Online reading of Feng Shui legends of monks in western regions
When it comes to White Horse Temple, you will immediately think of the story of White Horse Negative Sutra. More intuitively, the two green stone carving horses in front of the White Horse Temple are full of vigor, mellow and moist, giving people a feeling of being able to carry forward with heavy loads and full of spirituality. This is really interesting as a symbol of the White Horse Temple. Our hearts are filled with the holiness of the Buddha. This stone horse is an original work of the Buddha. Don't! This stone horse belongs to the tomb of Wei Xianxin, a general in the Song Dynasty. 1935, Master Haode was presided over by Baima Temple and moved to the front of the temple. Things that are not Buddhism can be used. This is in line with the law of cultural development. If any culture wants to take root in a different place, it must adapt to the new cultural soil and make full use of the original mother culture.
Rational history tells evidence, and sacred religion depends on legend. The origin of the name "White Horse Temple" coincides with this simple truth. There are two legends about the name of White Horse Temple. In the seventh year of Yongping in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 64), I slept in Nangong, Liu Zhuang, Ming Di, and dreamed that a western gold man was flying around the temple. The next day, I asked the ministers and treated this as a western god. Therefore, the emperor "sent an envoy to the western regions to ask him and get his image." The White Horse comes from its own experience, hence its name "(Luoyang Galand). The white horse has a long way to go and has made outstanding achievements. Building a temple to learn from the scriptures is the most familiar legend of "White Horse Carrying Classics". The inscription "Reconstruction of White Horse Temple in Ancient Temple" in Ming Dynasty recorded the second legend. Emperor Han Ming sent envoys to pray for Buddha. "Take his book and return with Morten and Zhu Falan. By ten years, the temple was established. At the beginning of the Ming dynasty, the first king wanted to destroy the temple, and at night he saw white horses wailing around the tower. So it was renamed Baima Cloud. "The white horse whined, moved the emperor, and made contributions to protecting the temple, so the White Horse Temple was changed.
These legends seem to be named "White Horse Temple" when explaining Emperor Han Ming. However, this is not the case in history. No White Horse Temple was found in the documents of the Eastern Han Dynasty and Cao Wei. In the Western Jin Dynasty, it was recorded in the scriptures translated by the monk Zhu Fahu. Since then, there have been a lot of legends about Baima Temple, such as Biography of Eminent Monks in the Southern Dynasties, Notes on Water Classics in Luoyang Galand in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and Interpretation of Old Records by Shu Wei in the Northern Qi Dynasty. History seems to show that it was 200 years after the temple was built that it was named "White Horse Temple", that is, the temple was built in the Eastern Han Dynasty and was famous in the Western Jin Dynasty. There is an error between legend and history. How to explain the error of more than 200 years?
Buddhism is full of wisdom, revealing flexibility and intelligence. When I first arrived in China, I was actively looking for cultural roots that I could rely on. The name of the temple embodies the mystery of this culture. It is not known whether the white horse is sacred to Indian Buddhism. However, horses have a high position in China culture. Before Buddhism entered central China, horses were very important in people's minds.
Horse is the head of six animals, and its skeleton has been found in Neolithic cultural sites about 5000 years ago. In the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, horses became more important and became an important tool for people to replace walking. The Book of Changes records: "Petunia rides a horse, which is far-reaching." By the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the breeding, reproduction and management of horses had reached a professional level, and many horse experts appeared. Horses are gentle, humane and can bear loads, so people in China regard them as their best partners. Over time, it was sublimated into a symbol of cultural spiritual belief. I ching said, "Be a horse." In other words, the horse is the first. Dragon is the most magical symbol of national spirit in China, but people in China often mention dragons and horses. "Book of Rites Zhou Guan" says: "A horse over eight feet is a dragon." In other words, the height of a horse can be called a dragon by its elders. "Dragon" and "horse" can be interlinked in ancient concepts, which shows the difference between "horse" and "dragon".
The legend of "He Tu Luo Shu" circulated in Qin and Han Dynasties is even more a myth. "Fu won the world, and the dragon and horse took the picture from the river." Fuxi's point of view is the beginning of gossip. And the soul of China culture, the horse has more magical ability. "Song Shu Fu Rui Zhi" said: "The dragon horse is benevolent, the horse is also, and the river is fine. Eight feet and five inches high, with a long neck and wings and drooping hair, sang nine times. " Can swim in the river and soar in the sky? Isn't such a horse the legendary "white horse" of Baima Temple? Only such a white horse will fly to the west, groan around the tower, be tragic and magnificent, and naturally move the emperor. This 200-year-old mystery has a reasonable explanation. For 200 years, Tianzhu Buddhism has been actively looking for its new roots. The cultural connotation behind the dragon horse was finally discovered by him and fully utilized. Therefore, "White Horse Temple" is no longer a simple word, it combines the connotations of two cultures. The legends and myths about "White Horse Temple" belong not only to Tianzhu Buddhism, but also to China.
With the help of China's belief, Buddhism created new myths and naturally communicated the spiritual connection between different ethnic groups, so Buddhism took root and spread widely in China. With the help of this cultural mystery, the "White Horse Temple" in Luoyang has been in a detached position in Buddhism for thousands of years, regardless of the rise and fall of history or the rise and fall of Luoyang. Since then, temples have appeared in China, surrounded by cypresses, with towering halls and stupas. During the period, red candles shone brightly, cigarettes swirled around, and chanting, revealing infinite sacredness and solemnity. China culture also contains the charm of Buddha, and the elegance of bamboo garden is far away. There are many coincidences in history. According to Yang Zhi's Galand in Luoyang, there are only 42 Buddhist temples in Luoyang, and there were as many as 1 367 temples in and outside the city during the Northern Wei Dynasty. "The ratio between Jindian and GV is high, and the hall is as wide as * * *". At this time, the legend of White Horse was widely circulated.
At this point, the story of Ma and Baima Temple should be finished. In fact, after the Buddha entered China, he was inseparable from China culture. The Journey to the West's Middle East Sea Dragon King's Third Prince turned into a little white horse, which is no longer strictly different from China's myth or Buddhist legend. Some people even equate this little white horse with the white horse in the White Horse Temple, which is actually an excusable cultural mentality. It doesn't matter whether the stone horse in front of the White Horse Temple is an authentic Buddhist work.