The long-distance bus from Zhengzhou to Luoyang leaves from Jingguang Road Bus Station every ten minutes, which takes about two hours. The long-distance passenger station opposite Zhengzhou Railway Station has a bus to Songshan Shaolin Temple, which takes 3.5 hours by car. Depart in the morning;
Yongtai Temple in Songshan, located at the foot of Jinfeng Mountain in the northwest of Dengfeng City, Henan Province, faces the Shaolin Temple, the first temple in the world, the Shao Shi Mountain in the south, the beautiful Taizigou in the north and the rippling Shaolin Lake in the east and west. The whole temple area is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the environment is simple and quiet.
Yongtai Temple, formerly known as Minglian Temple, was built in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It is the earliest existing Buddhist temple in China and the only Buddhist temple in Songshan. Yongtai was named after Princess Yongtai, the younger sister of Emperor Xiaoming, who entered the temple as a nun.
Princess Yongtai's father, Xuan Wudi Yuanke, and her brother, Emperor Xu Yuan Xiaoming, both have palaces in Songshan. Princess Yongtai often goes to Songshan with her father and brother, attracted by the beautiful environment and quiet temple life in Songshan, and has repeatedly asked to become a monk in Songshan. In order to meet her sister's request, Emperor Xiaoming ordered a temple to be built for her, and Princess Yongtai was appointed as a preacher. Because the temple was built next to Princess Minglianta, the daughter of Liang Wudi in the Southern Dynasties and one of the four disciples of Dharma, the ancestor of Zen Buddhism, it was named Minglian Temple. Her living expenses are provided by the court, and Princess Yongtai often gives money and food to people around her. Therefore, the vast number of monks and nuns in Songshan area respect and love Princess Yongtai very much.
In the second year of Tang Shenlong, the Buddhist monk and Taoist priest in Song Yue Temple should go to court and rebuild Minglian Temple. After the completion, Princess Yongtai was enshrined in Huanggu Building, and Minglian Temple was renamed Yongtai Temple. Minglian Temple experienced 185 years from its establishment to its renaming as Yongtai Temple. The existing buildings of Yongtai Temple are divided into five parts: the Mountain Gate, the Heavenly King Hall, the Chinese Buddha Hall, the Ursa Major Hall and the Huanggu Building. The wing includes the Temple of Heaven and the Hall of Six Ancestors. Red walls and green tiles, iron nails, exquisite architectural skills, simple and elegant. On the hillside behind the temple, there are: Yongtai Temple Tower in Tang Dynasty, Jun 'an Main Tower in Jin Dynasty, and Power Tower in Ming Dynasty. These ancient pagodas are elegant and beautiful.
There are more than 40 stone tablets and stone carvings scattered in the temple since the Tang Dynasty, with fine carving and smooth calligraphy. Ancient and famous trees include: the rare and precious Miluo tree in China, the poplar tree known as the flagpole of Buddhism, the ginkgo tree bearing fruit alone, and the lush and vibrant shepherdess tree in Shaolin Temple, the first martial arts action film in China. These cultural relics are of high historical, scientific and artistic value. 1963, Yongtai Temple was announced as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit and became a bright pearl in Songshan Cultural Relics Group.
Yongtai Temple Tower, located on the hillside behind the temple, was built in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. It is a single-story building with dense eaves, with a main body of 24 meters Qualcomm and a wall thickness of 4.8 meters. The outer wall of the tower is covered with a thin layer of white ash, and the tower is towering. There is a ticket gate in the south, 2.6m high and1.74m wide. From the gate to the tower room, the inside of the tower room is still square and empty, and the tower body has 1 1 floor eaves. The connecting line of the outer contour of each eave is a soft parabola, the tower gate is recorded by inscriptions, and the Yongtai Temple Tower is built to sacrifice relics. It has been announced as a national cultural relics protection unit.
Yongtai Temple was inscribed in the 11th year of Tang Tianbao. When the faucet fell, the head and body of the monument became a stone, 2.35 meters high, 0.9 meters wide and 0.24 meters thick. Exquisite modeling and vivid carving. At the top of the monument are six dragons. Seen from the side, there are three drooping heads containing the monument. The shape of the dragon fully reflects the level of stone carving art in the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
The front of the tablet is like a line, and the tablet forehead is engraved. The Buddha sat in the clouds and made a statement. The back of the Buddha statue is engraved with flames and headlights. The upper part of the monument is engraved with one Buddha, two disciples and two bodhisattvas. Buddha Sakyamuni sat on a round beard bed with fearless seal, with a canopy at the top, and the decoration was prosperous. In the lower part of the monument, there are two heavenly kings, wearing armor and armor. The image is fierce and can ward off evil spirits. On both sides of the monument, there are two heavenly kings, two officials and the yin of the monument. The whole picture, with smooth lines and beautiful image, is a treasure of Buddhist cultural relics in China.
In the middle of the monument, there are six words engraved on the monument of Yongtai Temple in Tang Dynasty, and the monument body is engraved with the monument of Yongtai Temple in Datang Zhongyue written by shaman Zhang Jing of longxing temple and the inscription written by Shu Dan of Wang Xun, Chu Shi, Yingchuan. The content mainly describes the historical evolution of Yongtai Temple in Songshan Mountain and the activities of some monks and nuns from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty for more than 230 years. The tablet-shaped regular script is fat, dignified and neat, vigorous and elegant. As Dai Biyuan commented in "Zhongzhou Jinshi Shu", it is a good product in the Tang Dynasty because of its dense structure.
