To the Lingyin Feilai Peak Scenic Area, many tourists are accustomed to going straight to the Lingyin Temple to pray for blessings and burn incense, and the Feilai Peak across the Cold Spring Creek is often overlooked.
Even the old Hangzhou people, when it comes to Feilaifeng, except for the "Hala Bodhisattva" (cloth bag Maitreya Buddha statue) who was photographed when he was a child, it seems that there is no more to say.
The Cold Spring Pavilion at the entrance of lingyin temple
Fei Lai Feng's iconic statue - Cloth Bag Maitreya Buddha
However, this cultural treasure house with the largest group of grotto statues in the Jiangnan region is the second batch of key cultural relics protection units in the country, and the historical information conveyed is rich and dense - from the five dynasties to the Ming Dynasty, more than 400 statues, the oldest of which has a history of 1,000 years; it is also the "message board" of celebrities and scholars of all dynasties, and there are more than 180 official inscriptions on Feilai peak, and in fact, there are more than those that have not been recorded by historical materials. Inadvertently, on which stone, it may be engraved with a masterpiece of calligraphy.
Statue of Fei Lai Feng on the banks of Cold Spring Creek
Every time you go, there will be new discoveries, which is Fei Lai Feng.
In this issue of Hangzhou Discovery, we follow the staff of the Lingyin Management Office of Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area to explore the secret place of Flying Peak.
Secret Archives: Flying Peak
Located in the Lingyin Feilai Peak Scenic Area, there are more than 400 statues, which is the largest group of grotto statues in jiangnan area, or the "message board" of celebrities and scholars of all dynasties, and there are more than 180 official inscriptions.
Where does Flying Peak come from?
Inside the cave there is an inscription of "Online Rumor Debunking"
Folk legends about Fei Lai Feng are spread.
One of them, it is said that Fei Lai Feng flew from India. According to the "Lingyin Temple Chronicle", according to legend, during the Xianhe period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Indian monk Hui Liyun traveled here, saw this mountain, and said with great surprise: "This small ridge of the Ling Vulture Mountain of the Zhongtianzhu Kingdom, I don't know what year it flew in." When the Buddha was alive, he was mostly hidden by the immortals. "The translation is to say: Isn't this the small ridge of our Indian Vulture Mountain, when did it fly here?" Therefore, this mountain was called "Flying Peak", also known as Spirit Vulture Peak.
Now the famous "LiGong Pagoda" in Feilai Peak commemorates the Huili monk, and after the Huili monk came to Feilai Peak, 5 monasteries were built around the mountain: Lingyin Temple, Ling vulture Temple, Lingshun Temple, Lingfeng Temple, and Lingshan Temple.
Lingyin Temple Heavenly King Hall "Spirit Vulture Flying" plaque
In the Feilai Feng Jade Milk Cave, there is a "debunking rumors" inscription, "When a person reaches nothing, he is a Buddha, and Feng Yinjing is said to have flown in." ”
Qinglin Cave
Both the "Eight Precepts of the Pig" and Jigong have lived here
Feilai Peak is 168 meters high and is a national key cultural relics protection unit. Geologically structured, it is limestone, very different from the surrounding mountains, full of caves, and legend has it that there were originally 72 caves here, but most of them have been obliterated.
On its southeast side, there is one of the largest holes, called "Qinglin Cave". Enter the gate of the Feilai Peak Scenic Area, not to the GongGong Pagoda, turn left along the forest path and soon find the entrance to the cave.
Because the mouth of the cave resembles a tiger's mouth, it was also formerly known as "Tiger Cave" or "Golden Light Cave". What few people know is that the episode of "Eight Commandments of Counting Pigs" in the 86th edition of "Journey to the West" was filmed here, and Qinglin Cave is the old nest of the "Eight Precepts of pigs" in the play, "Yunzhan Cave".
"Journey to the West" Episode 7 "Eight Precepts of the Pig" Video Screenshot
Comparison of the same location in the play (Courtesy of the Lingyin Management Office)
In addition to the "living" of the Eight Precepts of pigs in the film and television drama, Qinglindong also "lived" another familiar legend - Jigong.
"Jigong Bed", Eighteen Arhats
In the cave, there is a large rock like a bed, known as the "Jigong Bed", according to legend, when Jigong was ordained in the Lingyin Temple, he often came here to sleep.
