Master Hong Yi was one of the four greatest Buddhist monks in the early years of the Republic. He devoted himself to precepts since becoming a Buddhist monk. Carrying forward Nanshan Lu(南山律) and reviving Buddhism were Master’s lifelong ambition. Nanshan Lu was the body of China monastic disciplines glorified by Tang Dynasty Master Daoxuan. However, people could hardly see the whole picture of the disciplines until a copy of the full Nanshan Lu was requested from Japan in the last years of Qing Dynasty. Venerable Hong Yi elaborately compiled A Graphical Explanation of the Bhikhhu’s Precepts in the Dharmagupta Vinaya(四分律比丘戒相表記), Zai Jia Lv Yao (Buddhist precepts at home) (南山律在家備覽略編) and the writings related to precepts which leaded him to be honored as the eleventh patriarch of Nanshan Vinaya School(南山律宗). He was also viewed as a pivotal role in continuing China Buddhist precepts. The research was focused on the work , Zai Jia Lv Yao (Buddhist precepts at home) ,which Venerable Hong Yi collected a variety of Nanshan Lu works and specified the disciplines for laymen to follow. The outline of each chapter made the difficult lessons easy to learn from which people who intended practicing Vinaya-disciplines can easily comprehend the precepts(戒法), precept substance(戒體)，precept behavior(戒行) ，precept performance(戒相) and the extent of abidance and violation of commandments (持犯輕重)。The work also helped to differentiate the precept substance(戒體) judged by Shifa School(實法宗), Jiaming School (假名宗) and Yuanjiao School圓教宗; it also exhorted people to keep the commandments with their greatest thoughts. Reminder for Buddhist monks to-be(出家宗致)was listed in the last part of the writing which made known this work could serve as the fundamental lessons for the Buddhist monks to-be. Master Hong Yi’s engagement of expanding Vinaya disciplines was exactly the practice of showing kindness to human beings and guarding Buddhist teachings.
