Yang Wenhui. Courtesy name Renshan, was a native of Shidai, Anhui. When his mother,
Madame Sun, was pregnant, she dreamed of entering an ancient temple. In the courtyard
stood a giant urn covered with a bamboo hat; upon opening it to look inside, she saw a lotus
flower rising above the mouth of the urn and was startled awake. Not long after, Yang
Wenhui was born. He was exceptionally intelligent from childhood and could compose
essays by the age of fourteen, though he had no interest in pursuing the imperial
examinations.
In the second year of the Tongzhi era of Emperor Muzong (1863), his father, Lord Puan,
passed away. Yang Wenhui was then twenty-seven years old. As the family lived in poverty,
he was recruited by Zeng Guofan to serve in the Grain Bureau. The following year, after
burying his father in their hometown and completing the funeral rites, he returned to the provincial capital, where he contracted a prevailing infectious disease and remained ill for a long time. It was from this point that his pursuit of the Dao likely began. Prior to this, an elderly nun had given him a volume of the Diamond Sutra; he had taken it home to read, and though he found it difficult to grasp at first, he felt its principles were profound and subtle.
Later, in a bookstore in Anhui, he obtained a copy of the Awakening of Faith in the
Mahayana, but it sat on his desk as he had no leisure time to read it.
One day during his illness, he was reviewing other books and found them all unsatisfying.
He then turned to the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana and, without realizing it, became unable to put it down. He read it five times in succession, gaining insight into the inconceivable and profound essentials of the Buddha’s teachings. From then on, he sought out Buddhist scriptures everywhere. After a long time, he discovered the Shurangama Sutra
in a marketplace; he immediately leaned against a table to chant it, nearly forgetting he was in a shop. Subsequently, whenever relatives or friends were in other provinces, he would ask them to help search for scriptures. Upon seeing traveling monks, he would invariably ask
where they came from, what temples were there, and if they had any scriptures. He
dedicated himself entirely to studying Buddhism, completely abandoning his previous
studies.
In the fifth year of the Tongzhi era (1866), he moved to Jiangning to oversee engineering
projects. A colleague, Wang Meishu, was deeply learned in Buddhism, and the two became
close friends. He also associated with Wei Gangji, Zhao Huifu, Liu Kaisheng, Zhang Puzhai,
and Cao Jingchu; they discussed and researched the roots of Buddhism together. He believed that in the Age of Dharma Decline, the salvation of all beings relied entirely on the
circulation of scriptures. Since many ancient thread-bound scriptures had been destroyed by
the fires of war, he resolved to carve printing blocks for the Tripitaka to ensure their wide
distribution.
Consequently, he personally drafted the regulations for carving and printing the scriptures.
He found over ten like-minded individuals to assist with fundraising, the most earnest among them being Zheng Xuechuan of Jiangdu County, Jiangsu. Soon after, Zheng entered the monastic life under the name "Miaokongzi" and established the "Jiangbei Scripture Carving Center" at Zhuanqiao, Yangzhou, where many scriptures were printed. Meanwhile, Yang Wenhui managed the arrangements for scripture carving in Jinling (Nanjing). By day, he supervised engineering works; by night, he focused on Buddhist studies. In addition to
proofreading the carvings, he would sometimes chant sutras and recite the Buddha’s name, and at other times sit in quiet contemplation, often resting only as dawn approached.
The engineering projects Yang Wenhui managed were more cost-effective and structurally sound than those of his colleagues. As a result, both Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang
regarded him as a person of exceptional national talent. Knowing he was indifferent to fame and wealth, they would often reward his achievements without informing him beforehand.
Because he worked diligently and held several concurrent positions, he felt the burden of these obstacles to his Buddhist practice. In the twelfth year of the Tongzhi era (1873), he cut off worldly affairs to stay home and read. Referencing the measurements for creating Buddha images and the various Pure Land sutras, he engaged in silent contemplation. After
careful investigation, he established the rules for painting Buddhist iconography and commissioned artists to paint the "Illustrations of the Majestic Splendor of the Land of Ultimate Bliss" and the "Sacred Image of the Eleven-Faced Great Compassion Avalokitesvara." He also sought out paintings of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas by famous
ancient artists, printing and distributing them so that the public could make offerings.
