On October 13, 2017, in an adobe house in Zhongnan Mountain, an octogenarian woman was meditating quietly in the house, but outside the door was full of people, looking anxious, as if she was waiting for something.
It turned out that by this day, the old woman in the house had been meditating for 108 consecutive days, and this day was the day she "got out".
The old woman, named Wang Zhixia, was 85 years old at the time and was praised by the faithful as "the world's first female hermit".
Wang Zhixia was born in 1932 in Xiaoliu Township, Chang'an County, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province (now Xiaoliu Subdistrict).
Because she is an old woman, her parents have loved her very much since she was a child.
Wang Zhixia could have simply lived an ordinary life, but she seemed to have some unusual qualities since she was a child.
This trait may have been traced back to before Wang Zhixia was born.
Wang Zhixia's father, Wang Weishan, was born into poverty, and when he was very old, he did not say a family affair, and he only married his daughter-in-law at the age of 38.
Later, Wang Weishan took his daughter-in-law to the temple to burn incense and ask for a son, and prostrated himself in front of the statue of Guanyin, when suddenly the doll in Guanyin's arms fell to the ground, and the couple was shocked.
At this time, an old monk in the temple repeatedly congratulated him, and went forward to say to Wang Weishan: "The two of you are assured to go home, and soon there will be a happy pregnancy." ”
A month later, the daughter-in-law was indeed pregnant, and Wang Weishan thought that it must be Guanyin's apparition and sent a child for himself.
After Wang Zhixia was born, the old couple loved her doubly.
Although this story sounds mysterious, it also makes people think that perhaps since then, this family has been associated with the Buddhist family.
Children, by nature naughty, like to gather together to laugh and have fun, in groups.
Wang Zhixia is no exception, but the wonderful thing is that she has a special love for temples since she was a child, and adults do not think much about it, and only think of it as a child's playful nature.
The most puzzling thing is that this little Zhixia is a child who is difficult to coax well when she cries, but as soon as she arrives at the temple, she can immediately calm down.
Because of this incident, it has not attracted much discussion among local people, but it is difficult to summarize the reasons, but I just think that this child has the roots of the Buddhist family and has been related to the Buddhist family since he was a child.
From this, it is the source of Wang Zhixia's initial appearance with the Buddhist family, which seems to be in response to the sentence: People should be born with some kind of mission.
At a young age, Wang Zhixia developed a strong interest in Buddhism at an early age of literacy.
At the age of 3, Wang Zhixia knew how to prostrate buddha statues, how to sit and chant, and at a young age, she knelt on the futon that did not match her own body shape, but she was born with some calm temperament.
With this special origin and interest, Wang Zhixia has been deeply involved in the study and study of Buddhism.
Not only did she not feel bored with the obscure scriptures, but she became more and more able to appreciate the mysteries of them.
The most rare thing is that Wang Zhixia can still understand herself without a teacher, as if she is born to see through the meaning.
By the age of sixteen or seventeen, Wang Zhixia had memorized many sutras, but when other flower girls were obsessed with dressing up or the beginning of their love sinuses, she had a special love for Buddhism.
As she grew a little older, Wang Zhixia gradually felt that the existing environment and state could not be better studied.
She developed the idea of taking refuge in Buddhism and tried to tell her family about it, but her parents were terrified that she had such a "ridiculous" idea and took turns dissuading her.
Wang Zhixia also temporarily shelved the matter.
In her twenties, like other ordinary girls, under the arrangement of her parents, Wang Zhixia married.
After getting married, Wang Zhixia has a lot less time for herself, in addition to having children, she also has to work between housework and farm work.
Wang Zhixia spent all day running for her life, and the opportunities to come into contact with Buddhism were also very few, as if it was just a whim when she was young.
When everyone thought that Wang Zhixia would also live her life like an ordinary person, some things suddenly changed.
Although the family life for many years has been peaceful, in the depths of Wang Zhixia's heart, she always feels that this is not what she yearns for.
In 1979, on an ordinary day, Wang Zhixia came to Xiangji Temple again.
But when she stepped into the gate to face the Buddha statue, listening to the sound of the bell and the monk tapping the wooden fish, she suddenly felt something rising and churning in her heart, as if there was a voice shouting.
Wang Zhixia deeply and clearly felt her yearning for refuge - now that the child has reached adulthood, she has nothing to worry about, it is a good time to take refuge.
Despite all these years of worldly ups and downs, despite the dissuasion of her parents and relatives, even if she had a perfect family with children and daughters, the intensity was clearer than ever.
