laitimes

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

author:Shenzhou tea rhyme
The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao
The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

Tianxin Rock Nine Dragon Cave is the source of the "Da Hong Pao", and the rock wall is left with the "Da Hong Pao" stone spiral made by the monks of Tianxin Temple.

The word "Tianxin" has always been known as a sign of whether "Da Hong Pao" is authentic, and when we trace the fate of the word "Tianxin" and "Da Hong Pao", we find that in fact, the Tianxin Yongle Temple in Wuyi Mountain is not only the origin of the legend of Da Hong Pao, but also the origin of the oolong tea making process.

The origin of the legend of Da Hong Pao

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

Wuyishan Tianxin Yongle Temple was built in the first year of Tang Zhen, is the largest temple in Wuyishan, and one of the "Eight Famous Mountains of Huayi" in Buddhism. Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the income of monasteries across the country has relied on incense and a small amount of alms, mainly relying on the self-sufficient pastoral economy. Therefore, the cultivation of tea became the main income of Tianxin Temple.

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Lei Yi, a Fujian national, went to Beijing to rush for the exam, passing through Wuyi Mountain and fainting on the side of the road due to heat stroke, and was rescued by the monks who picked tea in Tianxin Temple, and used strong tea as medicine to relieve him of the heat. After Lei Yi took the exam, he immediately returned to the Tianxin Temple in Wuyi Mountain to repay the life-saving grace, but the abbot repeatedly deferred: "The savior's life is not Lao Na, but Tianxin Zen tea, you can repay these tea trees." So, Lei Yi took off his robe and draped it on the tea tree, and bowed three times to show his gratitude. Since then, the story of "Da Hong Pao" has spread all over the country.

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

After the Battle of Jing, the Ming Dynasty general Hu Xiao came to Wuyi Mountain, and he was intoxicated by the Tianxin Zen tea of Wuyi Mountain, he witnessed the whole process of tea making by the tea monk, and listened to the story of the "big red robe" of the retribution of grace. When he returned to Beijing, Hu Xiao brought back the Tianxin Zen tea and paid tribute to the emperor. Ming Chengzu officially decreed Tianxin Zen Tea, justified the name of "Da Hong Pao", and ordered Tianxin'an to "cultivate and diligently irrigate, pick and make fine picks, pass it on from generation to generation, and pay tribute to Beijing", and at the same time named Tianxin Temple as "Tianxin Yongle Zen Temple".

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

In Tianxin Yongle Temple, there are still two sacred steles and a pair of stone dragons intact, witnessing this period of the history of tea with the name of the temple and the temple with the glory of tea. "Da Hong Pao" has become irreplaceable as a synonym for Wuyi tea.

Invention of oolong tea making process

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

Since the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Wuyi tea has been listed as a tribute tea, and it has been paid tribute with tea balls or tea cakes called "dragon tuan phoenix cake". At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang implemented a policy of rest and recuperation, and issued an order to strike the dragon group and transform the production of loose tea. However, loose tea has higher requirements for the color, aroma, taste and shape of tea, so the tea production process needs to be improved.

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the monks of Huangshan stayed in the Tianxin Yongle Monastery, specializing in tea making, and introduced the pineapple production method, to stir-fry instead of steaming, although the tea leaves made were colorful, fragrant and in shape, but slightly bitter taste, still not ideal.

In 1646, Qing soldiers entered Fujian, passing through the Tianxin Yongle Temple of Wuyi Mountain, coinciding with the tea-picking season, and the tired soldiers could not find a place to live for a while, so they simply slept on the freshly picked tea pile. After the soldiers left, the tea leaves have become soft, some of the edges of the leaves are red, the monks are distressed, but they are reluctant to discard, so they have to make it as usual Unexpectedly, the tea made is not only fragrant and strong, but also completely free of the bitter taste of pine luo tea, it turns out that the soldiers have gone through military labor, and it is inevitable to toss and turn when sleeping on the tea greens, which inadvertently completes the process of "making a table" of tea, and has a fermentation effect for the tea And this just right "fermentation" is the point of Qing in the later oolong tea production.

After repeated deliberation and experimentation, the tea monks finally explored a complete set of production processes, including five major links: withering (drying and drying), making green (shaking, drying), stir-frying, kneading, and baking. During the process of greening, due to the collision of fresh leaves, the leaf edge cells are abrasion and destruction, and the oxygen supply conditions are changed, and mild oxidation occurs and appears red. The central part of the leaf changes from dark green to light green to yellow-green, forming a unique style of "green leaves with red edges".

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

After stir-frying, the leaves are rolled into strips by flakes due to repeated kneading, and the tea juice oozed by the kneaded leaf cells adheres to the surface of the tea leaves, which is easily soluble in water when brewing, making the tea aroma and strong flavor. The tea produced by this process is shaped like a cord, similar to oolong, commonly known as "oolong tea". Oolong tea came out from there.

