The story of Ji Gong 濟公
Upvote:1
I've yet to find any koan or other forms of Buddhist texts explicitly mentioning Ji Gong, so it's difficult to say whether he was 'accepted' by some schools or not. But we can look at other factors.
Are there precedents? Yes. There are many well-known (and greatly revered) bizarre monks in the history of Buddhism. A notable example is Drukpa Kunley, who allegedly used his penis to subdue evil and had had sex with thousands of women. More on par with Ji Gong would be Hanshan (寒山) and Shide (拾得), who are often depicted with distinctive expressions, heads full of hair and wearing ragged clothing. This duo are pretty popular in Zen, and, similar to Ji Gong, are believed to be the incarnations of Manjusri (文殊) and Samantabhadra (普賢), despite behaving like lunatics.
Should monks behave like so? Hard to answer. Monks keep the precepts to cultivate compassion and develop the mind. But one can argue that, since an enlightened being is unattached, unbound and know what they are doing, they need not to follow the precepts as long as their actions help others grow spiritually and reduce their suffering. Although there are differences between the craziness of an enlightened being and that of someone with mental illnesses (see Andrei's answer on crazy wisdom), there are times where the distinction can be blurry.
Note that this line of thinking only applies in one direction. It does not justify doing scummy things and then later claiming that you've done so because you're enlightened.
To sum it up, these monks - Ji Gong included - presumably knew what they were doing. The benefits of the monastic rules are not negated by their acts. If you're a beginner, it's still best to keep all the precepts.
There are already many answers concerning fortune telling:
- Is fortune telling allowed in temples?
- Do Buddhist believe fortune teller?
- Did the Lord Buddha say anything about magic and fortune telling?
AFAIK, those who provide and engage in fortune telling in Buddhist temples in China are not monastics, so the Brahmajala Sutra won't apply to them (a.k.a not wrong livelihood). My take is that if you aren't obsessively into fortune telling, the practice is harmless.
More post
- 📝 Can concentration and wisdom be developed exclusively from each other?
- 📝 Did Gautama Buddha cease to exist after death?
- 📝 When feels empty during vipassana meditation?
- 📝 What is the modern understanding about Four Great Elements and Reality?
- 📝 Spiritual & 'Worldly' Pleasures
- 📝 Are you familiar with a particular AN or SN sutta on bowing?
- 📝 Did Japanese Buddhists once use sky burial?
- 📝 Reflexive awareness?
- 📝 Understanding that Perception and Consciousness are temporary
- 📝 Pali question: "seven more life times at most"
- 📝 Lord Buddha descending from heavens?
- 📝 What is the attitude of Buddhists to "repulsive animals"?
- 📝 Does one need to make amends for a bad-action done accidentally?
- 📝 How compatible are the beliefs of atheists and Buddhism?
- 📝 Does being in a commited married life make it impossible to attain Nirvana? If not, how can one progress towards Nirvana?
- 📝 Buddhism accepts horoscope?
- 📝 Suttas which explain how to deal with unwholesome habits
- 📝 Did the Thai monk Bhikkhu Buddhadasa teach Anapansati incorrectly?
- 📝 Is what is taught under the term "Radical Buddhism" consistent with Buddhist values?
- 📝 Is anxiety as hell-bound as cruelty?
- 📝 How should one teach the Dhamma to others?
- 📝 Monks chosen for Tibetan Telepathy
- 📝 Are there suttas that recommend a specific order of the buddhist practices?
- 📝 Psychic Powers and the Kevatta Sutta (DN 11)
- 📝 Why does Buddhism use the word "realm" when describing one of the different races?
- 📝 Is it necessary to use a whole variety of meditation techniques?
- 📝 References to descriptions of the formless realms in the suttas (or other Theravada texts)
- 📝 How can the sensations of the meditation object (attention to the breath) be made more noticeable?
- 📝 Acting nice for karma's sake?
- 📝 Step siblings and relationships
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 The story of Ji Gong 濟公
- 📝 Is there a story or a mentioning about masturbation in the Buddhist teachings?
- 📝 Where is the story of the non-returner who "sold" pots on the side of the road?
- 📝 Where's the story in which the Buddha praised a non-returner for keeping the knowledge of his attainment private?
- 📝 Where is the story that Buddha was worried about a monk who meditated with a straight back?
- 📝 My short story with anxiety problems - could meditation be the cause?
- 📝 Is there a canonical reference for the story about the war between the Buddha's relatives?
- 📝 What is the story where some of the Buddha's followers commit suicide?
- 📝 Which text does the four sights story come from?
- 📝 How does the story of General Siha's Meal for the Buddha at Vaisali vindicate the Buddha?
- 📝 The Buddha And The Beggar Story
- 📝 The Story of Buddha
- 📝 Scriptural source for the lost son story
- 📝 Is there really a story in the Pali Canon about a layman running away from home AFTER having attained arahantship?
- 📝 Is there a source for the story about the sun being covered by the cloud?
- 📝 Looking for the source of a story about the Buddha and a lady who looked the other way
- 📝 Can the Buddha ever be a woman?
- 📝 Does illegal downloading or viewing of copyright material violate the second precept?
- 📝 Where is the Buddha quoted as saying do not believe anything I say until you can prove it by yourself?
- 📝 How not to kill the mouse in my house?
- 📝 Is drinking coffee or tea against the fifth precept?
- 📝 Masturbation: Does it break the 3rd precept?
- 📝 What are the differences between vipassana and mindfulness meditation?
- 📝 How to determine the end of a meditation session without a clock?
- 📝 Is Nirvana the goal for all Buddhist?
- 📝 How can I assess the quality of a local Buddhist group?
- 📝 What is the attitude toward h*m*sexuality in Buddhism?
- 📝 How do you tell a 4-year-old who the Buddha was?
- 📝 What is the next meditation type after Mindfulness of Breathing meditation?
- 📝 Are Vajrayana and Tibetan Buddhism the same thing?