▲ Berlin Temple Immeasurable Buddha Hall Gao Chang photo
On December 15th, I participated in a project review activity by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and walked into the Berlin Temple at No. 1 Xilou Hutong in Beijing. I used to work here more than 20 years ago. Counting from the bungalows in the west corridor of the middle courtyard from south to north to the third, I also found the office of that year. The door was closed tightly, and a thick red curtain hung down. One by one, the green scenes and vivid details of that year appeared in front of his eyes, and he couldn't help but stop in front of the door. Xiao Li stood for a moment, looking back at the past dust through the wind and smoke of the years, and felt a lot of emotion in his heart.
The Berlin Temple is not currently open to the public. In the depths of the alley of human fireworks, there is a precious tranquility and tranquility of one side. Looking around, the temple is still there, the wall courtyard is still there, only the ground is cleaner than it was then, and the ancient trees seem to be taller and larger than they were then. Stroll along the Yong Road on the west side to the backyard, turn left at the top into the West Courtyard, and then turn right to the place where we conducted the evaluation work this time- the Palace Courtyard. I noticed that the two clusters of green bamboo that were swaying in the past are now gone. Those bamboo leaves, like the years of falling, have disappeared into the depths of the spring flowers and autumn moon.
The Berlin Temple is located on the east side of the Lama Temple, and its brilliance seems to have been obscured by the more famous Lama Temple. People entered the alley next to the Lama Temple and turned left and right to find the low-key and indifferent side door of the Berlin Temple. The Berlin Temple also had a tall mountain gate, but this mountain gate had been built by a long wall, and people came in and out through the side door opened by the west wall.
According to historical records, Berlin Temple was founded in the seventh year of the Yuan Dynasty to the seventh year of zheng (1347), and was one of the "Inner Eight Brakes" (Berlin Temple, Xianliang Temple, Guangji Temple, Guanghua Temple, Jiaxing Temple, Nianhua Temple, Fayuan Temple, changchun temple) in that year. This construction time is several decades later than Liu Bingzhong, Ye HeiDi'er, Guo Shoujing and others who began to build the new palace and capital of the Yuan Dynasty (1267), but it is still much earlier than the imperial capital of Beijing in the Ming and Qing dynasties, so the old Beijing people said "first there was the Berlin Temple, and then there was the city of Beijing". It can be seen that the Berlin Temple, which is not amazing, has a long history and experience.
It was once a cypress forest that stretched for ten miles, hence the temple's name, The Berlin Temple. Wanmu facing the wind, the vicissitudes of a moment, HuanRui is no longer there. Now the Berlin Temple has ancient cypress, ancient locust, ancient pine, ancient ginkgo, full of years of grinding, furniture is scattered, cocoon independence, there is no forest weather. It is said that among the ancient trees there is a strange lucky tree, the horse chestnut locust, on which the leaves are in bunches, clustered as green butterflies that dance in the wind. However, it was early winter, and the falling wood was Xiao Xiao, and it was impossible to find which one was the legendary butterfly locust. But imagine the wonderful green dance, and there seem to be wisps and winds in your heart.
The architectural pattern after entering the temple is very simple, that is, the three entrance halls in the middle road, followed by the Hall of the Heavenly King, the Main Hall (Daxiong Treasure Hall), the Hall of the Immeasurable Buddha, and the Vimo Pavilion (also known as the Great Compassion Temple). The most obvious marks of time that can be seen in the Berlin Temple now are mainly ancient trees, ancient monuments and these three ancient temples. In fact, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the scale of the building here is very grand, and the incense is also flourishing, and the Ming Dynasty is divided into south Berlin Temple and North Berlin Temple. The North Berlin Temple was later obliterated, leaving only the South Berlin Temple, and the southern character was gradually omitted from the name. Most of what you see in the temple today is the historical relics of the Kangxi and Qianlong periods of the Qing Dynasty. After the Qianlong Emperor repaired the Berlin Temple, he once specially wrote a poem "Berlin Temple Incense": "The ancient temple of Berlin is bing Chang'an, and the inscription of the old tree is abandoned." In the case of the neighboring Yuelong Residence, the special teacher has revived the flower beds. The colored clothes follow the joy of the si, and the Xuan Is extended to give the sandalwood. The Dharma should forget everything, and it is difficult for Yu Siyun to forget himself. Qianlong wrote this poem in memory of his father Yongzheng. He left more than 40,000 poems in his lifetime. It is often ridiculed that although he left many poems, none of them could be read. However, modern people who laughed at Qianlong so much did not necessarily seriously read his works. Qianlong's poems have the problem of conceptualization and preaching, but it is not appropriate to deny them without even looking at them. For example, the Seven Laws written at the Berlin Temple are full of deep affection and extraordinary literary style, reflecting the heavy foundation and good skill, and are quite chewable.
