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Wuyin, the Guiding Light of the Community Taiwanese nuns have had to contend with a misunderstanding that nuns on the mainland have not. In colonial Taiwan nuns were derisively referred to as zhaigu (vegetarian hall auntie) or caigu (vegetarian auntie) by the common people. Although these two were seen as essentially the same, there is emically a distinc­ tion: only the caigu lived at a Buddhist temple, though without taking tonsure or receiving precepts (Shi Jianye 2003). There was no difference in the eyes of the common people. Buddhist nuns in Taiwan today consider these names unaccept­ able and insist on being called biqiuni (bhikşuņī). The origin of the former appellations has to do with the situation in Tai­ wan prior to 1949 when the Nationalist government arrived with a large exodus of monks from the mainland. Besides Buddhism, Daoism, and popular religion, sectarian religions were also practiced in Taiwan during the period of Japanese occupation. Three sects derived from the Luo Teaching (Luo jiao) established by Luo Qing (1443–1527) were introduced in Taiwan from the mainland during the Qing. They were Dragon Flower (longhua), Golden Banner ( jinzhong), and Prior Heaven (xiantian). All members of these sects kept a vegetarian diet, but the sects differed with regard to marriage. While members of the first two could marry, members of the third remained celibate. They either lived in vegetarian halls or went there for ritual activities. Many of these vegetarian halls were built for unmarried daughters or widows by their male kin. The Japanese classified these sects as “vegetarian religions” (zhaijiao) and differentiated them from Bud­ dhism (Jiang and Wang 1994). During the Japanese occupation, nuns could not be ordained because there was no regular contact with the mainland, and it was very difficult to get to Gushan Si in Fujian, the temple from which Taiwanese monastics traditionally received their Dharma transmission, for ordination. So if a woman wanted to lead a celibate religious life, she could either become a zhaigu or she shaved off her hair and lived as an unordained nun. There was very little difference in their lifestyles except that a zhaigu wore a bun and dressed in a jacket with side closure and pants in the fashion of the Qing period. It is no wonder that people confused the two, and even today nuns are sometimes referred to as “vegetarian auntie.” 3 50 • Passing the Light When the mainland monks arrived in Taiwan, they concentrated on con­ verting the zhaigu and having them ordained as nuns. In the spring of 1953, Bai­ sheng (1904–1989) officiated at the first three­altars ordination ceremony (dur­ ing which the precepts for novices, monks/nuns, and bodhisattvas were given) at Daxian Si in Tainan. Most attendees arrived without proper attire and did not behave like future monastics. Baisheng was so disturbed by what he saw that he set down seven rules for everyone. If any ordinand could not comply within two days, he or she must leave.1 In the early postwar years, it was apparently quite common for women to become tonsured and even occupy important monastic posts with­ out undergoing the formal ceremony of ordination. For instance, as we read in the last chapter, the nun Tianyi (1924–1980), an important assistant to Baisheng and prominent during the 1950s and 1960s, received her ordination in 1953 together with her master Yuanrong and her disciple Yichun. At the time, this was regarded as big news (Shi Jianye 1999, 32). Since then, as a result of an active campaign by mainland masters and general trends in Buddhist circles, many former zhaigu or caigu have taken tonsure and become nuns after receiving precepts. But some have continued in the former lifestyle. For them, the main thing in leading a religious life is to keep a vegetarian diet and not get married. Keeping their hair and not receiving precepts do not present a problem for them (Shi Jianye 2003, 485). Formative experiences Wuyin was born in Qingshui, Taizhong, in 1940.2 Her father came from a large lineage consisting of seven branches. The fifth, sixth, and seventh branches origi­ nally owned a rice­milling plant. Her family belonged to the sixth branch, but because previous generations in her father’s branch had indulged in gambling, they eventually lost their share in the business. Unlike the descendants of the other branches, who worked in banks, taught school, and even served as the vil­ lage head, her great­grandfather and grandfather were...

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