WHAT IS THERE TO LEARN IN A BUDDHIST TEMPLE? (Huanglongxi)
cctv.com 06-01-2004 15:23
I lost account of the number of monasteries I have visited in China. 40? 60? Most of them are famous for their cosmologically appropriate locations, the pagodas, the volume of valuable sutra scripts they store, or having offered shelter for some hero in despair...I can't remember them all, or frankly, I allow myself to forget about them as soon as I stepped out of the gate. But even one should "never say never", I believe I would NEVER forget this tiny temple in the ancient town of Huanglongxi...
There, I realized how powerful Wisdom is. It must be the strongest force for one to surrender, is that how many perceive a certain religion? I am not a Buddhist, but when I saw the couplet hanging by the entrance of this temple, for a moment, I think I was.
In case you read Chinese, here it goes:
瑙佷簡灝卞仛錛屽仛嗗氨鏀句笅錛屼簡嗘湁浣曚笉嗭紱
鎱х敓庤錛岃鐢熶簬鑷湪錛岀敓鐢熻繕鏄棤鐢熴
In case you don't read Chinese, the following is my rough translation. (Probably thought mediation is the only efficient way of communicating such message; I find translated words are so disabled by nature, well, at least, my words, anyone has better/other/ understanding of the script, please let me know):
"Do it, and then forget it; the end of the day is the end.
Wisdom is born from conscious yet unrestrained mind;
Living life or living in every fleeting moment?
The latter, cause there is no former..."
My impression of Buddhism has been "too passive, too many rituals and rules
", sometimes I wonder if the "zaniest awareness of the emptiness and meaninglessness" is anything but self-deceptive weapons for the weak- minded.
That afternoon in Huanglongxi somehow taught me how little I knew about Buddhism, how much more there is to learn. Yes, the power of words! But I can't say it changed my life, because "words never can, only actions do", so I have always been told, only learned in the same temple...
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When I was lingering around the backyard of the temple scouting for camera positions, I saw two little kids, one cute little girl in braids, one big-eyed boy playing with an old monk. I couldn't help noticing that both kids were harelipped and the scares from the operation were still obvious new. When I asked their name they both were too shy to answer. So the old monk helped them out telling me "one is called nian ci, the other one is nian bei." (Their name together means compassion). Then I was told they were twin brother and sister who were abandoned at the gate of the temple. This tiny temple adopted them and financed their operations. Now when the kids calling the temple their home, I asked the monk if they will be 鈥渙utofhome鈥 Buddhist nun/monk) automatically, he answered with the common Buddhist catholicon to everything: " suiyuan (闅忕紭) ba!" (Fate guides the road)...I heard that million times before, but couldn't remember when I was that moved.
Buddhists often use the word "compassion" rather than "love". I have thought it was only wordings, but have seen what I have seen, I guess I may finally got it:
Love, even parental love, can be conditional because it's still personal, it is human, it is one- to- one directed, and selfish by nature; compassion is a kind of more transcendent affection that truly lasts because it always resides in the little Buddha of everyone. I know Buddha has preached "cibei" compassion for more than 2000 years, but the message finally reached my ear, in one of his most neglectablely small domain...
I was lost in my contemplative thoughts for quite a while until I heard the voice in flame-- my hardworking cameraman was shouting from the main hall, calling me right back to the harsh reality, literally, like he said:
"Get your * back here and do it, its gonna be too late soon!"
I ran back to him..
I took his words as a wise advice.
Editor:Zhang Source:CCTV.com
