Is Damo Ancient Cave Scenic Area fun?

Dharma Ancient Cave Scenic Area is indeed unfamiliar to many tourists. Everyone hopes to get an extremely rich entertainment experience here. As a characteristic scenic spot full of humanistic atmosphere, you can get a good visual experience here. .

Walking around Nanjing is like visiting an antique shop. You will discover some amazing places inadvertently. The first time I saw the Bodhidharma Ancient Cave Scenic Area was at the Zhoutou Observation Deck in Baguazhou, Nanjing. I was very curious at the time.

The "Hundred-State Bodhidharma" in the scenic area is both real and illusory. Standing at the head of Baguazhou and looking from a distance, it feels like a huge hornet's nest standing on the mountainside. After many years, I was finally lucky enough to be here. Because it was already 3:30 in the afternoon when we arrived at the scenic spot, I was the only tourist in the entire scenic spot, and it felt like a private tour.

Presumably many Nanjing people don’t know that there is such a place in Nanjing—Dharma Ancient Cave Scenic Area.

Although this is a new scenic spot, opened in August 2016, its history can be traced back to the reign of Emperor Wu of Liang during the Northern and Southern Dynasties more than 1,500 years ago.

The entire scenic spot is dominated by Baida Mo, Huineng Huike Square, Jiamulue Peak, and Bodhidharma Ancient Cave. It is a Zen holy place that integrates architecture, Buddhist culture, history, and natural scenery.

The ancient Bodhidharma Cave in the scenic area is a historical monument, the Jialuo Peak is a natural scenery carrying historical allusions, and the various Bodhidharma is a modern product of architecture and sculpture technology.

Although many people sneer at the modern buildings in the scenic area, thinking that modern buildings are fake antiques. But just imagine how our descendants will feel after seeing these buildings a few years later. Maybe we can get great comfort.

Entering the scenic spot, you can see a Buddhist niche piled up on a rockery on the left side of the road. This also represents a theme of the entire scenic spot and is closely related to Buddhist culture.

Although it was newly built in recent years, this landscape allows us tourists to get straight into the theme and enter the Zen artistic conception.

Continuing along the road, you will come to the Bodhidharma built on the mountain. The moment I saw Bodhidharma in all its forms, I was really amazed. I admired the ingenuity of the architect and the great journey of Patriarch Bodhidharma in spreading Buddhism and finally achieving enlightenment.

There are a total of 101 sculptures of Bodhidharma and 7 steles in this building, making the total number 108, which means the highest state of Zen. This shows the intentions of the designers of the scenic spot. Good and hard.

The core sculpture of Bodhidharma is Bodhidharma's "One Reed Crossing the River" sculpture that stands in the middle of the main body of the building. During the period of Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Patriarch Bodhidharma was invited by Emperor Wu of Liang to come to Jinling to spread Buddhism. Since he did not agree with Emperor Wu of Liang, he broke a reed and crossed the Yangtze River to the north to Changlu Temple. This is the historical allusion of "crossing the river with a reed".

There are 101 sculptures outside the entire Bodhidharma, 7 on the first floor, 9 on the second floor, and 85 large and small sculptures on the second floor and above. These sculptures are of different shapes, lifelike, and stand solemnly. There are those lying on the ground, including Bodhidharma in his youth and Bodhidharma in his old age.

There are 7 erected monuments in the cave, about 2 meters high. The characters are carved lifelike, including sculptures arguing with Emperor Wu of Liang about Buddhism, and sculptures of Bodhidharma holding a lotus. Although there are lights in the cave, many corners are still slightly dark. I entered alone, so I was inevitably a little nervous.

Go straight up the steps in the cave to the second floor. Standing on the second floor, you can overlook the Yangtze River, watch the rolling water of the river, and sigh at the passing of everything in the world. The Bodhidharma sculpture on the second floor is three to four meters tall. The nine sculptures are different from each other. There are many small Buddhist niches on the middle wall, some are empty and some have small Bodhidharma sculptures placed there. The view of the sculptures above was not very good on the second floor. I wanted to go find a passage to a higher place, but unexpectedly the iron door was locked, so I went downstairs.

When I walked out, the sky was a little gloomy, and it would probably rain for a while, so I decided to follow the mountain road to find the ancient Bodhidharma Cave. The mountain road is easy to walk, it is a man-made stone road with thick bushes on the roadside and the natural environment is quite beautiful.

After a while, I saw a fork in the road up the mountain. I decided to go along the road on the right. As for why I took the road on the right, it was fate. Walking according to feeling is the highest state of a walker.

After walking for about 1 minute, I saw Huineng Huike Square. There are two caves dedicated to the two masters Huineng and Huike respectively. Master Huineng, who is revered as the Sixth Patriarch of Zen, has profound and solid significance for the spread of Chinese Buddhism and Zen.

