The miraculous deeds of Venerable Master Xuyun that I witnessed 我所見到的虛雲老和尚的神奇事蹟 1/2

(English & Chinese subtitles) Written by Master Shao Yun (1938–2022), the last generation of disciples of Venerable Xu Yun, served as the abbots of some Buddhist temples in China.
Subtitles:
Master Shao Yun's Revelation:
Venerable elders, Dharma masters, lay Buddhists, and devoted friends:
I would like to take this opportunity to briefly introduce to the Hong Kong Buddhist community the deeds and characteristics of Venerable Master Xuyun's life in Yunju Mountain. I hope that his good words and deeds will serve as an example for us, the future generations, to learn Buddhism.
Meanwhile, I would like to take this opportunity to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Venerable Monk's passing and offer a small token of my gratitude to him for his kindness in teaching me the Dharma.
Due to my shallow cultivation, and my limited knowledge of Buddhism, if there are any mistakes or shortcomings, I would like to ask all the great masters to kindly point them out.
In August 1956, I went from Anhui Province to Zhenru Temple on Yunju Mountain in Jiangxi Province, to seek refuge with Venerable Master Xuyun and ask to become a monk.
At nineteen, I left home after graduating from high school and went to Yunju Mountain.
In fact, as early as when I was sixteen years old, I had been secretly writing letters to the Venerable Monk without telling my family. Although he was a well-known eminent monk domestically and abroad, he always wrote back to me personally.
After meeting the venerable monk, he asked me why I wished to become a monk. I replied that I aspired to attain Buddhahood.
Upon hearing this, the elder was greatly pleased. He immediately accepted me as his disciple, personally shaved my head, and bestowed upon me the monastic name Shaoyun.
That winter, I proceeded to Nanhua Temple to receive the full monastic precepts. I then returned to Yunju Mountain and participate in the daily chores with others. After a few months, I began to serve the Venerable Monk, and during the day I listened to the abbot Master Haideng's lectures in the residence.
The Venerable Monk was one hundred and seventeen years old at the time, while his eyes were still bright and alert. At night, he never wore glasses when reading the fine print in the newspaper by kerosene lamp. He has thirty-six teeth, all neatly arranged, without any missing or damaged. He said they grew back after he was ninety years old.
His voice is very resonant. Sometimes when he gave sermons in the meditation hall, his voice was so loud that it made the bell in the meditation hall buzz.
When the Venerable Monk arrived at Yunju Mountain in July 1953, the mountain was full of rubble and weeds, with only three dilapidated dormitories and four monks. This is the desolate scene left after the Zhenru Temple was tragically destroyed by Japanese artillery fire on March 19, 1939, with all its halls and pavilions completely destroyed.
Within months of the Venerable Monk's arrival at Yunju Mountain, over fifty people had gathered. After meeting him, none of them wished to leave. He then petitioned the government to rebuild Yunju Mountain. Upon receiving approval, construction began immediately.
In order to be self-sufficient in daily living, they began to reclaim wasteland and plant crops. When I went there in early 1956, they had already developed large tracts of land and planted rice and potatoes.
Later, as the population grew, the temple instituted a rule prohibiting individuals without labor capacity or productive abilities from registering as residents.
By the end of 1956, over 120 people had settled there, reclaiming more than 20 hectares of land. Annual harvests reached nearly 50,000 kilograms of rice and over 50,000 kilograms of other crops, basically achieving self-sufficiency.
At that time, the venerable monk, already 117 years old, would visit the construction sites and newly cultivated areas daily to inspect the progress and offer personal guidance, while also receiving visitors from all corners.
At six o'clock in the evening, he would give a lecture in the meditation hall. After eight o'clock, he would start reading letters from all over the place. Sometimes there would be more than a hundred letters a day, and he would read them all one by one.
5:00
For important correspondence, he would personally reply; for ordinary letters, he would outline his intentions, and we would respond on his behalf.
He usually doesn't rest until around midnight, then rises at two in the morning to meditate until the fourth gong sounds, around half past three, before getting up to wash his face.
He didn't use a toothbrush or toothpaste. He just rinsed his mouth with warm water, spit it out on a towel, washed his eyes first, and then washed his entire face.
He said washing this way can prevent eye diseases and improve vision.
After washing his face, he was prostrated before the Buddha, then returned to bed to meditate.