsitesbigandsmall,have
takenpartinHongKong'sdevelopment.Havingundergone
theirownmodernisation,thesesiteshavechangedthefaceof
traditionalChinesereligionasHongKonghasevolvedintoa
metropolis.
Eventhoughtheworshipsitesretainedclosecontact
with the rest of Hong Kong, their establishment and
development stilldependedheavilyon support from the
locals inTaiPo.ManyresidentsofTaiPooriginatedfrom
theMainlandandthusdidnotopposeoutsiders.Sincethey
toocamefromelsewhere, theyweremoreunderstanding
ofmigrants from far awaywho soughtopportunities in
TaiPo,andcouldappreciate themmore.Some founders
of theworship sites inTaiPocame fromdifferentareas
ofGuangdong– fromChaoshan in theeast toDinghu in
thewest, and fromGuangzhou in the south toFeixia in
thenorth.When theysettled inTaiPoand founded their
worship sites, the localsdidnot reject theirworship as
cultsbutparticipatedin theirreligioninstead.Most locals
treateddifferentfaithswiththesamerespect,whetheritwas
anestablishedreligion likeBuddhismandTaoism,a local
mixtureofBuddhismandTaoismliketheSinTinTaosect,
oralegendarytemplegodtheywerefamiliarwithlikeFan
Sin,KwanTaiand theTaoistLordLaozi.Theybelieved
in theessenceof thesereligions, indoinggooddeedsand
prayingwithanuntaintedmind.Blessings fromthegods
wouldcomewithdevoutworship. In return, the temples
madegreatefforts toprovideservices to thepeople.Sing
KungChoTongofferedfreemedicalservices,whilespiritual
mediumsinterpretedmessagesfromtheotherworldatFung
LoiLeungYuenandSungSumToTakTan.TaiKwongYuen,
meanwhile,providedfreeeducation.Someofthefounders'
storiesarestillreminiscedaboutbythelocalstoday.TinSiu
Tsuenwasknownforbeingknowledgeableandkind,where
YeeGuwasanamazingspiritmedium.Theworshipsites
formedmutuallybeneficialrelationshipswithlocalresidents,
andtheyhaveestablisheddeeprootsinthecommonpeople's
livesandbecomeanindispensablepartofTaiPo'scommunal
history.
TaoistworshipsitesinTaiPocanbecategorisedinto
singong (immortals' palace), langyuan ("leungyuen" in
Cantonese)andlectoriums.These includeFanSinTemple
inWunYiuHeung,SingKungChoTong (worshipping
MasterGuangcheng) inTingKokRoad,FungLoiLeung
Yuen(worshippingLuTsu, theEight Immortals, theJade
Emperor (Yudi) and Dragon Mother (Lungmu) in Pun
ShanChauVillage,SungSumToTakTan (worshipping
TaoistLordLuzi) inTaiPoKauVillage.The lectoriums
mainlyworshipLuTzu,andexamplesareYanLoBuddhist
MonasteryandManTakYuen.AsforBuddhistsites, there
areTingWaiMonastery,TaiKwongYuen,andPunChun
YuenoftheLotusAssociationofHongKongamongothers.
���
ThefollowingintroducesTaoistandBuddhistworshipsites
establishedinTaiPofromtheQingDynastytothe1970s,in
chronologicalorder.
Taoist Temples
Foreword
There are a fewplaces inHongKong that host a
numberofTaoistandBuddhistworshipsites includingthe
areabetweenFungWongShanandKeungShanonLantau
Island,betweenFuYungShanandSamDipTaminTsuen
Wan,inthehillsabovePaiTauVillageinShatin,andfrom
KamShanandShekKwuLungandMaWoShantoToYuen
Tung(suchasTingWaiMonastery,TaiKwongYuen,Pun
ChunYuenandYanLo)inTaiPo.NgBaLingmentionsYan
LoandFungLoiLeungYuenwhenhewritesaboutTaiPo
(seeGuidetoTravelinTaiPo(大埔遊覽示意圖)):
Yan Lo, located in Kam Shan Village, is built along the hills and contains a world of its own. To Yuen Tung, situated upon a small stream behind Pan Chung, has four chambers – Shui Yuet Temple, Siu Village Quiet Chamber, To Yuen Tung, and Longevity Chamber. It is a place of serenity. Fung Loi Sin Yuen [Fun Loi Leung Yuen] sits in Pun Shan Chau and can be assessed from behind the hills in Pan Chung. Having passed To Yuen Tung and Wun Yiu, one walks further for about half an hour to arrive there. The site, built in the style of ancient palace, is truly exceptional.2
TheinscriptionatYanLodescribesthelandscapeof
KamShan:
Its front draws forth the reach of Pat Sin Leng, its left views the ranges of Tai Mo Shan. Its right embraces the billows of Tolo Harbour, with Kam Shan as its pillow. Water from the Lam Tsuen waterfall flows ahead. The neighbours are followers of the Tao. It is the perfect site for contemplation and enlightenment.3
Alongwithdramaticchangesinthepastthirtyyears,
TaiPohasevolvedfromasmalltowninthecountrysideinto
urbanspace.Someoftheworshipsiteshavebeenrenovated,
suchasSingKungChoTong,othershavebeenrelocated,
suchasToYuenTung.Theoldenvironmenthaslongbeen
gone.Meanwhile,someofthelectoriums,suchasLoFung
Academy, have gone through other developments. Our
descriptionsherememorialise theirhistory,suchthat they
willnotbecompletelyforgotten.
Fan Sin Temple of Wun Yiu: From God of the Trade to Local Protective Deity
1. The History of Fan Sin Temple in Wun Yiu
WorkmeninHongKongworshipgodsof theirown
trade,includingLoPan,WahKwongandFanSin.Thereare
manygodsforthepotteryindustry,suchasFanLai("FanLi"
inPutonghua), theFireGodandlegendaryEmperorShun.
ThegodoftradeforWunYiuinTaiPoisFanSin.
Fan Sin was a god of trade for XiataoVillage in
WuhuaCounty,Meizhou,Guangdong, andwasbrought
toHongKongby theMafamilywhichoriginated there.4
WuhuaCountyisoneofthemajorHakkaareasinGuandong
Province.TheMasofWunYiuinTaiPocouldbetracedto
SiteMapofBuddhistandTaoistInstitutions.NgBaLing,SceneriesandCulturesoftheNewTerritories (新界風光)(HongKong:OverseasChineseDaily,19601sted.,19623rded).
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
tiesFanSinTempleislocatedinWunYiuVillage.FanSinisthepatrondeityof
theceramicindustry.(PhotographybyLoWaiLing)
ChangleinMeizhou,whichisWuhuainMeizhoutoday.Tai
PoWunYiuwasfoundedbytheMansandtheTsesduring
theMingDynasty.After theQianjieCampaignended in
KangxiReign,theterritorywasreinstated,buttheTseswere
alreadyrootedintheMainlandandwereunwillingtoreturn
toHongKong.Consequently,theManslettheMastakeover
allofWunYiu.
According to the inscriptiononFanSinTemple's
nameplaque,thetemplewasfoundedinGengshuYearofthe
QianlongReignintheQingDynasty(1790).Yet,theFanSin
religionhadbeen introducedintoHongKonglongbefore
that,andFanSinTempleinWunYiuservedastestimonyof
theMafamily'sarduousjourneyofsettlementinTaiPo.The
originalFanSinTemplewasnot locatedwhere it is today,
butonthehillnexttotheWunYiuPublicSchooltoilets.It
usedtobethemouthofoneofthedragonkilnsatWunYiu
forconvenientworshipby thebowlcraftsmen.Thealtar
isbelieved tohavebeenbuiltwithclay initiallyandwas
replacedwithabrickaltar later in time.Judgingfromits
location, theoriginalFanSinTemplecouldnothavebeen
big.
After its founding in theQianlongReign,FanSin
Templehasundergoneanumberofrenovations.Theknown
renovationswerecarriedout in the7thyearof theTongzhi
Reign(1868),the23rdyearoftheGuangxuReign(1897),the
14thyearof theRepublicanPeriod(1925),1964,1976and
2000.Onaverage,arenovationtookplaceonceeverytwenty
years.Thereisnotenoughevidencetoshowduringwhichof
theserenovationsFanSinTemplewasmovedtoitscurrent
location.However,thecoupletswritteninthe7thyearofthe
TongzhiReignreads,"TheTemplemovedclouds/Thepines
nolongerthesame",suggestingthatrelocationhappenedin
1868.
TheoldestinscriptioninFanSinTemple,datedthe23rd
yearoftheGuangxuReign(1897),recordsthefollowing:
In the 23rd year of the Guangxu Reign, Fan Sin Temple, Kwan Tai Temple and the God of the Earth Temple were renovated. Statues of Kwan Tai and the God of the Earth were made.5
The fact that the three templeswere renovated at
the same timeandmemorialised in the same inscription
shows thatFanSinTemplecouldwellhavebeenbuiltat
thesamelocationasKwanTaiTempleandtheGodof the
EarthTemple.Thestructurecouldhavebeentwo-hall-three-
bay,with the threegodsservedindependently in the three
bays.FanSin,meanwhile,wastheprimarydeity.Fromthe
inscription,wecanalsotellthatthestatuesofKwanTaiand
theGodoftheEarthwerenot"re-sculpted",thatis,thetwo
godsdidnothavestatuesbeforetherenovation.Theycould
havebeenworshippedonanaltar,orasmallshrine.TheFan
SinTemplerenovationprovidedopportunityforthetwogods
tobesculptedandplacedwithina templechamber.Itwas
quitecommontoworshipmultiplegods in localworship,
buttherewasclearlyahierarchyamongthethreegods.Fan
Sinwas theprimarydeity in the temple,asshown in the
inscriptionfromtheGuangxuReign.
As time progressed, the pottery trade of Wun
Yiugraduallydeclined.By the1930s, itwasno longer
appropriatetoplacetheKwanTaiTemple(renamedMoTai
Templeatthetime)andtheGodoftheEarthTempleinside
FanSinTemple.Around1936, thevillagersofWunYiu
renewedtheoldGodof theEarthTemple,whichhadbeen
���
left inruinsforyears,andmovedMoTaiTempleand the
GodoftheEarthTemplethereunderthesamestructure.The
newtemplewasnamedMoTaiTemple.
Whenthekilnsfinallyceasedoperation, theFanSin
religion tookonanewrole.FanSinevolved fromagod
of trade toagodfor theclan,andeventuallybecame the
protectoroftheregion.Theendofthepotterybusinesswasa
severeblowtotheWunYiuvillagers,buttheysoonadapted
toanew lifeof farming.Religiousserviceswere justas
importantforagricultural lifeas theywerefor thepottery
trade.Furthermore,as theWunYiuvillagershadalways
worshippedFanSin, theynaturallycontinuedtheirworship
for fineweatherandwell-beingofhumansand livestock.
ThevillagerscelebratedFanSin'sbirthday,andFanSin's
newroleasprotectoroftheareabecamepartoftheirdaily
lives.DuringtheJapaneseOccupationinthe1940s,looters
plaguedtheWunYiuarea,almostdestroyingthevillagesand
haltingreligiouslife.AtFanSin'sbirthdayin1958,villages
inWunYiucelebratedastheeconomyslightlyrevived.Fan
SinTemplewasmanagedby the tenvillages inWunYiu:
LaiChiShan,ToYuenTung,SheungWunYiu,HaWun
Yiu,CheungUkTei,SanUkKa,PunShanChau,YuenDun
Ha,YinNgam,andDaTitYan.Intimesoffestivity,theten
villageswouldallcontributefundsforcelebration.In1964,
FanSinTemplewasrenovatedforthefirsttimeaftertheWar.
Thestatueswerepaintedingoldagainandboththeinterior
andexteriorofthestructurewereredecorated.Thevillagers
paintedtwomuralsunder theeavesof themaingate– the
firstonedepictingWongShiuChiSecondarySchool in
TaiPoMarketand thesecondoneshowingYinNgamon
thehillsbehindWunYiu.Thetwomuralpaintingssignify
thattheareafromWongShiuChiSecondarySchooltoYin
NgambelongstoWunYiu,allprotectedbyFanSin.
Today, Fan SinTemple is a declared monument
protectedbyHongKong'sheritagelaws.Therenovationin
2000wassponsoredbytheHongKongSARGovernment.
After the renovation, villagesofWunYiu continued to
managethetemple.NotonlyisFanSinTempleafrequented
siteoflocalworship,butitalsoprovidesapublicvenuefor
thevillagers.ItservesastheofficefortheWunYiuVillage
Committee, where villagers discuss village affairs and
receiveguests.
2. Reasons for Frequent Worship at Wun Yiu's Fan Sin
Temple
Besidesthelonghistoryitshareswiththepeopleof
WunYiu,FanSinTemplewaspopularalsobecausethefaith
hadbeendeeplyrootedinthevillagers'dailylives.Thelife
ofaWunYiuvillagerwasinexplicablyintertwinedwithFan
Sinfromtheverybeginning–somevillagersofferedtheir
infantsforFanSin'sprotectionandblessingswhentheywere
justonemonthold.Theywouldevennametheirchildren
withthecharacters"fan"or"xian"("sin" inCantonese) to
proclaimtheirfaith.Especiallyafter the1950s,whenWun
YiuPublicSchoolwasbuiltnexttoFanSinTemple,parents
wouldworshipFanSineveryday.
Ofcourse,thetemplewasfrequentedalsobecauseof
FanSin'sdivinepowers.Fortunestickswereavailablefor
fortunetellinginthetemple,butiftheworshipperwishedto
learnmoreabouttheirfortune, thegodhadtobespecially
invited ina ritualceremony.From its foundinguntil the
1980s, therehadbeenashen-t'ung(spiritmedium)inFan
SinTemple.Theshen-t'ungwasverypowerful,especially
when it came to selecting auspicious dates for special
occasions.Newsoftheshen-t'ungspreadtotherestofHong
Kong,andevenpeoplefromabroadvisitedthetemple.
2001NewYearBlessingCeremonyatManTakYuen(ProvidedbyYipTung)
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
Thelastshen-t'ungofFanSinTemplewasChiKwai
Mau, also known as Chi Choi or Chi Sang Choi.The
villagersrespectfullycalledhimGrandpaChi.Chi'sfamily
hasatraditionofservingworshippers–hisgrandfatherChi
TakLoi(alsoknownasChiYauWing)andhisfatherChi
TakMau(alsonamedChiSau)werealsoshen-t'ungs.As
recordedintheinscriptions,ChiYauWingmadeadonation
to the God of the EarthTemple in the 9th year of the
DaoguangReign(1829),whileChiTakMaugavemoneyfor
FanSinTemple'srenovationinthe23rdyearoftheGuangxu
Reign (1897).TheChishave lived inWunYiu formany
generations.6
WhenChiKwaiMauwas theshen-t'ungatFanSin
Temple,dateselectionservicewas in thehighestdemand.
Peopleneeded toselectauspiciousdates forweddingand
construction, which became frequent as the economy
recovered after the war. Fan SinTemple became well
knownfortheauspiciousdatesitselectedforworshippers.
Theshen-t'unghadtofollowstrictproceduresfor thedate
selection ritual and the templekeeperwouldassisthim
whenFanSinwas invited.ChiKwaiMauwouldstart the
ritualbyburningincenseandtheninviteFanSintopossess
him.WhenFanSinhaddescended, theshen-t'ungwould
appear in frontof theworship stationandsitonachair
facingthedoorofthetemple.Nexttheshen-t'ungwouldask
theworshipperforwhatpurposethedateswererequested.
Aftersomecalculations,adateandtimewouldbechosen
alongwiththebestcompassdirection,andtheinformation
wouldberecordedbythetemplekeeper.Whenthetaskwas
complete, theshen-t'ungwouldtaphisfeet lightlyandthe
templekeeperwouldknowthatFanSinhadleft.Theshen-
t'ung,supportedbythetemplekeeper,wouldsoonreturnto
hissensesandtheritualwouldbeover.
TodayFanSinTemplestillkeepsascriptsealinabox
infrontof theFanSinStatue.Thesealwasusedfordate
selection,andisengravedwiththewords,"commandedby
FanSin,blessingsarekeptinthishallandtheevilisdriven
out."The templekeeperwouldwrite theopportunedate
andtimeforthestartofconstructionworkonapieceofred
paperandchopthepaperwiththeseal.Thepaper,knownas
"startnote",wouldbedisplayedat theconstructionsite to
notifyworkmenofthedateandtimeofconstructionkick-off.
Moreimportantly,itwasintendedtoshowthemthedateand
timefor thestartofconstructionhadbeenselectedbyFan
Sin,sothat theprojectwouldgosmoothlyandtheirsafety
wouldbeguaranteed.Thestartnotewouldbedisplayedat
theconstructionsiteuntiltheendoftheproject.Afterwards,
asimpleceremonywouldbeconductedandthenotewould
beburned.
Apart fromdateselection,villagersalsovisitedFan
SinTempleformedicalservice.Asmedicalresourceswere
scarceinthepast,thetemplesofferedamedicalconsultancy
service,aformof traditionalChinesemedicine.ChiKwai
Mauwasresponsibleforwriting"WellBeing"("Pingan")
Scripts, interpreting fortune sticks, reading Feng Shui
anddrivingoutevilspirits.Fromthe1960s to1980s, the
villages,suchasPanChungVillage,wouldask theshen-
t'ung toselectdatesfor their festivecelebrations.7During
FanSin'sBirthday,Chiwouldalsopresideoverbigand
smallceremoniesandrituals.FanSinTemplewasthevenue
ofexchangebetweenthedivineandhuman,andit injected
religionintothevillagers'lives.
3. Fan Sin Temple within the Wun Yiu Public School
Campus
ItisChinesetraditiontobuildschoolsnexttotemples,
andsuchpracticehasbeencommon inHongKong.For
example,ManMoTemple inSheungWanbuiltManMo
FreeSchooltotherightofthetemple,whilePakTaiTemple
inWanChaifoundedafreeschooltotherightofthetemple.
Missionarieswhocame toChina topreachalso followed
thispractice.WunYiuPublicSchoolwasregisteredin1949
andoneof itsmain featureswas that therewasa temple
insidethecampus.TheschoolbuildingstoodnexttoFanSin
Temple.
���
SinceFanSinTemplewas thevillager'scommunal
premisesandtheschoolwasbuiltwithfundsraisedbythe
villagers,WunYiuPublicSchoolwasalsoaformofpublic
space.Consequentlywhentheschoolunderwentexpansion
andneeded toutilise thestructureofFanSinTemple, the
villagersdidnotobject to theproposal at all.After the
school'sfounding,thepopulationinWunYiugrewandthe
numberofstudentsincreased.WunYiuPublicSchoolbegan
usingFanSinTemple'sstructureandestablished thehead
teacher'soffice, tuckshopandstaffkitchen there. In this
way,FanSinTempleplayed its traditional roleundernew
conditions.
