Wentu/Ying Zhigang

I have known about Guangfu for a long time.

An old friend was making nuclear carvings in the town. He went to drink tea several times. During the meal, he heard many allusions. Although he had never traveled deeply, he still had some outlines in his heart.

The undulating hills of Guangfu surround Taihu Lake, which is quite like a fairyland on earth. At that time, it was also said that when you were old, you would be happy to buy a house here, grow tea, grow flowers, and read books.

Later, I heard another friend say that the place name Guangfu originally referred to a blessed land illuminated by Buddha's light.

I haven't explored the truth, but I can just hear the incense and Sanskrit sound of temples everywhere. I think it's true. Since ancient times, the location of a monk's house must be a treasure land of feng shui. In addition, there is naturally a reason why there have been a large number of eminent monks from all generations of Guangfu.

Dreaming, facing the smoke waves of Taihu Lake, sitting down and realizing enlightenment, observing that "the void in the east, the south and northwest, and the four dimensions up and down" are all "inconceivable". With the blessing of heaven, earth and the universe, nature will develop Bodhi.

Therefore, removing light and blessing and paying homage to Buddha is the top priority.

There are many Guangfu temples. I came here on this hike and followed the sunshine in the winter afternoon. My first stop was Tongguanyin Temple.

Tongguanyin Temple, built next to the street of Guangfu Town, is one of the oldest temples in Wu. It was built in the second year of Tianjian in the Liang Dynasty. It was once famous for its collection of the "Dafang Guangfo Huayan Sutra" and the relics of Monk Wu Che, the founder of the mountain.

Tongguanyin Temple was renamed several times, and was once named Guangfu Temple and Guangfu Lecture Temple. Its predecessor was the private residence of King Gu Yewang, the assistant minister of Huangmen during the Liang and Chen Dynasties of the Southern Dynasties.

In the Tang Dynasty, it was changed to Guangfu Temple during Wu Zetian's administration.

In the first year of Kangding in the Song Dynasty, a villager dug a bronze Guanyin next to the temple and presented it to Guangfu Temple. This caused a sensation in all parts of Wujun, and an endless stream of believers came to worship. Since then, it was renamed Tongguanyin Temple.

To enter Tongguanyin Temple, you must cross a beam-like stone bridge. The entrances on both sides of the bridge are made of Wukang stone. They are carved with double dragons playing with beads. They are decorated with ten thousand characters. The carving is well done and the sound of knocking is sonorous. It is commonly known among the people as "Pipa Bridge."

In front of Daxiong Hall, there is an ancient camphor tree planted in the Ming Dynasty. It has a thick and rugged trunk and strong branches. It has been windy and rainy for more than 600 years, protecting this solemn and pure land.

The Guangfu Tower, which stands on the top of Guishan Mountain behind the temple, is a landmark of Guangfu Town. It was built in the early years of Liang Datong. The tower has seven levels on four sides and is about 30 meters high. Looking from the tower, you can see the long mountains and peaks, and the east and west lakes complement each other. It is spectacular.

This trip to Guangfu was a little late. After the first snow in early winter in Suzhou, the ginkgo trees in Tongguanyin Temple almost lost their leaves.

It was also the reason why I wanted to try my luck, so I chased the west sloping winter sun and went to Yonghui Zen Temple without stopping.

Yonghui Temple is built on Panchi Mountain, which is the remnant of Qionglong Mountain and one of the 72 peaks of Taihu Lake. Guangfu people commonly known as Nanshan.

Walking up the stairs from the foot of the mountain, the mountain road turns among green trees and green bamboos. You can see the shining lake and the shadows of sails. The empty words in your stomach can no longer praise the beautiful scenery received in these eyes.

Next to the mountain road is the spiritual bone tower of the eminent monk Xugu. This is a legendary painting monk. In his early years, he served as a member of the Qing Army. Because he was unwilling to fight the Taiping Army, he became a monk at the age of 30.

However, he "does not follow vegetarian food or treat Buddha". He often travels to and from Suzhou, Shanghai, and Yangzhou, and makes a living by selling paintings. He can be regarded as a person who "puts down his butcher's knife and establishes himself as a Buddha on the ground."

Yonghui Temple is the place where Hanshan monk in the Ming Dynasty grew grass. He personally planted two ginkgo trees, one male and one female, for more than 500 years.

Every late autumn, two ginkgo trees with towering crowns and shaped like stupas have lush branches and leaves, and their golden leaves hang on the branches like gold foil, complementing the movements of the simple temples, giving a lot of Zen.

As soon as I arrived outside the gate, I saw only a few residual leaves hanging on the tree and sighed,"It's too late! It's too late!"

When I stepped into the temple gate, I saw the golden eyes and the still beauty covered by fallen leaves, covering the eaves and verandah of the temple. Occasionally, the wind blew, like butterflies flying.

Yonghui Zen Temple is also known as Shibi Temple because it is backed by a 100-foot stone wall.

The stone wall is as steep as a knife, about 10 meters higher than the ground, and is covered with cliff stone carvings. There are poems written by Li Genyuan, an old man of Xinhai, Chen Kuilong, a major official of the late Qing Dynasty, and Wu Hufan, a Shanghai painter, all of which are words of ambition, travel, and nostalgia for the past.

The most strange thing is that a heather tree more than 300 years old grows on the stone wall. The roots of the heather are bent and spiraling, adhering to the stone wall like a dragon. They are called the "Sleeping Dragon".

Step back in the afterglow. The rising haze on the lake is like the colorful auspicious clouds stepped on by a Buddha coming from the sea. The wind from Taihu Lake is blowing against your face. Ginkgo biloba is moving its trunk, and a golden fallen leaf slides past your eyes.

I suddenly remembered that when I went out, I saw the four words "Don't ask for help" written on the plaque of the mountain gate, and suddenly my heart moved.

The beginning of the "Heart Sutra","Observe the Bodhisattva in Freedom, practice the Prajna Paramita deeply for a long time, and see that the five khans are empty and overcome all sufferings." Can it be understood that when you see the peace in your heart, you are a Bodhisattva who has escaped all sufferings and wisdom?