Buddhist masters in Longlian

After Master Longlian became a monk, he was immediately appointed as a Buddhist teacher by the Chengdu Lian Sect Female Congregation (which was located in the Iron Image Temple) to teach Buddhist classics and train Buddhist disciples. Master Longlian said: "I am destined to have a career in chalk." She has been teaching Buddhist scriptures to Buddhist disciples for decades, and can be called the first Buddhist educator in the history of modern Chinese bhikshuni. In 1984, the Sichuan Nun Buddhist College, China's only national-level institution for cultivating female Buddhist disciples, was established. Master Longlian served as the dean. She conducted worldly Buddhist education with a worldly spirit and promoted "humanistic Buddhism" and patriotism. Teaching and selfless dedication, I don’t know how much hard work has been done.

Master Longlian said: "Buddhist culture is extensive and profound. In the past, some monks practiced for their faith, while more and more poor people took refuge in the temple and became monks and nuns without much culture. With the development of society now, Buddhism is not only It is a religious belief and has developed as a culture. The preaching and teaching of Chinese bhikkhunis has been included in the national school enrollment sequence. It is a great cause to cultivate a generation of highly educated Buddhists for Chinese Buddhism." She was teaching Buddhism. Li Shi emphasized that Buddhists must love the motherland. She said: "The spirit of Buddhism is to benefit all living beings and to be selfless and dedicated." She wrote a couplet in her own handwriting in the sutra hall: "Be self-interested and benefit others, practice diligently in the three studies, be patriotic and love the religion to repay the four favors." The "three learnings" are morality, concentration, and wisdom; the "four graces" are to repay the kindness of the country, the kindness of the public, the kindness of parents, and the kindness of teachers. This is her educational philosophy and her precepts for students.

The professional setting of the Buddhist College: divided into four classes, each class lasts three years, with a maximum of 12 years. That is, training courses, intermediate courses, specialized courses, and postgraduate courses, each lasting three years. Eminent monks are hired to teach Buddhist scriptures, and Chinese and English teachers are hired to teach general cultural classes at the Buddhist college.

Master Longlian’s ideal is being realized. Three professional classes have graduated, all of which have reached university education and are proficient in Buddhism. Today, the students have returned to famous mountain monasteries or local Buddhist associations and have become domestic contemporary female Buddhists who have received formal Buddhist higher education. They are playing an important role as envoys of Buddhist cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries; some outstanding students continue their studies and take postgraduate courses. Master Longlian is rigorous in his studies and teaches by words and deeds. She combines the three tasks of Buddhism: precepts, concentration, and wisdom, and works tirelessly to educate her disciples. She toured Aidao Hall and Tiexiang Temple every week to give lectures. Her lectures were scheduled almost every day, and they often lasted for half a day, but she was not tired. She focuses on integrating theory with practice. For example, when there was a flood in Anhui, the monks and nuns at the Aidao Hall, the abbot of Master Longlian, took alms to raise funds for disaster relief. Master Longlian was the abbot of the Aidao Hall in the city. However, during the holidays, she always returned to the Iron Image Temple far away from the city to accompany her. The students celebrated the New Year and the holidays; in her free time, she guided her disciples step by step in learning calligraphy. She read papers and homework for her disciples every day, and read scriptures until late at night.

She has strict requirements for the rules of the Nun Buddhist College. The nuns get up at five o'clock every day, sweep the courtyard, take morning classes, recite in the evening, chant sutras and read, plant trees and flowers, and live a light and regular life. She praised her disciples and said: "My students are clean and self-respecting, practice according to the law, are kind-hearted, diligent and eager to learn. They are the hope of promoting Buddhist culture."