Wang Zhixia did not hesitate, in the face of her husband's dissatisfaction and the reluctance of her children, even her family quarreled several times over this matter, but her heart was still firm in the initial choice.
She will also have reluctance and worry, but after repeated consideration, Wang Zhixia still resolutely chose the attachment in her heart and left home.
In those years at Xiangji Temple, Wang Zhixia did not have a good life, so that when she mentioned this experience decades later, she was also choked up.
Wang Zhixia, who has just left home, will often think of her children.
A few years later, she came from Xiangji Temple to Zhongnan Mountain, where Wang Zhixia began a life like a day for decades.
"I, Wang Charity, a native of Xiaoliu Township, Chang'an County, whose original name was Wang Zhixia, took refuge in Xiangji Temple at the age of 43."
This is what Wang Zhixia said when she introduced herself to outsiders, and she gave herself the legal name of "Wang Charity".
Kindness and kindness must also be Wang Zhixia's attitude towards the world.
Wang Zhixia, who first arrived at Zhongnan Mountain, had a very hard life, and to outsiders, Zhongnan Mountain seems to have a hint of immortality and mystery, and is the birthplace of many allusions in "Taoist culture" and "Buddhist culture".
Wang Zhixia, who is nearly fifty years old, lives in a hut shed built by herself, and the windows are paper paste.
The house was so simple that it didn't even have basic heating and lighting, and even the daily chanting of scriptures was by faint candlelight.
Such a harsh environment is simply impossible for ordinary people to survive, but Wang Zhixia has lived here alone for decades.
Around the huts, she reclaimed some land and planted some crops.
Coupled with the care of her neighbors all year round, Wang Zhixia is very satisfied with this kind of life.
When many people asked her if she was tired of this kind of life, she smiled slightly and said that she was "crossing her own ferry".
Wang Zhixia also gave her own humble environment a very nice name, called "Three Sacred Temples", and really responded to the sentence "Si is a burrow, but Wu Dexin".
Someone once offered to help Wang Zhixia repair the Three Sacred Temples, but she did not hesitate to refuse, she said:
"I am immersed in the cultivation of the Dharma, and I am devoted to the Buddha in my heart, these external things, I don't have to think too much about them, I am crossing my own way."
Wang Zhixia's most famous and admirable deed is that she once meditated for 108 consecutive days, and at the age of 85, no one has broken this record so far.
In her view, meditation is the process of communicating with the Buddha, the process of proving one's sincerity.
This spirit makes people have to be impressed, leaving aside whether the body can withstand this kind of high pressure, the bitterness of continuous meditation is also difficult for ordinary people to bear.
When it comes to this matter, Wang Zhixia is also very proud, it seems that in these 108 days, she has gained a lot and overcome a lot, and she also told the visitors that she can communicate with the Buddha while meditating.
It is worth mentioning that although Wang Zhixia is a person with a firm heart, this quality does not mean that she has a cold personality or does not like words.
As we all know, most hermits do not want to be disturbed, but Wang Zhixia is just the opposite, a very willing and good communicative person, always with a relaxed smile on her face.
Perhaps decades of seclusion brought her a sense of calm and gentleness, she came to Zhongnan Mountain for a few years and began to teach herself Chinese medicine, and from time to time she would go out to see a nearby villager for free.
Not only that, Wang Zhixia was also kind to visiting tourists or tourists, and she put a small stool at the door of the Three Holy Temples for those who came to visit or visit to rest.
She is happy to communicate with others and share her life experiences and insights.
Wang Zhixia believes in Buddhism but is not superstitious, and unlike those fanatical believers, her heart is very sober and frank, and she occasionally asks some questions from some pilgrims who come to worship the Buddha.
Wang Zhixia is happy to help others relieve their worries, but she will also stop at the right time:
"The Buddha is not omnipotent, the heart should be sincere, the heart should be purified, the truth of life should be understood, and life should be understood."
Wang Zhixia's faith has never wavered in her heart to the Buddha, and according to her neighbors, when she learned that her son was married, she did not leave Zhongnan Mountain.
Many people say that she is abandoning her husband, but in her opinion, why not finally be able to make decisions for her own life?
When she said that she could already talk to the Buddha when she meditated, there was no need to dwell on true and false right and wrong, and she could move forward toward her heart without any hindrance.
If you have to dwell on the true and false, that is, the picture.