ThustheschoolwasconvenientlylocatednexttoFan
SinTemple.Althoughtheschooldidnothaveanyscheduled
worship serviceand the studentswerenever required to
believeinFanSin,thetempleinsidethecampushadalways
beenopentothepublic.Villagersfrequentedthetemplefor
worship.Scenesofthetemplekeeperofferingalmsandthe
outsidersseekingguidancethroughtheshen-t'unginevitably
exertedinfluenceonthestudents'religiousbelief.According
tothestudents,shen-t'ungGrandpaChi(ChiKwaiMau)did
notliveinthetempleatthetime.Whenworshippersvisited
the templeandasked forhim itwasusually thestudents
whowentandfetchedhim.Atfirsttheywouldruntohimto
passonthemessage;latertheyusedthetelephone.Grandpa
Chi's ritualsusuallydrewacrowdof studentsandmany
of themcanstilldescribe thescenevividly today.Due to
frequentcontactwithFanSin,studentswereexcitedabout
FanSin'sbirthdaycelebrations, just likeanyothervillager
ofWunYiu.Thefestivalwasalsoaschoolholiday.During
thethreenightsandfourdays,theschoolwouldbecomethe
stageforcelebratoryperformances,orevenaccommodation
for theworshippers.Thestudentshelped theirparents to
prepare for the festival.Meanwhile,FanSinTemplealso
exertedreligiousinfluenceontheteachers:asitwaslocated
insidetheschoolpremises,theteacherspaidtheirrespectsto
FanSin.Manyteacherswouldofferburningincenseinthe
templebeforethedayendedtoexpresstheirgratitudetoFan
Sin.
FanSindeityimage(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
FanSinFestival(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
4. Fan Sin's Birthday: Annual Festivity
FanSin'sbirthday is amajor festival inWunYiu.
Since Fan Sin was originally a god of trade, the early
festivitiescelebratingFanSin'sbirthdaycouldhaveincluded
trade-specificritualsandweredifferentfromothersimilar
festivities.Unfortunately, thereisnotenoughdocumentary
evidencetosupportthishypothesis.
ExistingrecordsonthefestivitiesofFanSin'sbirthday
show that theywerecloser to thosecelebratingagodof
protection for the region.Longbefore the festival, the
organisersofthecelebrationswouldcollectdonationsfrom
everyfamilyinWunYiu.Villagerstodaycanstillremember
thepuppet showfromLongjiang,andalsoperformances
bylocalpuppettroupes.Duringthefestival,allstaffstayed
in theoldWunYiuworkmendormitory. Interestingly, the
puppet showswerenot alwaysperformed in theHakka
dialect.Theshowswerestagedyearlyuntil theJapanese
invasionofHongKong.
Apart from the traditionofpuppet shows, thepre-
Warfestivitiesalso includedaparade.TheFanSinStatue
wouldbe takenbyanentourageonpatrol all across the
WunYiuarea,andFanSinwouldreceivegoodwishesfrom
thevillagers.Thiswasasolemnandelaborateevent,and,
indeed,oneof theclimaxesof the festivities.During the
parade,peoplewouldwelcomeFanSinwithexuberance
andfirecrackers.Anotherclimaxof thefestivalwaswhen
the shen-t'ungdeliveredhisdaggerbed (dagger sedan)
performance.FanSinwouldbe invited todescendon the
shen-t'ung,whowouldbeshownaroundintheparadesitting
onthesharptipsofadaggersedantodemonstratethepower
ofFanSin.
There was also the f loating lantern r i tual to
symbolically relievehumansandanimals fromsuffering.
Theceremony,presidedoverbytheshen-t'ung,wasusually
heldalongtheriveratsunset.Sometimestheanimalrelease
ritualwouldbeheldatthesametime,inwhichcaptivebirds,
fishortortoiseswouldbereleasedintonature.Meanwhile,
thefloatinglanternswerethickpaperboatswithlitcandles,
TaoistPriestsofManTakChiSinSheperformedritualsinthe2001FanSinFestival.(ProvidedbyMaLaiSim)
Ontheleftofthephotoisthelastshen-t'ungofFanSinTemple,ChiKwaiMau.(ProvidedbyMaLaiSim)
��0
andtheywerereleasedintotheriverafter theceremony.It
wasbelievedthat,asthelanternsfloateddownstream,lone
spiritswouldbeguidedtothelandofpurehappiness.The
practicewasconsideredanobledeed.
After the war, the annual celebrations lost their
splendour. In1958, thevillagesheld the f irst post-war
celebration,but therewasnodagger sedanperformance
and other acrobatic shows.There was no parade and
floatinglanternritualeither.Thefestivitiesincludedastage
performance troupeanddragonand liondances,but the
genreoftheperformancewaschanged.Sincetheorganisers
werenotable to invitepuppetperformers, the first show
offering thanks toFanSinafter theWarwasaCantonese
opera.Inthisway,Cantoneseoperareplacedthepuppetshow
asthe"newpost-wartradition".Astheeconomycontinued
togrow,theperformancetroupesinvitedbyWunYiuwere
increasinglyfamous.Manywell-knownentertainersbrought
laughterandartisticenjoymenttothevillagesandtheirgod
FanSin.Suchcelebrativeactivitiescontinueduntil1988.
JapanesescholarTanaka Isseiobservedanddocumented
birthdaycelebrationsforFanSinfrom1982to1985.8
According to a 2007 f ield study, the bir thday
celebrationsnowonlytakeplaceinthemorningofthe16th
dayofthe5thlunarmonth.Onthatday,villagersofWunYiu
wouldcometoFanSinTemplewithalmsandworshiptheir
god.Theofferingsincluderoastedpig,freshfruit,pastries
and ricedumplings (because itwasaroundDragonBoat
Festival).Accordingtothevillagers,thepracticeofserving
ricedumplingsasalmsisacentury-oldtraditioninWunYiu.
Ricedumplingsareeaten inotherplacesonceayear,but
theyareeateninWunYiutwiceyearly.Asnoonapproaches,
the manager of Fan SinTemple would hold a simple
ceremonyandfirecrackerswouldbesetoff.Thevillagers
wouldthenpicnicintheopenareainfrontofthetemple,and
thebirthdaycelebrationsend.
To Yuen Tung: An Early Hall of the Sin Tin Tao
ToYuenTung is, at the same time, thenameof a
villageandaplace.CoupledwithMoLoTam,ToYuenTung
isaTaoistworshipsiteandtouristattraction.9Indeed, this
areahostsmanyotherreligiousestablishments,suchasShui
YuetTemple,ToYuenTungandLoFungAcademy(moreon
LoFungAcademybelow).Theeldersoftheareapointout
thatShuiYuetTemplewasbuiltbeforeToYuenTung.Shui
YuetTemple isWunYiu'sKwunYum(Guanyin) temple,
whileToYuenTungisahalloftheSinTinTaosectwhich
worships theBodhisattvaMaitreya.Alsoworshippedthere
weretheQueenMother(Wangmu),KwunYumandZhang
Zhidong.According torecords,ToYuenTungcontributed
totherenovationsofFanSinTemplein1964and1976.Lo
FungAcademy,meanwhile,contributedtothe1976FanSin
Gongrenovation.10
ToYuenTung,establishedbyMasterTinSiuTsuen,
isahallandretreatoftheSinTinTaosect.MasterTinhad
successivelyestablishedWutongXiandong inShenzhen,
QinglianGuaninYonggengTang,Guangzhou,SiuHaSin
YuenintheKwunYumTempleinMongKok,Kowloon,and
ToYuenTunginTaiPo.ThecoupletonthedoorframeofTo
YuenTung,writteninthe6thyearoftheRepublicanPeriod
(1916),isverymeaningful.ItdescribesMasterTin'sjourney
toHongKongforthespreadofTaoism:
The peaches and pears are traced to their origins, the flowers flow along the streams;Phoenix trees are planted and the cave is explored, the broken branches will not stop the spread of Taoism.11
MasterTin SiuTsuen admired the embrace of
mountainsandwatersaroundthesite,andnamedthehall
ToYuenTung("TaoyuanDong"inPutonghua,meaningthe
paradisecave).MasterWanCheongWo,theheadofToYuen
Tung,recallsthatthesitewasmorethan10,000squarefeet
at the timeoffoundingwithmultiplebuildings, including
ShuiYuetTempleandSiuTsuen"MeditationHall".They
weretheperfectplacesformonkstodotheircontemplation.
Lifewashard thenand the landnear thesitewasused to
plantgrain.The ricewas thenexchanged forvegetables
andfruitwithChongHaChingSheinFanling,andthetwo
Taoist siteswerehappy tosupporteachother.12Couplets
arepreservedtodayatChongHaChingShe,oneofwhich
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
waspresentedbyTinSiuTsuen,HoMingTatandWunYiu
villagersMaTaoLungandMaYiuTing.MaYiuTingwas
oneof the twoadvocates forFanSinTemple's renovation
in1925,whileMaTaoLungcontributedthelargestsumof
moneyto thatrenovation.13TheNewTerritoriesOverview
(新界概覽)records:
There is indeed "To Yuen Tung" building, which should be a contemporary building. A plaque with the words "To Yuen Tung" is hung over the main gate, and the couplet on the sides read, "The peaches and pears are traced to their origins, the flowers flow along the streams;/ Phoenix trees are planted and the cave is explored, the broken branches will not stop the spread of Taoism." The couplet is dated on an autumn day in the sixth year of the Republican Period. Another couplet is found inside the building: "No worldly affairs are known here/ Fabled land of the gods this is". There are structures on both sides of the cave – Siu Village Meditation Hall on the left and Longevity Chamber and Shui Yuet Temple on the right. A few women over the age of fifty live in the cave, and they farm for a living.14
ThevillagersofWunYiualsoworshippedatToYuen
Tung.MaYeeMuiwastheabbessofShuiYuetTempleand
maintainedaclose relationshipwith followersof theSin
TinTaoSectatToYuenTung.Infact,Maherselfeventually
becameafollower.In1947,MaYukYinwaspromotedtothe
"rank"ofadeaconryinSinTinTaoSect.Themasterofthe
ceremonywasTsangTaoKwong,wholaterbecamethehead
oftheSinTinTaosect.
Inthe1980s,theHongKongGovernmentre-claimed
ToYuenTungand the landnearby todevelopTaiPo. In
1987,ToYuenTungwasdemolishedand relocated to its
currentaddressat42ShanTongVillage.ShuiYuetTemple
wasmovedto27ShanTongVillage.TheKwunYumStatue
insidethetempletodayisarelicofoldertimes.
ToYuenTung(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
AbuildingcomplexinWunYiu'sToYuenTung.LongevityChamberisontheright.ManydevoteesvisitToYuenTungduringitsfestival.(ProvidedbyToYuenTung)
PhotographofToYuenTung'sTaoistprieststakeninthe1970s.Thestoneplaquewasdated1917;ontherightuppercornerisaphotographyofthefounder,MasterTinSiuTsuen.(ProvidedbyToYuenTung)
���
BesidesToYuenTung, the SinTinTao sect also
maintainedothersites inTaiPo–KunToTongandLing
KukYuenhadbeenrelocated toTaiPofromotherareas.
LingKukYuen,locatedinPanChungVillageofTaiPo,was
originallybuiltnext toTsangTaiUk inShatin'sShanHa
Wai.At the timeitwascalledJuiYinChingShe.Todaya
coupletdatedto1920iswellpreservedinLingKukYuen.
Ittellsoftheoriginofthesite,CangxiaDonginQingyuan.
Ling KukYuen Kindergarten was one of the temple's
community involvements.Meanwhile,LingKukYuen is
theonlySinTinTao temple inHongKongworshipping
the threeZhangliuyuearthgodsof theTangDynasty, tree
gods thatarepopular inGuangzhou,PanyuandHuaxian.
CangxiaDonginQingyuanwasbuilt inthe2ndyearofthe
TongzhiReign(1863)toservethethreeearthgods.Thealtar
atLingKukYuenborethewording,"KuangFuZhengFa"
(meaning"upholdingrighteousness"),andhadthecouplet,
"TheGreatTaoshowsselflessvirtues./Thetempleiswell
managedandbestowsendlessblessings."Thefirst lineof
thecoupletshowsthespecialattributeofthethreedeitiesas
earthgods.Theirbirthdayisonthe24thdayofthe6th lunar
month.15AftertheWar,theLingKukYuenbeganservingthe
ThreeTreasures(Sanbao);andbecauseJatMinChuenwas
beingbuiltinShatin,thetemplewasrelocatedtoPanChung
VillageinTaiPo.TodayLingKukYuenisaretreatthatisnot
opentothepublic.
Sing Kung Cho Tong: Temple Originating from Guangzhou for the Worship of Master Guangcheng
SingKungChoTongislocatedonTingKokRoadin
TaiPo.Thecommittee tofoundthe templewasformedin
1929 inTaiHangVillage'sKwongMingToi.Thepresent
siteinTaiPowaspurchasedin1931,andhasanareaover
30,000square feet. In1932 the sitewas registeredwith
theGovernmentandreceived the legalstatusofa limited
companyaswellas specialpermission toadd thewords
"limitedcompany"after itsname.MasterGuangcheng is
worshippedinthestructureinthefront,whiletheThreePure
Ones(Sanqing)areworshippedinthestructureattheback.
MasterGuangchengisbelievedtobeamythicalgodduring
theperiodofthelegendaryHuangdi,ortheYellowEmperor.
HelivedinastonecaveinKongdongMountain,andtaught
theYellowEmperorscholarshipandmedicine.Thename
of the temple,"SingKung"("Shenggong" inPutonghua),
alludes to the saying "a reflective mind and candid
personality,withwillpowertoputthoughtintopractice."The
coupletatthefrontgatereads:
Enter these doors to reflect with honesty and virtue.Lines of masters practise the Tao for endless blessed deeds.
SingKungChoTonginHongKongoriginatedfrom
ShenggongCaotang("SingKungChoTong"inCantonese)
ofGuangzhouthatwasestablishedin1894.Itwasoriginally
built inDezhengStreet inGuangzhou (the intersection
between Dezheng Bei Road andYuxi Er Road today),
behindPanyuCountyOffice to thewest.Formanyyears,
theestablishmenthadprovided religiousandcommunity
services,includingmedicalconsultation,medication,coffins,
burialservices,food,vaccinationandcareforwidows.Every
year itdistributed rice twiceandhad thereforeearneda
goodreputation.NexttoShenggongCaotang,ShengheTang
providedmedication to thepeoplewhohadreceived their
diagnosisandprescriptionatthetemple.In1953,Shenggong
Caotangceasedoperation.16According to recordsof the
temple,ShenggongCaotangwasbuilt during the Jiawu
rodentplagueofthelateQingDynasty(1894).Manypeople
were struckby the epidemic, andMasterGuangcheng,
movedby thepeople's suffering, sent thephoenix to the
mortalworld toquell theplagueandspreadtherecipefor
thecure.Intheirgratitude, theGuangzhoupeoplefounded
ShenggongCaotongtoworshiptheMaster.
Inthe1920s,anumberofHongKongmerchantswho
travelled frequentlybetweenHongKongandGuangzhou
establishedSingKungChoTong inTaiPo topasson the
spiritofShenggongCaotong inGuangzhou.Construction
workwascompletedin1932andtheopeningceremonywas
heldthreeyearslater:
The building of Guangcheng Temple had been planned for many years. On the first day of the third
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
lunar month in 1929, we purchased two buildings in Kwong Ming Toi in Tai Hang Village, Hong Kong, for the worship of Master Guangcheng. It was established for the convenience of those Hong Kong people who could not afford the time to travel abroad for worship. The buildings were also where the establishment of Sing Kung Cho Tong was planned. ......The construction of the temple had not been smooth. In 1932, most of the main hall and the front building were completed and it was decided that we would move in on the 15th day of the 12th lunar month of that year. ......In 1934, on the first day of the eleventh lunar month, the grand opening ceremony took place. The spirit tablets of the Three Pure Ones were worshipped on the third floor of the back building, while the main hall housed the bronze statue of Master Guangcheng.17 On the left of the statue, the tablets of Onzhen and the Flying Phoenix are worshipped. Kai Ling Tong on the ground floor of the back building hosted the tablets of people who had contributed to the founding of the temple. The consecration ceremony was also held.18
InA Brief Record of Hong Kong's Guangcheng
Temple (港堂廣成宮事略),editedbyHongKongSingKung
ChoTongandpublishedin1961,thethirtyyearsofhistory
sincethefoundingofthetempleisrecordedinmuchdetail.
Theforewordstates thatSingKungChoTongfollowsthe
Theoriginaldeity imageof theGuangchengTemplebefore renovation.Guangchengwasholdingaruyi(如意).(ProvidedbySingKungChoTung)
TheoriginalstoneplaqueoftheGuangchengTemple.(ProvidedbySingKungChoTung)TheinteriorofGuangchengTemple(PhotographybySingKungChoTung)
TheSingKungChoTongbeforerenovation.(ProvidedbySingKungChoTung)
���
establishedtraditionofShenggongCaotanginGuangzhou
andisthusdifferentfromotherTaoisttemples:
The development of Sing Kung Cho Tong in Hong Kong begins in 1928, with strict adherence to the teachings in Records of Shenggong . Besides differences arising from geographical factors, Sing Kung Cho Tong in Hong Kong holds high regard for the practice of Shenggong Caotang in Guangzhou and follows it closely. ......It is important to note that Cho Tong does not accept donations from the outside, and does not participate in worldly affairs. The only mission is to follow the principles of virtue, beneficence and charity. Our work pales in comparison with the noble deeds of our great ancestors Yao and Shun. We dare not call our establishment shantang (charity) but humbly name it caotang ("cho tong " in Cantonese; "cao " means grass). Such is the belief of Shenggong Caotang in Guangzhou and we in Hong Kong practise the same.19
According tooral accountsbyvillagers inTaiPo,
during theJapaneseoccupation, theJapanesearmyseized
SingKungChoTonganduseditasacentreofadministration
fortheneighbouringareas:
During the winter of 1941, this hall was occupied by the Japanese army. After the Japanese surrendered in 1945, it was occupied by a certain military authority. ......The only relic untouched by the war was the marble tablet of the Three Pure Ones. On the third day of the sixth lunar month in 1950, a group of us congregated in the main hall and re-instated the Three Pure Ones tablet for worship. Beginning in the winter of 1950, we restored each of the halls with funds raised from rental leases. In 1955 we received permission to repaint the portrait of Master Guangcheng, and on the first day of the third lunar month, the portrait was worshipped in the main hall. On the third day of the sixth lunar month of the same year, we moved the Three Pure Ones tablet
respectfully and the chamber on the third floor was restored. The first phase of restoration was, thus, complete.20
AccordingtoRecentRecordsofShenggong(省躬近
錄), intheeightyyearssinceitsestablishment,Shenggong
Caotanghasmainlyprovidedmedicaldiagnostic service
tobelieverswithguidancefromMasterGuangcheng.The
provision of medication was a supplementary service.
