The legend of Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang

The legend of Longmen Grottoes

According to legend, in ancient times, there was a vast lake in the south of Luoyang, surrounded by green mountains and luxuriant grass. People graze their cattle in the mountains, fish in the lakes, and live a peaceful life. There was a hard-working child in the village who went to the mountains to herd sheep every day. He often heard the strange sound of "not turning on" coming from underground. When he returned home, he told his mother about it. His mother thought for a moment and then told him to answer: "Open!" if he hears it again. Unexpectedly, before he could say anything, the sky collapsed and the earth split. Longmen Mountain immediately split from the middle, and the raging lake poured out from the crack, roaring and roaring around him. After passing Luoyang City, it flows thousands of miles to the East China Sea. After the water flow, countless clear springs burst out from the cliffs and rocks, forming fragrant pools and flowing down into waterfalls. There are countless honeycomb-like caves on the cliffs of the two mountains. The caves are full of shadowy stone statues, some with beautiful features and some with unclear outlines. They are in various shapes and forms, making it a wonder. Since then, Longmen Grottoes have become famous all over the world.

In fact, the Longmen Grottoes have their own historical reasons, but this myth and legend reflects the rich imagination of the ancient working people and praises the ingenuity and exquisite carving art of the Longmen Grottoes.

Longmen is located on the bank of Yishui River, 13 kilometers south of Luoyang City. Here two mountains confront each other, and the Yishui River flows, shaped like a gate, so it was called "Yique" in ancient times. The poems left by the poets, "The interruption is like a split in the sky, and the mountain is carved to guide the flow", and "The two majestic mountain gates, the river strangles one beautiful water", are excellent portrayals. It is also called "Dragon Gate" because it is located directly south of the capital city where the "Dragon Court" was located in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Bai Juyi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, once commented: "The most beautiful scenery in the suburbs of Luodu is Longmen." Since ancient times, "Longmen Mountain" has been known as the first of the eight scenic spots in Luoyang and the best scenic spot in Luoyang. Yique has been an important transportation route and a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. It was also the gateway and barrier to the south of Luoyang in ancient times. , Longmen Grottoes Scenic Area mainly consists of Longmen Grottoes, Xiangshan Temple and Baiyuan. These scenic spots include beautiful mountains and clear waters, winding paths, strange peaks and rocks, flowing springs and waterfalls, which make many tourists linger. It is a national scenic spot.

Longmen Grottoes: Longmen Grottoes, Dunhuang Grottoes and Yungang Grottoes are also known as the three major grottoes in China. In 1961, the State Council announced it as a national key cultural relics protection unit.

On November 30, 2000, it was included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. In 2001, it was rated as a 4a-level tourist area by the National Tourism Administration. The east and west mountains of Longmen are “Paleozoic” limestone in geological history. The stone is hard and not easily weathered, making it suitable for fine carvings; and because it is close to the imperial capitals of Wei, Sui and Tang, it is the national political, economic and cultural center with a developed economy, convenient transportation, natural mountains, beautiful scenery and a mild climate. During the Northern Wei, Sui and Tang Dynasties, the dynasties worshiped Buddhism and were keen on building grottoes. Buddhism developed rapidly. Luoyang had been the center of Buddhist activities for a long time, so the Longmen statue came into being. It was founded in the Northern Wei Dynasty (about 3 AD) and went through the Eastern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, and Northern Song dynasties, and its construction took more than 400 years. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 2,300 Buddhist niches, more than 110,000 Buddha statues, more than 70 pagodas, and more than 2,800 inscriptions. The largest Buddha statue is 17.14 meters high, and the smallest one is only 2 centimeters. These Buddhist niches of different sizes are like honeycombs, densely distributed on the cliffs of the east and west mountains, stretching for more than 1,000 meters from north to south. The sheer number and high artistic level are breathtaking.

