Hunan's Changde Yakushan Temple is a Chinese Zen ancestor, an important branch of Zen Buddhism, and a famous Buddhist resort, possessing unrivaled cultural exploration value and viewing value, the following is to share with you a two-day tour guide to Yakushan Temple in Changde, Hunan.
Three hours by car from Changsha, six o'clock in the evening to Changde Yakushan town bamboo forest Zen garden. Male and female congregation of about fifty people to enter, registration, respectively to the squatters to stay. The eight members of the same house: the leader of the group, lawyer Daoyong, physics student Qiao Wei of the Normal University, Zhu Xianchun came in the same car, the qin master Xixi, Chenxi, college teacher Gao, training principal Xiaojun arrived first by car.
They made up their beds and went to the scripture hall at seven o'clock. The first thing I did was to talk about the two days of meditation, the fasting, the work and rest of the Zen garden, and then the recitation of the Vajra Sutra. The Venerable Master spoke very quickly and fluently, and the crowd struggled to chant along with him, but did not dare to be slow. At eight o'clock, we went back to the squatter's room and exchanged snacks and gossip with each other. Or listen to Xixi meditating and playing the guqin, or searching for the Internet, flipping through books. At nine o'clock, the bells and drums chimed in the cold, and it was bedtime for one, two, or three chimes. Housemates talk about qin theory, Buddhist theory, Chinese and Western medicine, ghosts and gods, food, etc., lights out after still not finished. At 4:30 tomorrow morning, will we be able to get up on time?
The next day, the alarm went off at 4:00 a.m., and it was hard to get up after 20 minutes, but the same people were washing up one after another. The bell will end, go out and meet one or two steps hurriedly cloaked in gray tweed monks master, at this time is the drum beat to urge more, such as the assassin Nie Yinniang assassin Nie Yinniang curfew in the market occurred in the assassin warning situation.
Bells end, drums rush
5:00 to the meditation room, male and female congregation seated separately, Ming Ying Venerable Master lecture on Zen, practice Zen, sitting Zen, to be in the concentration of one mind. Sitting with legs crossed, covered with a blanket, eyes closed, jaws, hands folded in front of the abdomen, guarding the breath, such as the master. Less than an hour of sitting meditation, legs extremely numb, constantly adjusting the back to make a slight forward lean, trying to seek to enter, meditation but can not get. The second half hour of sitting meditation to examine "who I am" is also the same.
Morning color in the Zen garden
After six o'clock, I went to the Hall of Five Observations for morning fasting. Five views before the fast: counting the amount of work, measuring their place of origin; thinking about their own virtues, should be eaten; to prevent the heart away from the faults, greed and so on as a religion; the right thing is a good medicine, for the treatment of the shape of the withered; in order to become a Taoist, and therefore receive this food. Eating fasting is also respectful. Salute the Buddha to ask questions, order and humility, no noise and speech, focusing on a food, only to feel that dietary needs are limited and rare, is a useful food to supplement the beneficial body, not only to reconcile the needs of the stomach and thirst, but also to reconcile the spleen, heart, virtue. I am thankful and joyful. How to eat a meal properly and drink a dipper of water is also a very good realization of Zen.
View of the Zen Center
Main Entrance
At 8:00 p.m., we will listen to Venerable Ming Ying's talk on Buddhism together in the Hall of Stopping and Viewing. The Four Noble Truths: the Noble Truth of Suffering, the Noble Truth of Setting, the Noble Truth of Destruction, and the Noble Truth of the Way. Suffering, all the world's fundamental is suffering, from suffering to perceive happiness, such as Camus "Sisyphus pushed the stone up the mountain" metaphor of life; set of truths, "suffering" the original cause of the "I cling to", "Ignorance" and "Desire"; the Way, the method of breaking down "I-attachment"; and the Way of Extinction, the state of elimination and purity. The Eight-fold Path, which includes positive thinking, positive vision, positive thinking, positive speech, and positive action, is the Dharma that is practiced from the body, mind, and heart. Listening to the perplexed, gained only half a claw. And read the scriptures, hands holding folded pages of the scriptures unfolded, a long time to find the position to lead the chanting of the Venerable Master read, the mouth recited the words, hard-headed calm and hard work along with the chanting, such as Benkei in front of the guards of the Anzai Pass calm and composed interpretation of the "persuasion into the tent" the same.
