TodaywearegoingtovisitNanputuotemple.IthasalonghistoryandbeganintheTangDynasty.However,becauseitwasdestroyedmanytimesandrebuiltmanytimes,thearchitectureofthewholetempleisrelativelynew.Originallyknownas"PuzhaoTemple",itwasdestroyed.Inthe23rdyearofKangxireign,generalShiLangrebuiltthetemplehere.Itwascalled"NanputuoTemple"becauseitwasthesameasPutuoMountaininZhejiangProvince,anditwasalsolocatedinthesouthofPutuoMountain.NanputuotemplewasoriginallythehereditaryleaderofLinjisect.In1924,itwaschangedintothesystemofselectingtalentsinthejungle.Ithasbeen11yearssincethenMr.Ren,thecurrenthostismasterShenghui.ThearchitectureofNanputuotempleisalsounique.Now,let'sgotovisititwithXiaoWu.Thetimeweneedisoneandahalfhours.
Ladiesandgentlemen,nowpleasecomewithmetovisitthetemple.ThisisTianwanghall,inscribedbyZhaoPuchu,formerpresidentofChinaBuddhistAssociationin1981.Walkingintotheking'sHallofthisday,MaitreyaBuddha'seyebrows,eyes,earlobes,shoulders,barechestandnavel,smiling,seemstobewaitingforeveryvisitor.MaitreyaBuddhawasborninIndia,andlaterbecameamonk.TheBuddhapredictedthathewouldinheritSakyamuniasthefutureBuddha,andbecomeaBuddhaundertheLonghuatreeafter5.766billionyears.ItwasdividedintothreepartstopreachonbehalfofSakyamuni.WhatweseenowisnotMaitreyaBuddhainIndia.InmosttemplesinChina,thestatueoffatMaitreyawithasmileisworshipped.HewasamonkofQijiintheFiveDynasties.Today,heisanativeofFenghua,Ningbo.Heoftentakesaclothbagandtravelsaround.HeiscarefreeandalwayspersuadespeopletobelieveinBuddhism.Heisalwayssmilingandkindtoothers.Therefore,peoplecallhim"clothbagmonk".Later,hewasinYuelintempleThestonesitsonthegroundandsays:"MaitreyaistrueMaitreya,whoisdividedintotensofbillionsofpeopleandshowstheworldallthetime.PeoplerealizethatheistheincarnationofMaitreyaBuddha.
BehindMaitreyaBuddhaisWeiTuo,whoholdsaVajrapestleandistheGodofDharmaprotectioninBuddhism.ItissaidthatiftheVajrapestlethatWeiTuocarriesinthetempleindicatesthatthetempleisadescendanttemple.Itisnotopentoforeigntravelingmonks.Theycaneattwomealsatmostandcannotstayovernight.IfWeiTuoputstheVajrapestleonhisarm,itmeansthatthetempleisaforestoftendirections,andtravelingmonkscaneatandsleepforfreeWeiTuoraisedtheVajrapestleoverhisforehead,sayingthatthetemplechargedacertainfeefortheboardandlodgingoftravelingmonks.
Nanputuotemplewasoriginallyatemplefordescendants,soWeituo'sVajrapestlewasontheground,andlateritwaschangedintoatensquarejungle.However,thisWeituohasnotchangeditsshape.Infact,travelingmonkscaneatandsleephereforfree.
Onbothsidesoftheheavenlykinghallarefourheavenlykings,representingwind,tune,rainandshun.IntheEast,theheavenlykingholdsalute,whichmeanstune.Inthesouth,theheavenlykingholdsasword,whichmeanswind.Inthewest,theheavenlykingholdsaball,asnakeoradragon,whichmeansShun.Inthenorth,itisoftenheardthattheheavenlykingholdsanumbrella,whichmeansrain.