WhenSingKungChoTongwasestablishedinHongKong,
medicaldiagnosisandmedicationwereprovidedfor free.
Atthetime,thetemplehad150medicalprescriptionslips.
If theworshippers soughthealingwithadevotedheart,
theywouldreceiveaprescription,andcouldgetmedication
fromadesignatedChinesepharmacyinTaiPo.Manyrare
anddifficult illnessescouldbehealed. Inaddition,Sing
KungChoTongproducedpills and tablets fordifferent
purposesbasedondivineprescriptionsanddistributedthem
toworshippers.Enteringthe1990s,SingKungChoTong's
medicalservicesfurtherdeveloped.Apharmacydepartment
wasestablishedin1991tomanagethebusiness.Currently,
thereisonecliniceachofChineseandwesternmedicineon
TingKokRoadservingthecommunity.Feesarevery low
andtheservicesarewellreceivedbytheresidentsofTaiPo.
SingKungChoTonghas a three-hall layout.The
exteriorof thebuilding is simpleyet elegant,while the
interiorsarerefreshinglyandbeautifullydecorated.Situated
insuchanenvironment,oneisnaturallyinclinedtosharea
senseofserenityandrenewal,asthecoupletdescribesaptly:
Here worldly troubles are washed away,Within this gate respect stands forever.
Toassist developmentof theTaiPodistrict,Sing
KungChoTongdonated land from its backgarden for
the construction of residential buildings. It also went
throughdemolitionand reconstructiondue to itsage. In
order topreserve theoriginalappearance, theprincipleof
reconstructionwastobuildnewstructuresthatresemblethe
old.Thereconstructionprocess lastedformore thanthree
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
years,andthetemplewasreopenedinspringof1990.The
main structure isGuangchengTemplewhere theMaster
isworshipped. Itscouplet reads,"Inmypalms lieheaven
andearth./Tigersanddragonsalwaysbymyside."Onthe
twosidesof theMaster,ZhentanGod(a treegod,whose
birthdayiscelebratedonthe18thdayofthe12thlunarmonth)
andChuGod(theredbird,whosebirthdayiscelebratedon
the17thdayof the6th lunarmonth)areworshipped.21The
birthdayofMasterGuangchengiscelebratedthesixthday
ofthesixthlunarmonth.Alldisciplesofthetemplewould
meet for thecelebrationactivities.TheHallof theThree
PureOnes is foundon thesecondfloorof the thirdhall,
wheretheThreePureOnesareworshipped.Thestatuesare
livelywithapeacefuldemeanour.YuYeeTang is located
behind GuangchengTemple to the right. It has spirit-
calligraphyonthewallwithaprofoundmeaning.Inspired
byMasterGuangcheng,oneof thecoupletssays,"Among
thefiveblessingsoflife,longevitycomesfirst./Withoutlife,
wealthandstatusarefutile."Theotherreads,"Thecranes
andphoenixesdescendinto thehumanworld./Theywrite
encouragements for theheart'sbenefit."However, thefu-
chi(spiritwriting)hasceasedsince1985.Inthehall, there
isagroupphotoofShenggongCaotang's30thanniversary
celebrations in1924.Thispreciousphotographwas taken
infrontof theHallof theThreePureOnes inShenggong
CaotanginGuangzhou.
Even thoughSingKungChoTongispopular in the
community, ithasalwaysmaintaineda lowprofile.The
runningcostsarecontributedbydisciplesvoluntarily,and
it receivesnocontribution fromoutsiders.However, as
the timeschange, therehavebeensomeadjustments in its
policies.Forexample,before1969,SingKungChoTong
wouldonlyrecruitdisciplesoftheQian(male),butlaterit
alsoaccepteddisciplesof theKun(female).Furthermore,
thesitehasbeenopen tovisitorsafter its reconstruction,
although there is stillnodonationbox inside the temple.
In fact, thepolicyofnot acceptingoutsidedonations is
prominentlydisplayedonthepremises.SingKungChoTong
hasplayedanactiveroleinsocialandcommunityservices;
forexample,whenaschoolorahospitalisinneedoffunds,
itwillcontribute.22
Sung Sum To Tak Tan: Laozi Temple Originated from Chaozhou
SungSumToTakTan(TsunSumVirtueAssociation
Co.Ltd),foundedbyCheungSinTinofChaoyangin1948,
islocatedinTsungTsaiYuenofTaiPoKauVillage.Taoist
worshipsitesestablishedby thepeopleofChaozhouare
usuallynamedwiththecharacter"kok("ge"inPutonghua)",
suchasYukHaKok,YuenChingKok,TszWanKok,etc.
In Hong Kong, a number ofTaoist temples have been
established by the people of Chaozhou to worship the
TaoistLordLaozi,includingYuenDohSinKoon,originally
established in1951 inSaiWanand latermoved toChai
Wan.23 Itscentrehall isdevoted to theworshipofLaozi.
AnotherexampleisTszWanKok,locatedinTszWanShan.
SungSumToTakTaninTaiPois,meanwhile,oneof the
earliestTaoist temples inHongKong.With itsmainhall
dedicated to theworshipofLaozi,SungSumToTakTan
isalsoknownasLaoziTemple.OnthetwosidesofLaozi
sit lesserdeitiesTianheandTiande.Thereisacouplet that
reads,"Tianhe isentrustedwith themissionofsaving the
world./TiandeseestheJadeEmperorcarryingbooks."
In1974,SungSumToTakTanappliedforthestatusof
alimitedcompany,andprintedtheSpecialCommemorative
IssuefortheThirtiethAnniversaryofSungSumToTakTan
and theReconstructionof theAncientTemple (崇心通德
壇卅周年暨古廟重建紀念特刊).24MakKingWah,village
chiefofTaiPoKauVillage, recorded its establishment,
"TaiPoSungSumToTakTanwasestablished in1948 in
TaiPoKauVillage.Ithasalreadybeenthirtyyearssinceits
founding.ThegrandaltarisfortheworshipofTaoistfounder
Laozi,andisfrequentedbydevoutworshippers."According
to theTempleAffairs Report by Cheng ChungTsang,
managerof thefirstexecutivecommitteeofSungSumTo
TakTanandchairmanof thesecondexecutivecommittee,
theworshipsitehashad thefollowingdevelopment in its
expansion:
In the early years, the rites and rituals for worshipping Lord Laozi were simple because they had been intended for individual worship at home. With efforts
���
by Cheung Sin Tin to build the temple's reputation, medical and burial services were provided to the community. The temple developed further with blessings by Lord Laozi. More followers subscribed to the faith and many frequented the temple daily. In 1974, temple officials submitted an application to the authority for "limited company" status. ...This temple worships Lord Laozi with the mission: to train a follower's heart in the Tao, to benefit the heart, to discipline one's way by the Tao, and to treat others with courtesy.25
CheungSinTin,thepermanentmasterofthetemple,
explainedthemeaningbehindthetemple'sname:
This temple worships the saintly Lord Laozi. We follow his teachings on the way of life and his beliefs in life, wisdom, culture and philosophy. We follow through in the principles of the Tao. Since the founding of this temple, we have promoted Lord Laozi's ideal virtues for thirty years. The Tao came from lives and lives came from the Origin – thus the virtues of the Tao.26
AfterCheungSinTinpassedawayin2005,thetemple
hasbeenmanagedbyhisson.Accordingtohisson,Cheung
SinTincametoHongKongin1930.Hewas"instructed"
byLordLaozi tocometoHongKongandbuilda temple.
Heinitially livedinKowloonTsaiandmovedtoTaiPoin
1950.Atfirst,hestartedaworshipfacilityathome,andonly
registereditasa limitedcompanylater.SungSamToTak
TanmovedtoitscurrentaddressinTsungTsaiYuenin1991.
CheungSinTinwasalsooneof theoriginal incorporators
of theTaiPoChiuChow(Chaozhou)NativeAssociation
Limited,aswellasthefundcollectorinTaiPoKauforthe
YuLanFestivalPerformance.27Meanwhile,majoreventsat
SungSamToTakTanincludecelebrationsforLordLaozi's
birthdayof the15th dayof the2nd lunarmonth,YuLan
FestivalFaironthe10thdayofthe2nd lunarmonthandthe
GrandWorshipattheendofeachlunaryear.28
Yan Lo: The Worship of Lu Tsu and Five Religions
ThereareanumberofTaoistandBuddhisttemplesin
KamShan,includingTaiKwongYuen,PunChunYuenand
YanLo.
YanLo is located inKamShanVillage.According
tothestoneplaqueat themaingate, itwasfoundedinthe
summerof1951,andthecurrentstructurewasrenovatedin
1968.In1931,Taoistmonks, includingYauKokMan,had
alreadyestablishedYanLoinD'AguilarStreet inCentral.
YanLoinKamShanis,infact, the"TaiPoSite."YauKok
Tak,alsoknownasChingMiu, isYauKokMan'sson.He
usedtobeaspiritmedium,passingondivinemessagesat
YanLo.However,therehasnotbeenanyspiritwritingatthe
hall in thepastdecade.YauManTakwrote"OurTemple's
FiftyTurbulentYears"andrecordedthedescentofLuTsu
inaspiritcallingsessiontoendorsethefoundingofYanLo.
Since1930,YanLohasmovedfivetimesfromitsoriginal
addressinGrahamStreetduetounaffordablerents.In1961,
thehallfinallysettledinitscurrentaddressonthesixthfloor
of20-22D'AguilarStreet.VillagegentrymemberNgChung
ChizassistedwiththebuildingoftheTaiPoSite:
The Society began in 1930. The original site was in Graham Street, Central, inside Yau Kok Man's home. The society initially held informal social meetings until a guest came with the idea of spirit writing. At first it was done as a game without any particular purpose. In one coincidence, Lu Tsu descended with didactic messages. He said, "as it was an opportune meeting with all, why not set up a Taoist worship site for the benefit of the people? Clinics can be established to alleviate suffering in the world. Children can be taught to respect the elderly, and the moral standard of the times can be enhanced. Society will be blessed with your good work. First, You may dispel disasters and misfortune; Second, you may teach the Tao and learn the Zen." Consequently, friends and colleagues were invited to plan for a formal establishment. In 1931, on the 29th day of the 1st lunar month, Yan Lo was
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
established at 9 D'Aguilar Street with an altar. Yau Kok Man, also known as Ching Wai, was one of the founders. Other founding members were Yau Kok Cheung, also known as Ching Man, Yau Hin Tsak, also known as Ching Ming, Yau Man Tak, also known as Ching Miu, Au Wing Lin, also known as Yat Yiu and Chan Wun Cho, also known as Chung Geng (sixteen other members of the Qian and Kun Branches have been abridged). ......The Society made herbal medicine and printed the Tao scripture for distribution. The recipes for the medication were inspired by Lu Tsu. ...In 1932, the Society moved to Jervois Street. ...In 1951, Lu Tsu instructed the society to establish a site for meditation. As a result, a residential house at 80 Kam Shan Village in Tai Po was bought with land of 5,000 square feet. With the help of Ng Tsung Chi of Tsz Ha Yuen, the structure was rebuilt into a two-storey building. When members of the society did not have to work, the Tai Po site served as a place of contemplation and renewal.29
Yan Lo's registered name isYan Lo Buddhist
MonasteryLimited:
The Society has been named for its removal from worldly contests. ...Since its establishment, Lu Tzu has been the master of the Society. According to his teachings, the heavenly God is the creator of all living things on earth. Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity and Islam are five religions that have originated from the heavenly God. The highest heavenly God sits at the main altar at Yan Lo, and, and the Society performs good deeds according to the teachings of the five religions. Therefore, the Society is named Yan Lo and Five Religions Society.30
AstotheconstructionoftheTaiPoSiteinKamShan,
theFoundingofYanLoBuddhistMonasteryinTaiPo(隱廬
佛社重修大埔堂落成記)recordsindetail:
Yan Lo's Tai Po Site is located in Kam Shan Village of Tai Po. From the foot of the mountain, one can reach Yan Lo within a hundred steps. The land, surrounded by the mountains, is 4,000 feet wide and has a very good landscape. Its front view of Pat Sin Leng, its left touches the ranges of Tai Mo Shan, its right embraces the billows of Tolo Harbour, with Kam Shan as its pillow. Water from the Lam Tsuen waterfall flows ahead. The neighbours are followers of the Tao. It is the perfect site for contemplation and enlightenment. Originally, this land had three tiled houses and rich vegetation including flowers, fruit, bamboo and green vegetables. It is an exceptional world of its own. Soon after the purchase of the land, a wooden building with three columns was built. A façade, a pavilion and a fountain were also built, while flowers and fruit trees decorated the premises. The structure was divided into Lu Tsu Chamber, Lung Wah Tong, Guest Chamber, and the office. The upper levels hosted Jade Emperor Chamber, Divine Guards Chamber (Hufa Dian), Kwun Yum Hall, Scripture Reading Hall and the common room. A giant bell had been made to hang on the balcony to remind worshippers of prayer time. In the other corner of the building, the kitchen was found. Furniture was sparse but special and tens of thousands had been spent on it. Fortunately, fellow members were generous to donate. On the 17th day of the 9th lunar month in 1951, Yan Lo was permanently founded in Tai Po. Time flies. It has been eighteen years since its founding. In 1968, Master Ching Wai would have celebrated his 100th birthday if he was alive, and the Tai Po Site was in need of renovation. A plan to rebuild the Tai Po Site was proposed and the second floor Scripture Reading Hall was named Ching Wai Memorial Hall. Lung Wah Tong was expanded to pay respect to the members' ancestors. Yi Ngam Hin and Chap Yin Ngam were added in the back to provide
���
socialising venues for our members. The stairways uphill were rebuilt as well, so that the land was best utilised.
9th lunar month of 1968Yan Lo Buddhist Monastery Expansion Committee Members: Fok Chong Ming, Yau Chong Ming, Cheng Kun Bing, Yau Chung Yan, Lo Kun YingConsultants: Yau Ching Miu, Au Yat Yiu, Yip Kun Sam31
AtYanLo,LuTsu (LuDongbin) isworshipped in
thefirstfloorLuTsuChamber.SiuYiuKung(alsoknown
astheJadeEmperorChamber)isfoundonthesecondfloor
andhas theTszHongDinand theChingWaiMemorial
Hallon its leftandrightrespectively.TheLuTsuportrait
hasbeenpaintedbydiscipleYauManTak.InsidetheJade
EmperorChamber,a tablet isworshipped,payingrespect
tothefoundersofthefivereligionsandotherpopulargods,
including Confucius, Laozi, Sakyamuni, Jesus Christ,
Mohammed,LuTsu,Guandi,KwunYum,SunWukongand
theTenSaintlyDoctors.Everyyearonthe3rddayofthe1st
lunarmonth,anoontimeserviceisheldat theTaiPoSite,
while thefoundinganniversaryof theTaiPoSite, the17th
dayofthe9thlunarmonth,isusuallycelebratedwithafeast.
Thecoupletatthemaingateshows:
"Yan" – to take temporary leave from worldly affairs;"Lo" – a place to meet and greet fel low good neighbours.
AtLuTsuChamber, the couplet on thedoorwas
inspiredbythegreatmasterhimself:
"Yan" – to retreat for enlightenment;"Lo" – a place to learn truth and the Tao.
AtYanLo inD'AguilarStreet,Central, a framed
mirrordisplays themembershiprulesofYanLoBuddhist
Monastery, requesting believers "to follow theTao in
cultivatingvirtues, respect for theelderly,morality and
loyaltywithastrongheartandwill,and toactandspeak
withcautionanddiscipline." In recentyears,YanLohas
printedTaoistandBuddhistscripturesfordistribution.
Fung Loi Leung Yuen: Lectorium for the Worship of Lu Tsu and the Eight Immortals
FungLoiLeungYuen is located inPunShanChau
Village,WunYiu.ThemaingodworshippedthereisLuTsu
(LuDongbin),thusthelocalscallFunLoiLeungYuen"Lu
TsuTemple."According to theelderlypeoplewholive in
thelectoriumtoundertakeandstudy,thesitewaspurchased
bythefoundingmastersofBaojiMonasteryofLofuShan
forcontemplative study.However,because the landwas
underdevelopedatthattime,noimmediateeffortwasmade
toestablishitasaTaoist lectorium.Later,founderYeeGu
was instructedbyLuTsu tooperateclinics tobenefit the
world,andanaltarwassetupinShamShuiPo.Herspirit
healingwasveryeffective,andshebecamewellknownto
many.Manybeneficiariesofherhealinghelpedherfulfilthe
wishtofoundatemple.Inthe1960s,YeeGupurchasedthe
hillylandinPunShanChaufortheconstructionofFungLoi
LeungYuen,whichwasintendedforcontemplativestudy.It
tookalongperiodoftimetobuildthestructureanditwas
eventually inauguratedasaTaoist lectorium.Theportrait
ofLuTsu,worshipped in themainhall,waspainted in
1954,suggestingthatLeungYuencouldhavebeenofficially
foundedin1954.
The site was named "Fung Loi" ("Peng Lai" in
Putonghua).FungLoiisamystical islandintheseaofthe
East,a legendaryplacewhere theEight Immortals rside.
"LeungYuen" ("LangYuan" inPutonghua) refers to the
paradise soughtafterby theDanBranchofTaoism.The
site'snamesuggeststhatitisablessedvenueformeditation
andcontemplation.LeungYuenisbuiltonFungWongShan,
andall thestructureshavebeenbuiltagainst thehills.Lu
Tsu'sportrait isvenerated in thehall,andportraitsof the
Eight ImmortalsandKwunYumareserved infrontof it.
Thevesselsofpowerof theEight Immortalsaredepicted
in theportraits:LiTieguaiwithhisgourd,ZhangGuolao
with thefish-drum,ZhongLiquanwith thepalmleaffan,
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
LuDongbinwithhissword,HeXianguwithherlotus,Lan
Caihewithherflowerbasket,HanXiangziwithhisfluteand
CaoGuojiuwithhis"jianban"musical instrument.LuTsu
Templeisatwo-storeybuilding,withtheKwanTaiChamber
onthegroundfloorandtheLungFungHallservingtheJade
Emperor,DragonMotherandKwunYumonthefirstfloor.
Although LeungYuen is largely a venue for
contemplation,manyvillagerscometoworshipontheJade
Emperor'sbirthdayonthe9thofthe1stlunarmonth,LuTsu's
birthdayonthe14thdayofthe4thlunarmonth,andtheEight
Immortals'birthdayonthe8thdayof the8th lunarmonth.