Front of the "Five Observations Hall"
The lunch is very rich, although vegetarian but tasty. In the afternoon, I listened to Venerable Ming Ying's lecture on Zen Buddhism and the epiphany in the Kung Fu. Zen Buddhism was at its peak during the Tang and Song dynasties, but over the past thousand years, there have been only 900 Zen masters who have achieved enlightenment, and even fewer of them have achieved true enlightenment. From the arrival of Dharma Master Dharma to preach in Nanliang, to the Sixth Patriarch Huineng in the Tang Dynasty, the five schools and seven sects of Southern Zen, represented by Zen Master Mazu of Jiangxi Province, Zen Master Shi of Nanyue Province, and Zen Master Weiyan of Yakushan of Changde Province, preached Zen, practiced Zen, attained enlightenment, and passed on Zen, which were in full bloom for a time, but are now on the decline. Previously also known as Jack Kerouac and Ginsberg and other "Beat Generation", Leonardo Cohen, Steve Jobs in recent Japan and South Korea a lot of tea, celebrities, feudal lords, contemporary European and American politicians and businessmen, literary and artistic celebrities, are committed to them, and look back to China, look at the development of medicine mountain Zen and other South Zen, can not help but feel.
Near noon
Noon
Bamboo grove next to Zen garden
Zen Buddhism says it is difficult to achieve epiphany by breaking down the "attachment to self" and "observing one's own mind because there is nothing to abide in". But all the wonderful theory, wisdom system as a medicine for life, although it can not necessarily point people into the sage to become a Buddha, but can be realized to open, through, to guide the personality in the daily mundane things in the exercise, realization, humble and rounded, and become very powerful. As the saying goes, to find oneself, to return to oneself, and to be truly free at last. That is why Venerable Jing Hui first advocated "Living Zen" and Venerable Ming Ying made the commitment and organized the efforts to promote Yakusan Buddhism and "Living Zen". Although I do not know much about the so-called essentials of practicing "Living Zen" such as developing bodhicitta, establishing prajna, and cultivating the view of the Way of Rest, I do not know much about it, but the "Six Degrees of Bodhisattvic Personality", such as "the feeling of being kind and charitable, purity of speech and behavior, and gentleness and patience", are very practical and realistic. "are very practical references. The rest, such as "No sin in the past is too great, and no sin in the future is too small," "Make more efforts on your own, and less demands on others," refer to Mr. Fan's words "change one's faults and move on to good deeds" and "accumulate blessings". I think it's a good idea to refer to Mr. Fan's meaning of "change one's faults and do good deeds" and "accumulating blessings", which is also thought-provoking.
Master Zen
Twilight
On top of chanting sutras in the evening, the most important experience was participating in the "Light Transmission" for the first time. I do not know much about the relationship between Buddha, Rudra, and Shakyamuni, but I just leaned over to take a small lamp in front of Shakyamuni's incense case, and followed the people who served the lamp in a single file. Walking in the wooden stairs, corridors and down to the Guanyin Hall, the road can not help but worry about the lamp was blown out by the wind, the left hand carefully covered, as if treating their own precious and dangerous as the same as the life of a swimmer. If you temporarily leave your own perspective to see, this winding and moving, bumps and flickers of the long rows of lamps, is also very pious and very beautiful, right?
After passing the lantern
After the day's meditation and "labor" was over, back to the dormitory, the housemates began to enjoy Xixi's guqin practice time.
The moon is out of the sky and mountains, and the _misty _sea_.
