Visit Dumen Zen Temple

There was a lot of work to be done on the table, but Bin’s father insisted that I accompany him to Yuquan Temple, so I had to abandon my pen and throw myself in the car, and ran all the way. When I was approaching the mountain gate, I was stopped by a security guard and said The Yuquan Temple is under maintenance and can only receive guests after the Spring Festival... Just as he was about to return angrily, the security guard handed over a message: "Not far ahead, there is a Dumen Zen Temple, you can go and see it!"

Actually, I have always known about Dumen Zen Temple, but I have never been there. I seem to have a vague prejudice in my heart, maybe it is a mountain temple that is enjoying the popularity of Yuquan Temple. This time, because Yuquan Temple was closed, I had to go to Dumen Zen Temple. But I didn’t expect that Dumen Zen Temple is a place worth visiting. It can be seen that there is no good or bad thing in this world. What seemed like a disappointing journey turned out to be an unexpected surprise.

Following the navigation prompts, the car drove through a narrow country road and stopped at a red wall. On the mottled red wall screen, there was a golden Buddha character written on it. After parking the car and entering the courtyard, a few tourists broke the silence of the ancient courtyard. There was a young master who seemed to be in his teens. I went up to him anxiously to question him. The reason why I was anxious was of course due to internal anxiety.

"Little master, where is the toilet?"

"Over there, in the woods." The little master pointed forward with his finger.

"Trees, woods?" I almost dropped my jaw in surprise, wouldn't it be so original?

A tourist grinned: "There is a house over there in the woods..." The little master also smiled.

Haha, in the so-called Zen temple, if you ask in the toilet, there will be a Zen machine!

The courtyard of Dumen Zen Temple is not big, but it is built against the mountain. It has ancient blue bricks, white walls, and raised eaves, all at high and low levels. If Yuquan Temple shows solemnity everywhere, the air of Dumen Temple will be much freer and more lively.

Let’s talk about freedom first. There is no sign saying “no tourists allowed” on the second floor of this small courtyard-style building. You can run up and down on your own legs. Some of the houses on the second floor are for masters. In our lounge, there was an elderly master who was dozing off in front of the porch. Apparently my footsteps alarmed him. He raised his eyes slightly and looked at me. When he was about to close his eyes again, I said, "Master, be careful of catching a cold." Ah!" Unexpectedly, the old man just nodded politely and fell asleep again. Sure enough, in the eyes of a monk, the outside world doesn't matter. On such a cold day, his expression was as if he was bathing in the sunshine on a spring afternoon, lazily and joyfully.

Because there are no restrictions on the visitor system, I walked around and ended up at the place where the chefs dine. It’s so particular. The neatly arranged dining tables are arranged like primary school students’ desks. There is a simple bowl and chopsticks on the table, which looks indescribably solemn. There are also scriptures posted on the pillars next to the sink outside the house. I guess this is to guide the chefs to remain respectful during the meal. Heart.

Besides being lively, this is my favorite. There are about a dozen stone statues of young monks placed everywhere in the temple. Some of them are sitting upright and reading scriptures, or some are half-lying on the wall and dozing. There is a smiling one who is knocking wooden fish, another is releasing a fish, and three others are practicing Buddhist martial arts. The little monk reminded me of the Japanese cartoon "Ikkyu", and asked me to insert the image of Kenji, the robot monk. In short, these lifelike stone statues seemed to have come to life, and they were actively practicing in the temple.

In addition to these cute little monks, you can see comic stories full of Zen ideas everywhere you turn a corner or look up. Zen meditation is the fun and mystery of Zen. If you like stories full of Zen interest, you can read them one by one and spend some leisure time.

Zen Buddhism was founded by Zen Master Bodhidharma in India. When Bodhidharma came to China, Buddhism was flourishing in China. At that time, Emperor Wu of Liang heard that an eminent Indian monk had arrived and summoned him. Emperor Wu of Liang believed in Buddhism and built a large number of temples. So Emperor Wu asked Bodhidharma: Is my contribution great? Unexpectedly, Zen Master Bodhidharma said: Your Majesty has no merit! Emperor Wu was displeased and did not like to see the monk from India. Bodhidharma came to Shaolin Temple and faced the wall for ten years, and then he established a branch of Zen. Zen Buddhism has passed down the Heart Seal method from generation to generation, but there are no words to pass it on.

When it was passed down to the Fifth Patriarch, there was a distinction between the Northern Sect and the Southern Sect. Master Shenxiu of the Northern Sect said: "The heart is a mirror stand, which must be wiped diligently all the time." He emphasized gradual enlightenment. Master Huineng of the Southern Sect said: "The mirror is not a stand. "Cause the dust", pay attention to epiphany. For many years, we have compared the realms of Shenxiu and Huineng in these two poems. It seems that Shenxiu is always lower than Huineng's realm. The Fifth Patriarch also discovered from Shenxiu's poems that Shenxiu did not truly realize the Tao, and passed the mantle to Huineng.

Dumen Zen Temple is where Master Shenxiu is buried. I would like to ask the young master what he thinks of the Northern Sect and the Southern Sect.

The young master said: Historically, Shenxiu and Huineng were really good friends. Shenxiu had invited Huineng to teach in the north many times, and there was no incompatibility as rumored. The young master said: Huineng's enlightenment method is suitable for people with superior abilities. There are too few such people. For more ordinary people, Master Shenxiu's gradual enlightenment may be more suitable.

I said: So, little master, what about you? What method do you choose to practice?

The young master smiled shyly: I’d better practice slowly!

This disciple of Master Shenxiu was young. Although the rumors over the past thousands of years were unfavorable to Shenxiu, there were also literary works that portrayed Shenxiu as a jealous villain who pursued and killed Huineng ten times. Year. But the young master didn't say a word to slander Nanzong. He only said that during Wu Zetian's time, the queen wanted to bow down to Master Shenxiu when she saw him. I also believe that those who can make Emperor Zetian bend his back will certainly not be bad in virtue and wisdom. I am also very happy that Master Shenxiu chose to live in my hometown after his death, so that such a Buddhist celebrity is so close to us.

I also think that in the current world of Saha, materialism is rampant, and the soil for cultivating greed, anger, ignorance, and suspicion is more fertile than in ancient times. The possibility of sudden enlightenment is very small, and the difficulty of gradual enlightenment is also very high. When you are quiet, you can have a pure mind, but when you are busy, it is difficult to be quiet, let alone pure! Therefore, it is even more necessary to treat your own mind as a bright mirror and remember to wipe the light from time to time in order to maintain practice. From this point of view, the respect for Shenxiu should be the same as the respect for Huineng. They are all great.

Dumen Zen Temple also has a statue of Master Shenxiu for future generations to pay homage to. When I looked at the statue of Master Shenxiu, its face and expression looked very much like the real relic of Master Huineng. I don’t know whether this is a magical coincidence or the deep respect of the master sculptor.

It is said that those who want to learn Zen Zen must start by learning the huatou. Generally, the first huatou of Zen meditation is: Who am I? Dumen Zen Temple also has similar words. On the wall in front of the corridor and behind the house, there are red paper and black characters posted in many places: Who is chanting the Buddha?

Who is chanting the Buddha? It's me, who am I? It is said that in the end, you will find that there is no "I" at all! Obviously I don’t have this ability, and my attachments are very deep.

In short, Dumen Zen Temple is worth a visit due to its historical origins, interest in Zen meditation, and ancient architecture. If the local government could pay attention and build better buildings, maybe the environment would be more beautiful, but maybe there wouldn't be such a simple and lively atmosphere.