Jigong is a "moral benchmark" for folk Buddhist learners and a "grass-roots Buddha" in the hearts of the older generation.
Jigong is unshakable not only in the hearts of ordinary people, but also incomparable to Erlang God Emperor Wen of Sui in Buddhism and mythology.
Jigong is a real figure in the long river of history, and his life is quite legendary.
The origin of Jigong can be traced back to the Southern Song Dynasty. Jigong is from Taizhou, Zhejiang, and his grandfather is his former father-in-law. He was born in a wealthy family, formerly known as Li Xiuyuan. Jigong was a Buddha since he was a child. He is brilliant and never forgets anything.
After the death of Jigong's parents, he saw through the wealth of life and finally became a monk and converted to Buddhism. From then on, Li Xiuyuan, who was no longer knowledgeable and gentle, had another crazy poor monk, "Living Buddha helps the poor".
Jigong did good deeds and accumulated virtues before his death, and his merits were boundless. He was honored as a "living Buddha" by the people after his death.
Legend has it that the statue of Lohan, the dragon god, suddenly collapsed in imperial academy when Hijigong was born, so people took their seats and regarded Hijigong as the human body of Lohan, the dragon god.
With the passage of time, the image of Jigong was gradually "religiousized", and the Buddha name of Jigong was quite special and respected by the people:
"Great kindness, great compassion and great wisdom, Zijin arhat, venerable master, and three yuan to praise Buddha."
The Buddha name of Jigong is terrible:
Jin Luohan, the venerable, is the position of Jigong in Buddhism; The extensive use of divine power as a teacher is the position of Jigong in Confucianism; Praising Buddha three times is the greatest honor given to Jigong by Taoism.
Sanyuan refers to Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. The word praise comes from the golden mean, which means "all people in the world respect those who educate". Tianzun is the supreme honorific title in Taoism.
Ancient scholars thought that the hieroglyphics of Jigong were "tattered", "mighty and serious", but they were quite "close to the people", with the artistic characteristics of "appealing to both refined and popular tastes" and won the true biography of the spirit of Tao. Moreover, Ji Gong was born in a scholarly family and studied both Buddhism and Confucianism since he was a child, so ancient scholars gave him the word "Confucianism and Taoism".
Yang Jian, Erlang God, was the god in charge of farming, hunting and water conservancy in folklore before The Journey to the West, the Romance of the Gods and the Treasure Volume of Erlang God came into being. He is called "the real king of Jiro" by the people. As for "God of Justice", "Marshal of Exorcism", "Opening a Mountain to Save Mother" and "Learning from Yu Ding", they are all fictional plots in ancient fairy novels.
The eminent "priesthood" of Erlang God was invented by the author of the novel, but the honorific title of Jigong was indeed given by the people according to his merits and demerits, and Jigong's position in Taoism was the level of Buddha. Yang Jian is just a true gentleman, so the level of Jigong is higher than Erlang God.