How did the ancient monks eat for a day?

Most monks are very particular about "not eating after noon", that is, not eating after three o'clock in the afternoon. Here are some information for reference.

On the mountainside of Huachengfeng, far away from the many temples on Jiuhua Street, lies Ganlu Temple, one of the four major temples in Jiuhua Mountain. It was a large temple built during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. When construction started, the pine needles all over the mountain were covered with nectar, hence the name Ganlu Temple.

The Jiuhuashan Buddhist Academy founded in the 1990s is located in this ancient temple. According to local experts, Ganlu Temple is the most standardized temple in Jiuhuashan that implements Buddhist rituals. So , what are the most standardized Buddhist rituals? What is life like inside the mountain gate?

Following the sound of chanting, we came to the main hall, where the monks were doing evening classes. At this time, we discovered that they are a very special group. The monks are all young people around 20 years old. These childlike monks are all freshmen who have just entered Jiuhuashan Buddhist College this year.

Interview: Dean of Jiuhuashan Buddhist College of Tibetan Studies

“The biggest advantage of this college is that it has a relatively good geographical location, because it is far away from Jiuhuashan. It is a long distance, because there is not much interference in this environment, so young monks can study here quietly."

From this map we can see that there are many pilgrims from Ganlu Temple to the temple. Jiuhua Street also has to walk a section of winding mountain road. It is these more than ten kilometers of mountain road that allow Jiuhuashan Buddhist Academy to enjoy exclusive tranquility, allowing the monks here to concentrate on meditation.

Dean Zangxue, 35 years old, stayed at the school to teach in 1992 as the first graduate of Jiuhuashan Buddhist College. Five years ago, he began to serve as the abbot of Ganlu Temple and the dean of the Buddhist College. He advocated the school The policy is "prosperity without doing anything, and arriving at nothing".

Interview: Dean of Jiuhuashan Buddhist College of Tibetan Studies

“It’s when there is nothing going on, which is when my college is most prosperous. We don’t ask for grandeur; Our overall life, including our inner peace, does not mean saying nothing and doing nothing. We also hope that our body and mind can be integrated with the world, so that our body and mind can be completely released and embrace the world. ”

As monks and students, what do they do every day, taking into account both identities? Are they any different from their peers? So we decided to spend a day living with these young monks to find out.

In monasteries, playing the board is a traditional signal used to summon monks. The different number and frequency of playing the board represent different tasks. Fa Zang got up very early when he heard the sound of beating the wooden board. As the monitor of this class, he must ring the morning bell every morning when the sound of the beating of the wooden board ends. Going to the morning hall at 5 a.m. is the first thing that Buddhists do every day. At the end of the morning class at 6:30 in the morning, the genius began to shine brightly.

At 8:30 in the morning, after breakfast, the monks’ student life officially began. As a special school, they mainly study Buddhist classes, and so does Master Guoyue, who teaches the students. A graduate of this school, he is now the dean of Jiuhuashan Buddhist College.

Interview: Guo Yue, Dean of Jiuhuashan Buddhist College.

“My class today is the novice rituals. This is a Buddhist class. We basically have Buddhist classes in the morning, such as "Basics of Buddhism", "Sutra of Sutras", "History of Indian Buddhism", etc. They are mainly Buddhist classes, and in the afternoon they are mainly about cultural classes. "Ancient Literature", "Logic", and "General History". Our goal of training students is not only to have them have a high level of Buddhism, but also to have them have a high level of Buddhism. Let them have good cultural literacy and cultivate a student with both political integrity and talent."

When the sound of this rhythm is heard in every corner of the temple, it is to remind everyone to use it. It's fasting time.

Monks refer to eating as "going to the hall". Is what they mean by "going to the hall" the meaning we are familiar with? Do Buddhists think that eating is a very painful thing? The first step in going to the hall is to recite sutras. It is to cultivate respect and pray for all living beings. Monks are not allowed to speak when passing through the hall. If necessary, all expressions are expressed with body language. For example, if you need more rice, just push the bowl to the table. If you stack the bowls, Putting it on the table means that it has been eaten. After the fast, Master Dao'an will check whether anyone has leftover food, because Buddhism believes that waste is a very big sin.

