两岸共扬济公文化

天台县作为济公的祖庭圣地，长期以来致力于保护和弘扬济公文化。今年6月，海峡两岸济公文化研究专家、学者和国际友人等2000余人，齐聚天台赤城山济公文化广场，首次举行“济公成道，祖庭祈福”大典，成为一件盛事。

济公文化是中华优秀传统文化的重要组成部分。在中国港澳台地区、在东南亚各国和西方部分国家，济公信徒非常广泛。济公文化已经成为连接海内外华人的金色纽带，更成为推动海峡两岸经济、文化交流的重要桥梁。

两岸济公 同根同源

“两岸济公共一人，同根同源血肉亲。”6月21日，大典由宣读申报中华济公文化交流协会的决定开始。击鼓冬冬，一条金龙在表演区飞舞，象征着济公精神万世传扬。活动中还进行了恭读祭文等仪式。

据天台济公文化交流协会会长余云安说：“民间传说中的济公生于南宋时期的天台石墙头，一生充满传奇色彩，神通广大、扶危济困、彰善罚恶，被民间奉为‘活佛’，深受群众爱戴。”

余云安表示，济公传说脍炙人口，家喻户晓，至今有800多年历史，2006年被列入第一批国家级非物质文化遗产名录。济公文化是天台山得天独厚的文化资源，享有“地域原生态文化”的唯一性。济公文化在传承过程中，保持了其本质的文化内涵，表现出中华文化的根源性、民族性和民间性特征。然而，就是这样一个在海内外拥有众多信徒的文化主体，目前却还没有一个全国性济公文化交流研究团体。

现在，越来越多来自海内外特别是台湾地区的济公文化爱好者和专家来到天台，寻找济公文化之根。余云安介绍说，天台县还具有区位条件优越、交流活动经验丰富、两岸民众参与度高等众多优势，在前几年举办的两岸济公文化交流活动中，两岸专家、学者曾多次建议参照中华妈祖文化交流协会的经验，整合济公文化研究与交流的有关资源，组建全国性的济公文化交流研究团体。

天台作为济公祖庭，着眼于推动海内外济公文化交流，将济公文化纳入了全县文化产业发展总体规划，陆续推出济公祖庙、济公文化园等相关文化项目。在协会筹建会上，天台县委书记李志坚表示，面对新机遇新挑战，我们需要有更大的平台、更好的机制、更强的组织来推动济公文化交流向高层次、多领域、全方位发展。

济公文化 致力弘扬

近年来，天台县先后举办了一系列有影响的济公活动，掀起了海内外济公信众来天台朝觐、旅游、观光的热潮，天台山已成为全球济公圣山。

天台县北古永宁村是活佛济公的故乡，也是济公青少年时期生活成长的地方，济公的精神影响至今长存。

在天台一带流传的多是济公的出世、童年生活、惩恶、扶困济贫的故事，如“济公出世”“棒打寿联”“修元出家”等。而在杭嘉湖一带流传的故事内容更为广泛，这是因为那里是济公出家后的主要生活和活动场所。

济公的一生富有传奇色彩，他既“癫”且“济”，他的扶危济困、除暴安良、彰善罚恶等种种美德，在人们的心目中留下了独特而美好的印象，大家怀念他、神化他，反映出济公形象的亲和力和那种正义的化身！

1993年，天台县成立了国内第一家研究济公及其文化现象的群众性学术团体—天台山济公研究会。在此后的十年里，天台先后举办了济公故居重光大典、2007海峡两岸济公文化交流活动、天台国际济公文化旅游节等一系列活动，掀起了海内外济公信众来天台朝觐、观光的热潮。

余云安说，在两岸民间交流中，同根共源的济公文化拉近了两岸的距离，济公文化以其民间信仰的强大凝聚力，对进一步密切海峡两岸的文化、经贸交流和旅游合作的推动作用极为明显。

济公精神体现的是中华传统文化，中国港澳台、东南亚及世界各地的济公信众，通过在当地或赴天台参与拜谒、慈善、研究等活动，加深了对“众生平等、急公救难、除恶扬善、扶贫济困”的济公精神的了解。

近年来，天台连续举办两岸济公文化交流活动，在促进两岸民间了解、增进感情、加深交往中，起到了积极作用。同时，这也推动了海外各地的济公文化交流，对于传播中华传统文化有着重要意义。