This "Jigong Bed" is also engraved with the statue of "Eighteen Arhats". At present, the earliest recorded eighteen arhats in China are in the West Lake Yanxia Cave (953), where the eighteen arhats are more than 100 years apart from the former. The 18 statues of Arhats sit on the dragon, forming the fun of riding the clouds and driving the fog.
This "bed" is also a "message board" of the Literati of the Song Dynasty. On the smooth surface of the bed rim, the more famous inscription of the Northern Song Dynasty poet Shen Liao is: "The □ of the Noonday, Wang Bohulai, the second brother invited, and the two brothers traveled." Shen Liao question. ”
Who is Shen Liao? He had a well-known uncle (it is also said that the two were brothers of the same race) - the literary scholar and scientist Shen Kuo.
Historically, Shen Liao, together with his elder brother Shen Xuan and Shen Kuo, was collectively known as the "Three Shens". Shen Liao is also friends with the familiar Su Dongpo and Huang Tingjian, and often talks about poetry papers together.
Although Wang Anshi differed from his political views, he was very much in recognition of his literary level, believing that his literary level could be compared with Xie Anshi and Tao Yuanming in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Shen Liao was even more proficient in calligraphy. Wang Bohu mentioned in the inscription is a high-ranking official of the Northern Song Dynasty and a colleague of Wang Anshi. In the eighth year of the Northern Song Dynasty, Shen Liao and his party of four traveled together, which also confirmed that the ancient people regarded the Dragon Boat Festival as an important social festival.
This group of exquisite Northern Song reliefs is exactly 1,000 years old this year
In Qinglin Cave, there are not only legends and history, but also solemn reliefs and cliff inscriptions, which are the first caves in Feilaifeng to open Buddha statues.
Luohan group
For example, the relief of the Lushena Buddha on the rock wall on the east side is considered to be the most exquisite niche in the Feilaifeng statue, carved in the first year of the Northern Song Dynasty (1022).
Above the smooth-lined niches are two flying heavens, holding flowers in their hands and scattering them in the air, and several smallpoxes can be seen above the Buddhist festival.
The center of the gate is lushena Buddha, the niche is clearly divided into primary and secondary, the central composition method is adopted, the characters are symmetrical left and right, and the scene is warm.
Lushena Buddha will be in relief
This group of 17 figures and two-headed animals composed of Northern Song Reliefs, to this year, exactly 1,000 years.
According to the relief statue record, "the period of coming and going, the pure land of the same birth, the diary of April of the first year of the Great Song Dynasty", the April here refers to the fourth month of the lunar calendar, and at present, it is the fourth month of the lunar calendar.
The niches are surrounded by a dense collection of stone inscriptions, a total of seven places. There are inscriptions on the cliffs of su song, Shen Li, Lin Xi in the Northern Song Dynasty, and the four elders of the founding society of the Xiling Seal Society in the Qing Dynasty when they visited the statue.
Su Song inscribed rubbing
Su Song mentioned here is a close friend of Su Shi and has also served as the mayor of Hangzhou (hangzhou prefect). Su Song was finally the prime minister, and he left a large number of stone carvings in Hangzhou, and there are no less than four stone carvings in Feilaifeng alone.
The inscription on the relief shows the classic song dynasty line of the Song Dynasty in which he led a group of officials to "pass through the spirit vulture under the Jing Ci Nankou And then travel to the spirit and return".
Shen Li was a hydraulic scientist and bibliophile in the Northern Song Dynasty. Lin Xi's inscription is even more interesting, "Li Chun, Zhu Mingzhi, Yang Jingluo, Huang Song, Hu Yuan, Lin Xiyuanfeng visited the Linglu Cave on May 4 of the second year", the names of the people on this have intersected with the old mayor of Hangzhou, Su Dongpo, and two people succeeded as the mayor of Hangzhou, one of whom was Lin Xi, who wrote the inscription. After Lin Xi succeeded Su Shi as the mayor of Hangzhou, he inscribed the three characters "SuGong Causeway", from which Su Causeway got its name. After Lin Xi, the mayor of Hangzhou was Li Chun. The story behind this series of personal names reflects the elegant life taste of the Northern Song Dynasty doctors.
