The inscription is that the dream is ripe at the fifth watch of the day, and the sound of the bells cannot be broken; the mind wanders to the land of three treasures, and the cloud shadows in the mid-air disappear without a trace.
This is a beautiful legend about gods and eminent monks. The story of chasing dreams takes place in West Lake, Hangzhou.
According to legend, in the 14th year of Tang Yuanhe (819 AD), Zen Master Huanzhong (also known as Monk Xingkong) lived here. He suffered from the lack of water in the mountains and wanted to move away. On the night when he was preparing to leave, he dreamed of a god who said to him: "There is a Tongzi Spring in Hengshan Mountain of Nanyue. I will send two tigers to move the spring water here."
The next day, Sure enough, Monk Xingkong saw "two tigers digging into the ground to make a hole." A spring gushed out of the big pit dug by the tiger's claws, and soon half of the pool was filled with clear spring water, so he called it "Tiger Plowing Spring." People kept shouting and shouting, but they always felt that it was too unpleasant, so some people said that since a tiger came here to dig out this spring, let's call it "Tiger Running Spring".
Monk Xingkong "had a dream in Nanke", and a famous tiger spring was born on the bank of the West Lake - "the third spring in the world". "This true source" - the legendary story vividly summarized in the couplets of Hupao Daci and Dinghui Zen Temple, has attracted many good men and women to kneel down and pray that Hupao can also "realize their dreams".
When visiting "Hupao", searching for immortals and asking Buddha comes second. Almost all tourists go there for "tea".
West Lake Longjing is famous overseas, but its sweetness and mellowness cannot be shown without good water for brewing. Hupao Spring is natural water that seeps out of insoluble quartz sandstone. It does not bring many soluble minerals, so the water quality is quite pure. It is said that its mineral content is much lower than that of Yuquan water and Longjing spring water. The surface tension of Hupao Spring water is very high. If you fill a cup with water and put coins into the cup one by one, the spring water will not overflow even if it is 3 mm higher than the surface of the cup.
"Longjing tea leaves are like tigers running away from water." If Longjing tea is soaked in Hupao water, it will be overflowing with fragrance and endless aftertaste. It is known as "Dragon and Tiger Fighting" and "Double Wonders of West Lake" - this is the reason why Hupao Spring Water is praised as the first famous spring in Hangzhou.
In 1981, the first time I came to Hupao, I experienced the extreme charm of "Hupao Longjing" (it seemed to only cost 3 cents a cup at that time); in 1984, I took students to Hangzhou for internship, and again Went to the "Longjing Tea Room" and sat there for a whole afternoon. When I taste the Longjing tea brewed with Longjing spring water, I always feel that it is much inferior to the Longjing tea brewed from Hupao Spring. I visited the West Lake again in 1989 and even in the 1990s, but I didn’t have time to sit in a teahouse and taste fragrant tea, so I missed the "Tiger Run"...
This time I visited the West Lake in late autumn, I finally got what I wanted, and tasted the original "Tiger Run" again. "Hupao Longjing", and it is the "Yuqian" tea launched this year - now it has risen to 30 yuan a cup (because I am short of money and don't have much money, I dare not ask for the 50 to 120 yuan a cup of "Excellent Longjing"). The tea leaves are green and the tea soup is light and elegant. The fragrance in the mouth penetrates the tongue, flows through the teeth and cheeks, and refreshes the heart and lungs. After drinking, you feel refreshed and the lingering fragrance fills your mouth and lingers for a long time... It is really an excellent enjoyment.
No wonder Hangzhou citizens regard the spring water here as natural "mineral water". Regardless of the distance, people flock to Hupao to get water every day. In particular, retired old men and women use water instead of morning exercises, 365 days a year, every day, carrying it on their hands and shoulders, rain or shine, without any regrets. This has become a very unique folk custom in Hangzhou, and even the government is very concerned about it. Opened the door to convenience.
Perhaps, Hangzhou people have a tradition of going to "Hupao" to fetch water - you see, from the common people in the Qing Dynasty to the water-carrying officers and soldiers of the government yamen, they all went to the spring to fetch or transport spring water. For fun, enjoy it and never get tired of it.
It is not surprising to say that there are gods coming to Hupao Spring to help. The gurgling springs, towering ancient trees, picturesque scenery, elegance and beauty are simply perfect for gods to live in.
I am afraid that gods are too far away from mortals, and it seems more suitable for eminent monks to live in seclusion in Hupao Spring. In addition to the monk Xingkong of the Tang Dynasty, there are also two generations of monks well-known to the world, both of whom had an indissoluble bond with Hupao Spring. They also pursued their dreams by the spring, leaving many well-known stories for future generations. story.
