What do you think of the Guoqing Temple in Taizhou, Zhejiang?

It was almost noon when we arrived at Guoqing Temple. The canteen in the temple had just opened. Each person paid 2 yuan at the window, received a pair of bowls and chopsticks, and ordered two vegetarian dishes, and then he had a full meal. One or two dishes are enough, and there is no limit to rice, which makes you very full.

There must be no other such cheap buffet in the country.

I have been to many temples in the past few years, but no temple has ever given me such a feeling of being bathed in peace and contentment, but this is what I have in Guoqing Temple. That half-day tour and my feelings can be summed up in four words: the world is worth it.

At Guoqing Temple, a layman like me who is completely unfamiliar with Buddhism can clearly feel that the "aura" here is completely different. I don’t know if you have ever had this feeling, that is, when you go to a place, you can’t say there is any difference when you are there, but it is very comfortable, just like the cold winter meets the afternoon light, and the warmth shines on you.

Guoqing Temple is located in Tiantai, Zhejiang, covering an area of ​​more than 30,000 square meters and a construction area of ​​more than 20,000 square meters. It has more than 600 palaces and buildings since its establishment in the Sui Dynasty. , has been renovated many times in history. The most recent renovation was in 1973 with government funding. This is a national key open temple and a national key cultural relics protection unit, which is highly valued by all parties. The incense in Guoqing Temple is very strong, and most of the practicing masters who pass by during the walk have pleasant faces. They were wrapped in plain clothes and walked briskly. They nodded and greeted them, and their expressions were benevolent without losing the majesty of their bodies. With their mountain coats stained with berry moss and their eyes still open to the world, they never hide from the camera and remain calm; they also don’t stare at tourists and solicit them. Even so, there are still many people who come to the hall to burn incense. There are also some nuns living in Guoqing Temple. Walking through the plain Rulin temples with bright pillars, sometimes when you look up inadvertently, you can catch a touch of pink "girly heart", which is actually very cute. At that moment, I felt that becoming a monk was pretty good.

Monks are scattered in twos and threes in various places in the temple. They live in groups and harmoniously. They will carry straw baskets on their backs to dry the rice on the ground, and they will also wear lightly patched clothes. They wash and sweep, chant sutras and fast, as if this is not a Buddhist temple but a school.

A few days after returning from Guoqing Temple, I could not let go of such a harmonious scene for a long time, and finally believed that there really is such a thing as a "magnetic field" in this world. A person's magnetic field is the power emanating from his soul; the magnetic field of a temple is the gathering of many people with the same magnetic field, a pure mind and a simple time. So I looked through books to study the "feng shui" and history of Guoqing Temple. I wanted to find out more, so I wrote this article. First of all, the location of Guoqing Temple is very clever: on the south side of Bagui Peak in Tiantai Mountain, it is hidden but not hidden, quiet but not closed. This place? A geomantic treasure land? Surrounded by five peaks, with all four phenomena, deep in the valley, and fragrant fragrance floating in all directions.

Think of us ordinary people, when we build a garden at home, we all like to have a "suppressing view" or something. If you want to enhance the scenery, suppress it first, so that you can enjoy the subtlety of being surrounded by mountains and rivers. As for Guoqing Temple, which has a mountain on its back and a river on its back, its location selection can be said to be above the "standard" in every aspect. Another unique thing that distinguishes Guoqing Temple from other temples is that its mountain gate does not open from the north to the south like other temples, but opens to the east. First of all, there is no open space in the south, and secondly, it suppresses the bad Feng Shui, so the gap is moved to the east. Adding to the wonderful sect that wants to welcome but also avoids, it is more in line with the peaceful meaning of "Purple Air coming from the East". A wall is erected on the south side, with the four characters "ancient temple of the Sui Dynasty", making it a must-visit place for tourists to take photos and check in. It is said that there are tens of thousands of pine trees on the mountain where Guoqing Temple is located, and they are green all year round. Most of the scenery and charm in the temple are pure and light, just like the name of "Guoqing Temple": the country is Qingming and the world is peaceful. Therefore, it is so popular that since the temple was built in 598 AD, the name of Guoqing Temple has never been changed. Guoqing Temple has a profound history, and national treasure-level cultural relics can be found in every corner of the temple. For example, a pair of Qing Dynasty stone lions over 2 meters high in front of the Maitreya Hall are rare treasures carved from a single piece of white marble and specially transported from Beijing. Due to its age, the white marble has a "retro" color, attracting people to come forward and appreciate it. Let’s talk about the Maitreya Hall.

Enshrined in this hall is the "Future Buddha", also known as the "Maitreya Bodhisattva" with a big belly that we are very familiar with. He always smiles widely and guides people with positive energy: relax your mind, and a big belly can tolerate things that are difficult to tolerate in the world. There are 14 Buddhist halls in Guoqing Temple, each of which enshrines a different Bodhisattva, but they all have the same characteristic: positive encouragement of kindness and promotion of righteousness. For example, the four King Kongs in the Yuhua Palace each hold a different "weapon" in their hands. Among them, the sharp sword represents the wind, the pipa represents the harmony, the umbrella represents the rain, and the mirage represents the good weather, which means: good weather and good harvest.

Another example is the Guanyin Bodhisattva in the Guanyin Hall, which can be said to be the "busiest Bodhisattva". The name of "Avalokitesvara" can be understood literally: "pay attention to all the sounds in the world", so she has become the most famous Bodhisattva, can "solve all the sufferings in the world", so the people pray to the Buddha and chant the most words. Is it the Great Merciful and Great Compassionate Guanshiyin Bodhisattva who protects you? Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva's busy hands were particularly insufficient. Later, she actually grew a thousand hands, which is the origin of "Thousand-Hand Avalokitesvara". The most important Buddhist hall in Guoqing Temple is the Main Hall. What is enshrined here is the Buddha Sakyamuni. This Buddha statue is also a national treasure-level cultural relic. It comes from the Ming Dynasty. It is about 7 meters high and weighs 13 tons. It was also specially transported from Beijing. Unfortunately, none of the above Buddha statues are allowed to be photographed, so if you have the opportunity to go to Zhejiang, please go to Guoqing Temple to see it in person. Sakyamuni is the founder of Buddhism. He was born into a noble family, and gave up his aristocratic life in order to practice Buddhism and become a Taoist. After going through many tribulations, he founded Buddhism at the age of 35 to guide all living beings out of the sea of ​​suffering. "Sakyamuni" means "saint".

After traveling in Zhejiang for a long time, I have summarized a rule: Zhejiang has many mountains, waters and beautiful scenery, and most of the famous mountains and waters have Buddhist temples filled with incense. In Zhejiang, wherever the winding paths lead to secluded places, there are many meditation rooms and deep flowers and trees; wherever there is a gloomy temple in the forest, there must be a strange peak creating a blessed place on earth. Those who become monks pay attention to the word "hidden". They are the best people who know how to choose a place to live and the best people who know how to devote themselves to practice. I don’t know Guoqing Temple, but it’s a few miles away from Yunfeng. Even though there are so many Buddhist temples in Zhejiang, high-standard temples such as Guoqing Temple are rare. Even the four characters "Mainxiong Hall" are written vertically. Among many historical sites and scenic spots, vertical temples are mostly seen in the Forbidden City. Such a royal palace and a temple enjoying such "Forbidden City treatment" are rare not only in Zhejiang, but also in the whole country.

There are so many temples in Zhejiang. If there is one that you must go to, it is Guoqing Temple.