NowwewalkoutofTianwanghall,andthetempleunfoldssymmetricallyontheleftandrightsideswiththecentralaxis.Now,therearebelltowersanddrumtowersontheleftandrightsides.Generally,therearemorningbellsandeveningdrumsinthetemple.Onthefirstfloorofthebelldrumtower,therearebodhisattvasTibetansandKalanBodhisattvas.Rightinfrontofitisthemainhallofthetemple,whichisatwo-storybuildingwithdoubleeavesrestingonthetopofthemountain,Greentiles,stonepillars,carvedbeamsandpaintedbuildings,glazedtilesontheroof,andmagneticpaintingsonthetopofthehall,suchasninecarpturningintodragon,Qilinrunning,dragonandPhoenixpresenting,arebrightincolorandresplendentingold.TheNanputuoTemplebeganintheTangDynasty.ThereisacoupletonthestonecolumninfrontoftheDaxionghallasevidence,"itdatesbacktotheTangDynastyandKaiyuan,andPuguangwasglorifiedbyXiadaotoTaiwu".IntheDaxionghall,therearethreeBuddhas,namelythepastBuddha,thepresentBuddhaandthefutureBuddha.InthemiddleisthepresentBuddha,namelySakyamuniBuddha.Itissaidthatthereisarealperson,originallynamedQiaoDamo.Siddhartha,thesonofKingJingfaninancientIndia,was19yearsoldwhenhetraveledinSimen.Herealizedthestateoflifeanddeath,sohedecidedtobecomeamonkinordertogetridofthehardshipoflifeanddeath.Finally,afterhardpractice,herealizedunderthebodhitreeandbecamethepresentSakyamuni.StandingonbothsidesofSakyamuniarehistwodisciplesAnandaandKaya.InfrontofthemisathousandhandedAvalokitesvara.Inthebackofthehall,therearethreeWesternsaints,amitabhainthemiddle,GuanyinBodhisattvaontheleftanddashizhiBodhisattvaontheright.
Thereare18Arhatsontheleftandrightofthemainhall.ItissaidthatwhenArhatswereintroducedtoChina,therewereonly16Arhats.Later,masterQingyou,theauthorofthebookoffazhuji,andthetranslatorofthebookXuanzangwereadded.
Ladiesandgentlemen,thisisthegreatmercyhall,dedicatedtoGuanyinBodhisattva.BecauseGuanyinBodhisattvaisalsoknownasthegreatmercyGuanyinBodhisattva,itiscalledthegreatmercyhall.TheoriginalnameofGuanyinisGuanyin,Guanyou.Themeaningofcompassionistogivepeoplehappinessandremovesorrow.TherearefourAvalokitesvaraBodhisattvasinthehall.Theyarearrangedinfourdirections.InthemiddleofthehallisadoublearmAvalokitesvaraBodhisattva,sittingonthelotusseatwitheyeshangingdown,withaserenelook.Theotherthreeare48armAvalokitesvara,eachwithasmalleyecarvedonitshand,holdingavarietyofartifactandaposture.Visitorsandpilgrimsmustvisitandworshiphere.Themainhallisawoodenstructurewithoctagonaltripleeaves,allofwhicharemadeofbucketarches.Thecaissoninthehallismadeofwoodenbucketarchesinsteadofonenail.Becausetheincenseistooabundant,ithasbeenburnedmanytimeshere,sofriendswhowanttoburnincenselater,pleasedon'tbringtheincensetothehall,justburnitoutsidethehall.
InthefrontistheSutraPavilion,whichisthehighestfloorofthemainbodyofthecentralaxis.Thepavilionhasauniquearchitecture,withaChineseandWesterncharm.ThetopisaXieshanroof,thebottomisawesternarchitecture,withdoubleeavesanddoubleattics.TheupperfloorisSutraPavilion,thelowerfloorisDharmahall,andthesecondfloorhasaspaciousroof.ItcontainsthebloodscriptureswrittenbybelieversandShamiinthelateMingDynasty,aswellastheworksofthefamousartistheChaodong,whiteporcelainGuanyin,BurmesewhitejadeRecliningBuddhaandsoon.
Ladiesandgentlemen,followmeupthemountain.HereisabigBuddhacharacter.ItisthelargesttempleinSouthernFujian.Itismorethan4metershighand3meterswide.ItwaswrittenbyZhenhuiinthe31styearofGuangxureignoftheQingDynasty.
Now,pleasecomebackwithme.NanputuoisthebaseofBuddhisthighereducationinChina.ThisisMinnanBuddhistCollege.Itwasfoundedin1925.MasterHuiquan,thechairofNanputuoatthattime,wasthefirstpresidentofthecollege.HetookthecollegeasaneducationalexperimentalgardenforreformingChinesemonks,makingitafamousBuddhisthighereducationinstitutionathomeandabroad.In1937,theAntiJapanesearmywasestablished,andthecollegewascloseddown.In1985,itwasopenedagainAftertheformalresumption,presidentZhaoPuchurewrotethecourtyard.Nowtherearetwodepartmentsformenandwomen.Themen'sdepartmentisinNanputuo,andthewomen'scourtyardisinzizhulintempleinJinbangpark.EachpresidentofthecollegeiscurrentlypresidedoverbyNanputuo,sothecurrentpresidentisshenghuishi.