Villagersalsovisit the templeforguidancefromLuTsu,
withYeeGu'sassistance.In thepast,YeeGuwouldactas
spiritmediumwhenworshipperssoughtspiritualguidance.
However, afterYeeGupassedaway in the1990s, spirit
callingalsoceased.
Man Tak Yuen: Lectorium with a Heavenly Landscape
ManTakYuen,locatedinNgTungChaiofLamTsuen
inTaiPo,wasestablishedbyManTakChiSinSeh.ManTak
ChiSinSehwasfoundedin1951inKowloonworshipping
LuTsu. "Originating from theChongxuBranch, itwas
foundedbyZhengChengchi, studentofYeZongmaoof
YingyuanGong inGuanyinShan,Guangzhou.Thenew
branch isnamedXin."32During themid1970s,previous
master,CheungChiFan JusticeofPeace (whowas the
chairmanof theVillageCommitteeof theTaiPoAlliance
ofSeven)discoveredapieceoffarmlandnexttothehillsof
LamTsuen.Withencouragementandsupportfromagroup
ofTaoistmonks,hebuiltaTaoistlectoriumsitetherewitha
heavenlylandscape.Aftertwentyyearsofdevelopment,Man
TakYuenhasestablisheditscurrentstature.
ManTakYuen is built by the hills with halls of
grandeur.Thegatetowerbearsthefollowingcouplet:
The falls and the streams, the rivers and the lives map the fairyland of phoenix trees.
The fog girdles the green mountaintop, with ancient caves at the South Mountain enveloping a heavenly otherworld.
Accordingto the lectorium'smanager, themountain
streamfromtheNgTungChaiwaterfallgirdles thevalley
infrontofManTakYuen.Themountainsfromafarshow
rocks in theshapeofscripturescrolls.Thiswouldbe the
"map"that thecoupletrefers to,andconfirmsthat thesite
forManTakYuen is apieceofblessed landperfect for
Taoistworship.Close to thevalley liesNamShan(South
Mountain), echoing the LuTsu's comment (passed on
throughspiritcalling),"theancientcavesofNamShanare
good formeditation."Havingpassed thegate tower,one
enters the structuresofManTakYuen.Due to the site's
geographiccomposition, thestructureshavenotbeenbuilt
accordingtothetraditionalstyleofcentralaxisconstruction.
However,as thehallswerebuilt in layersalongthevalley,
thestructureshigherup,suchasLuTsuHallandShuiYuet
Temple,lookliketheyarechambersinheaven,andvisitors
enjoythemostspectacularview.
A fewmastersparticipated in thebuildingofMan
TakYuen,andittooktwentyyearstocreatethesitewesee
today.Builtalongthehills,ManTakYuenradiatesanaura
ofgrandeur.ConstructionofLuTsuHallwascompleted
in1977and itwasoff icially inaugurated the following
year. Inside thehall,LuTsu isworshipped in thecentre,
while themastersWangChongyangandQiuChangchun
areworshippedonthetwosides.Thewordsontheplaque
werewrittenbyLiBaijiin1977.JikDakPavilionwasbuilt
in1981, intended tobeused toprayforrainonbehalfof
thepeople.At the time,HongKongexperienced severe
droughtandLuTsuinstructedthetempletobuildapavilion
toprayforrain.Lateron,rainfell indeedandthepavilion
wasnamed JikDak (GoodDeeds)Pavilion.From1996
to1998,ManTakYuenwent throughthesecondphaseof
construction.StructuresbuiltduringtheperiodincludeShui
YuetTemple,HangTinTempleandNgFookHall,which
housesJadeEmperorTemple ,and theHallof theThree
PureOnes.InsideHangTinTemple,KwanTai,ManCheong
Tai(Wenchangdi)andHungMing(ZhugeLiang); there is
��0
alsoBodhisattvaKsitigarbhaChamberanda facility for
worshippingtheBuddha.Thecharacter"long(dragon)"on
thewalloutsideDauMoTemplewasinspiredbyKwunYum
andwrittenbyZhengzongShuhuashefromTaiwan.It tells
thestoryofthemastersofManTakYuensettingupasitein
Taiwanandexchangingideasandbeliefswithbelievers in
Taiwan.33 Inside theHallof theThreePureOnesnotonly
arethethreedeities,JadeClarity(Yuqing),HighestClarity
(Shangqing)andGreatClarity(Taiqing)worshipped,butalso
eighteenotherimmortalsaints.Oneofthecharacteristicsof
ManTakYuenis that,mostof theportraitsworshippedin
thesite, includingthoseof theThreePureOnes,Immortal
MasterYuandImmortalMasterLiu,werepaintedbyMaster
ChoiYiu,whoseTaoistnameisSungKing.34Thebelltower
wasbuilt in1990and ispartofa four-sectioncompound
withLuTsuHallandWangLingHall.35
TheTaoists of ManTak Chi Sin Seh are active
participants in the temple ritualsandactivities inTaiPo.
AfterManMoTemple inFuShinStreet,TaiPoMarket,
becameadeclaredmonument,theVillageCommitteeofthe
AllianceofSevenrenovatedthetemplein1985.Statuesof
ManTaiandMoTaiwererestoredandthedisciplesofMan
TakChiSinSehwere responsible for theirconsecration
ceremony.36 In2001,ManTakChiSinSehcelebrated the
50thyearanniversaryof its founding.BesidesaChinese
NewYear prayer meeting held in ManTakYuen,37 the
mastersalsojoinedtheprayermeetingandscripturechanting
inWunYiutocelebrateFanSin'sbirthdaythatyear.
Lo Fung Academy: A Retreat of the Past
Lo FungAcademy was located inToYuenTung
Village.EstablishedbyChinesemedicalpractitionerChan
TszShek(1901-1981), itwasalsoknownasToYuenChin
King.ChanTszShekcame toHongKong in1949, and
publishedabookonthestudyofspiritualpractice.(Heheld
theviewthatthestudyofspiritualpracticehadbeenknown
intheoldendaysasTaoistPracticeinImmortalityandwas
knowninmodern timesas thePracticeofLifeandSoul).
Theplanningandprintingof thisbookwasundertakenby
GengSengChoTong,whichwasrenamedasLoFungGui
SiLamin1952.In1956,analtarwasestablishedtoworship
TaoistmastersLuTsuandZhangTsu.38BelieversofLo
FungworshippedthemastersofNamChungandvenerated
theSanYangMastersas"MasterLiBoyangwhospreadand
elevatedTaoistvirtues,MasterLuChunyangwhopractised
Taoistbeneficence,andMasterZhangZiyangwhoadvocated
Taoist ideology."39In1960, thestudywasregisteredasLo
FungAcademy. In the followingyearover10,000square
metresof landwaspurchasedinToYuenTungVillagefor
theconstructionofLoFungSpiritualPracticeInstitute.The
landwaslocatedintheslightlyelevatedareanorthwestofa
mountainstream.
AccordingtotheinformationprovidedbyManTakChiSinSeh,thedevelopmentalstagesofManTakYuenare:
1951ZhengChengchicametoHongKongcarryingwithhimthedepictionofthemaster'simage.
1952 ManTakChiSinShewasfoundedonYinChongStreet.
1956 ApermanentplaceonCantonRoadispurchased.
1972ManTakYuenwasunderplanningtobebuiltinNgTungChai.
1977LuTsuHall inManTakYuenwascompletedin1978.Anopeningceremonywasheldonthe27thdayofthe9thlunarmonth.
1979 AbranchtemplewasestablishedonTungFatSquare.
1981PavilionofRainwasbuilt toprayfor rains forHongKong.ThepavilionwaslaterrenamedJikDak.AlotuspondforKwunYumwasthenbuilt.
1982ThemaintempleinPoHangBuildingonDundasStreetwasunderplanning.
1990
TheopeningceremonyoftheBellTowerwasheldonthe12thdayofthe6thlunarmonth.Thefaçadeatthemainentrygatewasexpandedandanopeningceremonywasheldonthe8thdayofthe12thlunarmonth.
1991TheManTakInstituteonTaoistStudieswasestablishedinShizilin,Simenting,Taiwan.
1996HalloftheThreePureOnes,LibraryofScriptures,NgFookHallandthePodiumoftheEightImmortals.
1997ShuiYuetTemple was completed and an openingceremonywasheldonthe16thdayofthe8thlunarmonth.
1998HangTinTempleforKwanTai,DauMoHallandtheFaçadeofKeepingaGoodNamewerebuilt.
2000TheManTakYuenManagementCommitteewasformedtotakecareoftheinstitute'sdailyoperation.
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
ChanTszShek,anativeofXinhui,Guangdong,was
giventhetitle"TaosistMasterLoFung."HelearnedtheTao
fromChenKuigongoftheNamChungBranch,calligraphy
andpaintingfromGaoJianfu,andChinesemedicinefrom
ChenBotan(oneofGuangdong'sfourbestknownChinese
medicalpractitioners).AccordingtotheBiographyofChan
TszShek (陳子石先生小傳) byTseTingSham,Chan's
disciple:
Chan Tsz Shek 's hometown was Xinhui o f Guangdong. He started learning Chinese medicine at a young age, and he practised the Tao and art. His ancestor, Baisha, was famous for his meditation practices and philosophical ideas. Chan learned from his family members Chen Kuigong how to make medicinal pills. He came from a learned family. He lived in seclusion in Lo Fung, but he blessed his followers with teachings and benefited the world with virtues. He had published eight types of Taoist book.40 Followers from near and far benefited from his teaching. He had also saved numerous people.
ChanTszShekhadalsopublished theunscheduled
journalLoFungSpiritualPractice (鑪峰修養刊) (the1st
to21st issueswerepublishedfrom1958to1963).Healso
authoredTaoistRhymes (嬾道吟) andLoFungCouplet
Collections (鑪峰楹聯集).
Lo FungAcademy's lecture hall was located on
NathanRoadinKowloon.TheToYuenChinKingsiteinTai
Po'sToYuenTungVillagewasaretreat.Enteringtheretreat's
smallentrygate, the façadebearing theplaque"ToYuen
ChinKing"hadthecouplet,"Inside'Lo'('Lu'inPutonghua)
theTao ishidden,/Outside 'Fung' ('Feng' inPutonghua)a
blessedlandisconcealed."Insidethemaingate,thefrontof
thefaçadeshowedthewords"LoFung"writtenbyYuYau
Yam,while thewords"SingDei("Shengdi" inPutonghua,
meaning"theHolyLand")waswrittenbyKwokTingHung
in1965.Going further,onewouldcomeuponSanYang
TempleworshippingLiBoyang,LuChunyangandZhang
Ziyang.Thethreeholystatuesweresculptedinmarble.The
plaqueoutsidethegateread,"OneVeinunderNamChung,"
andhadthecouplet,"TheSanYangMastersareworshipped
in 'Lo,'/TheEightImmortalsareVeneratedin 'Fung'."The
coupletwascomposedbyMasterChuToKauandwritten
byMasterNgBaLing.41BesidesSanYangTemple, the
sitealsohadstreamsandbridges, templesandpagodas.
Thestructures includedWahPond,DivineBoat,Zhuangzi
Terrace,YuenTangTower,LeungYuenTempleandFungLoi
Temple.LoFungAcademywasaworldof itsown, living
up to itsname"ToYuenChinKing" ("TaoyanQianjing"
inPutonghua),whichmeans"apieceofblessedlandfrom
heaven".Besides, therewere inscriptionepitaphspaying
respectstotheteachingsofLuTsuandLaozi.In1961,the
LiBoyangEpitaphwasestablishedinMuzhainTaipeiby
membersofLoFung.ThelandonwhichLoFungAcademy
wasbuiltwasnamed"ToYuenTungTin,"andisintheshape
ofagourdupsidedown.PoSumLake,infrontofthesite,
andPatSinLengareconnectedtoTaiMoShan.Twoofthe
coupletsatthesiteread:
ChanTszShekwrites:
The view is exceptional. In early tides a small boat bathes under the sun. Lights of the fishing boat illuminate half of the river of Yuen Chau Island. The dusk of Pat Sin Leng flutters. The green top of Tai Mo Shan pierces the sky. These scenes paint a picture of nature, of freedom, of superb view, of grandeur. The leisure flows under the eyes. Refined visitors come to search for ancient relics.
Many saints pass on the Tao through the ages. Emperor Xuanyuan rides the dragon in Ding Lake. Master Boyang rides the bull in Han Valley. Lu Dongbin casts his sword in Qing City. Pingshu receives his calling in Tiantai. Each generation seeks a mission, to create, to establish, to raise, to accomplish. One remembers virtues in abundance. I seek to revive the spirit of the Tao.
���
TheviewofYanLo'sLuTsuChamber.Thecoupletwasadoptedfromthespirit-writingofLuTsu.(PhotographybyYauChiOn,2008)
ThemainhallofSungSumToTakTan.ThedeityimageofLaoziisinthecenterwhile thedeity imagesofTianheandTiandeareonthetwosides.(PhotographybyYauChiOn,2008)
SungSumToTakTan(PhotographybyYauChiOn)
ThefirstfloorofYanLoistheLuTsuChamber.TheupperlevelhoststheJadeEmperorChamberandKwunYumHall.(PhotographybyYauChiOn,2008)
ChuToKauwrites:
Boats travel the winding river of Pat Sin Leng. Who says there is no spiritual land in Tai Po?San Yang Temple hosts the immortal masters of the Tao, I dare say there is heaven within To Yuen.
TheTaoists of Lo Fung not only placed a strong
emphasison spiritualpractice,but alsocaredabout the
elderlyandthepoor.Theyhaddistributedriceto200senior
citizens inTaiPo,42andhaddonatedclothingfordisaster
relief.43In1959,theTaoistsofLoFungrespondedtothecall
by theWahKiuYatPo tohelpchildrenstruckbydisaster
throughsellingcalligraphyandpaintings.Theyalsowrote
theforewordforthecharityexhibition.44LoFungAcademy
hadplannedanexpansionofthesiteandtheestablishmentof
freeschoolsandelderlyhomes.Unfortunately,thisheavenly
retreatdisappearedfromthefaceofHongKongastheHong
KongGovernmentdevelopedresidentialareasinthe1980s.
Today,thedescendantsofChanTszShekliveabroad,andhis
followersarefoundinHongKong,Taiwan,Malaysiaandthe
Philippines.45TheinscriptionepitaphsatLoFunghavebeen
movedtoWunChuenSinKooninPingChe,Fanling.
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
tiesThe couplet in the LuTsu Chamber was written by Daoji in 1951.
(PhotographybyYauChiOn,2008)
TheinteriorofFunLoiLeungYuen'sLuTsuTemple.(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
ThefrontpartofLeungYuenisaLuTsuTemple.StandingnexttotheLuTsuTempleisatwo-storeybuildingwithKwanTaiChamberonthegroundfloorandLungFungHallonthesecondfloor.(PhotographybyYauChiOn,2008)
���
FungLoiLeungYuen(PhotographybyYauChiOn)
ManTakYuen'sLuTsuTemple.(ProvidedbyMasterChoiHiu) AviewofManTakYuenfromadistance.(ProvidedbyManTakYuen)
TheinterionofLuTsuTempleofManTakYuen.(ProvidedbyMasterChoiHiu)
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
Theplaquereads"OneVeinunderNamChung."MasterChanTszShekworeadarkgownstandinginthemiddleofthefirstrow.(ProvidedbyMasterLaiTszHing)
FellowmembersoftheLoFungAcademytookphotographyintheLoFungAcademy,whichhadstreamsandbridges,templesandpagodas.Thesiteisconsideredapieceofblessedlandfromheaven.(ProvidedbyMasterLaiTszHing)
Afaçadebearingtheplaque"ToYuenChinKing"waserectedattheentrygateoftheLoFungAcademy.ThesecondpersonfromtherightwasMasterChanTszShek.(ProvidedbyMasterLaiTszHing)
In1961,LoFungSpiritualPractice Institutewasat the foundingstage.(ProvidedbyMasterLaiTszHing)
���
Buddhist Monasteries
Foreword
Theearliest recordof the introductionofBuddhism
intoHongKongcanbetracedbacktotheNorthandSouth
Dynasties(428B.C.).ItissaidthatIndianZenMasterPuiTo
stayedinTuenMun,HongKong,whilehewaswaitingfora
boatbacktohiscountryandfoundedTsingShanMonastery
inTuenMunandLingToMonastery inHaTsuen,Yuen
Long.Although theseedsofBuddhismhadbeenplanted
longago,HongKongneverreallyhadanyfamousBuddhist
templesor seniorBuddhistmonks.The foundingof the
above-mentioned Buddhist sites was more a matter of
convenientcircumstances, and therewerenosignificant
developmentsthereaftertospeakof.Concretedevelopments
cameonlyafterHongKonghadbecomeaseaport.
During the lateQingDynasty,Buddhism inChina
experiencedvariouscrises, includingamoralitycleanup,
theuseoftemplepropertyforeducationandthe"NewLife
Movement".The traditionaleconomicorderofBuddhist
temples was completely destroyed and movements to
strengthen and reform Buddhism arose against this
backdrop.ScholarlyBuddhistfollowerslikeYangXianshan
andOuyang Jingwupromoted "LayBuddhism",which
injectednew life intoBuddhism inChina.The ideawas
toreviveBuddhismwith themotto,"savetheheartbefore
saving theworld."The fateofBuddhismwasultimately
linkedtotherevivalofmoralityandthenation'sfate,anda
theoreticalmodelwasdevelopedfor thisnewidea,sothat
Buddhismcouldbepractisedinapragmaticcontext.Master
Taixuledtheideaof"HumanitarianBuddhism"andobliged
practitioners toparticipate in theaffairsof theworldand
toalleviatesufferings, therebyconfirmingtheprincipleof
MahayanaBuddhism,"to seekBuddhahood fromabove,
teachandliberatesentientbeingsfrombelow."Theseideas
addressed the fact that thepreviouspracticeof reclusive
"ShanlinBuddhism"encouragedan individualisedpursuit
inbeliefandenlightenmentbyescaping to themountain
monasteries,and the leadersof thenewschoolcalledon
BuddhiststopractiseUrbanBuddhismandpreachbybeing
engaged in theworld.Fromaneconomicperspective, the
newmovementschangedthetraditionalself-relianteconomy
ofmonasteries:thecontemporarymonasteriesweremanaged
by lay Buddhists, and the modern monastery economy
depends on the preaching of Buddhism, the religious
servicesofferedandtheservicesprovidedtosociety.
