Dingguang Temple is located in Qingyun Mountain, Xin 'an Town, Lufeng City, Guangdong Province, which is 10 km away from Lufeng City. It is understood that Dingguang Temple was built during the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, with a history of nearly 400 years. It is a famous Buddhist temple in Dongjiang, and now it is also the seat of Lufeng Buddhist Association, Outstanding Buddhist College and Shanwei Religious Training Center.
Driving from Lufeng city, it takes ten minutes to reach the foot of Qingyun Mountain. Because there has just been a continuous spring rain, the air is clear and refreshing. Looking up, Dingguang Temple is just around the corner. Although it is already in front of you, you can only see the outline. I saw a patchwork of temples covering the next floor and approaching the top of the mountain from bottom to top. It' s really "the dream is awake and the Yunshan is towering." Surrounded by peaks on both sides, the mountains are lush and green, and the green glazed tiles at the top of the temple buildings reflect each other and are integrated. It coincides with rainy days, sometimes dense fog covers the top of the mountain, and sometimes the mist floats lightly, adding infinite immortality. The friend sighed and said, It's really auspicious and colorful, and it's also a treasure trove of immortals.
We entered through the mountain gate. The traditional "three doors and four columns" are adopted in the mountain gate, with a door in the middle and a small door on each side, all made of granite. Sanmen is the three liberators referred to in Buddhism, including the empty door, the door without phase and the door without phase. So becoming a monk is also called escaping into an empty door. On the front of the gate at the top of the mountain gate is written the three characters "Qingyun Mountain" and on the back is written "Pure Land on Earth", which means that this place is a quiet place for Buddhists and monasteries.
Into the gate, across the small stone bridge, to the front of the temple. Different from the mountain gate, the main entrance of Dingguang Temple is magnificent. The main entrance is roughly the same as other temples, and it is also a "four pillars and three doors". The doorpost and the Zen couplets written on each post suddenly make people move from worldly troubles to the realm of Buddhism.
When I entered the hall, I found it was not big. The two giant buddhas on both sides are very eye-catching, only to see them with their eyes open, their noses bulging, and their weapons in hand. These are the two door gods who guard the temple. One of them can make the enemy hum a white breath, called General Hum. A general who can catch a yellow tongue is called a general.
Climbing the stairs, I came to the front of the king's hall. There is a two-story quadrangular tower on both sides in front of the temple, beautifully carved, with drums and bells in the center of the top floor, namely the bell tower and the drum tower.
Tianwang Temple is the first Buddhist temple, with Maitreya Buddha in the middle and four heavenly kings on both sides. Maitreya Bodhisattva, also known as Maitreya Buddha, is commonly known as Laughing Buddha, with a bare chest and a charming smile. "Everyone is happy" is the main atmosphere of the Temple of the King of Heaven, which is not as serious as other halls. In this context, there are two couplets in the temple that are worth pondering-"Laughing at the world is greedy and arrogant, pretending to be a hero, and the monk is devoted to being a husband." "You lied to him and I didn't ask Lian Xiao. Why are acquaintances so sad?"
In front of the Maitreya Buddha statue, there are two merit lighthouses more than one person high, with a round bottom and a conical top. Each lighthouse has 1500 niches, and each niche is dedicated to a statue of Siddhartha Gautama and a merit lamp, and the name of the donor is engraved (a merit lamp can be provided for those who donate 100 yuan a year). As for the merit lamp, it is recorded in Buddhist scriptures that when the Buddha was alive, there was a poor girl who saw the Buddha's solemn love and was willing to light a lamp to support him. However, her family was too poor to give it, so she had to cut off a wisp of blue silk and replace it with a copper coin, and sincerely offered it to the Buddha. When the day is about to dawn, only the poor woman's lamp will light up. Everyone became suspicious and asked the Buddha for instructions. Buddha said: this woman's faith is not reversed, and the sin of her ancestors will be eliminated, and she will be able to enlighten all beings with bodhicitta. When her merits and deeds are complete, she will become a Buddha Since then, the merit lamp has been widely supported in large and small temples.
Or climb the stairs and walk to the front of the hall of great heroes. The front yard of the main hall is large and square, with a bronze incense burner in the middle and two white elephants with six teeth on both sides behind. According to Buddhist scriptures, Mrs. Meyer dreamed of a six-toothed white elephant at night and gave birth to Buddha Sakyamuni in her belly, so the white elephant is a symbol of the perfection of Buddhist merits. There is a stone carving building in each corner of the front yard, which is tower-shaped, with roughly the same shape, but the tower body is carved differently. The sidebar says that these are the four continents and the world view of ancient Indians. Because of my limited knowledge, I haven't understood its meaning for a long time. There is a big tree on each side. I don't know its name, but its trunk is huge and tall, its leaves are dense, and it is getting more and more lush under the nourishment of rain. If there is a breeze in late autumn and early winter, you can see the leaves falling and rustling like butterflies. Coupled with a few crisp birdsongs, it sets off the simplicity and tranquility of the temple.
