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Recently, I read a biography of Master Xuan Jian. He was strict, honest and law abiding, and would neither hesitate to berate others for any misconduct nor save their faces. Towards the end of the Sui era, there was political turmoil. Many monks left the monastery in fear for their lives. They donned the clothes of the commoners and lived amongst them. Only Master Xuan Jian stubbornly wore Buddhist robes and continued to live a monk's life. Many taunted him and regarded him as a stubborn old mule. To which he then replied "I'd rather go to the hell than to renounce Buddhism to save my skin." When Tang Gao Ju united and ruled China, Master Xuan Jian returned to his home in Ze Chuan to rebuild the temple. With perseverance and determination, the temple began to flourish to its former glory. While the temple was being reconstructed, Sun Yi, the village chief, sent jars of wine to construction workers as a sign of appreciation. When Master Xuan Jian found out about this, he "personally" ensured that every single jar was smashed and proclaimed that he would rather the temple lay in ruins than to allow people indulge in illegal goods. His remark angered the village chief and he wanted to have the master killed. However, that night as the village chief slept, his guardian spirit appeared in his dream and warned him not to kill Master Xuan Jian. After he woke up, he apologized remorsefully for what he had done and released Master Xuan Jian immediately. After reading this, I recall a year in Seattle when it snowed heavily. I took off my robes, put on winter gear and went skiing in front of the Rey Tseng Temple. On another occasion, the monks in the monastery and I went skiing at Mt. Sinokemi , obviously in winter gear. When I was in Tahiti, I donned on a Hawaiian shirt and shorts when there were no monks or monasteries in sight. I wore swimwear when I swam in the sea. That was because Tahiti was unbearably hot. When I was in Shikoku, Japan visiting the Eighty-eight Temples, I put on casual clothes, as it was a hot summer. There is one other thing. When it gets dark in Tahiti, the mosquitoes and insects start to infest the area and it is impossible to sleep without lighting a mosquito coil or spraying some insecticide. Thus, I have taken lives by doing so. I do not pay attention to details and prefer to go with the flow. However, after reading about Master Xuan Jian, I have become more conscious of my actions. Do my actions abide by the laws of Buddhism or do they run contrary to the laws? I am sure that a lot of people will object if I claim that my actions abide by the laws of Buddhism. Then what should one do if the actions violate the laws of Buddhism? I wonder if we could design winter robes for monks for skiing. Or could there be thinner robes for monks in Tahiti to suit the summer-like weather that lasts throughout the year. I am very afraid of hot weather. Is there a robe for swimming? Should monks swim to keep fit? And should we be allowed to take the lives of the mosquitoes in Tahiti? How about chanting the deliverance mantra for them? If we cannot kill the mosquitoes there, I will be tortured for as long as I live. I will leave these questions to be answered by intellectuals and philosophers
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