A few days ago, there was a temple fair in Jinshan Town, Gangu County, and my cousin called me to go shopping. After visiting the temple fair and watching the temple play, we visited the famous Baiyi Temple here. This temple is a spiritual holy place and spiritual temple for the people of the surrounding ten miles and eight villages. Our village is not far from Jinshan Town, which is about 10 kilometers, and the villagers like to come here to worship the gods and pray for blessings.
Baiyi Temple, the integration of Confucian Buddhism and Taoism, is located on the Xiujin Mountain in Niushoe Bay, Jinshan Town, the main peak of this mountain is abrupt, the residual veins are winding, like a galloping horse, there are temples at the top of the mountain and at the foot of the mountain, the temple at the top of the mountain is built on the earthen fort, the temple at the foot of the mountain is surrounded by the mountains and waters, the pavilion spreads its wings, the ancient cypress is green, the humanities are prosperous, and the ancient temple is quite famous. The main god worshiped in the temple is neither a foreign Buddha nor a Buddha lord in his country, but a fairy Niangniang who grows in Si, has attained Dao, and sits in Si - the Three Queen Yuan Monarchs of the Nine Heavens Virgin, also known as Sanniang Niang, also known as the Three Masters, and also enshrines gods such as the God of Wealth, the Dragon King, and the Land Master.
Throughout the year, the Baiyi Temple is full of incense, banners, and Buddha lights, especially on the birthday of Sanniang Niang on the 12th day of the seventh lunar month, people who come here to burn incense to make wishes, pray for children, consult Zen and ask, as well as do business, watch big theaters, and catch the market, which is more lively than the New Year.
The morning bell and the evening drum alert the world's fame and fortune, and the sound of the Buddha trumpet calls back the lost people in the bitter sea. In front of the main hall of Sanniang Niang, I saw many good men and women lining up in a long line, lighting incense, kowtowing, and making a bow in turn, all of them were very religious.
Every god big or small enshrined here has a magical legend. There are some legends about Sanniangniang.
According to legend, on the 12th day of July in the year of the Southern Song Dynasty, Sanniang Niang was born in He Jiayi, Oxshoe Bay. Sanniang Niang is beautiful in appearance, gifted and intelligent since childhood, yearning for immortals, and enlightening immortals with twisted twine, vowing to cultivate into immortals.
On the occasion of his cardamom year, his parents gave Sanniang Niang to a family in Zhengjiashan, ten miles away from He Jiayi. At the age of sixteen, the in-laws chose an auspicious day to marry Sanniangniang, and when the palanquin was carried to the door, Sanniangniang suddenly jumped out of the door and ran away with twine. When she ran, the family was anxious, and her mother quickly took a fire stick to chase, and her sister-in-law picked up a washing pot and brush to chase her, wanting to chase her back.
Sanniangniang ran in front, and her mother and sister-in-law chased behind. When she ran to the spring of the temple of Oxshoe Bay, the twine was pulled to the end, and suddenly there was a thunderstorm, so Sanniangniang took off her coat, jumped into the spring to bathe, and then sat down and turned into an immortal.
When the mother and sister-in-law rushed to the spring, suddenly the rain cleared, and a rainbow jumped from the spring to the sky. Obviously seeing Sanniang Niang running to the spring, but in an instant it disappeared, and a supernatural image appeared in the sky, and they wondered if Sanniang Niang had become a god, so the mother said to the spring: "Daughter, if you are a god, I will stick a fire stick on the ground, and you will make it sprout." My sister-in-law also said to the spring: "Sister, if you are a god, I will stick a brush in the wall, and you will make it grow ears of grain." As soon as they finished speaking, a miraculous phenomenon happened: the fire stick really sprouted, and the brush really grew ears of grain. Seeing this, the mother was helpless, so she said angrily: "It's a god, anyway, I promised you to Zheng Jiashan." After that, I had to go back in pain. Because Sanniangniang had already agreed to Zhengjiashan, Zhengjiashan later built a Taoist temple to worship Sanniangniang.
Sanniangniang's prayer for rain to drive away disasters and protect the people is very effective. Once, the bandits came to Niushoe Bay to plunder, and the people ran to a fort on the top of the south mountain of Niushoe Bay to take shelter, only to see seven golden lanterns glowing yellow in the sky, and a golden mule carrying Sanniang Niang came in the air, drove the bandits away, and sent someone to send a load of millet soup, one bowl per person, and disappeared after distribution. Since then, people have believed in Sanniang Niang very much, honored her as the Three Queen Yuan Jun of the Nine Heavens Virgin, and built a new temple in the fort, cast gold lamps and golden mules in the temple, and worshiped day and night.