Courtesy of the Lingyin Management Office
The staff of the Lingyin Management Office said: "Su Shi is not seen in the Qinglin Cave, but there is an eastern slope everywhere. ”
Three statues of the Yuan Dynasty prayed for Kublai Khan's blessing
Directly above the entrance of the cave, there is a Buddhist statue. Carved are the statues of Vilujana Buddha, known as the "Three Noble Spirits of Huayan", as well as Manjushri and Puxian Bodhisattva.
Statue of the "Three Saints of Huayan"
These three statues are the earliest stone carvings in the West Lake of Hangzhou in the Yuan Dynasty, and there is also a history behind them.
There is an inscription under the statue, and the text is written from right to left, in italics, with a total of 10 lines and 75 characters. The content is to the effect that Xu Monk Lu of Hangzhou and Li Monk Of Tanzhou (Changsha) of the Great Yuan Kingdom jointly engraved these three statues to wish Emperor Wan'an.
The blessed emperor was Kublai Khan, the ancestor of the Yuan Dynasty.
The Monastic Record is an official position that originated in the Post-Qin Period and "restrained monks with various laws and precepts". By the time of the Yuan Dynasty, with the support of the Mongol nobility, their power expanded, not only managing monastic affairs, but also ruling or managing the army. At the central level, there are presidential offices for religious interpretation, and at the local level, they are called "sangha divisions" and are controlled by the local presidents.
In 1282, only three years after the Yuan Dynasty defeated the Southern Song Dynasty to complete the unification, the political situation was not completely stable, according to the "History of the Yuan", on March 17 of this year, most of the capital city had an incident that shocked the whole country: the Yuan Dynasty Zuo Xiang was assassinated by civilian righteous soldiers. This incident was written in his travelogue by marco Polo, a famous Italian traveler living in China at the time. Zuo Chengxiang was assassinated, and in this year, Xu and Li engraved this group of niches to pray for the emperor's blessing and focus on peace.
Also in the same year, Wen Tianxiang, the chancellor of the Southern Song Dynasty, was imprisoned in the Yuan capital. On January 9, 1283, the year after the completion of this statue, Wen Tianxiang was executed, leaving behind the verse "Whoever lives since ancient times has not died, leave Dan heart to take care of Khan Qing".
Jade Cave
Legend has it that Ge Hong's grandfather was incarnated here
Connected to Qinglin Cave is the Jade Milk Cave. In the past, there were many bats living in the cave, and the roof of the cave was bat-shaped, also known as the "bat cave".
In front of the Jade Milk Cave, there is a rock platform called the "Prayer Table". According to legend, the poet Xie Lingyun of the Southern and Northern Dynasties once read the scriptures here.
Once into the jade milk cave, the black lacquered cave is lit up by several beams of light, the staff introduced, the current jade milk cave, innovative trial LED cold light source, the use of light illumination to the cave details and the charm of the statue to show.
The cat waist walked into the stone cave on the east side of the Jade Milk Cave, and there are six symmetrically arranged statues on the left and right sides, which were carved during the Northern Song Dynasty and are known as the "Six Ancestors of Zen Buddhism".
Statue of the Six Patriarchs
On the stone wall above, there is a rare phoenix relief in the grotto, holding a bouquet of flowers in its mouth, hovering in the air.
Phoenix relief
Lei Gong relief
Inside this cave, there is also a legendary story of Ge Xiaoxian, the grandfather of the Eastern Jin Dynasty alchemist Ge Hong.
According to legend, in the second year of Eastern Wu Chiwu (239 AD), Ge Xiaoxian traveled to the Jade Milk Cave of Feilai Peak by chance, and became an immortal in this cave.
Just after Ge Xiaoxian became enlightened, something "magical" happened in the Jade Milk Cave - the rock walls in the cave twisted and twisted, and stone pillars were produced in many places, and the dripping water penetrated into the stone pillars and solidified milky white.
In fact, from the perspective of modern science, caves are formed by the flow of water washing away limestone. The composition of limestone is mainly calcium carbonate, which will gradually transform under the joint action of water and carbon dioxide, dissolve in water, and eventually form cave landscapes such as stalactites and stalagmites.
Speaking of limestone, there is a large unremarkable stone between Yulu Cave and Qinglin Cave, which has attracted geologists to explore. In June 1957, geologist Li Siguang used a magnifying glass to examine the fossils of foraminifera (an ancient type of protozoa) in the limestone.
Image source: Xinhua Net
Most of these eighteen arhats are based on the image of the Han people
In addition to the "Six Ancestors of Zen Buddhism" mentioned above, there are also eighteen arhats carved during the Northern Song Dynasty (1023-1031).
