The thousand-year-old grottoes and Buddha statues in Matisi Temple have established a landscape that cannot be bypassed in domestic grotto art.
Monday
Snowflakes were still flying in the Matisi Mountain in March, and the entire Matisi Mountain was shrouded in haze, but the gloomy and cold weather did not weaken our urgency to go to the Matisi Temple. I know that this urgency is not only to come here to find a pure land of the soul, to worship and see the Buddha statues in these caves, but also to have a deep concern in my heart that is disturbing me all the time.
Although this is the third time I have come to Horseshoe Temple. In 1993, my parents took me with them. After the trip, I had a deep understanding. It was an experience of the mountains and a close contact with the Qilian Mountains, but I didn't have much impression of the Matisi Temple. In 2003, I came together with several colleagues from my work unit. At that time, as a newly awakened person in culture, I already had a preliminary understanding of the Matisi Temple and a general reflection on the history and culture of the Matisi Temple. . The article "Secret Grievance at the Matisi Temple" written after returning was a reflection on the current existence of the Matisi Temple as a cultural conscience person, and a regret for the destruction of the Matisi Temple. As for this visit, it seems that I have gained a more comprehensive understanding of the historical and cultural background and scenery of the Horseshoe Temple. And every ten years, it seems that we can see changes in the Matisi Temple, and we also see the gradual emphasis on culture at the national level.
I remember that ten years ago, when I saw the Buddha statues and murals in the Mati Temple with missing noses and eyes, broken arms, cracks on the body, peeling off, and broken fingers, I still felt a little pain in my heart. In the past ten years, I have always wanted to visit again, but in the end due to the inconvenience of transportation and busy work, I have never come again. When we see it now, it has been repaired and rebuilt, and is presented to us as a new look. Except for the old grottoes where the Buddha statues are placed, the Buddha statues have been newly sculpted. According to the tour guide, those early Buddha statues had already been sealed and stored in the warehouse using special means. Because they can no longer afford any damage or destruction, they are like old people in their twilight years, physically weak, and a small cold may kill them. After the ravages of time and a long period of neglect, its survival can be regarded as a respite from the disaster. Compared with this land in northern China, many cultural monuments have basically disappeared after being baptized by historical turmoil. Sometimes I wonder, is this the ignorance of our people, or is it a normal manifestation of the destructive desire in human nature? Today, when we realize the importance of cultural relics, we suddenly discover the value of these cultural relics. But regret is no longer useful, and there is no regret medicine in the world. There are some things in history that we dare not criticize, but they make us realize how profound the damage and harm caused to culture by those turbulent historical periods. Simply put, the Buddha statues and murals in these caves received the attention and protection of government departments as the tourism industry later heated up. After reconstruction and restoration, they still shine with their artistic glory.
As the Matisi Grottoes, it is one of the three major grottoes in the Hexi Corridor after the Mogao Grottoes and Yulin Grottoes in Dunhuang. What's even more amazing is the caves outside the cliff. These twenty-one caves, large and small, are all hanging on the cliff. You can imagine how steep and difficult it was to excavate at that time. When I saw the conspicuous chisel marks on the cave walls, I was even more surprised by the perseverance of the ancients. How to carve out caves in the stone wall, how to carve out caves the size of rooms, for so many days and months, those stubborn hermits worked day after day, year after year. When I walked through the cave today, I seemed to still be able to hear the tinkling sound day and night. I never felt this before I walked into the Matisi Grottoes. After walking in, I realized that the digging of these grottoes not only represents the suffering of the world, but more like interpreting the true meaning of life. Here, the hermits who practiced asceticism relied on this clear and crisp sound every day to realize their enlightenment bit by bit. When the Buddhist cave was finally built, it was also their success.
Some people may dig one cave in their lifetime, while some people may dig many caves in their lifetime. Some people think that if they do one thing in their life and do it perfectly, some people are constantly pursuing breakthroughs and overcoming themselves. This perfection and constant pursuit have created the unique artistic features of the Matisi Grottoes. That expression, that elegant and extraordinary posture, that magnificent momentum, that majestic and kind face are all unique. Although the Matisi Grottoes rank behind the four major grottoes in China, they are also treasures in my country's grotto art. In particular, the tall flesh-carved flying apsaras of Jinta Temple are unique in China. Moreover, it is also a temple where Chinese Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism coexist, presenting a strange and unique Buddhist cultural phenomenon. There are various kinds of gods and Buddhas in the Matisi Temple Grottoes, and various majestic pagodas. These gods, Buddhas and pagodas are placed in these carved caves. It seems that they are not embedded in them, but like growing It comes out the same, blending in seamlessly with everything here.
