fates of monks during Cultural Revolution

Bigger wild goose pagoda

Before the land reform in 1950s, there were over 40 monks in the temple. But soon most of them had to leave for sake of starvation. As experienced by rich landlords, temples’ former possession of land were taken away by the communist party and then divided among landless farmers, so as to ensure each Chinese should have an equal share of land to work on. Besides, since Buddhism was defined as superstition, temples lost another major income by selling offerings, organizing services and collecting donations.

Soon monks left, including the president of the temple. He was later reduced to make a living by pushing carts on the street to sell coal. Only four stayed since they were orphans originally. Their behaviors at the temple were supervised by official from culture unit. Except on several days a year, when they had important delegates groups from neighboring nations like Japan, Korea, Burma, Cambodia, and Vietnam, monks could not have any religious practices at all, even shaving their heads, meditation.

And out of four monks, three soon left after they were pressed to marry, to nuns according to first arrangements. Only one monk, named Puci, whose name meant ‘general benevolence’ remained. This illiterate monk was responsible for temple cleaning.
After the Cultural Revolution broke out in the autumn of 1966, many temples were attacked by red guards. As embodiment of old cultures, old ideology, old customs and old lifestyle, all to be broken in order to create a new world order by Mao, the majority of 200,000 temples across China were torn down, or turned to other uses like schools, factories or residences.
10 years after, at the end of the revolution, less than 100 remained intact, one of which was this one, Bigger wild goose pagoda temple.

Even through the decade, Puci insisted on wearing Buddhist robe, even though he was forbidden by red guards. He didn’t obey though. So on the courtyard prosecution meeting was held to beat him and humiliate him and forced to confess all his crimes. He was all silent. Even time he was beaten, he would murmur ‘a-mi-to-ba, hail to Buddha’. In the end red guards could do nothing but locked him in his room but refusing to give water and food. Two days later, people heard nothing from the room; however when they opened the door all couldn’t believe their eyes. Puci was meditating calmly. Afterwards, considering him out of mind, the red guards decided to let him go.
Fortunately he was healthy enough to lived through the revolution till 1982 and thus protected the temple with his humble courage.. The new law concerning religious institutions was temples, if with no more monks, would be turned to other purposes.

Among the pagodas, another one was dedicated to Langzhao, bright shine. From the essay on the tome, he was selected once the secretary of China Buddhism Academy, Xi’an city people delegate, and member of political committee for his great support to fledging communist party and new China. But when his temple was mercilessly burned down to ashes by red guards, this head monk could not see through the disaster. That night he killed himself. To ordinary people his death was understandable and even noble one. However, as a Buddhist believer, killing lives, even his own was unforgivable. Meanwhile, his death erased hope for his disciple who killed himself too three days after