ThedevelopmentofBuddhism inHongKongwas
connectedtothatinChinainsomeways,butinmanyother
ways itdiffered, largelybecauseBuddhismhadahistory
of itsown inHongKong'senvironment.During the late
QingDynasty,ZenMastersDayue,DunxiuandYueming
travelledsouthand foundedBigHut inOnPing,Lantau
Island.BigHutwasthepredecessorofPoLinMonastery.In
1911,MasterMiaocancametoHongKongtotakeoverthe
Tangclan'sancestralmeditationhall,LingWanMonastery,
anddevelopedit intoaBuddhistworshipsite.In1918,lay
BuddhistLoKaCheongestablishedKickLokYuenon
HongKongIsland,offeringdailychantingofscripturesand
weeklylecturesonBuddhism.Witheffortsbymonksandlay
followers,BuddhisminHongKongfinallyembarkedonits
owndevelopment.
ThebuildingofBuddhistmonasteriesinTaiPobegan
inthe1920s,anearlyperiodofdevelopmentforBuddhism
in Hong Kong overall.This was also the time when
BuddhismunderwentdramaticchangesinChina.Although
onlya fewmonasterieswerebuilt in thebeginning, the
different ideologieswithinBuddhismwereall represented,
fromthetraditionalShanlinBuddhism,totheemergingLay
Buddhismandtheall-newUrbanBuddhism.Itisespecially
worthnotingthatMasterTaixu,paramountleaderofmodern
Buddhism,hadlivedandtaughtBuddhisminTaiPo.When
MasterTaixupassedaway,hisdiscipleMasterYinshunalso
stayed inTaiPo toeditTheCompleteVolumeofMaster
Taixu(太虛大師全書).Indeed,thebookwasfinishedinTai
Po,yetanothermilestoneforBuddhisminHongKong'sor
evenChina'shistory.
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
Ma Wo Shan Ting Wai Monastery : Earliest Buddhist Site in Tai Po
TingWaiMonasteryofMaWoShan,establishedin
1923, is theearliestBuddhistworshipsite inTaiPo.The
founderof themonasterywasMonkMasterZengxiu,who
wasoneoftheyoungmonkswhotravellednorthtoChinato
studyBuddhism.AmongthefamousmonksinHongKong,
the first to studyBuddhism inChinawasMonkMaster
Hairen,yetMonkMasterZengxiustudiedBuddhismwith
himinShanghai.AccordingtoYuLingBo:
Master Hairen held high status among an older generation of senior monks in Guangdong. He was the earliest Guangdong monk to visit the Three Jungles of Jiangnan. After he went back to Guangdong to preach, a number of other monks followed his footsteps and visited the Jiangzhe area. These monks, including Fa-ke, Rongqiu, Lingzhan and Maorui, have spread Buddhism to the benefit of many afterwards. Therefore, Master Hairen was a pioneering figure for Chinese Buddhism during the late Qing and early Republican Period.46
Master Zengxiu was a na t ive of Kaiping in
Guangdong,andhissecularnamewasHuang.Borninthe9th
yearoftheGuangxuReign(1883),hedecidedtorenounce
hissecularlifeattheageof22.Histonsurewasperformed
byMasterChuanghuiatDajueMonastery inQixingyan,
Zhaoqing. In the twelve lunarmonthof the sameyear,
QingyunMonasteryofDinghuShanrecruiteddisciplesand
MasterZengxiu took thevowto followthe fullBuddhist
preceptsunderMasterConghuaandbecameadiscipleofthe
bhikşuprecepts.Whenhewas27yearsold,hewasappointed
byMasterShouanasheadofthemonastery.MasterZengxiu
feltthatDinghuShanfocusedonBuddhistritualsandlacked
theoreticalbasisforBuddhistteachingsandresearch,sohe
followedMasterZhanfenandheadednorth forBuddhist
study.HevisitedJinshanMonasteryofZhenjiang,Tianning
Monastery of Changzhou, andTiantong Monastery of
NingboforZenstudy.Trainingwasrigorous.Laterhewent
toHuayanDaxueinShanghaitoattendlecturesontheSutra
TheoldmaingateofTingWaiMonastery(ProvidedbyTingWaiMonastery)
TheoldmainhallofTingWaiMonastery(ProvidedbyTingWaiMonastery)
���
ofGreatWisdombyMasterYuexia.Amonghiscompany
wereGuangdongmonksHairenandYuancan.47
InthevastlandofChina,transportationwasdifficult
in thepastandthereweredifferencesbetweenthefaithof
theLingnanareaandthatofcentralChina.Buddhismhas
experiencedadecline in themodern times,butBuddhism
in theLingnanareawasfurther influencedbytheregion's
changes andbecame secularised.Worse still,Buddhist
preceptsanddisciplineswereoftenbreached.Monkhood
wasconsideredanoccupation,andthepractitionersdidnot
wearBuddhistattire.Onlywhen therewereritualswould
themonkswearBuddhist robes, thus theexpression"be
aone-daymonkandring thebell for theday."Buddhism
underwentaseriouscrisisand theurgentneedfor reform
arose.Notonlywerenon-believersdisgusted,butalso the
practitionerswereoutraged.Inthislight,tostudyBuddhism
upnorthbecameamuch-aspiredpursuitforthetrulydevout
youngmonks.Itwasalsocommonpracticetoinvitemasters
fromtheMainlandto lecture in thesouth.AsHongKong
is thegatewaybetweenChinaandoverseas,manymonks
stoppedoverintheirjourneysandgavelectures.Buddhism
of thenorthandthesouth interactedhere,andlaterHong
Kongwouldbecomeapopularrespiteformonksfleeingthe
warsinthenorth.Theseconditionsspurredthedevelopment
ofBuddhisminHongKong.
ThemaingateofTingWaiMonastery(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
MonkMasterZengxiu(ProvidedbyTingWaiMonastery)
TheGreatHallofTingWaiMonasterywasonce themostmagnificentBuddhistbuildinginHongKong.(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
AftertwoyearsinJiangnan,MasterZengxiureturned
toGuangdongand stayed atDajueMonastery.He also
frequentedQingyunMonastery inDinghu,and twicehe
opposed the closingofDajueMonastery and turning it
intoarestaurant.Healsoledtheothermonksindefending
themonasteryagainstroguegangsandstoppedthemfrom
ascending themountain.48WhenMasterZengxiuwas38,
heonceagainresignedfromhispositions inDinghu,and
was referredbyMasterZhanfen toLingWanMonastery
on KwunYum Shan in the NewTerritories to practise
purification.ThemasterofLingWanMonastery,Miaocan,
also studiedBuddhism in Jiangnanwhenhewasyoung.
InHongKong,hetookoverthemanagementofLingWan
Monastery,aswellasguided theconversion toBuddhism
ofChanGutCheungofTsingWanKoon inTuenMun.
Chanwent on to becomeamonk andwasknown later
asMasterHinHay.Akey figure in the revivalofTsing
Shan Monastery, Master Hin Hay also foundedYuen
TungMonasteryandTszTsukLamMonastery inKwum
YumShan.AsaBuddhist leader,hehadmadesignificant
contributions to thedevelopmentofBuddhism inHong
Kong.WhenMasterZengxiucametoLingWanMonastery,
hewasmuchrespectedbyMasterMiaocan,whointroduced
himtoabroadnetworkofBuddhistfollowers.49
ManyfollowersofLingWanMonasteryweremembers
of Hong Kong's Chinese upper class. Master Zengxiu
establishedgood relationswith the thirdwifeof famous
merchantLiBoKwaiofSanhui,ChowYeeGuandLauSei
Gu,possiblybecausetheyalloriginatedfromtheWuyiarea
(Xinhui,Taishan,Kaiping,EnpingandHeshan).50LingWan
MonasteryislocatedatthefootofKwunYumShan.Atthe
time, theNewTerritorieswasnot readilyaccessible from
therestofHongKong.TogettoLingWanMonastery,one
hadtotakeasedanchairfromTaiPoandtravelalongsmall
mountainouspaths. Itwasa longandstrenuous trip.51 In
ordertoencouragefrequentlecturesbyZengxiu,andalsoto
providebelieverswithaconvenientplacetoworship,itwas
proposedthatanotherBuddhistsitebebuilt.Miaocanwas
infavourofthisproposal,andwiththehelpofhisdisciples,
ZengxiubeganlookingforasiteinTaiPo.
In termsofgeographical convenience,TaiPowas
accessiblebyboatandrailduring the1920s. In this light,
itwasamuchbetter location thanLingWanMonastery,
whichwashiddeninthemountains.Intermsofcommunity
acceptance,TaiPowasgenerallymorereceptivetooutsiders
and the culture that they brought with them as it was
populatedbyHakkavillagers.Forinstance,theintroduction
of Catholicism intoTai Po had never encountered any
opposition. Since Buddhism is a traditional Chinese
religion, thecommunitygenerally recognised it.Besides,
themonasterieswereself-reliantandrequirednofinancial
supportfromthelocalcommunity.Theyhadlittleimpacton
thevillagers'livelihood,thusBuddhismwaseasilyaccepted
bythelocalcommunity.Furthermore,MaWoVillagewasa
HakkavillageinTaiPo'sLuenYeeHeungwitharelatively
shorthistory.Localaffinitieswereyettobeformedandso
therewasnoresistanceagainstoutsidersatthetime.
Master Zengxiu ......searched for blessed land in the To Yuen Tung area, and found the current location of Ting Wai Monastery in Ma Wo Shan. He was drawn to the serenity of the landscape, created by lush bushes and long streams. He raised funds to buy the land, with an area of over 10,000 square feet, from the Hong Kong Government. It was decided that fruit trees would be planted to support the Monastery and benefit others. There was a devout follower Kwan Ng Gu, who came from a wealthy background and showed immense respect for Master Zengxiu. She was prepared to give full financial support to the construction of the Monastery, but passed away two months after construction began. At the time, the foundations had just been laid. Master Zengxiu lamented the misfortune, but the Monastery would still be built with support from other followers. At its grand opening, the Monastery was named Lan Yeuk Yuen to convey a sense of tranquillity.52
ThenameLanYeukYuenand thedevelopmentof
farmlandforself-supportareindicatorsof theMonastery's
intention topractiseZen agriculture (a combinationof
��0
agriculturallifeandthereligiouspracticeofZen).Although
TaiPowasmoreconvenient thanKwunYumShan, itwas
still in theratherremotecountryside.ManyBuddhistsites
inTaiPo, therefore, had "yuen" ("yuan" inPutonghau,
meaning"garden") in theirnames todenoteagarden-like
environment,suchasLanYeukYuen,TaiKwongYuenand
PunChunYuen.According toAnExplanationofPhrases
andWords (說文解字),"'yuen'iswherethefruittreesare."
Indeed,until the1960s,MaWoShanwasonlyaccessible
by mountain trails fromTai Po Market and was still
isolatedfromtherestofHongKong.Duringthesixyears
ofZengxiu'sstayinLanYeukYuen,hespentmuchtimein
contemplationbutalsoheld lecturedinnergatherings.At
onegathering,MasterXiaohangfromQingyunMonasteryin
Dinghugavealecture.Duringthelecture,aseventeenyear-
oldfemalestudent,GuofromGuangzhouNormalSchool,
askedmanyquestions.SheeventuallybecameaBuddhist
TingWaiMonasterywasoncenamedLanYeukYuen.Thenameplaqueisstillbeingkepttoday.(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
nunandfoundedTaiKwongYueninTaiPo.Again,seeds
weresownbutgrowthwouldonly takeplacemanyyears
later.
In the Mainland, the "New Life Movement" was
gainingmomentum,and its followersattacked traditional
religion.EvenfamousmonasterieslikeQingyunMonastery
ofDinghuwereunder threat.Themonks there requested
helpfromZengxiu,andhereturnedtoQingyunMonastery
in1928tosaveitfrompossibledemise.ZengxiuleftHong
KongforsixyearsandonlyreturnedtoLanYeukYuenin
1934. In thesameyear, theMainShrinewasbuilt inLan
YeukYuenwithfundscontributedbyZengxiuandthethird
wifeofLiBoKwai tohonour thewishof the lateLauSi
Gu,co-founderofLanYeukYuen.Thestructureis talland
grand,andstoodoutfromtheMainShrinesofHongKong's
monasteriesat the time.Ayear later,Zengxiureturned to
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
QingyunMonasteryagainandstayedthereuntil1938,when
theJapanese invadedGuangdong.As thewarprogressed,
manyBuddhistmonksandnuns fled toHongKong,and
theywerereceivedbythemonasterieshere.Eventhoughlife
wasdifficult,LanYeukYuenstill tookinsixtypeopleand
providedtemporaryrefugetothem.
In December of 1941, Hong Kong fell under
Japaneseoccupation.The Japanesemilitarygovernment
inHongKong implementedapolicyof"returning to the
countryside" inorder to reducepopulationdensity and
alleviatefoodshortage.Manycitizenswereforcedtoreturn
totheirhometowns,andthepopulationinvillagesinTaiPo
decreaseddramatically.Manyvacanthomesbecamerefuge
forthievesandlooters.Theindigenousvillagerswouldonly
farm their fieldsduring theday,and return to thesafety
of themountainsorTaiPoMarketatnight.Somepublic
buildingsinTaiPo,suchasNgSheungTaiinWunYiu,were
destroyedasthetilesandconstructionmaterialsweretaken
andexchangedformoney.Zengxiuhadintendedtoreturnto
Guangdong,but thevillagersremindedhimthatLanYeuk
Yuencouldcollapsewithouthis leadership.Sohestayed.
Agedsixty,hesurvivedonwhateverfoodthatwaspreserved
andalsoatepapayarootsandwildvegetation.Hepulled
throughthreeyearsandeightmonthsunderextremelyharsh
conditions.Manypeoplediedfromstarvationduring that
period.Onceagain,Zengxiuwasfacedwiththedilemmasof
lifecausedbyuncertainties,andthisexperiencebecamethe
basisforhisBuddhistteachingafterthewar.
After the Japanese occupation in 1947, Zengxiu
returned toQingyunMonasteryasmastermonk.In1950,
hereturned toLanYeukYuenbecausehedidnotwant to
leave it inruins.53HebecamethemastermonkofPoLin
MonasteryonLantau Island in1951but resignedaftera
year.Atthistime,anincidenthappened,sparkingLanYeuk
Yuen'sevolutionintoTingWaiMonasterytoday.
When Master Zengxiu returned to Hong Kong from Dinghu, he brought a disciple of his with him. The disciple and a secular man, Leung, later lived in Lan Yeuk Yuen. Leung claimed that he was producing
agricultural products for sale and asked Master Zengxiu if he could lease land in Lan Yeuk Yuen for farming. The kind-hearted Zengxiu......agreed. Yet, the disciple and Leung cheated on the contract, taking advantage of the fact that Zengxiu did not understand English. They rushed the lawyer to finish up the contract and asked Zengxiu to sign it. Zengxiu was a truly honest man, and was not aware that he had lost his land to a calculated trap. With the contract, the two men assumed management of the land and even told Zengxiu to retire and give up ownership.54
Aftertheincident,theotherdisciplesofZengxiuwere
enraged.CheungKwokSheungSau, thewifeofCheung
ChukShan(nativeofXinhui,Guangdong)wasparticularly
furious.TheCheung familywas a traditionalmerchant
family.Mrs.Cheungwasadevout followerofBuddhism
andavery influential figure in thefamily.SinceZengxiu
wasfromKaipingand the twoflagrant thieveswerefrom
Taishan,Mrs.CheunginvitedmediationbytheFiveDistricts
(Wuyi)BusinessWelfareAssociation.Aftermuchhassle,
Zengxiumanaged to reclaim themonasteryproperty.He
realisedthat themonasterywasthefruitofhardworkand
shouldbeadequatelypreservedandprotected.Adopting
thesuggestionsbymany,hechangedLanYuekYuenintoa
monastery("shifangconglin")–TingWaiMonastery–and
registeredtheestablishmentasalimitedcompany.55
BesideslecturingonBuddhismalloverHongKong,
Zengxiu also invested a lot of effort in improving the
Monastery.HeclearedthelandinfrontoftheMainShrine
andbuilt threepavilions.Onthe left isManMingChung
Ting(PavilionoftheBellofTenThousandNames),witha
bellweighing1,000catties.Thenamesof10,000sponsors
areinscribedonthebellandthisishowthebellgotitsname.
WaiTorHall is inthecentre,whileYauHeiTingisonthe
right. In1966,ZengxiuretiredfromhispositionasChief
MasterofTingWaiMonastery,andtheBoardofDirectors
appointedMasterMaorui inhis succession.TheDharma
ProtectionCommitteewasestablishedtopromoteBuddhism,
withlayBuddhistYeungYatLamaschairpersonandCheung
KwokSheungSauasvicechairperson.Meanwhile,Master
���
MaoruiwasalsofromGuangdongandhishometownwas
Kaiping.Herenouncedhissecularlifewhenhewastwenty
yearsold. In1931,whenhewas28,hewentona study
tourof the famousmonasteries in Jianggnanandvisited
MasterDa-de.In1932,hecametoHongKongandfounded
NamTinChukMonasteryinTsuenWan.Afterthewar,he
donatedlandforthebuildingofTungLumNienFahTong.
Laterhebecameoneof thefamousmonksinHongKong.
MasterLeguosucceededMaorui.Amonkfromthenorth,
LeguocametoHongKongaftertheLiberation.Hewasone
ofthe"threeeldersfromtheNortheast"andalsowellknown
inHongKong.LeguowassucceededbyRuitao,whowas
alsofromnorth-easternChinaandwhostudiedBuddhismat
BanyueBuddhistSchoolinChangchun.AfterMasterRuitao,
MasterYanWai,alsochairmanof theBoardofDirectors,
tookovermanagementof themonastery.Duringhis term,
hebuiltPoTungTowerand theZengxiuMemorialHall.
YanWai'ssecularnamewasNganSiuTongandhewasalso
knownasSaiLeung.YanTsanwashisBuddhist title.He
wasanearlygraduateoftheUniversityofHongKonganda
well-knownlayBuddhist.HavinglearnedaboutBuddhism
whenhewasyoung,Nganhadnot left thepursuitof the
faithandstudiedZenwithMonkMasterXuyun.In1948,
Ms.JenningscametoseeXuyunfromtheUnitedStates,and
Nganwastheinterpreter.Hisinterpretationwasdescribedby
knowledgeablepeopleasjustright,"withoutanyredundancy,
norwasanymeaninglost.XuyundeliveredBuddhismwith
TheWaiTorHallintheTingWaiMonasteryinthepast.(providedbyTingWaiMonastery)
MonkMasterZengxiu'sAppointmentCertificateofTeacherissuedbytheHongKongBuddhistSanghaAssociation.(ProvidedbyTingWaiMonastery)
Zengxiu Memorial Hall for the founding Monk Master Zengxiu.(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
friendsforvacation,she learned thatMasterXiaohangof
QingyunMonastery inDinghuShanwas lecturing inLan
YeukYuen.Since shewas interested inphilosophy, she
went to the lecturehoping to learnaboutBuddhism.She
wasdeeplymovedbythelecture,andstudiedtheBuddhist
scripturegiventoherbyMasterXiaohang.Sherealisedthat
uncertaintywasa factof life,andsowished to renounce
hersecular life.ShewasordainedatLingWanMonastery
onKwunYumShan,andbecameadiscipleofXiaohang
andwasgiventheBuddhistnameKokYan.Shecontinued
topursuewisdom,andacceptedthepreceptsthefollowing
yearatQixiaMonasteryinNanjing.ShealsoinvitedMaster
Rongtongtobethemasterofhergrandpreceptceremony.
