The temperature in Jiangnan is getting warmer. On the second day after arriving in Hangzhou, we went to Jingshan Temple. This is a mountain temple that I have always wanted to visit. First, because Su Dongpo visited this mountain three times and wrote more than ten poems, which is fascinating; second, because this temple is the ancestral hall of the Rinzai sect in Japan, with 120 ancestors in history. A Japanese monk has been to this mountain, which makes people curious; thirdly, because during the Southern Song Dynasty, Jingshan Temple was known as the first of the "Five Mountains and Ten Temples" of Buddhist temples in the south of the Yangtze River.
But when it comes to the greatest contribution of Jingshan Temple, I think it is Master Hong Xi from the late Tang Dynasty. This has an important connection with the core of Jiangnan culture. It is said that Qian Liu, King of Wuyue, was a wise man at an early age. He visited Master Jingshan Hongyi at the age of twelve and was encouraged by him to read the Spring and Autumn Annals. At the age of 21, he was recruited to join the army and said goodbye to the master. The master "held his hand, said to the left and right of the screen: 'Love yourself, you will be very noble in the future, and you should focus on Buddhism...'" In the second year of Jingfu (893), Qian Liu He was granted the title of Military Envoy of the Zhenhai Navy, and Emperor Zhaozong of the Tang Dynasty conferred the title of "Master of Faji" on Hong Xi. Qian Liu left a message to King Wenmu: "I used to walk up the mountain to show my hegemony, and since then I have become prosperous and established the country. Therefore, I often pay close attention to this mountain. In the future, you will not abandon my ambition." Sure enough, Qian Hong later For the sake of peace and tranquility in the world, Chu protected the people, sold off his troops, and returned to the Song Dynasty. "I did not know how to fight in my life, and my elders still want to protect themselves." This is also in line with Master Hong's entrustment and Qian's Buddhist compassion and obedience, and has a hidden spirit. contact on.
Jingshan Temple is very high. I didn't expect it to be on such a high mountain. A friend drove us to the parking lot of the scenic spot, and then we took the bus that connected us to the mountain. We passed through one or two clean and bright villages for several kilometers, and then went up the mountain via the winding road from the foot of the mountain. After more than ten minutes, we arrived at the village on the mountainside. There was another parking lot with a checkpoint that prohibited private cars. The road became narrower and steeper, and we walked up the winding road for almost ten minutes before we arrived at the Jingshan Temple at the top of the mountain. It was like a large temple hidden in the dense forests of the mountains! Along the way, the further we go up the mountain, the more and thicker the snow becomes. On a bright sunny winter day, the snow-covered ancient temple feels warm. A cup of Zen tea upon entering the mountain gate tastes as light as water, but has a sense of intimacy. At the end of the year, many people go to the mountains to burn incense, but they don't feel the hustle and bustle. The plum blossoms are fragrant before they move, and the breath of the new scenery is blowing towards them.
Later I asked Doudou a question: Why did the ancients build temples on such deep and high mountains? Doudou said, the mountain is high and clean. I'm right, this is only the first reason. Monks leave the bustling city and seek a place that is pure and free from worries. Have you ever noticed that the difference between Jingshan Temple and other temples is the feng shui of its mountain gate, which makes the sight line extremely open? You see, before everyone enters the mountain gate, they have to pass through a long skywalk, where you can see the dense green mist of the Tianmu Mountain peaks, undulating and stretching in the distance, which is a good place to transcend. Yet the second reason is also important.
This involves a big difference between ancient people and modern people. When you look at this temple, think about the 24-year-old Kunshan youth Faqin, who was wandering in the south of the Yangtze River in a certain year in the Dali calendar of the Tang Dynasty. When he met a woodcutter asking for directions, he resolutely settled here in a nunnery. The site is inscribed on the top of the mountain today as " Drinking Stone” place. Later, a large jungle gradually grew. In such a deep and high mountain, it was quite difficult for the monks to go down the mountain to get some food. However, without this suffering, there would be no meaning in their lives. It should be noted that in the eyes of the ancients, life was not brought into the world for enjoyment, but modern people came to the world just for enjoyment; modern people value rights and pursue the principle of happiness, while the ancients value dedication and pursuit of happiness. Their principle is practice. In their view, the ultimate difference between life and life lies in whether there is practice and whether there is any reward from it. It seems that the ancients were looking for hardship, while modern people are looking for fun. Everyone has their own ambitions, but their temperaments are different. In fact, even modern people are spiritually connected with the ancients at a high level of life. The monks in ancient times gained the meaning of life, proved their worth, and accomplished the purpose of life through practice and hardship. “The water in Xicheng evaporates in June, and the flying mosquitoes are as fast as eagles.Abbot Xian is cold in the ice and snow, and the orchid paste does not move and the lamp remains bright." Dongpo's "Send Off Master Yuan Returns to Jingshan" commends the ascetic personality of Zen Master Chenghui who has practiced for thirty years. Another song "Visiting Jingshan Again" "I have never been exposed to hardships and dangers in my life, and I have always been on my own two feet." "I have always been proud of life and death with white feet, and I am not afraid of the sword of the Yellow Turban." It is also from the comparison of earthly life, and from the hardships and dangers, that we can see the true meaning of a cultivator's life. Weight.
When we walked out of the lobby where we were eating vegetarian noodles, there was a huge pile of residual snow. There were two Zen poems on the sign next to it: "It's good to scatter a little red stove snow to become a night lamp for the world." This is from Jingshan Temple in the Song Dynasty. It was written by Zen Master Zonggao, the old abbot. There are two sentences before it: "When the bottom of the bucket is removed, the earth is vast, and the green pool is clear where the life root is broken." This is clearly talking about the achievements of ancient people's practice. "The earth is broad", which means that nothing is being practiced. Among the pedigrees of human happiness is transcendence with the goal of practice itself. And "Red Stove Snow" is a famous Zen koan, which uses the momentary snowflakes falling on the red clay stove to symbolize the spiritual enlightenment; Red Stove Snow is also a symbol of spiritual enlightenment in winter. It is a warm image. Practitioners use the warmth of their own souls to light a lamp and give meaning to life in the long night.
When we climb to the top of the highest mountain, there is an open-air Avalokitesvara statue. In front of the incense seat, we are sick for the distance. The mother/grandmother prayed for blessings, each lit three sticks of incense, and also prayed for the passing year of 2023 and the coming year of 2024. It was a bit incredible to think about it when I came down the mountain. Is this what aestheticians call "purposeless harmony" "Purpose"? Although we did not come to Jingshan Temple for this purpose. We did not deliberately go to pray for blessings. We just wanted to see the mountains that Dongpo visited and the temples we visited. However, perhaps it was not for this purpose that we could not see anything. His hand guides us to this mountain. Only in this way can we follow fate like Dongpo, and truly obey the destiny. So this winter trip itself is already a blessing for the New Year.
was written three days before the arrival of the New Year. Day, Hangzhou
Author: Hu Xiaoming
Text: Hu Xiaoming Picture: Hu Xiaoming Editor: Wu Dongkun Editor: Shu Ming
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