One is the well-known legendary monk Jigong. "My shoes are torn, my hat is torn, and my cassock is torn; you laugh at me, he laughs at me, and my fan is torn." This monk Jigong, who "has no worries, no worries, no worries, and sees through all the hardships of the world," was originally named Li Xinyuan. His Buddhist name was Daoji, and he was ordained and became a monk in Lingyin Temple. "Tiger Pao" was actually his final destination. Here are the Jigong Hall and the Jizu Pagoda Courtyard, and the Hupao Restaurant serves the "sacred monk dog meat" created by him during his lifetime.
According to historical records, on May 16, the second year of Jiading in the Song Dynasty (AD 1209), Monk Jigong passed away in Hupao Temple. Before his death, he wrote a verse: "In the past sixty years, the east wall has been in a mess, and the east wall has defeated the west wall. Although his dream of rescuing people from danger and promoting good and punishing evil has not been realized, his unique and beautiful impression of "Wherever there is injustice, there is me" will always be engraved on the people of ancient and modern times. heart.
The second is Master Hongyi, also known as Li Shutong, a figure who will always be remembered in modern Chinese history. His bizarre life experience and ups and downs of life have left the world with a series of deep thoughts and wonders. The song "Farewell" in the movie "Old Stories in the South of the City": "Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, the green grass stretches to the sky, the evening wind blows the willow flute, and the sunset is outside the mountains." His name once again spread throughout China.
Li Shutong, surnamed Li, named Xi, nicknamed Shutong, studied in Japan in his early years. When he was young, he was a talented art educator and a master whose "twenty articles shocked the world". He integrated poetry, lyrics, calligraphy and painting, seal cutting, music, drama, and literature into one, and pioneered the splendid culture and art of China in many fields. . He pushed the art of calligraphy in ancient China to the extreme, "simple and perfect, as natural as nature". Modern cultural celebrities such as Lu Xun and Guo Moruo regarded it as the ultimate honor to get a calligraphy from the master.
He was the first pioneer to spread Western music to the Chinese people. The classic song "Farewell" has been sung for decades and remains popular. He was also the first teacher in China to pioneer nude sketching. With outstanding artistic attainments and noble moral ethics, he successively trained famous painter Feng Zikai, musician Liu Zhiping and other cultural celebrities.
In 1918, Mr. Li Shutong ended his teaching duties at the school and went to Hupao Dinghui Temple to become a monk from the old monk Jiewu, with the Buddhist name Hongyi. His Japanese wife Yukiko searched all the temples in Hangzhou and finally found her monk husband in this temple called "Tiger Pao".
There is no more suitable scene to say goodbye than the willow trees and the gentle waves beside the West Lake. No one knows the conversation between the two, but Li Shutong later expressed his true feelings in a farewell letter to his wife: "I made such a decision because of my unsympathetic nature. For the sake of the longer and more difficult journey of Buddhism and Taoism, I I must let go of everything. I let go of you, and I also let go of the reputation and wealth I have accumulated in this world. Life is short for decades, and the end will always come. Now it is just an advance. We will be separated sooner or later. I hope you can. See through."
From then on, there was no longer a Li Shutong who could write poems, write lyrics, calligraphy, paint, seal carve, music and act. There was only Master Hongyi, a famous monk of his generation. There is a scene in the movie "A Bright Moon" about Li Shutong's life: In the early morning, in the mist of the West Lake, two boats faced each other. Xuezi: "Shutong..." Li Shutong: "Please call me Hongyi." Xuezi: "Master Hongyi, please tell me what love is?" Li Shutong: "Love is compassion."?
"Since Knowing that the mind is the Buddha, always take the precepts as your teacher." In the next 20 years, Master Hongyi did not eat after lunch, devoted himself to Buddhism, studied the law diligently, and promoted Buddhism. He continued his life of "chasing dreams" by the Hupao Spring. He was regarded by Buddhist disciples as the eleventh generation ancestor of the Vinaya sect. He left behind endless spiritual wealth.
Master Hongyi passed away on the evening of October 13, 1942, at the age of 63. He finally left a suicide note with four words: "Sorrow and Joy", which not only celebrated his own liberation, but also lamented the suffering of all living beings.
The "Master Hongyi Relic Pagoda" was erected on the mountainside of Hupao Temple, allowing future generations to forever remember and pay homage to this Chinese legend who turned from brilliant to ordinary.
When you visit "Tiger Running Dream Spring", you will dream, see the scenery, drink water, and taste tea, but what you will tell is the legendary story of three monks.
These stories will accompany the thousand-year-old Hupao Spring in West Lake, nourishing tourists and travelers from all over the world who come to enjoy the scenery and taste tea, to seek, pursue, and realize their dreams, and make their dreams come true.
By the side of the dream spring, I borrow a quote left by Master Hongyi to say "treasure" to those who have dreams in their hearts.
November 4, 2007 in Hangzhou