page_title: Lu Zhishen
section_title: Death
hierarchical_section_title: Lu Zhishen / Death
caption_attribution_description: 清明上河図/清明上河图
context_page_description: Lu Zhishen is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the four great classical novels in Chinese literature. He is the main character in the first segment of the novel, which spans about six chapters. Nicknamed "Flowery Monk", he ranks 13th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.
  One folk tale derived from the novel says he is a sworn brother of the martial artist Zhou Tong, who purportedly trained the Song dynasty general Yue Fei in archery.
context_section_description: Lu Zhishen is appointed as one of Liangshan's infantry leaders after the 108 Stars of Destiny came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. He is one of the few heroes who object strongly to Song Jiang's quest for amnesty from Emperor Huizong. He nevertheless participates in campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces in Song territory after Liangshan attains amnesty. He scores top merit when he captures the rebel leader Fang La.
  When the run of campaigns ends with Fang La's rebellion snuffed out, Lu Zhishen insists on remaining at the Liuhe Pagoda in Hangzhou instead of returning to Dongjing with the lot. On the night before the rest depart for the capital, Lu is awakened from his sleep by the thunderous sound made by the tidal bore in the nearby Qiantang River as it clashes wave after wave onto the bank. At that instant, he grasps the prophetic message concealed in the verse given him by the abbot of the Mount Wutai monastery. The verse goes:
  The first two lines foretell Lu's capture of Fang La and Fang‘s right--hand man Xiahou Cheng while the following two refer to the Qiantang River's tidal bore, which  "faithfully arrives" every year on the 18th day of the 8th Lunar month. The monks of Liuhe Pagado tell Lu Zhishen that in Buddhist terminology yuanji – made up of the characters yuan (圓; "complete the circle") and ji (寂; "enter silence") – means death. Realising that it is time for him to die, Lu Zhishen bathes and lights some fragrant incense. He then composes an ode and asks Song Jiang to come to see him. But he has already passed on sitting cross-legged on a zafu before Song arrives. Song reads the ode:
  Confessing in the ode that he has never read the scriptures as a monk and has instead indulged in killing, Lu Zhishen shows he has attained Buddhist enlightenment with the comprehension that everything has a karmic reason. He is given a funeral befitting that of a high priest.
caption: A stone statue of Lu Zhishen at Hengdian World Studios.
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