Pure Land Pine Waves-not the same as the world
Tour around Longyuan
Wang Chongyang
Information map of Pure Land Temple scenic area
In spring, the willow leaves are turning in the warm wind, and the soil is soft and the branches are tender. , there are already birds in the sky pulling the news of spring, and people's hearts are naturally warm and budding. I often heard friends talk about the Pure Land Temple. The scenery was beautiful and unconventional, and I couldn't help but yearn for it. I chose a day to go there with my family and friends.
While driving, friends who have been here many times mentioned that the Pure Land Temple, known as Manshu Temple in ancient times, is located in the southeast of Tianshui City, Gansu Province, adjacent to the "Maijishan Grottoes", one of the four largest grottoes in the country. Surrounded by mountains and surrounded by pines and waves, it is one of the eight scenic spots in ancient Qinzhou - pure land of pines and waves. Wu Xichuan, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, once wrote a poem praising: "The pure land of He Nian Temple, the pines and waves pour into the sky. They fall straight from the sky, unlike the world. I have heard about the clouds for a long time, and I have been searching for hatred for a long time. When I climb high and look at the end of the sky, I feel melancholy at the setting sun. Red."
When you arrive at the scenic spot, the first thing you see is the tall archway. The three characters "Manshu Temple" are written on the beams in simple and vigorous writing. Entering the archway, there are mountains and lush forests on both sides. A straight and long artificial road in the forest is like a green emerald corridor.
After crossing Bodhi Avenue, your eyes suddenly opened up. This is an open valley bottom, and the Pure Land Temple is like a bright pearl embedded in the mountains and valleys. Surrounded by peaks, they are covered in green, like blooming lotus petals. The entire terrain forms an exquisite lotus flower.
Looking up, among the continuous and beautiful peaks in the distance, there is a huge peak standing alone. The top of the mountain is like a bamboo shoot, rising above the other peaks. It looks extraordinary and unique. It is the main peak, Manjusri Peak. . The peaks surrounding it seem to be bowing down, so people vividly call them "Eighteen Arhats Worshiping Manjusri".
The temple buildings of Pure Land Temple are all built according to the terrain, and most of them occupy key points and stand majestically on the top of the mountain. In every main hall, people sit majestically on the steps. We climbed the steps with great difficulty. My father held his little granddaughter and counted the steps from behind. The younger daughter doesn't like to look at high and far places, and her eyes often stay at very close places. The color of a flower, the pace of an insect, the texture of a leaf, and other small details all make her linger.
As a Buddhist temple, the planning and construction of Pure Land Temple have strict rules and regulations. From the orientation of the main hall to the number and height of steps, there are rules and regulations to follow.
Climb up to the higher hall, turn around and look around. The valley is undulating and deep, with temples emerging one after another, just like a landscape painting with a superb artistic conception. The boundless pine forest gives the canyon a dark green background, contrasting with the colorful religious buildings. I closed my eyes and waited for the wind to blow, but the wind was invisible and silent. From time to time, the sound of bells comes from the depths of the pine forest, but it is impossible to know from which palace or from whom.
Looking around, there are many peaks, but they are all different. Some are like pagodas, some are like breast peaks. They are overlapping and interspersed with each other at the bottom of the valley. Magnificent Buddhist buildings are hidden among the mountains. On the waistline, if you move a few steps to the left, you can see the flying eaves and flowing clouds; if you move half a foot to the right, you can only see the low hum of the pines.
Arriving at Duxian Bridge, the nectar pool came into view. It is also known as the "release pool". Not far from the release pool, there is a lotus pond with rockeries placed in the pool and surrounded by lotus flowers, which makes it more exquisite and beautiful. Wandering on the winding cement road next to the lotus pond, there are gardens with different shapes and well-proportioned shapes.
Step on the green bricks everywhere, browse through the familiar and novel paintings, carved beams, Buddha statues and prayer flags in the temple, read a pair of Buddhist couplets, and gaze at the frames of mythological allusions. The sound of wooden fish and chanting in the temple gradually enters, exits, and disappears.
After traveling for a long time, we arrived at the main hall of Pure Land Temple. At first glance, the architecture of the Pure Land Temple is red. The beams, columns, and walls are all red, and the cornices and mortises are also red. Together with the grass-tree corridors and mural arch walls, they vividly express the national style. Although the color is relatively single, the palaces are of different heights, far and near, and well-proportioned.
The imitation white marble fence stands out among the large reds, standing in a row of elegance amidst the solemnity, and maintaining a sense of indifference amidst the splendor, which adds to its beauty.
The main buildings in the Pure Land Temple include the Arhat Hall, the Longevity Hall, the Ksitigarbha Hall, the Heavenly King Hall, the Garan Hall, the Jifo Hall, etc. They are all built according to the mountain and using the natural topography. Although some individual buildings are a bit abrupt, overall , well laid out and with extraordinary views.
There is always a beautiful legend in beautiful places. It is said that in ancient times, a high-ranking minister in the imperial court recruited the best Feng Shui master in the world and asked him to choose a Feng Shui treasure land for himself. , so that he can enjoy it a hundred years later. This Feng Shui master traveled thousands of mountains and rivers, and after a lot of hardships, he finally selected a Feng Shui treasure land surrounded by mountains and filled with pine trees and valleys. The minister ordered his descendants to build his tomb in advance, but the construction had not yet started. Above the lush green peaks and beautiful ridges, auspicious clouds shrouded in jingling rings, and the three saints Tathagata, Avalokitesvara and Manjusri stood erect in the clouds. They looked down at the lower realm with smiles. Upon seeing this, everyone fell to the ground and worshiped. When they looked up again, the Three Saints were nowhere to be seen. The appearance of the Three Saints gave the minister an enlightenment. It turns out that this is a Buddhist treasure land. How can a mortal deserve to occupy it? Later, the minister provided money and effort and summoned craftsmen to build a temple. This is the origin of Pure Land Temple.
Regarding the time when Jodo Temple was built, since all the original buildings were demolished in the 1970s, the plaques and monuments that have survived in history have disappeared, and there is no evidence to prove it.
Some of the existing buildings were restored and rebuilt after the 1980s by local monks and believers raising funds from various sources. The large-scale construction was started after the 1990s. Master Haizheng, a monk from Tianshui Gangu who came from Wutai Mountain, the Buddhist holy land of Manjusri Bodhisattva, made many connections and raised funds for the construction.
The sun is setting in the west, and the shadows of people are getting thinner. After we finished the tour, we walked out from the depths of the Pure Land. I seemed to hear the sound of a pine wave, flowing like a stream, reaching my ears. It surges up like a river and stirs up the heart. Finally, the mountains trembled, like the shaking of the earth, which tenses the nerves throughout the body. It’s no wonder that every time you visit a scenic spot, you feel like you’re in another world.