After participating in the serious project review work, the other judges all drifted away. I was left alone, and I wanted to take another deep look at the memories. Especially in the middle courtyard in front of the Daxiong Treasure Hall, I stay longer. There are also two tall Qing Dynasty stone tablets preserved here, which describe the renovation and evolution of the Berlin Temple in Manchu and Chinese. In order to protect the cultural relics, there are four square iron bars around the circle, and the stone inscriptions are now covered and protected with special technology, which at first glance is only two flat wordless steles. There is a 300-year-old juniper next to the monument, and Jingjing and I have a mysterious soul dialogue. It hugged the flowing years tightly, sending out all the turquoise in its heart. Although it is impossible to change the rotation of the seasons, it still stands firmly in the stormy year, showing the beauty and dignity of life. Because I like it, I also secretly instruct myself to try to be like it, the roots do not move, the leaves do not wither, peacefully experience the cold of the years, the vicissitudes of the wind, do not let the impetuous red dust confuse the eyes of these Zen and poetry, the bottom of the heart of these leaves and colorful.
The Original Bronze Bell of Pu Lang Long Niu cast during the Kangxi Dynasty in the Berlin Temple was engraved with the Huayan Sutra, which was later transferred to the Ancient Bell Museum of the Great Bell Temple. There was a set of Qing Dynasty imperial Dragon Tibetan Scriptures in the temple, carved from pear wood, encoded in a thousand characters, a total of 7240 volumes, 79036 pieces (78230 pieces of actual existence), and later handed over to the Yunju Temple in Fangshan. In the past, there were some wood carvings of Buddha statues in the temple, as well as some emperor inscriptions and inscriptions, such as "Mani Treasure House", "Dharma Garden Golden Soup", "Good Lion Roar", "Jue Xing Ju Yuan", "Auspicious Wheel Eternal Residence", "Treasure Solemnity", "Meditation on the Photography", etc., and the Yang Lian had "The Consequences of the Lotus On the Seat, the Cypress in the Court Goes to the Heart" and "Near the Side of the Clouds, the Wisdom of the Heart Is Always Illuminated; Into the Sandalwood Forest, the Incense World is Clear" and so on. I silently read the words left by the ancients in my heart, savored them carefully, and felt quite happy. The wordless building has these plaques and links in memory, as if it has a good charm, and even the ordinary bricks and tiles seem to be glowing brightly. However, looking back, the Huayan Bell, the Dragon Tibetan Scripture Edition, the Buddha Statue and the Ancient Plaque Ancient Union, in fact, most of them are no longer here. The surrounding area is only these surviving buildings with tall shadows, silently accompanying around, and it is inevitable that some empty confusion will float in the heart.
Inadvertently, the moon crept up to the eastern sky. With his round eyes open, he silently gazed at the floating world. Suddenly, two big cats, one yellow and one white, jumped on the back door steps of the Heavenly King's Hall, as if they were greeting me, as if expecting my response. They seem to have traveled from the depths of time, and their lovely eyes flash with the mysterious imagination and enthusiasm of life unique to the Berlin Temple. It is precisely with this mysterious imagination and enthusiasm for life that there is life and vividness, memory, vigor and liveliness.
Think of the streamer, and then sigh again. When I was busy working here, I didn't look closely at the broken shadows and vicissitudes of the ancient temple. If you sit idly in front of the court and laugh and admire the clouds, or sit lazily with a book and sit in the shade and blossom and thank you, and then talk to those who are in the golden splendor of the next life, you should leave more affectionate concerns. But think about it, how fortunate it was that I had left my footprints in such a beautiful place in a careless way, and let this ancient temple collect a small piece of warm life.
It is impossible to find back the passing time one by one, and it is impossible to polish and restore the details of life one by one, but we can sprinkle our eyes on the deeper and broader distance, so that the horse chestnut locust on the heart field is more green and tall, lush, and can also be like the romantic evening wind around the side, and the years together with the years to walk hand in hand, and peaceful and sleek, and cherish and cherish...
Every inch of life in the middle of the stop is not to be sad in anxiety and sighing. The spiritual feeling when I look back is always more fragrant and mellow with the older the age... Yesterday's moon still does not change its purity and clarity to this day. Yesterday's Berlin Temple to today, although it is no longer the incense of the full scale, but like the low-key moon hanging from the eaves, perhaps silent on the outside, but there is always an immortal light in the depths of the heart.
December 29, 2021 China Culture Daily
The 10th edition features a special report
"Watching the Flowing Year in the Berlin Temple"
Editor-in-charge: Chen Xiaoyue