Renyi(1911-1995), was a nun in morden time, whose folk name was Jiang Sumin. She was born in Shengyang, Liaoning Province. Later was married to a family in Tonghua, Jilin Province. Her family was wealthy. According to the custom at that time, her parents bound her feet to make them as small as three cun long. At the age of 7 or 8, she was sent to a private school to learn music, playing chess, calligraphy and drawing. She was educated to be a lady at her parents' will. However, Sumin often sneaked off to the nearby temple to hear monks reading sutra, and gave them food in charity. After a few years, she could recite Heart Sutra and Dabei sutra. When she was 17 or 18 years old, she studied medicine, mainly acupuncture whole heartedly. In the autumn of 1940, she went to Mountain Wutai in Shanxi Province, to become a nun, named Renyi. From then on, she studied buddhism as well as agriculture. In 1942, she entered Shengyang Chinese Medicinal college to do further study. In 1950, Korean War broke out and she enlisted in people's army without hesitation. During the three years there, she saved a lot of wounded soldiers. In 1953, she returned to China, and was arranged to work in 206 hospital in Tonghua, a year later, she was transferred to an acupuncture team in a united Chinese medicine hospital, Shengyang. In 1958 she was again transferred to Huacheng Hospital. In 1963, she went to a small village. In 1976, she returned to Tonghua City to establish her own clinic. In 1982, Renyi went to Mountain Wutai again to be fully disciplined. A year later, she went on pilyrimage to Mountain Jiuhua, first lived in Ganlu Temple and then in Puti Pavilion at last in Tonghua Temple. She sold all her belongs to repair temples. After that, regardless of her old age, she went out teaching muddhism and treating illness. She had been to Handan, Shi Jiazhuang, Hunyuan, and Mountain Wutai. On her way, she repaired temples, did good deeds and made common friends. During the period when she was in Moutain Jiuhua, she cured the inhabitants there free of charge. In April, 1995, she returned to Mountain Jiuhua from Mountain Wutai. The same year she died at 7 PM. on 28th, Nov., at the age of 85. When her disciple opened the pot which contained her body, is found that she was sitting there straightly, half grey hair grew a bit, the teeth were in tact, and the pore on the skin could be easily seen, the whole body was elastic. Only her hand sign changed a bit with the right hand being raised a little, as if she was acupuncturing someone. Her body is the first whole buddhist relic of a nun and is now worshipped in Tonghua Temple. |