Subsequently, the oolong tea production method was followed by the tea farmers in Wuyi Mountain, and after continuous improvement, the standard production method of Wuyi rock tea was gradually formed, and Wuyi rock tea became famous since then. Today, the traditional making skills of Wuyi rock tea have been included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

The propagator of Wuyi rock tea

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

After the fall of the Southern Ming Dynasty, many remnants were forced to flee to the areas of Shangrao and Wuyi Mountain in Jiangxi, and those who had no way to serve the country escaped into the empty gate and hid in the Wuyi Mountains one after another. For a time, almost every monastery in Wuyi Mountain was permanently inhabited by Minnan monks. They are generally fond of tea, and often hold tea banquets in Tianxin Yongle Temple, preach the art of gongfu tea together, talk about Zen with tea, discuss the Tao with tea, and talk about the scriptures with tea, becoming a pioneer in spreading Wuyishan oolong tea. Under the spread and promotion of monks from southern Fujian, the oolong tea making process soon spread to southern Fujian and Chaoshan provinces, which directly promoted the rise of Anxi tea and Chaoshan gongfu tea.

Tenshin Temple of Ichiha Zen

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

In addition to making tea and passing on tea, Tianxin Temple had a set of rituals for rituals to worship Buddha with tea as early as the Tang and Song Dynasties. Every Buddha's birthday, monks hold a grand "Buddha Bathing Festival", where they bathe the Buddha's body with tea soup and "wash Buddha tea" for pilgrims to drink and pray for the elimination of disasters and prolongation of the year. Tea ceremonies or "tea banquets" are often held to entertain benefactors and pilgrims. In addition, there are many names such as "Dian Cha" dedicated to Buddha, "Jie La Tea" sipping successively according to the number of years of ordination, and "Pu Cha" drunk by the monks of the whole temple. Later, Tianxin Temple also set up full-time "tea monks" and "tea making monks", full-time tea management and production, and set up miscellaneous xing, specializing in soup and tea cooking. In front of the door, there is a "tea monk", which gives tea to the benefactor, pilgrims, and tourists, and also has a tea hall and tea house, which is specially for monks to discuss Buddhism and Zen paths, discuss sutras, and entertain benefactor guests.

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

With the close penetration of tea and Buddha, tea has gradually become an opportunity for meditation and enlightenment of Buddha, and a tool for manifesting the Tao. The poet monk Guanxiu visited Wuyi Mountain three times to meet with Zen Master Guobing, and the two treated tea as wine and said that Buddhism discussed Zen; Zhu Xi also asked the visiting Dahui Zen master at Tianxin Temple. Dahui Zen Master leisurely breathed in the burning of incense and tea, guiding Zhu Xi to the maze, thus laying the foundation for the establishment of the Zhuzi study system, which integrates the masters of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

Today's Tianxin Yongle Temple inherits the tradition of both agriculture and Zen, opens up tea gardens, uses Yongle Tea House as the handmade tea base, and takes Tianxin Zen Tea House as the window, continuing the long-lasting relationship with Wuyi Rock Tea.

Tianxin Yongle Temple, is a famous Buddhist temple hidden in the Wuyi Mountain, surrounded by ancient trees, bamboo shelter, birds and cicadas noise, deep artistic conception, walking into the temple, like a wandering immortal, there is a mysterious sense of "outer heaven", "the peaceful place of the sun Ge Xianglin, the Hechen ring turn, the bamboo tree forest, the sky, the clouds." ”。

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

Founded during the reign of Tang Zhen, the temple is the largest temple in Wuyi Mountain and one of the "Eight Famous Mountains of Huayi" in Buddhism. When it was first built, it was called Sanshin Eirakuan. "Mountain Center" refers to its geographical location, which is named because the famous temple is located in the center of the scenic area within a radius of 120 miles of Wuyi Mountain. 

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival in the first year of Tang Qianfu, the ancient Buddha of Koubing looked at the full moon of the heart of heaven and became enlightened, leaving behind the famous Zen public case of "Tianxin Bright Moon", and later generations changed the name to Tianxinan in commemoration of the Zen realm of the ancient Buddha. In 874 and 900, the poet monk Guanxiu twice hung orders in Tianxin'an, and talked about Zen affairs with the ancient Buddha of Koubing, and the two exchanged hearts, hated each other, and wrote many poems such as "Huaiwu Yishan Monk" to commemorate it.

