So, I always want to go in and have a look. What unknown colors are hidden in this big temple hidden in the downtown area?
On Friday morning, Yulin and I are going to visit the Thousand Buddha Temple. 10: 30 Depart from Sunshine 100, turn right, and walk for more than ten minutes to reach the Thousand Buddha Temple. Qianfo Temple was once called the jungle of Zhong Ni. It is conceivable that this is not a small temple with as many as 800 monks and nuns. However, times have changed, but now this temple is particularly deserted and silent.
When we stepped into the temple gate, we felt a quaint silence. It's so quiet that we can hear a needle drop to the ground. We silently admire the solemnity of ancient statues and look around the magnificent cornices of buildings. When we bow down in the Buddhist temple here, we can smell the smell of cigarettes floating around us, and we feel uneasy and have a feeling of floating out of the dust.
I was very interested in the Buddhist quotations on the wall here, so I took some photos. Coming out of the Buddhist temple on the second floor and entering the temple, I met Master Cheng Ci. She always has a magazine in her hand. If she were not wearing a monk's robe and a monk's hat, it would really give people the impression of a young woman in literature and art. She gave me a kind smile as a greeting. I thought she was beautiful, and beauty made people feel close, so I asked her, "Master, are there very few people in this temple?" How many masters are there? "
She smiled and said, "The four masters, the young ones have all gone out to attend the Buddhist College!" " "I guess from her appearance that she is about 28 to 30 years old at most.
Yulin praised her from the heart and said to her with a smile: "You are also very young!"
She smiled quietly and said softly, "I am not young, I am 48 years old this year!" " "
I was surprised to see her slim figure leave. I usually feel that I am very accurate in observing people, and I don't expect any mistakes.
Yulin and I have been wandering around this ancient temple near the mountains and rivers. There are ten thousand Buddha halls. It is said that this is the only hall of ten thousand buddhas in Chongqing. The hall is quiet and solemn, and the Buddha statue is resplendent. Yulin has also made new discoveries. She found that there are more than 1000 Buddha statues in Qianfo Temple. She was surprised and said, "Sister Li, come and see many Buddha statues here! They hold various musical instruments and have different expressions. " I approached and took a closer look. Maybe that's why this temple was named.
I found many potted orchids on the terrace on the fourth floor of the hall. I squatted there to carefully distinguish the varieties of orchids, among which Cymbidium is the most, and there are some other varieties. This season is when cymbidium is in full bloom. Its leaves shine with dark green luster and have reddish-brown flowers. When the wind blows gently, the unique fragrance is refreshing. I savor the character of orchids and want to explore a different life from them. I remembered the two big characters in front of the temple, Hui and Fu, and I remembered Master Cheng Ci I just saw. She may be a smart and melancholy person! On this empty platform, several bluegrass plants sway with the wind, as if telling that the Buddhist heart of this thousand-year-old temple still has people's hearts.
Yulin found a big iron clock, and she looked at the inscription with great interest. Besides looking, she also found that it was a bell that could ring. Curiosity prompted her to reach into the fence and push against the wood, making the iron bell sound Qingyuan. The sound spread far away, as if there was an echo, and I felt as if I had hit my heart.
After a while, Master Cheng Ci appeared in front of us with a magazine in his hand. Obviously, she heard the bell while reading a magazine, so she will come. She still asked softly, "Did you punch in?"
I think mortals can't hit this clock, and they dare not lie, so they pointed to Yulin and said, "She did, but I don't know whether to hit it."
Master Cheng Ci explained, "This is a ghost clock. Only monks can ring when they are doing things, and then they will ring sooner or later. Usually knock, ghosts and gods from all directions will come! "
Yulin was frightened and asked in a panic, "What should I do?"
She calmly replied, "There are too many people who don't know. There is a Guanyin bodhisattva with thousands of hands and eyes behind. It has a history of hundreds of years, and it is sensitive and very clever. You can go to worship. "
So, we walked into the Hall of Great Compassion and looked up at avalokitesvara. He has 1000 pairs of eyes that penetrate everything in the world, and he has 1000 hands to get people out of their misery. He looks up at his face with great kindness and compassion, especially when he sees his eyes that penetrate everything, I feel tears in my eyes.
I knelt before him devoutly and talked to him with my heart. The Buddha looked at me silently, and I listened quietly and absorbed. In my life, something I didn't think clearly suddenly woke up. At this time, the sound of chanting came from behind, reminding people of the past.