____ miles, blowing degrees of jade__.
_Down the Baideng Road, Hu_Qinghai_.
By ___ land, not _anyone_.
Garrisoners look at the ___, thinking of ___ more bitter ___.
High ___ this night, _rest not _rest.
Xixi's fixed and thick chanting sound, and the dazzling zither clear tone, very simple, emotional atmosphere, listen to the God, such as into its realm. Li Bai's other famous poems, "Phoenix", "Guangling San" a few people listened to a, and then urged to play one. Probably, we also slightly heard some of the Zen state. Xixi this time over to listen to Zen listening to the sutra, but also for the realization of the zither theory, for the practice of the zither, and for us, Xixi is really amazing and slightly strange man. Whether it is to Xixi, or to each of us in the same house, in addition to the brief chance to obtain the friendship of the same house as in the study era, and this vast universe, this world, our "this life or only this see" awake awareness and silent acceptance of it.
After nine o'clock, Xixi had gone to the bamboo forest on the hill outside to practice the qin, and the last drumming had stopped, so it was already time for rest and recuperation. Qiao Wei looked out the window, marveled at this night's starry sky, said he wanted to go out to see, provoked the same house three or four people to go with them, one to see tonight's stars and moon, but also to find Xixi. In the cold and not very bright light sprinkled with Zen garden square and lakeside lawn, looking up at the ancient unchanging name of these stars, galaxies, this group of nebulae composed of the diamond brilliant canopy, suddenly thought: stargazing is also Zen ah.
Three
The third day. After sitting meditation and morning fasting, the men of the same house began to clean all parts of the Zen center, including the Kannon Hall, where the lantern was passed last night. Although I don't remember the Karmic Sutra, and still don't remember the Heart Sutra, and I still don't have a clue about the sutra and the answer to last night's question to Brother Yong, "Yesterday's mind is unattainable, today's mind is unattainable, and tomorrow's mind is unattainable" and other sutras and answers, I think that this is a Buddhist task, so I am naturally respectful under my hands and heart. It also occurred to me that, as we begin to adapt to the life of the Zen center here, soon we will have to leave.
Morning colors
View of the Zen garden
At 8:30, we gathered at the square in front of the Zen garden, and in a single-file line, with men in front and women behind, we went to the mountain 3.5 kilometers away to worship the Yakushan Temple and the Pagoda of Zen Master Yian's incarnation. The master warned us to focus on the walk, not to talk, not to look around to see the scenery as a tourist mentality. On both sides of the houses, fields and acres just like, green mountain handsome, a yellow, a white, a black, three Wang accompanied. Along the way, nothing to say, turn to the path, after a net wisdom Elder recording playing a building, walked to the foot of the hill where the tower of the incarnation. The number of steps should be in a hundred up and down, followed by the monks and masters of the three steps, and then kowtow down, although the stone steps stained with a lot of dirt, but also do not care. To the top of the mountain, see the left and right peaks surrounded by the air is very good. This dozens of square leveled yellow mud in the middle of the ground, is the incarnation of the Zen Master's tower. Only six or seven meters high, the tower body cracked, slightly tilted, no less than Yuelu Mountain has seen the Huang Xing monument, and the Sui Sharita scale is comparable. Men and women followed the monks to pay homage to the master, chanting sutras, holding gifts, thanks to the previous Zen master's good virtue, great wishes and deeds. Happily, next May, the incarnation of the tower can be completed renovation, the new tower will be about eighteen meters high, lofty and solemn, including the establishment of Bamboo Grove Zen Center, expanding, to create an international Zen exchange center, which is also Ming Ying Venerable Master's dedication, leadership and support of the local government of the combined efforts, is indeed worthy of praise for the great merit.