Huineng received the mantle of the Fifth Patriarch Hongren, inherited the Dongshan Dharma lineage and established the Nanzong, promoting the Dunjiao method of "directly pointing to the human heart, seeing one's nature and becoming a Buddha".

Huike (487-593), also known as Sengke, with a common surname of Ji, a given name of Guang, and a nickname of Shenguang, was born in Hulao, Luoyang (now northwest of Xingyang, Henan). He was the second ancestor of Zen Buddhism in Han Dynasty.

When he was a Confucian scholar in his youth, he read a lot of books and had a good understanding of Lao Zhuang and Yi Xue. After becoming a monk, he studied the inner scriptures of the Tripitaka intensively. When he was about forty years old, he met Bodhidharma, a Buddhist recluse from India, who was traveling in Songluo (now Luoyang, Songshan, Henan). He became his teacher and received the true biography of Bodhidharma. He is one of the representative figures of Zen Buddhism.

As I said goodbye to Huineng Huike Square, I turned around and found a path. I didn’t know if it could be passed, so I walked over out of curiosity. Only one person could pass through the path. The cliffs on the path were rugged, and the rocks on the mountain were like The roots of the tree are average and intertwined.

Crossing the path, I saw a canyon with piles of rocks.

Among the rocks, a stone with "Jiamu Peak" written on it can be clearly seen. I was secretly happy that after all my random wandering, I ended up at Jiamu Peak by chance.

There is a historical allusion to this Jiamulue Peak: According to legend, the founder of Damo was arguing with Emperor Wu of Liang about Buddhism, so he turned his back on the road and crossed the river to the north.

Emperor Wu of Liang led his troops to chase him here on mules. Bodhidharma tried his best to practice Buddhism and drove the two peaks together to tightly clamp the mule that Emperor Wu of Liang was riding, hence the name Jia Mule Peak. Because the two peaks are densely covered with vines, they are also called Jialuo Peak and Cuiluo Peak.

The mountain road to Jiamu Peak is very steep, with cliffs on both sides of the road. The path is very narrow. Climbing up the steps and passing through the slender canyon, there is a sense of "a line of sky". However, this place is not a tourist attraction. Many people do not know that Nanjing actually hides such a magical place.

After passing Jiamu Peak, turn left and see a group of sculptures of Emperor Liang Wu riding a mule chasing Bodhidharma. Emperor Liang Wu held the reins and stood solemnly in front of the mule. This emperor who was obsessed with Buddhism may have I will regret very much that I neglected Patriarch Bodhidharma.

During the period of Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty, Buddhism was prevalent. Emperor Wu of Liang also became a monk four times in Tongtai Temple (today’s Jiming Temple). However, the country could not live without an owner for a day, and the ministers had to spend huge sums of money to redeem Emperor Liang Wu from the temple. This also created the "Four Hundred and Eighty Temples in the Southern Dynasties" during the Southern and Northern Dynasties.

Go all the way along the mountain road on the right side of Jialue Peak to reach the "Dharma Ancient Cave". This is a natural cave with strange-shaped rocks. It is said that Patriarch Damo rested in this cave before crossing the Yangtze River north. Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty failed to pursue Bodhidharma, so he named the cave where Bodhidharma once rested as "Dharma Cave" to commemorate him.

Now you can see a naturally formed stone in the cave, which looks like the image of Bodhidharma, which is amazing. On the stone wall on the right side is a stone stele in which Bodhidharma crossed the river with a reed. The stele is engraved with a Buddhist verse: "Dharma Bodhisattva came without a single word, all based on his mind and hard work."

There is also a small natural cave on the right side of the Bodhidharma Ancient Cave, which is empty. Continuing along the mountain road, we reached the road down the mountain. This journey only took more than half an hour. On the way down the mountain, you will see the Yangtze River at the foot of the mountain from time to time, and you will see the spectacular Bodhidharma in various forms in the scenic area.

At this time, thunder suddenly sounded in the sky. Seeing the dark clouds approaching, I quickened my pace and went down the mountain. When I reached the parking lot, heavy raindrops like peas began to float in the sky. I couldn't help but silently recite in my heart: Amitabha Buddha !

At this point, the visit to the Bodhidharma Ancient Cave Scenic Area is completed. This scenic spot that has not been overly publicized is full of Zen features. After visiting the scenic spot, people feel very calm. This may be the power of faith.

Wumadu Square

Note:

The ticket price for the scenic spot is 30 yuan per person, and the Nanjing Tourism Annual Card is free. Disabled people, military personnel, retired cadres and other groups can enter the park at a discount with their certificates.

The opening hours of the scenic spot are set from 8:30 to 17:00 in the off-season and from 8:30 to 17:30 in the peak season.

There is a parking lot at the foot of the mountain. The scenic spot has not been overly commercialized. It is recommended that you bring your own food and drink. You can reach Wumadu Square 600 meters away from the scenic spot. After visiting the Bodhidharma Ancient Cave, you can go to Wumadu Enjoy the scenery of the Yangtze River in the square.