Coming out of the Great Compassion Hall, we walked down the circuitous wooden ladder to the second floor. It was lunch time, and several old ladies were sitting at the door on the second floor, chatting around the long table and eating vegetarian dishes. They saw that we were two girls and asked me if I wanted to eat here. I shook my head instinctively because we only eat breakfast when we go out. At the beginning, I sat on the wooden bench opposite them, one built what did not build, asked about their situation and chatted with them. The old woman said slowly, "We are almost finished. You can sit closer. "
I sat down next to them and asked the old woman, "How old is my mother-in-law?"
This mother-in-law is physically strong, neither deaf nor deaf. She made a gesture, which means 9! She said mysteriously, "Guess what this number is?"
"Oh, my mother-in-law is ninety!"
She made another four-character gesture. "Oh, my mother-in-law is 94 years old! How many years have you lived in this temple? "
"More than thirty years." She answered my question while eating with her mouth flat. I think this 94-year-old mother-in-law is really childlike.
An aunt next to her said in an appreciative tone, "She is very good at copying scriptures and writing merit tables."
I asked my aunt again, "How old are you?"
Wearing a cloth coat with dark blue flowers, she looks like a generous person at first glance. She said, "I'm 78 years old and I haven't lived in the temple for long."
Another fat sister-in-law who tidied up the dishes and chopsticks said, "She has lived here for more than twenty years."
I asked my sister-in-law, "Are you a volunteer, too? How old are you teaching this year? "
At first glance, this eldest sister-in-law is a real and simple person. She held out her hand, knowing that she usually did rough work. She said, "I don't have their retirement salary. I cook in the temple. "
I saw another woman with curly hair, and she also helped clean up the soup left on the table. There is no rice left.
I said, "Does she cook with you, too?"
"Cooking only needs one person. She is a temple keeper. "
My aunt sitting next to the old woman asked me, "Where are you from?"
"I am from Hubei and have lived in Yichang since I was a child."
"Then we are the person of hometown. No wonder we can understand what you said. "
"I can understand you. I think you Chongqing people are very kind. "
The old woman smiled brightly when she heard my words. She nodded again and again and enthusiastically asked me how long I had stayed in those temples and how long I had stayed here. I answered them all. She also talked to me about some things in the past, such as when to convert to Buddhism, how to bind scriptures and when to collect them. I learned from the conversation with them that in fact, every life of them is not very good, but they all have a normal heart and a peaceful heart.
The eldest sister-in-law who cooks heard that I have been to Jinyun Temple. She told her story. When she speaks, it always makes people feel a little sad. She said that she had been a volunteer in Jinyun Temple for eight years, and now she has changed the host from other places, so she has retired these older volunteers. That's why I came to Qianfo Temple, which is small in scale and relatively poor. Generally, I give a little salary symbolically. These elderly mother-in-law live here. The temple only eats and lives, cleans the Buddhist temple on weekdays, and only comes to some young volunteers to serve on holidays.
I asked Master Cheng Ci that she had just been here for five days and didn't know much except that she was from Shanxi.
Yulin asked, "This master Cheng Ci is beautiful and tall."
Aunt said, "The masters in this temple are all tall."
I am curious to ask: "Master Cheng Ci became a monk, will he miss his family?" Or go home to visit relatives regularly? "
Aunt shook her head and said, "She won't go back. She lives here quietly and comfortably! " "
At this moment, a female pilgrim carrying a canvas bag came out of the hall and she joined our conversation. I heard the old woman educate her and said, "You should not be too persistent in some things, but pay attention to karma and let nature take its course."
We stayed in this small temple for three hours. Let me deeply understand the real source of Chongqing people's hospitality, honesty and kindness. I was very moved and said, "aunt, I finally understand why Chongqing people are so kind, because there are many temples here and people here are very religious." This is a land of feng shui. "
They all think my words are very real and hit it off with me. My mother-in-law is very happy to say that you are destined to be here and don't ask for it. I think this meeting is really fate.
I was a little sad when I left. The old woman's wrinkled face showed a kind smile. She stretched out her hands and said, "Bodhisattva bless your happiness! I wish you a safe journey! Welcome to come again next year! "
I also bowed to her and smiled and said to her, "I wish my mother-in-law a long and healthy life and happiness forever!" " "And waved goodbye to them.
When we came down the stairs to the cloister, we still saw her sitting there smiling. Her wrinkled face was like a blooming chrysanthemum, and this smile was full of love and warmth. I prayed silently in my heart, hoping to see this kind mother-in-law again when I come next time.
Yulin and I walked out of the temple and strolled in the street. I feel tears in my eyes. In fact, this is a different life experience, a feeling of love and kindness, a feeling of being kind to others and being happy.