I think those who dug the caves may not have thought at first that these grottoes would later become temples. Because these caves were originally excavated as residences for scholars and hermits to avoid war. Later, some monks came, of course some ascetic monks, and joined the army digging the cave. Gradually, when the hermits withdrew from the stage of history, the monks made their debut. Although the status of monks was still very low during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, through the continuous penetration of Buddhist culture, they had already settled in the local area.
Before going to the secular world, Mati Temple became their first choice. But Buddhism has spread throughout the Western Regions and even the Hexi Corridor. According to records, Juqu Mengxun, the then ruler of the Northern Liang Kingdom, stopped the monk Faxian from going west to seek Dharma. The lectures Faxian carried out in his country did not satisfy the emperor's desire to worship the Buddha. After Xian was released, he ordered the construction of a Buddhist cave in Linsongshan Stream (at the Matisi Grottoes) where he was born. A large part of the Matisi Grottoes complex was excavated during the Northern Liang Period. Later, monks joined one after another, and it eventually became a temple famous far and wide. This is a piece of history about Mati Temple that almost everyone knows.
The emergence of the Uighurs, Tubos, Xixias, Mongols and other ethnic groups later transformed this place from a Han Buddhist temple to a Tibetan Buddhist temple. And these changes are related to the important area of the Silk Road where it is located, the historical changes of thousands of years, the important channel for the transmission of Buddhist culture in my country, the turbulent years of Wei and Jin, as well as people's inner impetuosity and pursuit of peace, and it has always been a minority here. The historical reasons for ethnic gathering areas are inextricably linked. I think every culture has its own reasons. We only need to silently experience and observe these beautiful and stunning works of art from the hands of artists, and then we can achieve spiritual tacit understanding and communication with them, and finally truly understand the true meaning and connotation of this art.
2
For Mati Temple, it makes little sense to simply regard it as a Buddhist temple. In fact, the existence of the Matisi Grottoes has its own special cultural significance. Not only is it a treasure of Chinese grotto art, but it is also the embodiment of Wei and Jin culture in real society. It can be regarded as a relic of Wei and Jin culture.
Speaking of Horseshoe Temple, we will naturally think of one person, that is Guo Yu, who was the first to lead students to dig caves here. Guo Yu, a native of Dunhuang, was a famous scholar in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. When talking about Dunhuang, people will immediately think of the famous Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. Yes, the Matisi Grottoes are indeed inextricably related to the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, and the carving techniques of many stone carvings in the Matisi Grottoes are exactly the same as those of the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. But this has little to do with Guo Yu's life. This is only the imprint left by the later spread of Buddhism to the east.
In fact, there is not much mystery about Guo Yu's arrival. He first went to Zhangye to study as a student. At that time, at the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Yongjia Rebellion broke out in the Central Plains, known in history as the Wuhu Rebellion in China. Compared with the chaos in the Central Plains at that time, the Hexi Corridor, which had always been watched by nomads, became an ideal blessed land. Many famous people also came here to meet and learn from each other. Setting up an academy to teach students became the only way to extend the meaning of their lives. It was the arrival of these cultural celebrities that set off the three major cultural systems of Hexi culture here, which were known as Jiangnan culture and Central Plains culture at that time. The teacher Guo Yu came to study with was Guo He, a famous cultural figure who taught at Dongshan Academy in Zhangye. After Guo He's death, Guo Yu inherited Guo He's mantle. In order to avoid the disturbance of the secular world, he moved the academy to today's Madi Temple. It seems that before he arrived, this place was still an undeveloped virgin land. The mountains are shrouded in mist, the mountains are steep and lush, there are soft waterfalls, and criss-crossing mountain streams. It seems that such a place should be called a fairyland on earth. Should people live in a place like this? So later Guo Yu moved from Dadong Mountain in Zhangye to Madi Temple. When he saw the beautiful scenery and the suitable location for digging grottoes, he was reluctant to leave and didn't want to leave.
At first, he wanted to avoid the disaster of war, mainly to avoid some bureaucrats and emperors asking him to be an official. The people of the Wei and Jin Dynasties were like this. They didn't want to lose themselves in that unstable life, but what they wanted to do was to cultivate their sentiments and nourish their spirits among the green mountains and green waters. This can be seen from Jikang's "Book of Jue Jue" by Jikang among the "Seven Sages in the Bamboo Grove" during the Wei and Jin Dynasties. A large number of them would rather die than lose this freedom. They are A true hermit.
They just want to find the true meaning of life and the true meaning of life in this hiding. And penance has become a necessary lesson for this kind of hermit life. Therefore, it was logical for Guo Yu to lead his students in digging the grotto. Because their penance is to dig caves. In addition, some Buddhists joined in, and their grottoes started to be inhabited, and later became a serious Buddhist cave. These caves have undergone a major transformation in nature. It was not a Buddhist holy place from the beginning.
