Translation Request - Gravestone engraving

MattieH

Please help with the translation of a gravestone. I took an image of the gravestone, tried to translate it online image-to-text. While it could not translate it, this looks very close to the actual writing. thank you. I appreciate it. Mattie

興仁院釋演暢居士

Lena 吴志宏

Unfortunately, when someone becomes a monk, most of the cemetery headstone no longer shows the date of birth and death.

MattieH

Thank you so much for explaining! I sincerely appreciate your help with this.

Every kind wish,

Mattie

MattieH

Thank you so much for explaining! I sincerely appreciate your help with this.

Lena 吴志宏

Mattie, If the "headstone" has only the characters of "興仁院釋演暢居士", then there are no any other family members names, no birth/death date, because he was a Monk.

Lena 吴志宏

My pleasure, Mattie!

Unfortunately there is nothing else information besides of what i translated. There are no date and locality at all - which is normal for monk headstone.

Lena 吴志宏

興仁院 釋演暢 居士

I would translate it separately.

居士: 意译长者、家主、家长。在家修持佛法的佛教徒。

釋演暢: 釋，是姓氏；演暢，是他的名字；演，是名字中的他這一代的輩份字。

興仁院: 是他修持佛法时的、所在地的名字。

MattieH

Dear Lena,

I am so grateful for your help!

is this correct?

A Buddhist who practices Buddhism at home.

Shih Hsien Chang: Shih is his family name;

Hsien Chang is his first name; Hsien is the word for his generation in his name.

Hyeonginwon: The name of the place where he practiced Buddhism.

Many, many thanks, Mattie

MattieH

Hanna, are there are dates? Birth / death dates? thank you. Mattie

Lena 吴志宏

Almost all right, MattieH!

Here is the google translation about his surname 釋‘s meaning.

"Why are all Buddhist monks named Shi 釋? Why are all Buddhist monks named Shi 釋?

Buddhist monks and nuns are often called "Shi釋". "Shi釋" is the abbreviation of the Sanskrit word "Sakyamuni" or "She Zhi", which is the surname of the Buddha, the Lord Sakyamuni.“

It means this name isnt the normal surname and give name including in Jiapu book.

MattieH

Lena,

Thank so much for the explanation and the context! Is there a date of Death or Birth on this gravestone engraving? Is it possible that this is a gravestone for the family and smaller individual ones depict members within this family? Thank you Lena, I appreciate it. Mattie

Lena 吴志宏

Please send me the image again so i can tell you if there is any date and locality information.

MattieH

Dear Lena,

Here is what the initial translation says:

興仁院釋演暢居士

If I could load a jpg image I could share the pic of the gravestone. Sorry for the delays in responding, my Chinese language skills are SO poor! : ) Thank you, Mattie