在当天的交流会上，各方凝聚了三点共识，就是建立全国性民间交流机构—中华济公文化交流协会，把济公文化上升到全国性民间对外交流的重要载体；把济公祖庭—浙江省天台山设为海峡两岸交流基地，进一步发挥济公文化在推动两岸民间友好交流中的桥梁作用，深化两岸交流合作，促进两岸和平发展；依托浙江和天台济公祖庭，大力推动海内外济公文化友好交流，每年举办一次国际性济公文化活动。

（除署名外，本文照片由萧枞提供）

Share the Legacy of the Mad Monk

By Chen Gan

The protection and promotion of the ‘Ji Gong Culture’ has long been a top cultural priority in Tiantai， a county recognized as the shrine of the legacy of the mad monk. More than 2，000 Ji Gong experts， scholars and followers at home and abroad gathered at the Chichengshan Ji Gong Square in Tiantai in June 2013 to celebrate the long-standing Ji Gong culture of Tiantai， regarded as a significant part of traditional Chinese culture and a cultural bridge that effectively boosts cross-strait communication.

Ji Gong is a famous Zen Buddhist monk in the Chinese culture. According to local legend， he was a village boy in Tiantai in the Southern Song Dynasty （1127-1279）. Born in 1130 with a secular name Li Xiuyuan， he grew up to be a Buddhist monk. He was famous for his wild and eccentric behavior while openly breaking monastic codes （such as openly drinking wine and consuming meat）， but was still compassionate by nature and possessed supernatural powers. By the time of his death in 1207， Ji Gong became a folk hero in China and was invoked as a folk religious deity. In folklore， he is often referred to as the mad monk and is considered as a living Buddha who helps people out of trouble.

The June 21， 2013 celebration started with the declaration of a plan to launch the China Ji Gong Cultural Communication Association. The announcement was made by Yu Yun’an， chairman of Tiantai Ji Gong Cultural Communication Society.

“The legends about the mad monk have a history of at least 800 years and have been inscribed on China’s first list of state-level cultural heritages. The Mad Monk symbolizes the uniqueness of the cultural landscape of Tiantai Mountain. All the essential connotations of the culture have been preserved in its inheritance so well that the national and folk roots incorporated are highly recognizable. To do justice to such a widely accepted culture carrier， a state-level organization for all fans is the right thing to consider，” observed Yu Yun’an at the opening ceremony.

Recent years has seen a surge of the number of followers and researchers of the Ji Gong culture coming to Tiantai in search of the roots of the culture. Tiantai enjoys favorable geographical conditions ideal for holding cultural activities throughout the year. To further promote the Ji Gong culture and communication on a global stage， the local government has mapped out its cultural development outline that includes the Mad Monk as the central feature. Recent years has also witnessed the success of various supplementary cultural programs in Tiantai.

“New opportunities and challenges call for a larger platform and a better mechanism to bring the communication to a higher level and into more fields in the society，” said Li Zhijian， a local government official.

A series of Ji Gong-centered cultural activities with far-reaching influence have been held in the county in recent years， triggering an upsurge of pilgrimage from all over the world and making the Tiantai Mountain the ‘holy mountain of Ji Gong’ in the real sense of the words.

Yongning Village in Tiantai is believed to have been the birthplace of the charismatic monk. Legend has it that the eccentric monk spent his childhood and adolescent years here.

For people in Tiantai， the ‘Ji Gong spirit’ is essentially about the childhood stories of the monk and how he helped the weak and poor by punishing the ruthless rich. People living in Hangzhou， Jiaxing and Huzhou， however， have more stories to tell about the monk， because the monk spent most of hisyears in these regions.

People of today love the monk for his unrestrained personality as well as his virtues that crystallize into a symbol of justice and integrity.

The Ji Gong Society of Tiantai Mountain， the country’s first grassroots academic organization dedicated to the research of the monk and the multifaceted culture related was founded in 1993. A series of cultural activities were held in Tiantai in the following decade， bringing pilgrims from all over the world into the Tiantai Mountain.

Ji Gong culture increasingly shows its important role in boosting cross-strait communication in recent years. In the seminar in this past June， participants reached the consensus that the cultural foundation has been laid for the launching of a national association and that an annual cultural project open to international guests should be held in Tiantai. The gathering also reasserted the importance of the Tiantai Mountain as the birthplace of the ‘Ji Gong Spirit’ and a special platform for the intensification of the cross-strait friendship.