Hernewlifebeganasshejoinedstudytours, lecturedand
preached.
TaiKwongYuenused tobe themeditationhalland
lecturevenueforKokYan.Thereareafewtheoriesregarding
thedateof its founding.Theearliest isbetween1927and
1928;some think itwas1930.Somesaid1931andeven
1937.GiventhatKokYanrenouncedhersecularlifein1928,
itwasquiteunlikely that shewouldpurchaseaBuddhist
siteimmediatelyaftershehadbecomeanun.Astothedate
of1937,itwasalsounlikelybecausetherearerecordsofa
lecturebyMasterTaixuatTaiKwongYuenin1935.Thus,
thefoundingdateofTaiKwongYuenshouldhavebeenin
theearly1930s.AccordingtoMasterChukMo,TaiKwong
YuenwasoriginallyorganisedbythepeopleofTaiKwong
Daily (大光報).ItwaslatersoldtoMasterTszCheung.57Tai
KwongDaily (大光報)wasfoundedintheearlyRepublican
PeriodbyagroupofChristians,AuFungChi,WanManKai
andCheungChukLing,anditsestablishmentwasproposed
byDr.SunYatSen. In1927,TaiKwongDaily (大光報)
invitedLuXun toHongKong,whodelivered speeches
toHongKong's intellectualsat theYMCAhall inSheung
Wan.Thespeeches,entitled"TheOldTune isOver" (老
調子已經唱完)and "AVoiceless China" (無聲的中國),
sparked thespreadof thenewculture toHongKong.The
name"TaiKwong("DaGuang"inPutonghua,meaning"the
great light")"for thenewspaperwastakenfromtheBible.
Matthew4:16 reads, "thepeoplewhich sat indarkness
sawgreat light;and to themwhichsat in thereligionand
depth,Yan interpreteddeftly.TheAmericanMs.Jennings
couldfullyunderstandthePerfectSchool(Yuanzong),andit
washerblessing."56WhenNganwasseventyyearsold,Yan
renouncedhissecularlifeafterhiswifepassedawayandhis
childrengrewup,andbecameamonkatPoLinMonastery.
Atpresent,TingWanMonasteryischieflymanagedby
MasterTsorWai,whousedtobeMasterZengxiu'sdisciple.
PreviouslyheadofPoLinMonasteryonLantauIsland,he
ishighlyreputedinHongKong.Sincehis incumbency,he
hasactivelyengagedinreligiousteachingandthechanting
of the scriptures.Besides regularworshipservices,Ting
WaiMonasteryalsoprovidesreligiousservicestofollowers,
whocometothemonasterytohonourtheBuddha.However,
theworldthatthemonasteryisinhaschangedrapidly.Itis
nowlocatedbehindtallandbeautifulbuildings,andappears
decrepitincomparison.Inaddition,themainstructures,such
asLanYeukYuenandtheMainShrine,haveshownvisible
signsofdecay.Themonasteryiscurrentlyraisingfundsfor
renovation.
Tai Kwong Yuen in Shek Kwu Lung: First Buddhist Lectorium to Promote Free Schooling after the War
ShekKwuLung,asecludedplace, is locatednextto
KamShaninTaiPo.Inthe1960s,eventhechildrenlivingin
KamShanwouldnotplayinShekKwuLungbecauseitwas
deeplymysterious.Yet,theywouldrememberaBuddhistnun
fromthere,whoalwaysbroughtalongherradioandstrolled
inaleisurelymanner.Thiswell-likedBuddhistnunwasNun
MasterTszCheung, founderofBuddhist siteTaiKwong
Yuen.
Asmentionedabove, the renouncementof secular
lifebyNunMasterTszCheung,whosesecularnamewas
Guo,was awell-knownstory.Shewasborn in1911 in
Shunde,Guangdong.Aftergraduation fromGuangzhou
NormalSchoolat theageofseventeen,shehadplannedto
continueherstudyofphilosophyatZhongshanUniversityin
Guangzhou.WhileshewasinHongKongwithherschool
���
TheviewofTaiKwongYuenfromadistance(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
TheinteriorchamberofTaiKwongYuen(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
TheKwunYumChamberofTaiKwongYuen(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
TheChamberofBuddhaofTaiKwongYuen(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
role in thedevelopmentofBuddhism.During thisvisit,
TaixualsovisitedTaiKwongYueninTaiPoandtheSiteof
EnlightenmentinShekKong,andgaveimportantspeeches
at these twovenues. InTaiKwongYuen,hedelivered the
speech, "ThePracticeofSeclusionand theTreasuresof
Monkhood"(阿蘭若行與養成僧寶),whichcouldhavebeen
animpromptuarisingfromhisobservationsofTaiKwong
Yuen:
A retreat enables followers to live among the mountains for meditation, which encourages in-depth understanding of Buddhism. Observations and thoughts are pure, where the mind is not tainted by the affairs of the world. Soon, the Zen will descend upon the thoughtful observer, who will be blessed with enlightening wisdom. The understanding of the universe comes after that.
I come here to Tai Kwong Yuen today, and feel this sense of self-motivated liberation. Serenity comes naturally to the one in retreat. Having learned Buddhism, you can practise the principles here in both thought and action. The three trades can be practised and the six roots eliminated. Thus in your daily lives, you will be engaged in the principles of Buddhism in every one of your actions and thoughts.58
Taixu explained the key points to practising
Buddhism in retreat.From this speech,onecansee that,
Taixu,pioneerofmodernHumanistBuddhism,stillplaced
much importance in thepracticeofBuddhistmeditation
inretreat.He thought that"tobuildBuddhisminmodern
times, successfulpracticeofBuddhistprinciples isvery
important. If somemonks, asopposed to all, can reach
Buddhistenlightenment,itwouldbeimmenselybeneficialto
theestablishmentofmodernBuddhism.59Attheendofhis
speech,heemphasisedonceagain:
Now that there is Tai Kwong Yuen in Tai Po. This is a very suitable venue for mediation because it has all the favourable conditions for quiet meditation. This place can be the central meditation venue with
shadowofdeathlight issprungup.""Thegreat light"can
beinterpretedashopeandredemption.It isunknownwhy
KokYandidnot change thenameafter sheboughtTai
KwongYuen.Nevertheless,thegreatlightisnotaprivilege
ofChristians. IntheAmitabhaSutra (佛說阿彌陀經), the
Amitabha(infinite light)Buddhaisoneof theBuddhasof
thewest.Ithasbeensaidinthescripturethat"thegreatlight
illuminatesall,"thus"thebroadsweepofwisdomandlight
illuminatesthecommonpeople,"andwisdomandlightcan
reacheverylife.WithKokYan'seducationalbackground,it
isnotsurprisingthatshepreservedthenameofTaiKwong
Yuen.
WhenKokYanwas24yearsoldin1935,shepreached
inFoshan.Oneof themonkmastersheardher lectureand
thought that her lecture style resembled that ofMaster
Hairen,andheaskedherifshewasHairen'sstudent.When
helearnedthatshehadnevermetHairen,herecommended
hertovisitHairenonLantauIsland.Atthetime,Hairenwas
49yearsold,andwasmeditatinginaBuddhistlodgeinOn
Ping.HairenwasthefirstmodernmonkfromGuangdong
toseekBuddhisminthenorth.Hehadspenttenyearsinthe
monasteries inJiangnanandacquiredvastknowledgeand
wisdom.Hewashailed"KingoftheSuramgamaSutra"of
HongKong'sBuddhismandwashighly respected.When
hewasonLantauIsland,Buddhist followersoftensought
his teaching. His disciples included lay Buddhist Lam
LingChen,bhikşusuchasWaiKwong,ChoYun,Chuen
Wai,ChenSheung,LiuChi,YuenWai,WanLeungand
ShingYeung,andbhikşununssuchasTszCheung,Foon
Wing,FoonYu,ManSangandWaiKwong.Thesewereall
prominentBuddhistsinHongKong.KokYan'snewBuddhist
nameTszCheungwasgivenbyHairen.
UnderHairen'sguidance,TszCheungmadefurther
progress inherunderstandingofBuddhism.SinceHairen
waslongconnectedtoBuddhisminJiangnan,MasterTaixu,
aprominentleaderofBuddhism,cametoTaiKwongYuen
topreachinDecemberof1935.ThatwasTaixu'sfifthvisit
toHongKong.InTaixu'sspeechdeliveredatLeeGarden,
hediscussesBuddhisminaglobalcontext,andrecognises
thatHongKongas an international cityplays a special
���
others as supplementary. We have the old scriptures as reference for the study of Buddhism. As for teachers, we have Master Hairen to provide guidance. You should deem this place an invaluable resource, and with a devout heart, seek accomplishments and progress in your meditation and enlightenment. You will eventually become a strong group of Buddhist followers.60
Thesewordsofencouragementbecamethemotivation
fordevout followersatTaiKwongYuen,even though the
surroundingshadchangedsignificantlysinceTaixu'svisit.
After thisvisit,a long lasting relationshipwascultivated
betweenTai KwongYuen and the disciples ofTaixu.
ExchangesbetweendisciplesofTaixu,suchasMasterChuk
MoandMasterYinshun,andTaiKwongYuenlastedtillthe
1950s.YinshunlivedinMuiShauJingSeh(present-dayTai
WoMonasteryhostingtheTaimonks)foraperiodoftime,
whichwasclosetoTaiKwongYuen.ThereYinshunedited
TheCompleteWorksofTaixu(太虛大師全書),asignificant
developmentforBuddhisminHongKong.
MasterKokKwong, chairmanofTheHongKong
BuddhistAssociation,saidMasterTszCheung("Cixiang"
inPutonghua,meaning"kind-hearted")had truly livedup
toherBuddhistname:"Shehasakindheartandalwaysacts
inkind-heartedways."61Sherespectedherprofessionand
charitywork.DuringtheJapaneseOccupation,TaiKwong
Yuenwas self-reliant andwell respected for providing
refugefor thoseaffectedbytheWar.After theWarended,
sheestablishedTaiKwongFreeSchoolandtaughtchildren
whohadlosttheopportunityforeducation.Theschoolwas
indeedthefirstpioneeroffreeschoolinginHongKongafter
theWarandwasanexemplary forgenerations tocome.
AccordingtoMasterChukMo,TaiKwongFreeSchoolhad
thefollowingbeginning:
The establishment of Tai Kwong Free School in Tai Kwong Yuen began in spring of 1946, according to Master Tsz Cheung. After the War, Hong Kong embarked on the reconstruction of education and
culture. Master Tsz Cheung felt that her monastery was becoming too quiet and thought it could use a little liveliness. In the New Territories, the War took away many poor children's opportunity for education and the urgent need for free schooling arose. Master Tsz Cheung followed the principle of Buddhist education, to mutually benefit herself and the children, and decided to provide free Buddhist schooling.62
The free school was established under diff icult
circumstances.However,MasterTszCheungperseveredand
ledherdisciplesthroughhardtimes:
The society had only just begun to stabilise after the War. The economy has been severely interrupted and the circumstances were not favourable. Besides, the Government provided little subsidy. Master Tsz Cheung put in all that she had, probably only a few hundred dollars, and started recruiting students despite the risks and uncertainties. The facilities were poor, but fortunately several supporters volunteered to teach at the school and funds lasted for a while. From 1947 to 1948, conditions improved and more students were recruited. The small classroom could no longer meet the increasing demand and Master Tsz Cheung once again took the risk to construct a school building. She was only able to complete construction of the new building by selling her farmland and raising funds from the community. The building now houses the classrooms for Primary One to Five.63
Initially, Master Tsz Chueng turned three bays in one of the halls into classrooms and provided basic education for orphans or children without education. In 1950, three more classrooms were added; in 1952 the school had two additional classrooms. After the War, the rural economy hardly revived. The two-dollar tuition fee and stationery expenses charged to private schools were paid by Tai Kwong Yuen, thus it was a free school. The funds came from the self-reliant monks and followers in Tai Kwong Yuen, who
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
sold produce such as lychee, longan, papaya, honey and seasonal flowers. The school was maintained for a few decades, until the Hong Kong Government implemented compulsory free primary education.64
Besidesmanagingtheschool,MasterTszCheungalso
participatedactivelyincurriculumdesign:
It is not easy to set up a Buddhist school, but it is even more difficult to write textbooks systematically, from easier levels to more difficult ones. Master Tsz Cheung referred to Textbooks for Buddhist Primary Schools , published by the Hong Kong Buddhist Association, and edited the textbooks herself. She has already finished the textbooks for Primary Five, and is working on illustrations for the textbooks to make them more accessible to young minds."65
MasterTszChuengwasalsoveryconcernedwiththe
qualityoftheteachers.WhenMasterWingSheungfinished
secondaryschool in1953,MasterTszCheungwantedher
to teachat thefreeschool.However,MasterWingSheung
felt thathereducationwasnotsufficientandrefused.Later
in1961,MasterWingSheungreceivedadiplomafromthe
ChineseDepartmentofUnitedCollege,andTszCheung
askedhertoteachatthefreeschoolagain.Thistime,Wing
Shuengreadilyacceptedtheofferandbecameateacher.UnderMasterTszCheung's leadershipandcare,Tai
KwongFreeSchooldevelopedrapidly:
Master Tsz Cheung saw that poor students were not able to continue with secondary education and that there were hardly enough secondary schools in the New Territories. So she applied to the Government in 1956 to start a secondary school. She registered Tai Kwong Yuen as a non-profit provider of education and began raising funds to build a school campus. The first phase of construction was completed in August of 1962, with an auditorium and four classrooms. Soon, too many students were signing up and the classrooms were unable to meet the needs. Phase 2 of construction thus began, a five-storey building with twelve classrooms, a science laboratory and a
MasterBhiksuniTszChueng(ProvidedbyTaiKwongYuen)
TaiKwongSchoolattheearlystageofestablishment.(ProvidedbyTaiKwongYuen)
���
library. Construction fees exceeded the budget and the school ran into financial difficulties. Master Yuen Wai and lay Buddhist Lam Ling Chen extended helping hands and raised funds at the Tok Ling Kok Yuen fundraiser in August of 1965. Construction resumed and was completed in March of 1967. The Hong Kong Government approved Tai Kwong Free School as a private subsidised school, and in 1975 it became a fully subsidised secondary school.66
BesidesexpandingTaiKwongSchool,MasterTsz
Cheungcontinued tobreaknewground ineducation. In
1971,TaiKwongKindergartenwasestablishedinShekLei,
KwaiChung.Duringthemid-1990s,shecontributedtothe
buildingofschoolsinMainlandChinaaswell.Asaresultof
herexceptionalaccomplishments incharitywork,shewas
awardedtheM.B.EbytheBritishGovernment in1978.In
Theexistingschoolbuildinghasbeenrenovated(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
1997,MasterTszCheungretiredduetoillhealth,andpassed
awayin1999.Herdisciple,MasterWingSheung,succeeded
herasmanagerofTaiKwongYuen.MasterTszCheung
instructedMasterWingSheung toestablish theBuddhist
TaiKwongYuenFoundationLimitedwithherlifesavings,
andtocontinueprovidingeducationandestablishingHope
SchoolslocallyandintheMainland.MasterWingSheung,
whosesecularnamewasChow,hadheldfriendshipswith
prominentBuddhists suchasHairen,TszCheung,Lam
LingChen,HinChi,FatFong,YuenYingandManChi.
In1966, sheobtainedherBachelorofArtsdegree from
TheChineseUniversityofHongKongandbecame the
succeedingdiscipleofMasterTszCheung.Shewasalsoan
activeparticipantincharityworkandhadcontributedtime
andeffort inbetteringthecommunities inHongKongand
MainlandChina.Unfortunately, shealsopassedaway in
2002.
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
ThecurrentMasterNunatTaiKwongYuenisMaster
YuenWai.ShewasMasterWingSheung'sdisciple,andshe
hasfollowedMastersTszCheungandWingSheungfor44
years.Besidesmanagingthelectorium'saffairs,sheisalso
adirectorof theHongKongBuddhistAssociationandthe
chairpersonofBuddhistChiWaiDayNursery.
Pun Chun Yuen of the Lotus Association of Hong Kong in Shek Kwu Lung: Lay Buddhist Lectorium for the Worship of the Bodhisattva Tata
OnefeatureofmodernBuddhisminChinaisthatlay
Buddhistshavebecomeincreasinglyinfluential.Duringthe
lateQingDynastyandearlyRepublicanPeriod,intellectual
layBuddhistswhohad in-depthknowledgeofBuddhism
gaveadviceforthereformanddevelopmentoftheBuddhist
faith inChina.Entering theRepublicanperiod,Buddhism
becameincreasinglyurbanised.ManyBuddhistmerchants
werekindbenefactors and theyhadassumed important
roles in Buddhist organisations.There emerged joint
effortsbymonksand layfollowers todevelopBuddhism.
In Hong Kong, lay Buddhist merchants supported the
religioninmanydifferentways,suchascontributingfunds
tobuildtemplesandmonasterieslikeTingWaiMonastery,
sponsoringprominentmonkstolectureinHongKong,such
asthe1920visitbyTaixuandhislectureinQuarryBay,or
foundinglayBuddhistorganisations.Someevenestablished
layBuddhistlectoriumsliketheHongKongMantraSchool
forLayBuddhistssetupin1925.
ThemainentranceofPunChunYuenof theLotusAssociationofHongKong(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
TheoldmainentranceofPunChunYuenoftheLotusAssociationofHongKong(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
ThemaingateofPunChunYuen(PhotographybyYauChiOn)
��0
SceneofthegardenofPunChunYuen(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
LocatedinShekKwuLung,TaiPo,PunChunYuen
of theLotusAssociationofHongKong isa layBuddhist
lectorium.It isnowmanagedby theLotusAssociationof
HongKong,establishedin1933.Yet,theassociationdidnot
foundthelectorium.TheoriginalnameofthesitewasPun
ChunYuen.In1967,itwasdonatedbytheoriginalowners
totheLotusAssociationofHongKong,whichchangedits
name.Accordingtoabriefintroductionfoundatthesite,
Pun Chun Yuen, with an area of over 20,000 square feet, is located at No. 17 Shek Kwu Lung in Tai Po. Originally it was owned by the family of the late gentry Wong Siu Wai. The lectorium has had a long history. Even before the War, it was a Buddhist lectorium frequented by many followers. Pun Chuen Yuen's name came from the fact that lay Buddhist Wong Siu Wai used to take a half-day trip to the site to discuss Buddhism with two close friends. "Pun Chun" ("Banchun" in Putonghua, literally meaning "half spring") implies "three people and half a day".