The road ahead
Worshipping the mountain
A few moments later, the group went down the mountain to the nearby Medicine Mountain Old Monastery. In front of the temple, there is a wooden and stone "Yakusan Ciyun Lecture Hall", which is different from the Tang style of Jukyong Choling, and next to it, there is an old tree, some pomelo trees, etc., and we took a group photo in front of the lecture hall. The front of the lecture hall is open, with no door, but only a green and gray elegant porch and plaques, and no walls on the other three sides, only a half-height screen to cover the enclosure, and nothing else inside the lecture hall except for some benches and chairs, and in the middle of the background is a picture of Elder Jinghui of the Linlin Temple in Zhaoxian, Hebei Province, preaching zazen, and the ink is left behind.
"Make the best of your heart, and be kind to everything.
In front of the lecture hall
Inside the lecture hall
Ancient trees next to the temple
We took a tea break and talked in a separate house on one side of the lecture hall. The tea was delicious, and there were cakes and fruits. And Qiaowei and take the cake like snacks, only to realize that each is hemp sugar (maltose), look at each other and laugh, indeed sticky sweet, delicious. Xixi, on the other hand, was helping a few women to hit the pomelo on the tree. Then it is the main hall of the Medicine Mountain Temple of the Buddha. Eleven o'clock Xu return trip, the first half of the basic according to the original road, the second half of the reservoir along the side and bamboo forests, along the way, I feel that the party walking, worship, rest, ritual Buddha, all the way, completed a long solemn ceremony, in addition to the sincerity of the right heart and thank you, is a slight, sufficiently real joy, and relaxation mood.
Return - Reservoir
Return - Bamboo Forest
Return slightly tired, and Mr. Gao, Qiao Wei in the squatter's temporary rest, not able to catch up with the fasting rituals in the morning before the fasting, only thought, so it's okay, right, the Buddhist rituals is a convenient way, we do not have so much to ask for. After lunch, at 1:15, it was the conversion ceremony of this living Zen practice trip, which was held in the Guanyin Hall, counting twelve people converted. Because we wanted to witness the conversion of our roommate Zhu Xianchun and the related ceremony, Mr. Gao, Xixi, and Xiaojun, we went into the hall together to watch and participate in the ceremony. The converted believers were subjected to five precepts: the precept of not killing, the precept of not speaking delusionally, the precept of not stealing, the precept of not being evilly lewd, and the precept of not drinking alcohol.
Each person holds the five precepts or some of them according to his or her own intention and ability to will, and for keeping the precepts, though strict, there is flexibility. Reading through it doesn't move the mind enough to want to convert.
If you really want to, then you are ready to do so, and you have the realization of renunciation, certainty, and oneness. When I came back, I asked Mr. Zhu Xianchun about his name, which is "Yao Yi," which means "shining brightly," and "honestly and surely as one," which is indeed a good name.
Finally, it was time to prepare for the 2:30pm tea talk. We brought cushions from the Guanyin Hall and set up our positions while one of the masters prepared tea, incense, and snacks. Venerable Ming Ying and the Sangha Master took their seats, and the male and female congregations filled the seats on both sides. Starting with the sound of Xixi's zither, we summarized and asked questions about the meditation. Disease, selflessness, the six paths of reincarnation, family relationships, inner balance, reading scriptures, Venerable Ming Ying's knowledge of the traditional wisdom of the Russo-Shih-Taoist traditions of Lao-Tsang, Confucius and Mencius, Buddha, and Dharma Masters, as well as Western philosophies, and the cutting-edge of contemporary thinking, he answered the questions and doubts one by one, with a broad, rounded cognitive system, and sincerity, patience, and tirelessly. From the complexity of life, the ultimate goal of life, to daily practice, to the response to mundane trivialities, all in all, cherish this life, cherish the rare person, and cultivate one's own personality, to obtain the ultimate fulfillment and freedom.
Tea conversation - preparation
Five o'clock, on the bus, began to return, and Ming Ying Venerable Master, the monks and masters to say goodbye, and here with the mountains, lakes, Zen garden, squatters, Zen room, Lenten hall, bells and drums used up boards to say goodbye to one by one. In the future, the housemates, some of us, or have the wish to come back to the time, right?