The place where Buddhists eat is called the Five Views. That's why eating is called "going to the hall". So what are the "five views"? Buddhism believes that monks should have five correct concepts in mind when going to the hall. In summary, they should think about eating both porridge and rice. It is not easy, but you must have a grateful heart, and you must regard fasting as a good medicine to help your spiritual practice. You must not be greedy for the delicious food.

At 2:30 in the afternoon, I have an English class. As a modern monk. , whether it is accessing foreign language materials or communicating with foreign Buddhist circles, mastering foreign languages ??is essential.

How can young people who are active in meditation practice in addition to studying the homework they must do every day? They also have their own life and space. This is the dormitory building for students. During the afternoon break, we went to student Guo Yan’s room.

Student Guo Yan, in Jiuhua Mountain Body Palace in 2001. He is a 24-year-old monk. Like many eminent monks who are good at calligraphy and painting throughout the ages, his biggest hobby is practicing calligraphy in his spare time.

Interview: Guo Yan, student of Jiuhuashan Buddhist College

"Writing calligraphy, firstly, it allows us to communicate with ourselves when copying this classic. Secondly, as mentioned just now, it regulates the mind and makes us have a very messy mind. Through this writing This is about single-mindedness, which can help us get rid of all kinds of delusions. It can also be said that it is an aspect of practice. Writing a word can be used to recite a Buddha's name. ”

Unlike Guoyan who practices calligraphy for meditation, Fazang, who was born as a martial monk in the Shaolin Temple in Songshan, Henan, believes that practicing martial arts is a shortcut to spiritual practice.

Interview: Fazang Jiuhuashan Buddha College student

“Cultivation can be practiced while walking, sitting, or lying down. Patriarch Bodhidharma advocates that our Shaolin Temple advocates seeking tranquility while moving. In fact, while moving and boxing, there is still improvement in the heart. , (every aspect) can be practiced, whether walking, walking, sitting, or lying down. If you want to practice martial arts really well, you must have good moral character. Without virtue and noble behavior, it is impossible for you to reach the highest level of martial arts. ”

This is a lesson arranged by the school in their spare time. Buddhism calls it Chupo. It is believed that Chupo is the fastest way to accumulate blessings. However, traditional Chupo generally refers to cleaning the temple. Or go to work in the fields.

It’s time to go to the evening hall again in the afternoon. No leave is allowed for the evening hall at the Buddhist Academy. All monks must gather at the main hall on time at 4:15 pm. During evening classes, monks recite the Amitabha Sutra and the Eighty-eight Buddha Names, mainly to express their desire to change to the Buddha and at the same time make repentance for all living beings.

This is unique to Jiuhuashan Buddhist Academy. It is a way of practice. Because Jiuhua Mountain is the dojo of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, the Buddhist academy often arranges students to worship Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in the physical body hall of Jiuhua Mountain. They call it worshiping the mountain.

The monks of Gion Temple, another large temple on Mount Jiuhua, are releasing flames. This is also one of the main Buddhist activities in the temple. Buddhism believes that releasing flames is to offer food to hungry ghosts, and the main purpose is to teach them the Dharma and receive precepts, so that they can Get liberated as soon as possible to save the souls of the dead.

Gion Temple is the first big temple to enter Jiuhua Street. It is the first of the four major temples in Jiuhua Mountain. If we see only some student monks in Ganlu Temple, then in Gion Temple We can see monks in the true sense of the temple. So how does a typical large temple divide labor and cooperate?

In large monasteries, due to the complexity of affairs, most of them will set up eight deacons under the abbot, usually served by more experienced masters. In addition to Vina, who is known as the head of the eight deacons, he is in charge of large and small Buddhist affairs. In addition to the activities, there are also supervisors who are in charge of the entire temple's economy and monks who are equivalent to pickets, etc.