Later, a Taoist came to the top of the South Mountain, made a new sculpture of Sanniangniang, and named the temple Baiyi Temple. When leaving, the Taoist wanted to take the golden lamp golden mule away, but was discovered by the local people and desperately recaptured it. At one time, thieves were frequent here, and the people were afraid that the golden lamp and golden mule would be stolen, so they discussed burying them on the spot on the top of Nanshan and renaming Nanshan as "Golden Mountain".
One year, there was a severe drought in Gangu County, the grass and trees withered, the seedlings withered, the hunger was everywhere, and the people were displaced. The county commander was a Sichuanese who, at the request of the people, gathered all the gods of the temples in the county to the county town and let them show their spirits one by one. But the gods did not appear, so the county order whipped and flogged one by one. When it was Sanniangniang's turn to rain, the sky was still scorching with the sun, and there was no sign of rain, and when the county commander was about to hit her, she suddenly filled in the dark clouds and thunder and lightning. The county commander was extremely happy, and quickly took the incense plate in his hand to catch the rain, and after waiting for the incense table, the heavy rain poured down. Seeing Sanniangniang like this, the county order brought her back to her hometown in Sichuan. Later, a merchant named Jiang Jiaohu in Jiangjiawan Village, Niujiewan Village, went to Sichuan to do business, and at night dreamed that Sanniangniang said to him: Jiang Jiaohu, I was taken to Mount Emei in Sichuan by the county order, lost my way, and could not return to my hometown. I'm going back now, borrowing a mule from you, don't carry anything on it when you go back, and when I get to my hometown, I'll make you a fortune and increase your family's mule horses to 12. Jiang Jiuhu woke up from the dream, thinking about this strange dream in his heart, and could no longer fall asleep. The next day, he prepared a strong mule and lent it to Sanniangniang, and did not carry anything, but the mule was covered in sweat along the way, as if carrying a heavy thing. Sanniang Niangniang returned to her hometown just like that. Jiang Jiaohu later made a fortune, and the number of mules and horses increased to 12, and from then on he was called "Jiang Shang".
Thirty years ago, I went to the White Clothes Temple once. That year, my mother fell ill and I went back to visit. At that time, my mother, who believed in the gods, asked me to go to the Baiyi Temple to ask for signatures and pray to God to worship Buddha. I am an atheist who does not believe in gods and Buddhas, but I can't resist my mother, and in order to comfort my mother, I still went to the Baiyi Temple. There is no doubt that God cannot cure a mother's disease, but a doctor can cure it.
There is no God, but man created God. God is a mirror and a mirage, ethereal, and it is impossible to save all sentient beings, nor can it save suffering. Why create God? People created gods for many purposes, such as to place ideals, ask for asylum, hope for blessings, and so on. Although there can be no divine power without God in the world, belief in God is not without benefits, but it is very beneficial, because there are many valuable things attached to the God of creation, such as God's justice and love, Bodhisattva's great compassion, Allah to the most merciful, and the gods to love and kindness. It is these valuable things that educate, guide, and influence people to be good, good, and upward, so that faith in God has a positive and positive meaning.
Our Chinese temples are all over the place, whether they worship people and gods, or believe in Confucianism, they are witnesses of religious development, cultural inheritance and social civilization, carrying thousands of years of excellent traditions, splendid culture and glorious history of the Chinese nation, and are important symbols of the long history and culture of the Chinese nation. Temple culture penetrates into all aspects of people's lives such as astronomy, geography, architecture, painting, calligraphy, carving, music, dance, cultural relics, temple fairs, folk customs, etc., with distinct national styles and strong folk characteristics, becoming an important part of Chinese national culture and nourishing the spiritual homeland of Chinese sons and daughters. It can be said that the temple of gods and Buddhas reflects a spiritual belief, expresses a Chinese culture, and conveys a beautiful teaching.
The temples scattered on the land of China, as well as the gods and Buddhas enshrined in the temples, interpret the splendid history and culture of the Chinese nation, and also interpret the sincere and benevolent spiritual beliefs of the sons and daughters of China...