Three
We can see from history textbooks that at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty and the beginning of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the historically famous Yongjia Rebellion occurred. The barbarians brought chaos to the country and caused China's half-century-long history of division. Northern China was divided into sixteen countries. The Central Plains is even more chaotic. Many people from the Central Plains ran to Hexi to escape the war. Compared with the Central Plains, although Hexi has also experienced the baptism of war, it is relatively stable. In addition, the emperors who took turns in the battle were also hungry for talents. In order to maintain their rule, they vigorously recruited famous bachelors, especially some A learned person. Therefore, celebrities and learned people from the Central Plains came to Hexi, which set off the great development and prosperity of Hexi culture at that time.
Guo Yu’s arrival is exactly like this. He didn't come to teach from the beginning, he came to learn from the beginning. When he was in Dunhuang, he heard that the great scholar Guo He was giving lectures in Zhangye. He came here in admiration.
Guo Yu’s intelligence and high understanding were immediately recognized by Guo He. Among so many students, he is the only one who has inherited the mantle of teacher. Tangshan Academy of Dongshan Temple in Dongda Mountain was the largest private academy in Zhangye at that time. During Guo He's short 80 years, there were so many monks and scholars here. When Guo Yu grew up, in order to avoid the interference of the secular world, Guo Yu moved from Zhangye Dongshan Temple to Madi Temple, and then began his lecturing career. More than 1,000 people dug caves during the day and listened to his lectures in the caves at night. Such a grand occasion made many people in the outside world gasp in praise, so later on he was still known to the outside world. Therefore, batches of emperors or people who were about to make great achievements and make a difference in the world took turns to invite him to come out. Zhang Tianxi from Qianliang came to him, and Fu Jian from Qinqin also came to him, but he politely declined. In the end, Guo Yu failed to hold on and was harassed by Wang Mu. He followed Wang Mu to resist the former Qin, but he again Wang Mu died on a hunger strike because he killed his friend.
Guo Yu's death, just like his arrival, once again rewrote the fate of Matisi Temple. Horseshoe Temple is no longer a hermitage for those scholars. From then on, some monks continued to live there and expanded and built on this basis, hiding Buddha statues and building a temple. Juqu Mengxun, the leader of the Houbeiliang Kingdom, also loved Buddhism. Because he was in his hometown, he built caves and enshrined Buddha statues on the basis of the previous generations. After the Northern Wei Dynasty, Northern Zhou Dynasty, Sui Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, Western Xia Dynasty, Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, they added more and more constructions, and finally formed the scale of today.
But today’s miracles are based on yesterday’s history. Without Guo Yu, such a unique group of grottoes would not have been formed here, allowing us to appreciate such wonderful art. But Guo Yu himself did not know that his era was far away from us, but his achievements, his knowledge, and his reputation in this world were destined to have an inexhaustible connection with this Buddhist cave and this temple.
Today we touch the chisel marks left on the stone wall of the cave again, and we can’t help but feel a bit of emotion and admiration in our hearts. We admire the perseverance and perseverance of the ancients. Compared with How many of us today can bear it? Not to mention the super-intensive labor, the hardship alone is intolerable to ordinary people. But it is because of them that these grottoes and Buddha statues have established themselves as an inescapable landscape of domestic grotto art, and have become a miracle that we admire today!
About the author: Wan Youwen, male, from Gaotai County, Gansu Province, born on August 7, 1981, is a member of the Chinese Poetry Society and the Gansu Provincial Writers Association. He has used the pen names Awen, Wan Yu, etc. , his works can be found in "Poetry", "Stars", "Sunshine", "Selected Prose", "Selected Poetry", "Sichuan Literature", "Feitian", "Poetry Monthly", "Yanhe", "National Wetland", "Gansu Daily", "Peony", "Earn Grain" "Short Stories", "Poetry", "Petroleum Literature", "Chinese Literature", "Essayist" and other newspapers and magazines, has published poetry collections "Hometown" and "The Moon Shines on the River West", and has won the Poetry Publishing Society Essay Award and was sponsored by the Writers Association of the Ministry of Land and Resources The first "Xu Xiake Cup" Geoscience Poetry and Prose Essay Competition Excellent Work Award, the 4th Zhangye Golden Zhangye Literary Award, and novels and poetry works were shortlisted for the "Zhao Shuli Cup" National Native Literature Essay Competition, Tianjin Poetry Festival and National Youth Yangguan Poetry award. Currently working at Gaotai County Cultural Center.