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

In May of the 20th year of Song Shaoxing, Zhu Xi returned to Wuyi from Jiangxi to visit Daoqian Zen Master who lived in Tianxin'an, and asked the visiting Zen Master Dahui Zong for many days in the temple. Soon after returning to Jingshan Mountain, Dahui Zen Master also gave Zhu Xi a message: "When Tianxin met Zhu Yuanxi, he forgot that he was already outside the body. Mo Yan did not meet for many days, and he often met with the spirit. ”

In the seventh year of Ming Jiajing's reign, the Taoist priest Han Dongxian once expanded the structure. During the Kangxi Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty, the monk Guoyin rebuilt this temple and renamed it "Tianxin Yongle Temple". At this time, the meaning of "Tianxin" was further expressed by Zen, because according to the Qing "Wuyi Mountain History", the Tianxin Peak where the Tianxin Yongle Temple is located is located in the Wuyi Mountain, "the pivot of the sky, hence the name".

The famous temple stands on the pivotal pole of the famous mountain, and the temples and temples in the general peaks are overlooked. Around the temple, there are precious cliff carvings of the Zen phrase "Tianxin Bright Moon" and "Amitayus Buddha" and "Nanmu Amitabha Buddha", which reflect the Tianxin Yongle Zen Temple, leaving people with a profound Zen reverie. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Chen Baochen, the teacher of the Guangxu Emperor, presented a plaque of "Fu Karma", which is still hanging in the temple, which is quite valuable.

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

Tianxin Yongle Temple flourished in the Qing Dynasty, and the Kangxi Emperor's imperial book "Buddha" was engraved on the rock wall behind the statue of the Great Maitreya Buddha, ten meters square, which can be called the first in China. During the Kangxi Dynasty, the national master Tie Hua Shangren Fa Hei Guo Yin Zen Master, led the people to practice Zen, and greatly revitalized the sect. In the 25th year of Guangxu (1899 AD), the great monk De Jong of Gushan presided over the reconstruction, built a large number of civil works, expanded temples, promoted Buddhism, and the Zen temple flourished.

According to legend, when the incense of the famous temple was in full bloom, there were hundreds of monks in the temple, the bells were ringing and eating, the cymbals were harmonious, the cigarettes were full of smoke, the Sanskrit sound was clear, and the tourists were mostly pilgrims, and the famous mountain was doubled by its name. On the day of the Buddha's birthday, pilgrims are crowded one after another, and the Wuyi Mountain Road is crowded, and the grandeur is unprecedented.

The architecture of the famous temple was brilliant in the Ming and Qing dynasties, when the central axis of the temple was built with Maitreya Hall, Heavenly King Hall, Daxiong Treasure Hall, Guanyin Hall, Dharma Hall, Treasury, Zhai Hall, Zen Hall, Guest Hall, Xiangke Building, etc., and three-story bell towers, drum towers and side halls were built on both sides. During the Cultural Revolution, this large-scale, clean and solemn famous temple was destroyed for a long time and was occupied as a residential house.

Since the Sui and Tang dynasties, the income of monasteries in the Han Dynasty has relied on incense and a small amount of alms, mainly on a self-sufficient pastoral economy. Due to its remote location in a mountain corner, the surrounding cliffs are deep, and the clouds and mist are shrouded all year round, Tianxin Yongle Temple has a unique advantage in growing tea. Therefore, the cultivation of tea became the main income.

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

When Wuyi tea was listed as a tribute tea from the Song and Yuan dynasties, it was paid tribute with tea balls or tea cakes called "dragon tuan phoenix cake". Tianxin Yongle Temple is the ancestral court of the famous tea big red robe, in the eighteenth year of Ming Hongwu, Ding Xian suffered from heat stroke on the way to the exam, and was treated by the monks of Tianxin Temple with tea medicine, and was saved after being saved. In order to repay the grace of the Buddha, the champion was covered with a red robe and a tea tree, and the name "Big Red Robe" was born. In the seventeenth year of Ming Yongle, Ming Chengzu sealed Tianxin Yongle Temple, and named Tianxin Temple tea as "Big Red Robe". "Da Hong Pao" became the honor of ten thousand teas and became famous all over the world.

In the third year of Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty, the Tianxin tea monk developed the oolong tea production process, and the long-lasting oolong tea provided "rice" cooking for gongfu tea. "Da Hong Pao" is known as the ancestor of oolong tea and the source of gongfu tea, and has gradually become synonymous with Wuyi rock tea. In the fifth year of Qing Xianfeng, Abbot Tianxin presented 36 tea seedlings to Taiwanese student Lin Fengchi. It has been widely introduced in Taiwan and has become a famous tea "frozen top oolong". In 2006, the production process of "Da Hong Pao" was included in the first list of intangible cultural heritage of the country.

The peerless relationship between Tianxin Temple and Da Hong Pao

Source of this article: picture and text from Wuyi tea people face to face, copyright belongs to the original author, the views in the article only represent the author personally, if there is any infringement of your rights and interests, please leave a message to inform the deletion.

Read on