TheoldmaingateofPunChunYuen(PhotographybyYauChiOn)
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
WongSiuWai,alsoknownasWongTakWai,was
aHongKongmerchant.Hewas theownerofWingLee
WaiWine Merchants, which was founded in 1876 and
began itsHongKongbusiness in 1905.WingLeeWai
WineMerchantswasavery importantwinebusiness in
modernChina– itsWujiaPijiu(alsoknownas"WuChia
PiChiew")andMeiguiluJiu(alsoknownasas"MeiKuei
LuChiew")wereverywell known.The success of the
winerycouldbeattributedlargelytoWongSiuWai'sefforts,
ashesaid, "I rememberhavingabandonededucation for
businessovertwentyyearsago.SincethenIhavetravelled
alloverAsiaandtheAmericas.WhereWingLeeWaiwine
wassold, Iwent there tounderstandthemarket. ......Iwas
averybusymananddidnothave timefor thepursuitof
spiritualknowledge."67Thewinerybusinessgrewunderhis
leadershipandthewinesoldverywellintheMainlandand
abroad.
Wong SiuWan became interested in traditional
religionsin1924.ThefirstgodhecametoknowwasWong
TaiSin:
Around five years ago, a friend, who worshipped Wong Tai Sin, gave fortune telling readings and cure for illness through spirit calling in his spare time. The advice he gave was always good, and he invited me to one of his spirit calling sessions. Many people were seeking advice there. Wong Tai Sin was always right in his advice, and the people left contented because their requests had been answered. I was amazed. Later, my son slipped on his way to school on a rainy day and hurt his left hand. His hand still had not healed after a few months, and both Chinese and western doctors were not able to find out why. I brought him to see my friend, who told him to kneel down and pray to Wong Tai Sin. My friend, Wong Tai Sin's spirit in fact, directed us to get herbal dressing from a certain bone setting practice that would heal my son's hand immediately. I followed the instruction, and the dressing indeed worked. I started believing in Wong Tai Sin. Less than a month later, a
partner at the winery had severe stomach ache. The Chinese doctors offered little help, and many western doctors said he had to have his appendix removed or he would die. He did not want the operation. He was the only son in his lineage and could not take the matter lightly. Yet at the same time, his condition deteriorated and became critical. I thought Wong Tai Sin was powerful, and wanted to see if advice could be obtained for this situation and to prevent surgery. A prescription was obtained, with advice on how to use the traditional Chinese medicine. Shortly after starting treatment, the partner emerged well from the most critical condition. The next day, another prescription was obtained. A black sesame concoction was made, and just after one dose his condition improved significantly. The third prescription was a very common herbal concoction and he was completely healed after taking it. From then on, I decided to worship Wong Tai Sin.68
LayBuddhistWongSiuWan(ProvidedbyPunChunYuen)
���
Afterthisincident,WongSiuWaibecameimmensely
interestedintraditionalreligion.Inordertobemoreclosely
connectedwithWongTaiSin,he started learning spirit
calling,althoughhewasnotsuccessfulinthebeginning.He
laterlearnedthatthespirit-callingpenwouldonlymoveifhe
hadchantedtheHeartSutrainhismindallday.Hefollowed
the instructionand thepen finallymoved.Afteramonth
WongSiuWaicouldworkacompletepieceofadvicefrom
thespirit.Sincethen,helearnedthereligionandpractised
spirit calling at night andwhenever hewas away from
work,andbecamequiteknowledgableinthesubject.Most
peopleusedspiritcallingforadviceandhealing,butWong
thoughtof itasawaytolearnaboutreligion.Thisreflects
his immensepassionfor traditionalreligion.However, the
teachingsofWongTaiSin,accordingtoWong,weremostly
onBuddhism:
I studied the Diamond Sutra, the Dharani of Great Compassion and True Scripture of the Peach Garden Holy Emperor Kuan Who Illuminates the Sacred daily. I also printed Buddhist books for distribution, books that guide followers to do good for society. The spirit always urged followers to never do evil and only do good deeds. I felt strongly that these words of caution were beneficial to the world. When I called the spirit every night for guidance, the first words were always "everything we do we do for goodness' sake". I continued my quest for spiritual faith and was joined by more and more people. My young son also became religious and started to perform spirit calling. He was a better medium than I was. The messages he got were usually about how to differentiate between right and wrong, and sometimes the pen moved for a thousand words in just a few minutes. When he was not yet ten years old, he could write hundreds of poems with the spirit and we made a volume of the poetry, Collected Poems of the Wind and the Waves. When he grew up, he learned more about Buddhism and explained to us the concepts of "form
and emptiness", "human", "I", "living beings" and "life", as well as the difference between the Buddhas and immortal beings. This information was our basic understanding of Buddhism.69
ThefollowersbecameclosertotheBuddhaasaresult
ofthespirit'sguidance:
A few months later, the spirit named a few faithful followers and told us to go to the fourth floor of the Wing Lee Wai Building in Hong Kong. There Wong Tai Sin told everyone, "In this world today, the hearts of men are corrupt and Buddhism is the only salvation. You are all followers of the Buddha, so I now tell you I am the Bodhisattva Tata. You must follow the Buddha's way and stop spirit calling at once. The spirit-calling altar was never a part of Buddhism, so you must renounce the practice and follow the righteous way. If you continue to do spirit calling, you will go against the Buddha. I saw that you did not have much wisdom, and you would not believe unless something close to a miracle had happened. Thus I spoke through the spirit to open the door to Buddhism for you. Yet is it important for you to understand that, you must stop spirit calling because it can cause evil. Why? Since many spirits responding to your call are not true immortal beings and gods, but the evil spirit pretending to be them. You must stop spirit calling, and study the Diamond Sutra and the Dharani of Great Compassion regularly. It is not yet time to promote Buddhism. Wait three more years, then you may make your own plans for preaching. It will be the right timing then.70
WithguidancefromWongTaiSin,stepsweretakento
practisethetransitiontotrueBuddhism.This incidentwas
recordedindetailbecause,toseekBuddhistguidance,Wong
SiuWaiwenttoShanghaiandbecameadiscipleofMaster
Yinguang, themodernmasterofBuddhism inChina. In
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
1928,WongSiuWaifoundedtheTataBuddhistAssociation
inSanPoKong,Kowloon.Themottoofthesocietywas"to
practiseandlearnBuddhism,withthehopesthatknowledge
canbeacquired; topreachBuddhism, inorder tobenefit
theselfandothers."71HesenttheprogrammeofBuddhist
learning toMasterYinguangforhis review,whoreplied,
"after the studyofBuddhism,Guanyin followed.Then
addingtheworshipoftheBodhisattvaTata.MayIaskhow
youdecidedonthis?"72Wongthenwrotedownthereasons
andsoughtYinguang'sguidance.MasterYinguanggavehim
detailedinstructions,andremindedhimtostrikeabalance
between his gratitude for the BodhisattvaTata and the
respectformainstreamBuddhism.
From your reply, I can tell that the Bodhisattva Tata has been good with his guidance. The Bodhisattva Kok Ming Miu Hang and the Bodhisattva Tata are very much like each other. You should understand that spirit calling cannot be relied upon. The Bodhisattva has used an unconventional way to guide you to true Buddhism – desires drive actions, leading you to Buddhist epiphany. The Bodhisattva Tata has helped you immensely and should not be forgotten, but you should not include the Bodhisattva in the formal worship rituals. If Buddhist rituals do not even include the Bodhisattvas Manjusri, Samantabhadra, Ksitigarbha, and Maitreya, then others should not be a part either. Yet these Bodhisattvas are among the Bodhistsattvas of Mahasthamaprapta. I do not see any harm in your worshipping the Bodhisattva Tata at the society, but if other people did not understand, there would be trouble. Thus it is better to worship the Bodhisattva Tata in a separate place.73
Wong Siu Wai was a merchant. His pursuit of
traditionalreligionarosefromapracticalneed,butoncehe
beganhispursuit, therewasnogoingback.Heoriginally
soughtthewaythroughspiritcalling(hebecameadisciple
ofSikSikYuenWongTaiSinTemple), thenhebecamea
spiritmediumandeventuallyconverted toBuddhismand Thewallisdecoratedwithcharms(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
organisedalayBuddhistorganisation.Duringthe1930s,he
boughtPunChunYueninTaiPoanduseditasavenueto
discussBuddhismwithhisfriends.Thevenuelaterbecame
aproperworshipsite,alectoriumforlayBuddhists.In1953,
theTataBuddhistAssociationmoved toPunChunYuen,
andthesitebecameanofficial lectorium.74WongSiuWai
transportedthreestatuesofthewesternThreeNoblesfrom
Jiangsu to the lectorium,andplacedrarebronzekylins to
guard thehall.TheMainShrine,where theBuddhasare
worshipped,hasbeenthoughtfullydesignedanddecoratedto
giveitabeautifulgardenlandscapeandanairofgrandeur.
Nevertheless, theBodhisattvaTatahasnotbeenforgotten.
A small chamber in the garden is used to worship the
Bodhisattvaanddaily incense isoffered.Themasterof
PunChunYuensaidthat,eventoday,followersworshipthe
Bodhisattvainthelectoriumfrequently.
���
ThethreeBuddhaimagesintheGreatHallofPunChunYuen.TheimageswerecraftedbyfamousJiangsucraftsmen.(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
WongSiuWai respectedMasterYinguanggreatly.
HehadalwayswishedtoinviteYinguangtopreachinHong
Kong,butunfortunatelythemasterpassedawayin1940and
nevercametoHongKong.AfterMasterYinguangpassed
away,WongSiuWaiaskedafriendofhistoseekasariraof
themasterfromMonkMiaozhen,alongwitharobe,shoes
andsocks, tobeplacedtemporarilyinPunChunYuen.He
wasgoingtobuildapagodatopermanentlyhosttheitems.
However,tenyearswentbyandtheplanwasneverrealised,
not even afterWongSiuWaipassed away.However, it
eventuallyfacilitatedtheconstructionof theSariraPagoda
ofMasterYinguangbyTungLumNienFahTongin1960.
Hong Kong lay Buddhist Wong Siu Wai had asked
his friend, Chow Ching Shui, to acquire a sarira, a headgear, a robe, and a pair each of socks and shoes [of Master Yinguang], to be placed temporarily in Pun Chun Yuen in Tai Po. He had planned to seek the right site to build a memorial hall. Lay Buddhists Ma Foon Kwong, Lo Chi Chung and Shek Shun Fook heard about the plan and suggested that Tung Lum Nien Fah Tong in Village Wan build the sarira pagoda. Mrs. Wong Siu Wai and her nephew Yiu Suen agreed immediately and Mrs. Wong contributed 1,000 dollars as a start. After two years and with efforts by many lay Buddhists, the pagoda was completed. Construction costs stood at approximately 60,000 dollars.75
InMayof1967,Ms.WongSiuWaifollowedthewish
ofherlatehusbandanddonatedPunChunYuentotheLotus
AssociationofHongKongso that itcouldbedeveloped.
TheLotusAssociationofHongKongwasestablished in
1933byTsangPikShan,LeeKungTatandChaoFutWai.It
wasalayBuddhistassociationfor thepreachingofAmida
Buddhism.TsangPikShan,anativeofPanyuinGuangdong,
wasawell-knownBuddhistactivistandeducator inHong
Kong. In 1964,Tsang was awarded the M.B.E. by the
Queenof theUnitedKingdomto recognisehis immense
contributiontoHongKong.Tsangwasthefirsteducatorto
receivethisrecognition.
PunChunYuenwasrenamedPunChunYuenof the
LotusAssociationofHongKong,andimprovementswere
made.The lotuspond in theMainShrinewas renovated,
andnewadditionsweremade, including theBodhisattva
Ksitigarbha Chamber, KwunYum Chamber, Buddhist
ScriptureLibraryandMemorialHall.Structuredamaged
duringtheWar,suchasTakWaiTongandtheGlassHouse,
havebeenrestoredpreservingtheirpre-warcharacteristics.
In 1979, Master Daoyuan conducted the consecration
ceremonyfortheKwunYumStatueinKwunYumHall.He
alsopreachedforsevendaysinthelectorium.In1999,the
AntiquitiesandMonumentOfficedeclaredtheMainShrine,
TakWaiTong and the Glass House in Pun ChunYuen
protectedmonuments.
AbronzeplaqueoftheBodhisattvaTataSocietyishungonthemaindoor(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
TheKwunYumChamberofPunChunYuen(PhotographybyNgaiTingMing)
AposterinthegardenintroducingPunChunYuenoftheLotusAssociationofHongKong(PhotographybyYauChiOn)
Ahouseinthegarden(PhotographybyYauChiOn)
���
TheGreatHallofPunChunYuen(PhotographybyYauChiOn)
ApairofbronzeunicornsguardtheHall(PhotographybyYauChiOn)
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
Footnotes1 Faure,David,LukHungKay,NgLunNgaiHa,eds.,Inscriptionsand
Epitaphs inHongKong (香港碑銘匯編)vol.3 (HongKong:Hong
KongUrbanCouncil,1986),p.81.
2 NgBaLing,SceneriesandCulturesoftheNewTerritories (新界風光)
(HongKong:OverseaChineseDaily,19601sted.,19623rded).
3 "TheGrandOpeningoftheRenovatedYanLoBuddhistMonastery"(隱
廬佛社重修大埔堂落成記),1968; the inscription isfoundatYanLo
BuddhistMonastery'sTaiPositeinKamShan.
4 TheresearchonWunYiu'sFanSinTemplewasbasedonYauChiOn's
researchproject:GodofPotters,TemplesandCommunityHistory:
WunYiu,TaiPo,2007-2008,commissionedby theAntiquitiesand
MonumentsOffice,LeisureandCulturalServicesDepartment.
5 SeeFaure,David,LukHungKay,NgLunNgaiHa,eds.,Inscriptions
andEpitaphsinHongKong(香港碑銘匯編),p.307.
6 SeeFaure,David,LukHungKay,NgLunNgaiHa,eds.,Inscriptions
andEpitaphsinHongKong(香港碑銘匯編),p.83,p.307.
7 See"TraditionalFestivals:AllEyesonTaiPingQingJiao"byChoiChi
CheungandLuiWingSinginthisbook.
8 Formoredetails,seeTanakaIssei,LineageandTheatreinChina (中國
の宗族と演劇)(Tokyo:TokyoUniversityPress,1985),vol.2,chapter3.
9 LeungYuWah,WalkingThroughtheVillages:History,Folkloresand
AffectionsfortheCountryside (穿村:鄉郊歷史、傳聞與鄉情)(Hong
Kong:CosmosBooks,2002),pp.54-55.
10 InscriptionepitaphofFanSinTemple's1976Renovation,placedinside
thetemple.
11 It isanacceptedview thatToYuenTungwas founded in1924,but
accordingtoTheOriginofSinTinTao(道脈總源流),"ToYuenTungin
TaiPowasestablishedduringtheJiayinyearoftheRepublicanPeriod
toprovideanescapefromworldlyaffairs.Constructionwascompleted
inWuwu.TwoscrollsofCollectedPoemsofToYuen(桃源詩聯集)
weredistributedtofriends."ThusToYuenTung'sconstructionshould
havebeencompletedin1918(theWuwuyear)insteadof1924.SeeTin
SiuTsuen,TheOriginofSinTinTao(道脈總源流)(1924),p.28.
12 SeeYauChiOn,ed.,AHundredYear'sTaoism:TaoismandTaoist
TemplesinHongKong(道風百年)(HongKong:LeemanPublishing,
TaoistCulture&InformationCentreofFungYingSeenKoon,2002),
pp.87-88,thesectiononToYuenTung.
13 SeeFaure,David,LukHungKay,NgLunNgaiHa,eds.,Inscriptions
andEpitaphsinHongKong(香港碑銘彙編),p.467.
14 LiXin,NewTerritoriesOverview(新界概覽)vol.1(NewTerritories:
NewTerritoriesPublishingHouse,1954),p.70.
15 RitesofGratitude inCanton (粵境酧恩) (16thyearof theGuangxu
Reign),p.5.
16 Yip Chu Ming, "The Fragrance of Confucianism"(芳草儒林),
GuangzhouWenyi (廣州文藝),vol.339,issue3,2004,p.66.
17 Author'snote:thebronzestatueMasterGuangchengwaslostduringthe
Japaneseoccupation.Afterthe1990reconstructionoftheestablishment,
thecurrentceramicstatuewasmadebasedonaportrait.Interviewwith
WongWingYinandLeeKwongTai,19April2008,atHongKongSing
KungChoTong.
18 HongKongSingKungChoTong,ed.,ABriefRecordofHongKong's
GuangchengTemple (港堂廣成宮事略)(1961),pp.5-7.
19 HongKongSingKungChoTong,ed.,ABriefRecordofHongKong's
KwongShingGong(港堂廣成宮事略),pp.1-2.
20 HongKongSingKungChoTong,ed.,ABriefRecordofHongKong's
KwongShingGong(港堂廣成宮事略),pp.7-9.
21 For thedatesofcelebrationsforSingKungChoTong'sgods,please
refertoSayingsofMasterGuangcheng(廣成仙師信語)(HongKong:
SingKungChoTong,1992,2nded.),p.10.
22 SeeYauChiOn,ed.,AHundredYear'sTaoism:TaoismandTaoist
TemplesinHongKong (道風百年),pp.168-173, thesectiononSing
KungChoTong.
23 SiuKwokKin,ShumSze,ManCheukFei,eds.,ATourofAncientSites
onHongKongIsland (香港島訪古遊)(HongKong:ChunghwaBook
Company,1992),p.37.
24 LamHingSau,ed.,SpecialCommemorative Issue for theThirtieth
AnniversaryofSungSumToTakTanand theReconstructionof the
AncientTemple (崇心道德壇創壇卅周年暨古廟重建紀念特刊)(Hong
Kong:SungSumToTakTan,1978),p.4.
25 LamHingSau,ed.,SpecialCommemorative Issue for theThirtieth
AnniversaryofSungSumToTakTanand theReconstructionof the
AncientTemple (崇心道德壇創壇卅周年暨古廟重建紀念特刊),p.57.
