珍  Pearl  珠

Mingjing (1928-1992), his loacal name was Xu Fangzhu, and he was nicknamed “standing monk”. He was born in Shuangqiao Village, Langxi Town, Anhui Province. His mother died when he was only 3 years old. At a young age, he did temporary work to earn some money for the family was poor. He was influenced by his buddhism-believing grandpa, and never ate any meat when there was a draught, he drew off water from the farmland of his own family to other's farmland, and was called kind-hearted person. He always sat cross-legged and cultivated himself. It is said that before he became a monk, he sat that way without a break for several days. Others could not understand him and tied him up, but that could not stop him. In 1984, he went to Tiantai Temple in Mountain Jiuhua to be tonsured. He donated all he had to the temple. Later he lived in Sandal Woods. He could stand for a whole night so he was nicknamed “standing monk”. His stability was extraordinary. He stood once had been standed for 3 years, sat ross-legged for 3 years and lain for 3 years. And he was unsurpassed in strict discipline, stability, and wisdom. He was always bare-footed regardless of the weather, and wearing only tattered coats. He could stand, sit, and lie without moving a little. He ate only one meal when meditaiting. He was seemingly nonsense and was sometimes called a silly monk. He died calmly on 6th.Sep.1992, in Sandal Woods. His disciples put his body cross-legged in a pot at his request. On 1st.Dec.1998, the pot was opened and his body was found intact, fresh and flexible. A disciple named Xinlan painted and gilded the body which was later enshrined in Mingjing Room, northwest of The Incarnation Hall. In 2005, it was transferred to southern part of Sandal Woods in Daxiong Palace.