The art of Longmen Grottoes shows the characteristics of the fusion of Indian culture and Chinese culture. It was created when the Northern Wei Dynasty moved its capital to Luoyang to implement Hanization, and was fused and collided with the advanced and profound Han culture in Luoyang, Wei, Jin and Southern Dynasties. become. Therefore, from the beginning, there has been a trend of secularization and Chineseization. It is different from the grotto art in the west, north and southwest. Longmen Grottoes - Two Legends of Longmen Known as one of the three major grotto arts in ancient China, the Longmen Grottoes are located about 12 kilometers south of Luoyang City. Here, Xiangshan Mountain and Longmen Mountain face each other east and west, and the clear Yishui River floats in the middle. Looking from a distance, it looks like a natural gate. Therefore, it was often called "Quese" and "Yi Que" in the Qin and Han Dynasties. After the Han Dynasty, it was called "Longmen" and "Longmen". "Yique" is collectively called.

Longmen Mountain has beautiful clear waters, green pines and cypresses, and the "Longmen Mountain Color" is known as the first of the "Eight Scenic Spots of Luoyang". The world-famous masterpieces of Buddhist stone carving art are distributed among the cliffs on both sides of the Yishui River. They are like strings of orbs inlaid on green tapestry, a dazzling array.

The carving of Longmen Grottoes began around the time when Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang, and went through the Eastern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the Northern Song Dynasty. Among them, the Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties were the most prosperous with large-scale carvings. For more than 150 years. There are more than 2,100 caves and niches in Longmen, more than 100,000 Buddha statues, more than 40 pagodas, and about 2,870 inscriptions. "The dragon gate cannot be opened"

To the south of Luoyang, there are two steep peaks sandwiched between the Yi River like a jade belt. This mountain pass is the famous tourist destination Longmen.

Legend has it that a long time ago, the two peaks were connected together. There was no Longmen, there was no Yihe River, there was only a rolling stone mountain with few trees and more grass, and the south of the mountain was a lake as far as the eye could see. .

To the north of Longmen Mountain, there lived a rich man, nicknamed "Smiling Tiger". The Smiling Tiger was so fat that he always had to be supported by two servants when he went up the mountain to look at his fields. Otherwise, if he lifts his foot, he will definitely lose his balance and roll to the bottom of the mountain. The Smiling Tiger has a smile on his face all day long, but he is always tinkering with bad ideas, so his family's wealth is growing. There is a sheep-herding boy in the Smiling Tiger family. Children from poor families do not have proper names, so they are called Mountain Babies when they are born on the side of a mountain. The mountain baby drives the sheep to graze on the stone mountain every day. One day, the sheep dispersed to graze, and the mountain boy lay down on the top of the mountain to rest. He faintly felt a rumbling vibration in the belly of the mountain below him, so he turned sideways and put his ear close to the stone to listen carefully. Someone in Shan's belly seemed to be asking: "Can the dragon gate be opened? Can the dragon gate be opened?" Shan Wa was so surprised that she told the villagers about it when she got home. A grandfather with a white beard said: "Don't you dare to talk nonsense! I heard the old people say, if anyone answers 'Open!' the mountain will crack, and the flood from the other side of the mountain will rush over!" Shanwa rushed. When the sheep returned to the Smiling Tiger's house, the Smiling Tiger laughed evilly and said that the Shanba was late and had nothing to eat. Shanwa angrily went back to Changgongfang and lay down, thinking, one day, I will cause the mountain to split open and let the flood drown you, a cruel thief! He slowly fell asleep. Suddenly, someone called "Shanwa" softly. Shan Wa opened his eyes and saw that the girl Shui Xiu had secretly sent him a piece of nest. Shanwa and Shuixiu were considerate of each other, and as time passed, the two poor children fell in love. The Smiling Tiger noticed it, smiled, and said to Shanwa: "You herd the sheep well for me. When the sheep are all over the hillside, I will marry Shuixiu to you..." Shanwa looked forward to marrying Shuixiu. Live a good life and work from dawn to dusk to herd sheep for the smiling tiger. As winter turns to spring, the grass becomes green and the grass turns yellow. Finally, when the hillside becomes the rich man's sheep, Shanwa proposes to Smiling Tiger that he will marry the girl Shuixiu. The smiling tiger chuckled: "Okay! I'll let you get married in three days." Shanwa told Shui Xiu the good news, and the two of them jumped for joy.