Miluo tree is more than 20 meters high and 2.5 meters thick. It has a history of more than 2000 years and is one of the ancient rare tree species in China. The canopy is dense and leafy, which looks like a big umbrella, so the locals call it the umbrella of Sakyamuni Buddha. In summer and autumn, a string of Miluo flowers bloomed, just like a small tower standing among the green trees, and the breeze blew, whispering and trembling, which was particularly attractive. Actually, it's a scene of Song and Yue.
Miluo tree belongs to Aesculaceae, because each ear has seven leaves, so it is also called Aesculus. Its ears are like towers, flowers are as big as beans, white as velvet and fragrant, which is pleasing to the eye. The stamens in each flower are seven cores, and the inner core of the fruit is half red and half yellow, which is called yin-yang fruit, indicating that Sakyamuni became a Buddha through vicissitudes with his compassion and wisdom. It shows the philosophy of Buddhism. This tree was brought to China by Indian monks Morton and Zhu Falan. In the eighth year of Emperor Han Ming (AD 68), Emperor Han Ming dreamed of a golden god at night, suggesting that there was a god in the western regions. After waking up, he consulted with ministers, sent Qin Jing and Cai Yin to the Western Heaven to learn Buddhist scriptures, and invited Indian monks to take pictures of Morten and Zhu Falan. At that time, the two monks brought them to China with bowls, first planted them in Xihong Temple (now White Horse Temple), and transplanted them to Fawang Temple by two monks in 79 AD. Strange to say, no matter in Baima Temple or Fawang Temple, the Miluo tree did not grow. After being transplanted to Yongtai Temple, Miluo Tree has flourished and thrived, which shows that Miluo Tree is a princess destined to be.
After the Buddha's light shines in 2000, the love in 2000 is profound, and every branch, leaf, core and fruit of Miluo tree is filled with the Buddha's heart of all beings. Kiki people sit quietly under the Miluo tree, all fatigue and diseases are gone, and any selfish evil thoughts and troubles have disappeared, feeling detached and refined. If they can have another sip of Miluo scented tea soaked in Princess Well, they will feel more comfortable. Silo tree is the historical witness of Sino-Indian cultural exchange and Sino-Indian friendship.
Flagpole poplar, also known as Buddha flagpole, is 26 meters high and 4.6 meters around the tree. It was the flagpole erected in the temple at that time. In ancient times, it was used to hang Buddha flags in temples, which is equivalent to the current communication tools. It has the function of calling good men and believing women to the temple to hold a dharma meeting. According to the history of 1800 years, this tree is empty, but its branches and leaves are full of friends, reaching the realm of immortality. It can be called the best poplar in the world, also known as the tree of luck, the tree of wisdom and the natural compass. When you stand in front of this tree, you will realize many truths and increase your wisdom. The bark in the lower part of this tree is relatively old, and the bark in the upper part is relatively tender, which is just the performance of rejuvenation. Because Buddhism talks about emptiness, emptiness is the highest realm to overcome troubles and evil thoughts. After being illuminated by Buddha's light, this tree is blessed by Buddha's nature, so it is worshipped by believers. Everyone wants to absorb its aura and make themselves healthy and live longer.
Classic building: an octagonal stone pillar, carved in the 9th year of Tang Tianbao, built by Li Longji himself. Because Li Longji's mother made a grand wish here at that time, and after her wish came true, she was willing to let Li Longji stand up. There is a stone niche on the roof, in which a Buddha and two disciples are carved. There are two ways to sit in Buddhism. One method is meditation in Buddhism, which is called meditation. Another way is to put your hands on your knees. In Buddhism, the foolish old Buddha is integrated with all beings. In other words, what people want now, as long as they are sincere, will make our wishes come true and be satisfied. The following scriptures are engraved on the lower part: Preface to Buddha's Top Respecting Great Rani and Sutra of Buddha's Top Respecting Great Rani. Its purpose is to solemn Buddhist Dojo and restore the continuation of life. These two classic buildings are the largest in Songshan area.
Princess Well: This well was given to Princess Yongtai by the ancestor Dharma. It is said that when Princess Yongtai practiced here, there was no water in the temple, and all the monks in the temple went to the back hill to fetch water. Wolves and insects were often found in the mountains at that time, and many Buddhist monks were killed. Many monks left the temple on an excuse, but Princess Yongtai continued to go up the mountain to get water herself. Her sincerity touched the world. When she got a positive result, the ancestor Dharma showed her a well with a mord, which was sweet. Drinking it all year round can strengthen the body, beautify and protect the skin. This kind of water is regarded as nectar holy water by religious people, people around and tourists all over the world. In addition, there are many places of interest in the temple, such as the book box, the Yuan monument, the Ming monument, the lotus lamp holder (now in the Tibetan Museum) and so on. All of them have high appreciation value and are precious cultural relics.
Outside the temple, there are some magical places of interest, such as Taizigou, Desert-Yiwei River Tutu, Yahuangou, Zijinfeng, Wangdufeng, Huanggudong, Chenzaigou, Qixing Stone, Wanrengongde Road and Huangguqiao, which constitute a complete scenic tourist area featuring Buddhist Zhong Ni culture. With the development and promotion, Yongtai Temple has regained its former glory, its popularity has been greatly improved, and the number of tourists has been increasing. In addition, according to the cultural background of Yongtai Temple, the Yongtai Temple Women's Wushu School was recently established to promote the quintessence of Chinese culture. While making contributions to the local tourism industry, it also launched exchanges and cooperation with friends at home and abroad, pushing Yongtai Temple to the world and showing the right path Buddhism of Yongtai Temple.