Collection of Works by Yang Renshan

Author: Yang Renshan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-03-01
Features: Yang Renshan, a layman of the Buddhist faith, expounded the profound teachings of Buddhism and possessed ten great merits in his practice of the Dharma:
1. The breadth and depth of his scholarship;
2. The establishment of printing houses to publish the entire Buddhist canon;
3. The collection of lost works of ancient masters;
4. The creation of sculptures, paintings, and Buddha images;
5. The promotion of Buddhist schools for monks;
6. The advocacy of spreading the Dharma in India;
7. The establishment of lay Buddhist retreats;
8. The dedication of his daughter to the Buddhist path, as well as the refusal of his granddaughter and nieces to marry;
9. The donation of the Jinling Buddhist Text Publishing House to the Dharma community;
10. The abandonment of scientific and artistic skills to dedicate himself entirely to Buddhism, seeking enlightenment through the five wisdoms of the Bodhisattva. Truly, how could this not be the case!
The layman had a fondness for rare books and was gifted the Diamond Sutra by an elderly nun. When the chaos subsided, he acquired the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana, the Vimalakirti Sutra, and the Lankavatara Sutra in Anhui, delving deeply into them and finding great joy. Yet, in his search for more scriptures and treatises, he found nothing, and thus he resolved to persevere with determination.
During his time at Oxford in England, the layman befriended the Japanese Naito Bun'ei, who later helped him obtain three hundred lost works of ancient masters from overseas. He selected the most valuable among them for printing. In the late Qing Dynasty, nearly all the so-called new scholars had connections with Buddhism, and those with genuine faith were all members of the Buddhist Association.