It no longer artificially excavates grottoes according to the design patterns in the past, but adopts the layout method and modeling style of the situation modeling, so that the stone sculpture and the cave can achieve a unified harmony effect, and the rock wall with rich concave and convex changes plays a background role in the statue.
The eighteen arhats in the Jade Milk Cave have become more realistic than those of the previous dynasties in terms of styling treatment and expression techniques.
In particular, the Eighteen Arhats, originally most of the Buddhist figures of Tianzhu, and the carvings in the Feilaifeng Jade Milk Cave are the same as the statues of the Arhats in the Five Dynasties Period in the Yanxia Cave, most of which are based on the image of the Han people, and their arhat postures have completely got rid of the constraints of religion, and tend to be natural and vivid, with diverse postures, and the appearance of the arhats is also angry and vibrant, and each has its own personality.
As for the portrayal of the lines of the clothes, it is more concise and smooth, just like the Chinese freehand figure painting. Even the tiger next to Fuhu Luohan looks a bit "cute", and beside Luohan, it looks like a well-behaved cat.
Longhong Cave
The relief of the story of the monk taking the scriptures is about "Journey to the West"?
The neighbor of Yu Milk Cave is Longhong Cave. Among the caves of Feilai Peak, count its fame the most. The famous "first-line sky" landscape is located in Longhong Cave.
A line of sky, in fact, it is quite difficult to find, really only Mimi is small so little hole to reveal the light. If you encounter a cloudy day or a rainy day, you basically have no chance to see each other.
Seated statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva in Longhong Cave
At the mouth of Longhong Cave, there is a group of carvings carved in the Song Dynasty (10th-13th centuries) of high monks taking sutra stories, composed of three stories of "high monks taking sutras" with different contents from different eras.
At the westernmost point is a devout monk, his hands folded, his expression looking both peaceful and focused, which is the Tang Xuanzang we are familiar with. In the upper left corner of it is faintly an inscription of "Tang Sanzang Xuanzang Master".
Behind Tang Xuanzang, there are several statues of characters and horses, and many people mistakenly think that this is the Tang monk and apprentice in "Journey to the West", but in fact this is a completely different story.
So who was the person who followed him? This person's name is Zhu Shixing, the legal name is "Eight Precepts", is he the second master brother who flew to the Qingfeng Qinglin Cave?
There is a saying that Wu Cheng'en wrote "Journey to the West", and one of the prototypes of the Eight Precepts of the Pig is Zhu Shixing.
Wu Cheng'en once lived in Shiwuwu Lane at the foot of Mount Wu, which is now Fifteen Kui Lane. In Hangzhou, he traveled to the Temple of The Buddha to collect many materials for the Tang monks to learn the scriptures.
Above the statue of Zhu Shixing, the stone carving of "Zhu Eight Precepts" is faintly visible
This Zhu Shixing, whose real identity was that of a monk from the Three Kingdoms Cao Wei who went to the Western Regions (present-day Hetian, Xinjiang, mainland China) to seek Buddhism, was also the first Han Chinese monk in Chinese history to go to the Western Regions to seek the Dharma, and obtained the Sanskrit copy of the Dapin Pan Ruo Sutra, but he did not return to the Central Plains until his death.
The three men in the relief lead two horses to make a wide walk, but unfortunately, their heads are damaged.
At the easternmost end of this group of reliefs, near the mouth of the cave, are carved two monks from the Western Regions, which is again the story of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
The two monks were Tematan and Zhu Fa lan. Emperor Hanming, who was a Buddhist emperor at the time, sent envoys to the Western Regions to seek Buddhism and invited these two high monks. Two monks rode Buddhist scriptures on white horses all the way to Luoyang to spread Buddhism. In order to commemorate this event, the Han Ming Emperor built the first temple on the mainland, the White Horse Temple, in Luoyang.
Various inscriptions of Longhong Cave
What kind of curse did the Southern Song Dynasty power minister Jia Xiangdao want to avoid?
There are many celebrity inscriptions on Feilaifeng, similar to the ancients' "visit here", some are praying for blessings, and some are seeking to avoid disasters, for example, leaving inscriptions in Longhong Cave to pray for disaster avoidance of a generation of powerful ministers - Jia Xiangdao.