The first thing you come into contact with when you come to the temple is the guest monk in the living room. If this wandering monk wants to stay temporarily in Gion Temple, which is called a pending order in Buddhism, you must first go to the guest monk, one of the eight deacons, to handle it. Order procedure.

Shengjin is the guest monk of Gion Temple. His main job is to be responsible for the reception of monks and laymen in the whole temple. The monk in the kitchen, whose Buddhist name is Nikki, became a monk at Gion Temple in 1998. In 2003, he began to serve as the head of the eight deacons. He is mainly responsible for the meals of the monks and pilgrims in the temple, and is equivalent to the kitchen manager. After going to the Morning Hall every morning, the first thing Master Rihui has to do is to go to the vegetable market on Jiuhua Street to purchase the vegetables needed for the entire temple for the day.

Master: How to buy this Chinese cabbage?

Trader, the Chinese cabbage is 50 cents,

Master: 50 cents, you can’t fool me,

Trader: 40 cents,

Master: It cost 40 cents, so I’ll give you 45 cents, which is more or less.

Master: (This Chinese cabbage), how come there are so many rice bugs?

Vendor: No, it was weighed just now. None of these are there. The one just now was crowded.

Master: Let’s weigh 20 jins, 20 jins, 20 jins

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If we don’t look at the hairstyle and clothes, we can hardly tell the difference between Master Rihui and an ordinary hotel purchaser. In fact, in today’s society, if you want to be completely isolated from the world and behind closed doors, Cultivation is impossible, and Buddhism believes that every word and deed of a monk is practice. Many eminent monks have attained enlightenment while dealing with such trivial matters as a porridge and a meal. They can ensure the supply of food for the monks and make everyone go smoothly. Obtaining the Tao is in line with the general principle of Buddhism that it is necessary to save oneself and save others, and it is also one of the important methods of practice.

This is the weekly meeting of Gion Temple. Master Daoyuan sitting in the middle is the abbot of Gion Temple. The abbot is the head of a temple. His main job is to be responsible for the overall management and management of the temple. For all major external activities, Master Daoyuan today, in addition to explaining the daily work of the temple, mainly informed the deacons that several large temples in Jiuhua Mountain would donate money to build bridges for the people at the foot of the mountain.

We are slowly entering the off-season. When we enter the off-season, there are pilgrims and there are relatively few guests. First of all, the first thing is that we pay close attention to our own practice. Another thing is that we must (cultivation) A bridge, please donate.

This is Ducun Township, Qingyang County, at the foot of Jiuhua Mountain. The bridge building mentioned by Master Daoyuan happened here. This is the bridge Ducun Township is going to build next to the highway. It is very important to the people. Ducun Township is of great significance. After the bridge is built, the traffic problem of more than 10,000 people in the five natural villages of Ducun Township will be completely solved. However, due to lack of funds, the bridge has been suspended for nearly three months.

On Sunday, we followed several abbots from Jiuhua Mountain to Xinfeng Village, Ducun Township. On behalf of the Buddhist community in Jiuhua Mountain, the masters donated 30,000 yuan to build a bridge in the village.

The masters on Jiuhua Mountain make donations to Qingyang County every year, including building laboratories for schools, visiting orphaned elderly people in the county nursing home during holidays, etc., so that the local people are Treat the mages on the mountain as family members.

In fact, many Buddhist scriptures have explained the relationship between Buddhism and the world, that is, Buddhism is a worldly thing, not a worldly thing.

When the last sunshine of the day slowly fades, and when the sound of dusk drums once again rings through Jiuhua Mountain, the monks begin to do the last lesson of the day - sitting meditation.

Buddhism believes that zazen is a process of adjusting the mind. Sitting is generally limited to one stick of incense, about 45 minutes. During this period, you can calmly examine yourself, reflect on your own mistakes, and appreciate your own pain in order to seek relief. , in this quiet time, even we felt that we had a moment of peace in our hearts.

The evening bell rang again, the familiar sound of chanting came from the depths of the hall again, and the night spread with a peaceful atmosphere in Jiuhua Mountain.

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