The next day, Shanwa drove the sheep up the mountain as usual. Unexpectedly, Smiling Tiger actually sold Shuixiu to Luoyang City! Other long-term workers ran up the mountain to tell Shanwa the news. Shanwa was so angry that he immediately went down the mountain to talk to Smiling Tiger. The smiling tiger laughed wildly and suddenly changed his face: "Poor boy, you want to marry Shuixiu? You go to the lake in the south of the mountain and look like you are poor! You just go to the mountain to herd sheep for me, and I will strip you of your wool. My skin!" Shanwa knew that he had been deceived by Lao Cai, and was so angry that he felt dizzy and trembling all over. He came to the hill in a daze, and his legs gave out and he fell to the ground. At this time, he faintly heard the rumble in the mountain's belly and the question "Can the dragon gate be opened?" Angry, he stood up, his eyes widened, and he waved his fists and shouted loudly: "Let's go! Let's go! Let's drown these bullies and rich men!"

Boom! As Shanwa shouted, There was an earth-shaking loud noise, the mountain wind split from it, and the water from the lake in the south of the mountain surged down, rushing towards Lao Cai's manor. In the rolling waves, the smiling tiger could no longer laugh. After struggling a few times, he disappeared into the water and disappeared.

After the flood passed, a wide mountain pass appeared where the mountain collapsed, shaped like a gate. A river flowed in the middle of the gate. This is the Yihe River of "Yique" today.

It is said that the Smiling Tiger turned into a round toad, still looking like a smile but not a smile. Shuixiu didn't want to be humiliated by the traffickers. When she was crossing the Luo River, she jumped into the Luo River without the traffickers paying attention and turned into an elegant and clean lotus. Shanwa shouted to open the dragon gate, created the Yi River, and became the god of the Yi River. People also saw Shuixiu leaping into the Luo River and turning into Xiao He, so they brought the Yi River over and merged into the Luo River. They used their flowing breasts to touch, protect and nurture the green lotuses by the river, loving and loving each other. So far there is no separation.

Dayu Split the Dragon Gate

If you have a topographic map of Luoyang in front of you, you will see that it passes through the Dragon Gate (Yique) The Yi River flows from the southwest. Along the river, there are Xiong'er Mountain and Waifang Mountain standing in the distance on both sides. When you reach the southwest boundary of Yichuan County, the two mountains gradually approach each other, and two peaks protrude from each other, called Jiugao Mountain and Haifeng Mountain look at each other across the river, just like a Yique.

Legend has it that in ancient times, the east and west mountains of Longmen were connected together. On the southwest side of the mountain, a large lake is formed due to the confrontation between several mountains. The Yishui River continued to surge, and the lake continued to grow, encroaching on the fertile fields and villages along the coast. People had to leave their homes and seek refuge in the surrounding mountains.

Later, Dayu came here to control floods. He adopted the method of channeling rivers. Therefore, he climbed to the high sea peak and carefully observed the terrain, then carried a big ax to Longmen Mountain. With one axe, he split the mountain into a groove. The rolling flood passed through the door and flowed into the Yellow River. As a result, the lake receded, leaving only the Yi River in the middle that had flowed for many years, and the flat and fertile fields on both sides of the river.

In order to commemorate Dayu, people built a Haidu Temple on the sea peak where they took refuge.

I don't know when, Buddha led his disciples of Bodhisattvas, Heavenly Kings, and Hercules to Longmen Gate. Seeing how wonderful and reasonable Yu's flood discharge project was, and how it created such a pleasant scenery, he liked it so much that he didn't want to leave, and stood there for a long time. appreciate. Countless undulating river waves scattered and reflected their divine light, imprinting shadows of various sizes and heights on the rock walls on both sides. Of course, in the Dharma Plain, the divine light will not be greatly deformed when reflected. It is like the current laser, which has the same thickness no matter how far it radiates. Therefore, the expressions of the printed shadows are almost the same. The light is scattered when the power is small, and the shadows that come out have expressions that are charitable, heroic, ferocious, and some even wink and are less solemn.

Today's artists don't look into the details, but say that these powerful men, flying apsaras, donors, etc. are carved "closer to human life" and have high artistic quality! Don't you think it's strange?