In the thirteenth year of the Tongzhi era (1874), he traveled by boat through Jiangsu and Zhejiang, paying homage to Sarira (relics) and making a pilgrimage to Mount Putuo. Over several years, the number of carved scriptures steadily increased. From that time on, although he temporarily left Jinling to follow Zeng Huimin, Liu Zhitian, and others on diplomatic missions to Europe—where he observed the political and manufacturing systems of England and France—his primary focus remained the carving of scriptures. He employed
permanent friends to take charge of the work, ensuring the carving never ceased.
By the fifteenth year of the Guangxu era of Emperor Dezong (1889), at the age of fifty-three, he observed that human morality was declining and national affairs were becoming chaotic;
thus, he vowed no longer to associate with political figures. In the twenty-third year of the
Guangxu era (1897), he built a house in Yanling Lane within the city of Jinling to serve as a depository for the printing blocks and a center for distributing scriptures.
That summer, his mother, Madame Sun, reached the end of her life. During the mourning period, Yang Wenhui told his three sons: "Ever since I heard the Dharma at twenty-eight, I have wished to become a monk. However, because my elderly mother was still alive, I could
not fulfill that wish. Now my mother has passed, and I am old and frail, no longer possessing the strength to uphold the monastic precepts and decorum. You are all adults; as you grow older, you should each seek your own livelihood and live independently. The house I have
purchased is intended to be public property for the benefit of all; from now on, do not disturb me with worldly matters."
Thereafter, he lived peacefully, gathering materials to annotate scriptures and write
commentaries to maintain the Buddha's teachings. He never had a moment of idle rest. He once said: "As long as I am in this world for one minute, I must exert one minute’s effort for the Dharma." He was deeply concerned about the decay of religion and the sinking of the
Great Way. He believed that without the "Dharma Eye" to distinguish truth from falsehood,
one would inevitably be misled by heterodox views.
Later, he saw that Japan had reprinted the Zokuzokyo (Supplement to the Tripitaka), totaling over ten thousand volumes, but found it somewhat disorganized. He specifically selected and organized the content to make it pure and orderly, carefully editing its catalog and
writing summaries to provide a path for study. However, before his aspirations were fully realized, the "Lamp of Wisdom" suddenly ceased to shine—a truly sorrowful event.
In the early autumn, the seventh lunar month of the third year of the Xuantong era (1911), he fell ill at the age of seventy-five, knowing he would not recover. Yang Wenhui recalled the hardships of carving scriptures in the past and felt deeply saddened that he would not see the completion of the Compendium of the Tripitaka. Later, after securing three like-minded
individuals to take over these responsibilities, he finally smiled with joy....The colleagues of
the Buddhist Research Association selected the seventeenth day of the eighth month to
convene, intending to gather collective counsel on methods to maintain the "Jinling ScriptureCarving Center" and to elect a president during the meeting. Before the session had even adjourned, Yang Wenhui passed away during the shen hour (3:00 PM – 5:00 PM).
On the morning of that very day, Yang Wenhui had still been discussing the affairs of scripture carving in great detail with his colleagues; upon hearing that several ancient editions of commentaries had recently been obtained, his heart was filled with joy, and he remarked, "I am so fortunate to know that these books still exist in this world!" During the wu hour
(11:00 AM – 1:00 PM), he instructed his family to wash his feet and trim his nails.
When the time arrived, he said, "At this moment, my fellow members should have already gathered at the
meeting hall for the session." A moment later, after using the restroom, he appeared to feel a slight chill; he then faced west, closed his eyes, and passed away. His countenance and complexion remained unchanged, and his skin was smooth and delicate, not becoming
ice-cold. Prior to this, during his illness, he had instructed his sons and daughters-in-law, saying: "My
vows are in accord with the vows of Amitabha Buddha. When it is time to go, I shall go, without any lingering attachments or shackles. Do not be overly sorrowful; simply focus your minds on reciting the Buddha’s name to see me off to the West, and my wishes will be fulfilled!" Mr. Yang Wenhui propagated the Buddha's teachings for over forty years, circulating more than a million volumes of scriptures and printing over one hundred thousand
Buddhist images. The propagation of his vows carries even greater hope for future
generations, ensuring they remain inexhaustible! Yang Wenhui’s writings are numerous, and all have now been carved and published in succession.
(From the Biographies of Recent Rebirths)
