Is the ancient temple in front of me really the legendary temple?
If the speculation is true, this is undoubtedly extremely shocking. In a valley covered with reddish-brown soil and gravel, an ancient temple is obscured by dust, and it actually has a shocking origin.
The more Liu Juan looked at it, the more he felt that this ancient temple was extraordinary.
The mountains behind me used to be so majestic, vast and magnificent, but they were eventually destroyed, leaving only a pile of huge rocks.
This ancient temple looks dilapidated, but it still stands, forming a strange contrast.
Accompanied by the bodhi tree, the ancient Buddha with green lanterns, a little light is like a bean.
It is plain, clear and quiet, and can withstand the temper and test of time. What is left is the "truth", and the extravagant things are just passing clouds.
Bronze lanterns, jade Buddhas, strange temples, and ancient trees seem to be the same as ever, existing in this world forever.
All of this is peaceful and peaceful, making people feel like they are bathed in the spring breeze, as if there is some ethereal Zen singing.
"If this is really the legendary Shaolin Temple, the ancient tree growing in front of the temple should be the ancient Bodhi tree where Sakyamuni attained enlightenment!"
At this time Liu Juan suddenly walked forward.
The ancient temple is very small, just a Buddhist hall, empty, with almost nothing.
Liu Juan went straight to the jade Buddha and grabbed the ancient bronze lamp that accompanied it.
The copper lamp is ordinary and simple in style, but it is warm and moist to the touch. It does not have the cold and hard feeling of metal, but is like holding a piece of warm jade. What is surprising is that the ancient temple is full of dust, but the ancient bronze lamp is not dusty.
Dyeing seems to be able to isolate dust.
This temple has definitely not been cleaned for many years, and there is a thick layer of dust. However, the ancient lamp can avoid the dust and still shines brightly. Liu Juan has to be surprised. Could it be that it has been shining brightly since the distant ancient times?
Not now?
"It's really clean. There's nothing left except the jade Buddha and the copper lamp." Liu Juan glanced around, but unfortunately he didn't see any other objects.
At this moment, Liu Juan stepped on the thick dust, made a "clang" sound, and stepped out a cassock.
There are artifacts left behind by the gods!
"Kapok cassock!"
Picking up this kapok cassock, Liu Juan suddenly heard a faint Zen chant, as if coming from outside.
At first, he thought it was an illusion, but the sound of the Buddha gradually became louder, reverberating throughout the entire ancient temple, like a yellow bell vibrating. It was solemn, vast, sublime, and mysterious.
Then the dust in the entire ancient temple receded, leaving it dust-free and clean. The six-character mantra rang out: "Om, ma, na, ba, mi, hum..."
Liu Juan was confused for a while. He looked at the Jade Buddha. Could it be that he had sung the Buddhist music just now?
The foot seemed to have kicked something.
Liu Juan kicked again, making a metallic trembling sound, and peeling away the dust in the corner, revealing a broken copper bell that could be as big as a palm. The copper bell was engraved with flowing cloud patterns, which was simple and unsophisticated.
With a Zen feel and a Buddhist charm
"When..." He shook the copper bell, and suddenly a melodious ringing sound came out, like the sound of Buddha lingering, making people feel peaceful.
Liu Juan stepped out of the ancient temple and walked towards the Bodhi tree in front of the temple. At this time, he had got rid of his original thinking and temporarily convinced himself that the gods really existed.
Since the ancient temple is a small Shaolin temple, how can we miss the bodhi tree accompanying it? If there was a Buddha in the world, that dry ancient tree must be extraordinary!
The bodhi tree is a sacred tree in Buddhism. According to records in "The Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty", the Buddha once said to Ananda that there are three types of objects in the world that should be worshiped - Buddha bone relics, Buddha statues and the bodhi tree.
Because the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, seeing the Bodhi tree is like seeing the Buddha.
The dry old tree in front of us is as vigorous as a horned dragon, and six or seven people cannot hug it. The main trunk is hollow, with only one dead branch hanging down to two or three meters above the ground. There are six green leaves hanging on it, sparkling like green agate.
Transparent.
Regardless of whether this ancient tree is related to the Buddha or not, the six green jade-like leaves alone are enough to show how extraordinary it is.
Liu Juan came under the tree and looked carefully at the ancient Bodhi tree. The huge branches were almost completely pressing on the ancient temple. If it were covered with branches and leaves, you can imagine the scene of blocking out the sky and the sun.
At this moment, Liu Juan's heart moved. He found that six crystal green leaves were slightly invisible with colorful rays of light. A small part floated in the distance, and most of them disappeared into the roots of the tree.
Dots of rays of light, shaped like silk, are constantly overflowing from the six green leaves, making people feel a breath of life and endless vitality flowing.