Jia Rudao's inscription remained on the left wall of Longhong Cave, four feet two inches high and three feet eight inches wide.
This inscription consists of six lines, written in letters, and reads: "On the eighteenth day of July, The Xianchun Ding Di, Jia Xiangdao prayed to Zhu Hui with the years and rested here." Ke Shu Yuanzhe, Yu Xin, Zhang Feng, Huang Gongshao, Wang Tingcong. Zi De Sheng Waiter. Liao Yingzhong, who did not arrive. Shen Jianke. The gist is that in the summer of the third year of Xianchun (1267), Jia Rudao, with a group of relatives and friends, went to Shangtianzhu to burn incense and returned, and then went to the Lingyin Temple to ask for Buddha, and also named those who criticized the covenant.
As for the "old things" mentioned in his inscription, what exactly is it?
Jia Rudao was the prime minister at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, and it was he who accelerated the vortex of the Southern Song Dynasty towards its demise.
In 1259 AD, the Mongol Kublai Khan led an army to besiege Ezhou, and the border city of the Southern Song Dynasty was in a hurry. Emperor Lizong of Song made Jia Xiangdao the Right Minister and Privy Counsellor, and ordered him to send troops to Hanyang in solidarity with Ezhou.
Jia Xiangdao's inscription Lingyin Management Office courtesy of the map
At that time, the Mongolian army attacked Tanzhou, was defeated by the Southern Song Dynasty defenders, and happened to encounter the death of the Mongol Khan Möngke, the internal struggle for power was fierce, Kublai Khan had no intention of fighting, the enemy soldiers retreated, Jia Xiangdao said that he led the army to victory in the war, concealing the truth of his private surrender.
Emperor Lizong of Song believed it to be true, and issued an edict praising him and crowning him the Duke of Wei. Since then, Jia Xiangdao has excluded dissidents and monopolized the power of the dynasty. After Emperor Duzong of Song came to power, he was even more enfeoffed as a military state of Pingzhang, and the power of the Manchu Dynasty fell into the hands of Jia Xiangdao.
In 1267, the Mongol army knew that Xiangyang was an important town in the northern part of the Yangtze River in the Southern Song Dynasty, so it prepared to attack Xiangyang and then cross the Yangtze River by Han Shui. Jia Rudao had no plan to save the country, so he rushed to Shangtianzhu to pray for the blessing of peace. Therefore, it is speculated that the "old things" written in the inscription mostly refer to this matter.
【Know a little more】
Many people will say that some of the stone carvings on feilai peaks can be seen clearly, some of them are not clear, and they do not understand what kind of history is behind it.
The ongoing "Not Afraid of Floating Clouds" Feilaifeng Stone Carving Cultural Exhibition in the scenic spot may be used as a guide for guided tours, and the exhibition hall displays 14 original rubbings of Feilaifeng Grotto statues and cliff stone carvings, mainly based on the Song Dynasty inscriptions of Feilaifeng.
How to find this exhibition?
Entering the ticket gate of Fei Lai Peak, the left-hand side of "Fly to Trace" four words "decorated" with moss plants, along the garden road, there are two drums.
Further inside, along the two sides of the road arranged a lot of garden sketches, this area is called "jade liquid orchid", now arranged more than 20 groups of garden sketches with different themes, most of which use low maintenance costs, green ecology shade-tolerant plants.
Like the garden sketch called "Shi Yu Listening to the Sutra", taken from the inscription "Shi Yu Listening to the Sutra" by Cao Shouren in the Qing Dynasty of Fei Lai Feng, it is said that the legless bird that kept flying all his life stopped flying next to the Buddha and quietly listened to the Buddha's teachings.
In the 1980s and 1990s, it was once the "Chinese Grotto Art Collection Garden" that was familiar to the people of old Hangzhou. Further inside, you will arrive at the exhibition hall of YoulanYuan, in addition to rubbings, there is also an exhibition of calligraphy works, inviting calligraphy masters from all walks of life to pay tribute to the ancients in the form of inscriptions.
In this form, visitors can learn more and see more clearly before appreciating the physical statues and inscriptions at close range. For example, the group of 1,000-year-old Lushena Buddha reliefs at the mouth of Qinglin Cave is worth appreciating.
Fei lai peak scenic area guide map
City Express Orange Persimmon Interactive Reporter Yu Xiwen
Photography Chen Zhongqiu