Daxiong Hall is made of stone and wood, with dark brown solid wood columns and beautifully carved beams, which makes the whole hall resplendent. There are three great bodhisattvas sitting in meditation in the temple, all of which are solemn and awe-inspiring. Listen to the woman who worships Buddha next to her. This is the Sambo Buddha. According to the investigation, it is the third Buddha, the pharmacist Buddha on the left, Sakyamuni in the middle and Amitabha Buddha on the right. There are eighteen arhats on both sides of the temple, each with its own manners. Zen benches are neatly placed on the ground, which shows that this is the place where monks meditate and recite scriptures. Sanskrit fills the air in the temple, immersed in it, and the soul seems to be baptized unconsciously, and there is no distractions in an instant.
Behind the Hall of Great Heroes is the Tibetan Scripture Building. The door of Buddhist scripture building is locked, so I can only imagine that there are rich books in it.
Further up is the Guangdong Outstanding Buddhist College. The five-star red flag in front of the courtyard stands tall and flutters in the wind, more like a school than a temple. It is said that this college has undergraduate and master's degrees, equipped with classrooms, libraries and computer rooms. If we are in class, we can vaguely hear the voice of lecturing or following reading. Of course, the content must be related to Buddhism. As this place is also "off limits to tourists", we can only know a little about it.
There is a cultural corridor next to the college, with exquisite wall newspapers. Lufeng Calligraphy Association, Writers Association, Poetry Society, etc. Members are often organized to create works here and give them to tourists. These make this place full of cultural atmosphere.
Further up is the Honghui Old Monk Memorial Hall built in memory of the old abbot and the Dizang King Hall dedicated to the Bodhisattva Dizang. This building is not much different from other halls. Nine times out of ten, tourists will take a nap on the stone bench under the banyan tree when they visit here.
The highest hall is Guanyin Pavilion in Zizhulin. Guanyin Pavilion is dedicated to Guanyin Bodhisattva, whose sculpture is vivid and dignified, which makes people afraid to look at it, for fear of accidentally offending the gods. This is the place where pilgrims worship Buddha and ask for a sign. It will be even more crowded if it comes to the festival of God. It's really "pilgrims travel to Wan Li Road, and the Buddha touches people." It is said that it is particularly effective to apply for a visa here. I also have the experience of applying for a visa here, which was seven or eight years ago. At that time, I was depressed because of some things, and my wife said that she would bring me here to worship Buddha. Before I came, I wrote a little poem casually: "Where is the immortal enlightenment, and when is it sad for people?" Good thoughts get one thing, and I am willing to return the incense to God. "Later, I really got my wish. The process was similar to what Mr. Xie Qian said, and it was really effective. Of course, this may just be a coincidence, it depends on human effort.
Because it is no longer going up, people often turn around and look down at this time. From near to far, you can see the panorama of Dingguang Temple, and you can also see the pavilions in front of the mountain and Lufeng City thousands of miles away.
When it's time for lunch, after getting the instructions, turn left at Catastrophe Hall, pass a corridor and descend two stone steps, and you will arrive at Zhaitang. Zhaitang provides vegetarian food, completely free, and volunteers to refuel.
In front of the fasting hall is the release pool. It is said that the water in the release pond comes from the undercurrent in the mountains, but it is a little muddy by turtles and fish in the pond. The release pool is also divided into several pieces, from top to bottom, all the way to the front of the temple. An aunt who was eating said that you came at a bad time. If tomorrow, because it is Guanyin's birthday, many people will release it. It's really strange that people buy some fish and set them free, which is called a good thing, but on the other hand, they kill and eat them every day. So, everything is just peace of mind.
After supper, we are ready to go home. Although I haven't been reluctant to go, I am also impressed by the magnificent architecture and beautiful environment of Dingguang Temple. Dingguang Temple is built on the mountain, and the temples are built on the central axis of the temple, one after another, rising step by step. There are many stone steps between temples, including the main steps and many forks. Stone steps are straight or curved. It can be said that the stone steps are a very important part of Dingguang Temple. The cloisters in the temple are full of birds and flowers, which is worthy of the reputation of "Lingnan outshines others".
? —— Guangdong Lufeng 20 19.