Ji Gong - History

History

Born Li Xiuyuan to a former military advisor, Li Maochun, Daoji was born after his parents, who could not have children, entered a temple. Supposedly upon reaching the Hall of the Five Hundred Arhats, the statue of Mahakasyapa was knocked off its lotus throne.

After his parents' death, Li went to Hangzhou at the age of 18 and became a monastic at the famous Ling Yin Temple near Hangzhou, and was ordained under the monastic name Daoji. Even though his eccentric behavior broke the rules of the vinaya (traditional code for monastics), it is said that Daoji was kind hearted and was always ready to lend a helping hand to ordinary people. Unlike a traditional Buddhist monk, he ate meat and drank wine. The monks, bewildered and fed up with his behavior, expelled Daoji from the monastery. From then on, Daoji roamed the streets and helped people whenever he could.

According to legends, while cultivating in the Buddha's teaching, Daoji was said to attain magical powers. Many who noticed his eccentric yet benevolent and compassionate nature began to think that he was an incarnate of a bodhisattva, or as a reincarnate of an arhat. He was widely recognized by the public as the incarnate of the Taming Dragon Arhat (simplified Chinese: 降龙罗汉; traditional Chinese: 降龍羅漢; pinyin: Xiánglóng Luóhàn), one of the eighteen legendary arhats.

When Daoji died at the Jing Ci monastery on the 14th day of 5th Lunar month (17 June 1207), syncretic Taoism began to revere Daoji as a god from heaven and later adopted him as a deity. Not long after that, Buddhism began to recognize Daoji's compassionate efforts and is involved in many classic koans.

The I Kuan Tao has also adopted him into their pantheon of deities, citing Zhang Tianran, contemporary founder of the I-Kuan Tao, as the incarnation.