When necessary, Wang Zhixia will personally go down the mountain to purchase some daily necessities, and she has repeatedly refused the kindness of the villagers who want to help buy them.
She reassured everyone not to worry about her inconvenience, because she thought that this was also a kind of practice, and practitioners were not afraid of suffering.
Although she has no robes, she is sincere in her heart.
Of course, the purchase of the mountain is only occasional, most of the time, Wang Zhixia still eats the vegetables and wild fruits she grows and drinks the mountain spring water.
She does not covet the comfort of food, clothing, shelter and transportation, and insists on poverty for a long time, and this belief and willpower are also unimaginable to ordinary people.
It is precisely because of this firm belief that even under the most difficult conditions, Wang Zhixia can enjoy it and maintain goodwill.
This is also in line with the legal name she has set for herself, "Charity".
As Mencius said: "Suffering his mind, straining his bones, starving his body, and emptying his body, so he is tempted to endure and gain what he cannot do." ”
Wang Zhixia's daily life is to meditate on the Buddha, recite buddhist scriptures at night, and copy Buddhist scriptures by candlelight until late at night.
Day after day, year after year, perhaps because of the hardships and companionship with the Qinglan Scrolls, Wang Zhixia's spiritual world was very rich compared to the material world of scarcity.
Even if the outside world rumors that her mental condition is wrong, she always maintains a peaceful and stable state of mind, no matter how the outside world changes, no matter how the world is overturned, it will not break her inner stability.
Today, Wang Zhixia has been converted to Zhongnan Mountain for more than forty years, and so many years of persistence have not worn away her pious posture, but made her more and more sure of her choice.
But when the interviewer mentioned her family, Wang Zhixia did not say much.
After all, she is a flesh-and-blood person, and she will also miss her relatives and children, and whenever she thinks of her family, she will walk out of the Three Temples, stop in the direction of home, and sometimes even wave her hand, as if to tell her distant relatives that everything is fine here.
Wang Zhixia was not limited to her identity as a monk, and did not shy away from describing her feelings to others, although it was only briefly carried out, but she also revealed deep affection in every word.
This contrast between identity and emotion gives us a new understanding of retreat—retreat is not completely detached from the world, abandoning emotions, but adhering to the peace of mind.
Once some media workers went to visit and proposed to her that they wanted to photograph her daily life and share it with netizens, but Wang Zhixia directly refused.
For decades, she has been accustomed to living a poor but quiet life, she has no other pursuits, and she does not do this to show others, but to live more freely and live out what she longs for.
Wang Zhixia seems to be the most unique of many hermits.
On the one hand, she is not completely closed like ordinary hermits, on the other hand, as a Buddhist believer, she can be approachable and face the world with an inclusive attitude, so this makes the characteristics of a Buddhist hermit more vivid in her body.
It is often said that we will eventually be defeated by the world, forget the ideals we once wanted to achieve the most, and sooner or later we will submit to the life of running for chai rice oil and salt, busy with vulgar human feelings and desires for money.
Needless to say, material things are the basic guarantee that supports our survival, but many people have lost themselves in a materialistic society.
The pursuit of material is not vulgar, but we must not forget the perseverance in our hearts.
Those who dare to chase ideals have courage, and there is a price to pay for realizing their ideals.
Because the ideal does not distinguish between high and low, noble and low, many people think that Wang Zhixia is dizzy, regardless of the happiness of heaven, but she wants to run to the mountain to suffer, but she is willing as a glutton, such a life is what she wants all her life, must the ideal be far and brilliant?
If people drink cold and warm water, Wang Zhixia has nothing else to ask for for the present, she has found her true self in Buddhism, lived her ideal life in Zhongnan Mountain, and is willing to stick to it for a lifetime.
Her ideal is this peaceful world.
Wang Zhixia took refuge in Buddhism in middle age, and then came to Zhongnan Mountain alone, leaving a full family life.
Many people see that raising children is to provide for the elderly, but she does not care, giving up the material life of abundance that will soon usher in.
On the Zhongnan Mountain, Wang Zhixia always had a quiet and peaceful smile on her face, even if others seemed to have a poor and hard life, she also enjoyed it.
We realize our own values in different fields, and Wang Zhixia also finds her own pursuit and meaning in her study of Buddhism and dialogue with the Buddha.
Today, the elderly Wang Zhixia is 90 years old, and when tourists come to visit her, she is still deaf and clear-sighted, and her spirit is strong, which makes people feel sincere admiration.
I sincerely wish the elderly Wang Zhixia good health and happiness in his old age!
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