Liu Juan squatted down and peeled away the soil at the root of the tree, wanting to see what was underneath, which could condense the colorful rays of light overflowing from the bodhi leaves.
Under the soil, he did not see anything magical. He only found a bodhi seed. It had no light, no flowers gathered, no clouds lingering, and the color was gray and ordinary. If you didn't pay attention, it would be mistaken for a clod of soil.
The only special thing is its size. The ordinary bodhi seed is no more than the size of a fingernail, but this gray bodhi seed is as big as a walnut.
Liu Juan was surprised for a while. Could it be that the colorful rays of light overflowing from the bodhi leaf were absorbed by it? After observing it for a moment, he saw only thread-like colorful rays of light flowing down and disappearing three inches away from the bodhi seed.
Although it has not been seen to absorb the essence of Bodhi leaves, it is almost certain that it is the cause.
Liu Juan knew that in the early Tang Dynasty, Hui Neng, the sixth ancestor of Zen Buddhism, wrote such a poem about the Bodhi tree, which was widely circulated. Therefore, many people in later generations thought that there was no Bodhi tree in the world. In fact, people misunderstood his original intention. The Bodhi tree
Not only does it exist, but it is also known as the thinking tree. It is a large evergreen tree of the genus Ficus in the Moraceae family.
Hui Neng wrote, "Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a stand; there is nothing in the first place, so where is the dust." This poem is probably an extension of the Buddhist theory of "the four elements are empty"!
The word "Bodhi" is the transliteration of the ancient Indian language (i.e. Sanskrit) bodhi, which means enlightenment and wisdom. It is used to refer to people who suddenly wake up from sleep, suddenly become enlightened, break into the path of enlightenment, suddenly realize the truth, and reach an otherworldly state.
In English, the word "Bodhi tree" is peepul, bo-rge-tree, etc., which all mean magnanimity, great compassion, discernment between good and evil, and awareness of the truth.
In plant taxonomy, the Latin scientific name of the Bodhi tree is ficus religosa, which means sacred religion.
The Bodhi tree seems to have a deep connection with Buddhism. According to legend, more than 2,500 years ago, Buddha Sakyamuni was originally Gautama Siddhartha, the prince of the Kapilavastu Kingdom in northern India (now in Nepal).
When he was young, in order to get rid of the suffering of reincarnation and save suffering sentient beings, he resolutely gave up inheriting the throne and comfortable royal life, became a monk and practiced spiritual practice, and sought the true meaning of life.
After many years of practice, I finally sat in meditation under the bodhi tree for 7 days and 7 nights. I defeated all kinds of evil temptations. At dawn and the morning star rose, I achieved great enlightenment and finally became a Buddha.
Therefore, later Buddhism has always regarded the bodhi tree as a sacred tree, and India has designated it as the national tree.
Time is like water, and more than two thousand years have passed. The Bodhi tree where Buddha "enlightened" has withstood countless ups and downs, and has had mythical experiences. It is recognized in the Buddhist world as a symbol of "great enlightenment".
Liu Juan also knew that there are four Bodhi leaves on display in the Putuo Mountain Cultural Relics Exhibition Hall in Zhejiang, my country. It is said that they were picked from this tree, so they have always been regarded as treasures and cherished by people.
"Sala twin trees, one prosperous and one withered." Liu Juan looked at the dead tree in front of him and wondered where the other prosperous tree had gone.
According to legend, in ancient times there was a river named Hiraniyedi in India, and there was a very tall and lush sala tree (also called sala tree) on its bank.
One day when Sakyamuni was 80 years old (in India at that time, 80 years old was already a very old age), he walked into the Hiraniyedi River to take a bath, and then walked ashore to the Saraswati Forest.
He spread grass and leaves between the two larger Sal trees, and laid the Sangha on top. Then he turned his head to the north and west, rested his head on his right hand, and lay on the Sangha on his right side. Finally, he passed into Nirvana and ascended to heaven.
Liu Juan looked at the ancient temple and thought that this was not the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, so naturally there were no double Sara trees.
Liu Juan remembered that the sal tree is also called the horse chestnut tree, so named because its leaves resemble palms and have seven leaves.
This tree blooms in early summer, and the flowers are like a tower, or like a candlestick. When the flowers bloom, the palm-like leaves hold up the pagoda, or like a candlestick. Four small pale white petals bloom to their fullest, and inside the flower core
The seven orange-red stamens reveal their fragrance, and the yellow on the petals makes the small flowers more beautiful. Looking from a distance, the entire flower string is white and purple, as if covered with a thin veil.
.”
Liu Juan finally determined that this was a small Shaolin Temple, not the Reclining Buddha Temple where Sakyamuni ascended to heaven.