26 CheungSinTin,"Forewordon theDebut Issue:WellWishesfor the
Establishmentof theAltarand theRenovationof theTemple"(創刊
詞:立壇修廟紀祝),SpecialCommemorativeIssuefor theThirtieth
AnniversaryofSungSumToTakTanand theReconstructionof the
AncientTemple (崇心道德壇創壇卅周年暨古廟重建紀念特刊),p.3.
27 ChoiMukShui, "ABriefHistoryof theTaiPoChiuChowNative
AssociationLimited"(大埔潮州同鄉會會史紀略),Commemorationof
the25thAnniversaryoftheFoundingoftheTaiPoChiuChowNative
AssociationLimited (大埔潮州同鄉會成立二十五週年紀念特
刊)(HongKong:TaiPoChiuChowNativeAssociationLimited,1995),
p.20.
28 InterviewwithCheungYingShun,12April2008,atSungSumToTak
Tan.
29 (Yau)ChingMiu,"OurTemple'sFiftyTurbulentYears"(本社五十年的
滄桑史),CommemorativeIssueonYanLo'sFiftiethAnniversary (隱廬
五十週年紀念刊)(HongKong:YanLoBuddhistMonastery,1980),pp.
17-18.
30 Taoist Wan Neng, "The Origins ofYan Lo" (本社的起源), in
CommemorativeIssueonYanLo'sFiftiethAnniversary (隱廬五十週年
紀念刊),p.16.
31 FoundingofYanLoBuddhistMonasteryinTaiPo (隱廬佛社重修大
埔堂落成記),1968,theinscriptionepitaphislocatedatYanLo'sTaiPo
SiteinKamShan.
���
32 ManTakChiSinSeh,QiaoYangYuShu(樵陽玉書)(HongKong:Man
TakChiSinSeh,1957),p.2.
33 InterviewwithMasterChoiHiuandYipTung,8May2008.
34 FordivineportraitspaintedbyMasterChoiHiu(alsoknownasSung
King),seeChoiSungKing,ed.,DivineArt:CollectionofConfucian,
BuddhistandTaoistArtisticMasterpieces (道裏仙風:三教文化藝術
搜神集)(HongKong:EvergreenTaoismSocietyLimited,2007).
35 Informationregardingtheyear(s)ofconstructionofManTakYuenis
largelybasedoninterviews.Informationonthesite'sarchitecturallayout
hasbeendrawnfromChuKwunChun,ed.,AJewelintheDepthsofthe
Mountains:ManTakYuen,HongKong'sHeavenlyParadise (養在深山
人未識:香港的世外桃源——萬德苑)(HongKong:ManTakYuen,
yearofpublicationunknown),pp.30-31.
36 InterviewwithMasterPoonKaLai,21April2008.
37 ManTakChiSinSeh,ed.,Special IssueCommemoratingManTak
Yuen'sLunarNewYearPrayerofBlessingFair (萬德至善社林村萬德
苑新春祈福大會特刊)(HongKong:ManTakChiSinSeh,2001).
38 ChanTszShek,"ThePastandFutureofLoFungAcademy"(本院過去
與未來),NewYearSpecialIssue,LoFungSpiritualPracticeInstitute (鑪
峰精神修養學院新年特刊) (HongKong:LoFungSpiritualPractice
Institute,1958),p.6.
39 InterviewwithMasterLaiTszHing,23April2008.MasterLaiTsz
Hingwas thediscipleofChanTszShek.Hewasborn in1921and
becameChan'sfollowerwhenhewasalittleolderthanthirty.HisTaoist
nameisTingTsz.HestillworshipstheportraitsoftheSanYangMasters
athishome.
40 ChanTszShekhasauthoredover100books,manyofwhichareon
Taoism,suchasExpressionsofLuTsu(呂祖口訣),TheSecretofLife
(一孔竅),TheLifeExtensionMirror (延命鏡),TheBookofLongLife
(長生集),Onlife (性命篇),etc.AlistofChan'sbookscanbefoundon
thebackcoverofExpressionsofLuTsu (呂祖口訣)(HongKong:Lo
FungTaoistPublishing,1953).
41 Fordetails,seeChanTszShek,"AQuickTourofLoFung'sBlessed
Land"(鑪峰聖地小遊記);alsoChanTszShek,ed.,TheHeavenlyTo
Yuen (桃源仙境) (HongKong:LoFungSpiritualPractice Institute,
1969).
42 SeeChanTszShek,ed.,TheHeavenlyToYuen(桃源仙境),photograph
onthebackcover.
43 SeereportintheOverseasChineseDaily (華僑日報),14January1963.
44 ChanTszShek,ed.,CommemorationofMasterSitToKwongbyLo
FungSpiritualPracticeInstitute (鑪峰精神脩養學院薛道光祖師紀念
刊).
45 ChanTszShek,ed.,BriefRecordsoftheConstructionoftheSpiritual
PracticeInstitutebyLoFungAcademy(鑪峰學院籌建精神脩養院簡
章),inNamesofOfficialsfortheConstructionoftheSpiritualPractice
InstituteofLoFungAcademy(1961),p.6.Therewereatotalofeighty
disciplesunder theChanTszShekSchool,whoallhadTaoistnames
startingwiththecharacter"Ting("Ding"inPutonghua)".
46 YuLingbo,"MasterHairen"(海仁法師) (http://www.china2551.org/
Article/gafj/r/200712/2609.html).
47 ElderWingSing,ed.,BuddhistWorshipSitesinHongKong(香江梵宇)
(HongKong:EditorialBoardofBuddhistWorshipSitesinHongKong,
1999).
48 ElderWingSing,ed.,BuddhistWorshipSitesinHongKong(香江梵宇).
49 NgTaiLap,ABriefBiographyofMonkMasterZengxiu (增秀老和尚
傳略)(HongKong:BuddhistCommitteeofTingWaiMonasteryofTai
Po,1948).
50 InscriptionoftheGrandOpeningofTingWaiMonastery'sRenovation
andIts70thAnniversary(定慧寺佛殿重修落成暨建寺七十周年紀念
碑記),theInscriptionEpitaphisfoundinsidetheMainShrine.
51 NgTaiLap,ABriefBiographyofMonkMasterZengxiu (增秀老和尚
傳略).
52 NgTaiLap,ABriefBiographyofMonkMasterZengxiu (增秀老和尚
傳略).
53 NgTaiLap,ABriefBiographyofMonkMasterZengxiu (增秀老和尚
傳略).
54 NgTaiLap,ABriefBiographyofMonkMasterZengxiu (增秀老和尚
傳略).
55 NgTaiLap,ABriefBiographyofMonkMasterZengxiu (增秀老和尚
傳略).
56 ShenXuelu,ed.,ATimelineBiographyofMasterXuyun,inthe37th
Yearof theRepublicanPeriodwhenhewouldhavebeen109Years
Old (虛雲老和尚年譜•民國三十七年戊子一百有九歲) (Jiangxi:
ShanzhenRuTemple,Yunju,2004).
57 MasterChukMo,"BeginningwiththeVisitofTaiKwongSchool"(從
參觀大光學校說起)(http://www.mba.net.my/NewsEvents/FaHaiYunJi/
zhumo/zhumo-b21/zhumo-b21-34.htm).
58 SpeechbyMasterTaixu,transcribedbyMasterChukMo,"ThePractice
ofSeclusionandtheTreasuresofMonkhood"(阿蘭若行與養成僧寶),
seeHoiChiuYum(海潮音),vol.13,issue7.
59 SpeechbyMasterTaixu,transcribedbyMasterChukMo,"ThePractice
ofSeclusionandtheTreasuresofMonkhood"(阿蘭若行與養成僧寶).
60 SpeechbyMasterTaixu,transcribedbyMasterChukMo,"ThePractice
ofSeclusionandtheTreasuresofMonkhood"(阿蘭若行與養成僧寶).
61 MasterKokKwong,"OpeningSpeech:SuccessionCeremonyofMaster
YuenWai"(圓慧法師陞座大典致詞),inHongKongBuddhist (香港佛
教),issue523,2003.
62 MasterChukMo,"BeginningwiththeVisitofTaiKwongSchool"(從
參觀大光學校說起).
63 MasterChukMo,"BeginningwiththeVisitofTaiKwongSchool"(從
參觀大光學校說起).
64 ElderWingSing,ed.,BuddhistMonasteriesinHongKong(香江梵宇).
pp.240-241.
���
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
65 MasterChukMo,"BeginningwiththeVisitofTaiKwongSchool"(從
參觀大光學校說起).
66 ElderWingSing,ed.,BuddhistMonasteriesinHongKong(香江梵宇),
p.241.
67 WongSiuWai,"LettertoMasterYinguangbyLayBuddhistWongSiu
Wai" (黃德煒居士上印公法師書), inMasterYinguang,PureLand
Essentials (II)Footnote:DeedsofBodhisattvaKokMingMiuHang
andBodhisattvaTata (淨土輯要(下篇)•附錄:覺明妙行菩薩及哆
哆婆娑呵菩薩應化事迹) (Taipei: theCorporateBodyof theBuddha
EducationalFoundation,2001).
68 "LettertoMasterYinguangbyLayBuddhistWongSiuWai"(黃德煒居
士上印公法師書).
69 "LettertoMasterYinguangbyLayBuddhistWongSiuWai"(黃德煒居
士上印公法師書).
70 "LettertoMasterYinguangbyLayBuddhistWongSiuWai"(黃德煒居
士上印公法師書).
71 "LettertoMasterYinguangbyLayBuddhistWongSiuWai"(黃德煒居
士上印公法師書).
72 MasterYinguang,"LayBuddhistBookofFookKongKingChun(II)"
(覆江景春居士書二), inMasterYinguang,CollectedWorksofMaster
Yinguang(vol.Iofthecontinuededition) (印光法師文鈔(續篇卷上))
(Beijing:ChinaReligionPublishingHouse,2000).
73 MasterYinguang,"ReplytoLayBuddhistWongSiuWai"(覆黃德煒居
士書),inMasterYinguang,CollectedWorksofMasterYinguangvol.3,
issue3 (印光法師文鈔(三篇卷三))(Beijing:ChinaReligionPublishing
House,2000).
74 WongSiuWaiworshippedWongTaiSinunderthenametheBodhisattva
Tata.Fordetails,seeYauChiOn,"FusionofThreeReligionsinWong
Tai Sin Cult in Guangdong and Hong Kong Regions" (粵港地區
黃大仙信仰的三教兼融), inLaiChiTim,ed.,PeaceandConflicts
ofReligions:ACollectionofAcademicDissertations forReligious
ResearchofTheChineseUniversityofHongKongand thePeking
University (宗教的和平與衝突:香港中文大學與北京大學宗教研
究學術論文集) (HongKong:ChunghuaBookCompany,2008),pp.
142-144.
75 MasterTingSai,"ReportontheSariraTowerCommemoratingMaster
Yinguang" (印光大師紀念堂舍利塔落成報告經過), inTung Lum
NienFahTong,eds,TungLumRecords:RememberingMasterTingSai
(東林小志:定西大師紀念集合刊)(HongKong:TungLumNienFah
Tong,1962).
�00
Bibliography
1. Chinese References
ChanTszShek,ed.,CommemorationofMasterSitTo
KwongbyLoFungSpiritualPracticeInstitute (鑪峰
精神脩養學院薛道光祖師紀念刊) (HongKong:Lo
FungSpiritualPracticeInstitute,1959).
ChanTszShek,ed.,TheHeavenlyToYuen (桃源仙
境)(HongKong:LoFungSpiritualPracticeInstitute,
1969).
ChanTszShek,ExpressionsofLuTsu (呂祖口訣)
(HongKong:LoFungTaoistPublishing,1953).
ChanTszShek,NewYearSpecial Issue,LoFung
SpiritualPracticeInstitute (鑪峰精神修養學院新年特
刊)(HongKong:LoFungSpiritualPracticeInstitute,
1958).
Choi Sung King, ed.,DivineArt: Collection of
Confucian,BuddhistandTaoistArtisticMasterpieces
(道裏仙風:三教文化藝術搜神集) (Hong Kong:
EvergreenTaoismSocietyLimited,2007).
ChuKwunChun,ed.,AJewel in theDepthsof the
Mountains:ManTakYuen,HongKong'sHeavenly
Paradise (養在深山人未識:香港的世外桃源——萬
德苑)(HongKong:ManTakYuen,yearofpublication
unknown).
ElderWingSing,ed.,BuddhistWorshipSitesinHong
Kong (香江梵宇) (HongKong:EditorialBoardof
BuddhistWorshipSitesinHongKong,1999).
Faure,David,LukHungKay,NgLunNgaiHa,eds.,
InscriptionsandEpitaphsinHongKong(香港碑銘匯
編)vol.3 (HongKong:HongKongUrbanCouncil,
1986).
HongKongSingKungChoTong,ed.,ABriefRecord
ofHongKong'sGuangchengTemple (港堂廣成宮事
略)(unpublished,1961).
LaiChiTim,ed.,PeaceandConflictsofReligions:A
CollectionofAcademicDissertations forReligious
ResearchofTheChineseUniversityofHongKongand
thePekingUniversity (宗教的和平與衝突:香港中文
大學與北京大學宗教研究學術論文集)(HongKong:
ChunghuaBookCompany,2008).
LamHingSau,ed.,SpecialCommemorativeIssuefor
theThirtiethAnniversaryofSungSumToTakTanand
theReconstructionoftheAncientTemple (崇心道德壇
創壇卅周年暨古廟重建紀念特刊)(HongKong:Sung
SumToTakTan,1978).
LeungYuWah,WalkingThroughtheVillages:History,
Folklores andAffections for the Countryside (穿
村:鄉郊歷史、傳聞與鄉情) (HongKong:Cosmos
Books,2002).
LiXin,NewTerritoriesOverview (新界概覽)vol.1
(NewTerritories:NewTerritoriesPublishingHouse,
1954).
ManTakChiSinSeh,QiaoYangYuShu (樵陽玉書)
(HongKong:ManTakChiSinSeh,1957).
ManTakChiSinSeh,SpecialIssueCommemorating
ManTakYuen'sLunarNewYearPrayerofBlessing
Fair (萬德至善社林村萬德苑新春祈福大會特刊)
(HongKong:ManTakChiSinSeh,2001).
MasterYinguang,CollectedWorksofMasterYinguang
(vol. Iof thecontinuededition) (印光法師文鈔(續
篇卷上))(Beijing:ChinaReligionPublishingHouse,
2000).
MasterYinguang,CollectedWorksofMasterYinguang
vol.3, issue3 (印光法師文鈔(三篇卷三)) (Beijing:
ChinaReligionPublishingHouse,2000).
MasterYinguang,PureLandEssentials(II)Footnote:
Deeds of Bodhisattva Kok Ming Miu Hang and
BodhisattvaTata (淨土輯要(下篇)•附錄:覺明妙
行菩薩及哆哆婆娑呵菩薩應化事迹) (Taipei: the
CorporateBodyoftheBuddhaEducationalFoundation,
2001).
Ng Ba Ling,Sceneries and Cultures of the New
Territories (新界風光)(HongKong:OverseasChinese
Daily,19601sted.,19623rded).
NgTai Lap,A Brief Biography of Monk Master
Zengxiu (增秀老和尚傳略) (HongKong:Buddhist
CommitteeofTingWaiMonasteryofTaiPo,1948).
�0�
Trad
ition
al R
eligio
us A
ctivi
ties
SayingsofMasterGuangcheng(廣成仙師信語)(Hong
Kong:SingKungChoTong,1992,2nded.).
ShenXuelu, ed.,ATimelineBiographyofMaster
Xuyun,inthe37thyearoftheRepublicanPeriodwhen
hewouldhavebeen109yearsold (虛雲老和尚年譜•
民國三十七年戊子一百有九歲) (Jiangxi:Shanzhen
RuTemple,Yunju,2004).
SiuKwokKin,ShumSze,ManCheukFei, eds.,A
TourofAncientSitesonHongKongIsland(香港島訪
古遊)(HongKong:ChunghwaBookCompany,1992).
TanakaIssei,LineageandTheatreinChina (中國の宗
族と演劇)(Tokyo:TokyoUniversityPress,1985).
TinSiuTsuen,TheOriginofSinTinTao(道脈總源流)
(1924).
TungLumNienFahTong,eds,TungLumRecords:
RememberingMasterTingSai (東林小志:定西大師
紀念集合刊)(HongKong:TungLumNienFahTong,
1962).
YanLo,Commemorative IssueonYanLo'sFiftieth
Anniversary (隱廬五十週年紀念刊)(HongKong:Yan
LoBuddhistMonastery,1980).
YauChiOn,ed.,AHundredYear'sTaoism:Taoismand
TaoistTemplesinHongKong(道風百年)(HongKong:
LeemanPublishing,TaoistCulture& Information
CentreofFungYingSeenKoon,2002).
2. Chinese Essays
ChoiMukShui,"ABriefHistoryof theTaiPoChiu
ChowNativeAssociationLimited"(大埔潮州同鄉會
會史紀略),Commemorationof the25thAnniversary
of the Founding of theTai Po Chiu Chow Native
AssociationLimited (大埔潮州同鄉會成立二十五週
年紀念特刊)(HongKong:TaiPoChiuChowNative
AssociationLimited,1995).
MasterKokKwong, "OpeningSpeech:Succession
CeremonyofMasterYuenWai"(圓慧法師陞座大典
致詞),HongKongBuddhist (香港佛教), issue523,
2003.
SpeechbyMasterTaixu, transcribedbyMasterChuk
Mo,"ThePracticeofSeclusionand theTreasuresof
Monkhood" (阿蘭若行與養成僧寶), seeHoiChiu
Yum(海潮音),vol.13,issue7.
YipChuMing,"TheFragranceofConfucianism"(芳草
儒林),GuangzhouWenyi (廣州文藝),vol.339,issue3,
2004,p.66.
3. Ancient Work
RitesofGratitudeinCanton(粵境酧恩)(16thyearof
theGuangxuReign).
4. Interviews
InterviewwithCheungYingShun,12April2008.
InterviewwithMasterChoiHiuandYipTung,8May
2008.
InterviewwithMasterLaiTszHing,23April2008.
InterviewwithMasterPoonKaLai,21April2008.
InterviewwithWongWingYinandLeeKwongTai,19
April,2008.
5. Newspaper Archive
OverseasChineseDaily (華僑日報).
6. Websites
MasterChukMo, "Beginningwith theVisitofTai
Kwong School" (從參觀大光學校說起) (http://
www.mba.net.my/NewsEvents/FaHaiYunJi/zhumo/
zhumo-b21/zhumo-b21-34.htm).
YuLingbo,"MasterHairen"(海仁法師)(http://www.
china2551.org/Article/gafj/r/200712/2609.html).
�0�
Top Related