Chapter 6 Lama Temple

On the east side of Dingmen Street in Beiping, and north of Beixin Bridge, there is a majestic Lama Temple, which is Lama Temple.This famous temple was originally the hidden residence of the fourth son of the Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty before Yinzhen ascended the throne.After Yongzheng Yuji, half of the hidden residence was changed to the upper court of the Yellow Sect lamas, and the other half was changed to executive officials.According to the legend of the eunuchs in Maoli, in the early days, Lijingxuan in the Shouan Palace and the Shouan Palace each had a tunnel leading directly to the hidden residence of the fourth son of the emperor.In the third year of Yongzheng's reign, some assassins infiltrated and set fire to some of the palaces, and all of them were burned down. Then they were put under the control of lamas and renamed Lama Temple.

The Lama Temple was originally the residence of the prince and the residence of the future king. Naturally, it was the other hall of the Qin Palace, with Yuyuxuan steps. All the buildings are very unusual.Since it was converted into a Lamaism monastery, the Lama Temple has innumerable land properties and houses in various counties of Hebei Province, and only collects land rent, not money or food.The lamas were rich in food and used their inexhaustible money to build large-scale construction projects, striving to make the palace magnificent and beautiful. Over the past two hundred years, it has been repaired several times, with carved beams and painted buildings, yellow tiles and red walls, and golden lights shining.Compared with the cold palace and long alleys in the imperial city, the vines are blurred, the sky is cold and the clouds are cold, and the desolate situation is really indescribable.

Because Yongheguan is a Lama Temple, the halls, gardens and pavilions are bright and deep, unlike the monks and Taoists, the temples are divided into layers, and the flying pavilions and towers are all circuitous and ingenious.The most famous palaces include Patriarch Hall, Emuqi Hall, Yongyou Hall, Suicheng Hall, Falun Hall, Ghost Temple, Yamudeke Tower, Wanfu Pavilion, etc.Every hall is almost full of large and small Buddha statues, and nine out of ten are made of gold.In addition, there are thirteen-storey pagodas of all kinds and shapes cast in Mongolian sand gold.Each pagoda is full of jade and pearls, each pagoda has its own jade fruit and pearls, and there are relics of eminent monks. Every day, lamas go around the pagodas to chant scriptures and make offerings with fragrance of flowers.

Wanfu Pavilion is also known as Wanfo Tower. It is said that during the Qianlong period, Bi Dafu, a wealthy gentry in Mengzi, Yunnan, got a huge sandalwood tree 20 to 30 feet long in Jiangxinpo. Part-time.Shipped from Yunnan to Beijing.When presenting treasures in front of the emperor, Long Yan was very happy, and transported this huge piece of sandalwood to Lama Temple to enlist skilled craftsmen who are famous for sculptures of Buddha statues, and tried their best to carve a vertical giant Buddha in the size of sandalwood.After the statue of Buddha was completed, it stood majestic and towering, leaning against the dust; it is said that the navel of the Buddha was as high as the battlements of Andingmen, and two people could play chess in the ears and two people lying side by side on the back of the feet, which was still ample. of.In short, it is not difficult to imagine how big this piece of sandalwood is.

Since the size of this giant Buddha is very large, of course the foundation was laid first, and then it was seated.In this Wanfu Pavilion, the Buddha seat was erected first, and then the Buddha Pavilion was built, so the eaves, rafters and jue on the top of the Buddha, the top of the caisson and the height of the Buddha's body are just right.The golden body of the giant Buddha is not decorated with gold leaf (commonly known as gilding) like ordinary Buddha statues, but engraved with gold and chalk, and crowned with Mingma.In particular, there is a bright pearl on the top of the Buddha, shining brightly, and the treasure looks solemn. A silk square scarf (called Hada by Lamas) on the hand is all made of golden Teng silk from the inner court, which is not easy to see from the outside.

In the middle of the Buddha seat in Suicheng Hall, there is a white plain satin umbrella cover, which is full of the charms of living Buddhas of the past dynasties.The three-headed and six-armed Buddha mother is enshrined under the umbrella, and it is also the master of the nine heavenly gods of Tantric Buddhism. There is a dog-faced monster Buddha in the Yamudeke Hall, with a human head and a skeleton hanging from the waist, and a demon girl on his feet. The shape is extremely ferocious.This strange Buddha is a sage who resists the seven emotions and six desires, and is called the "Great Universal Universal God".

The Hall of Ghosts and Gods is also called the Temple of Special Participation. The large and small Huanxi Buddhas are enshrined in it. They are all strange male and female Buddha statues with human body and animal face, naked and naked.The lights in the hall were dim, and Lama Sura, who led the visit, lit a candle, so that the pilgrims who paid their respects could watch it carefully.Before leaving, you must invite one or two small Huanxi Buddhas home, saying that they are blessings from heaven. If you are not interested in Huanxi Buddhas, you will naturally have to talk about the rewards for leading the rejoicing.Because the Buddha statues offered in the Teshen Hall are ghosts and monsters that cannot be seen in other temples, everyone has a kind of curiosity. It's the turn of the special participation hall, and I'm happier than winning the jackpot!

In the Qing Dynasty, there was a special case. When the emperor was ill, he often went to Lama Temple to burn incense and pay homage, and then selected a lama to be the emperor's substitute.Once appointed, the lama is immediately worth a hundred times and promoted to the grand lama. Not only will he be rich and honored for life, but his power and pomp will be unparalleled.Lamas in Lama Temple are different from those in other lama temples. They are equivalent to official positions, and their tenants are also given monthly rations and salary according to the size of their positions!This kind of official lama is much more airy than ordinary lamas.

In addition to the general ceremonies, Lama Temple also has two special religious ceremonies every year: first, "fighting ghosts" is held from the 29th of the first month of the lunar calendar to the first day of the second month of the lunar calendar; The ceremony of fighting ghosts is divided into three days: the first day is called "playing ghosts", the second day is called "fighting ghosts", and the third day is called "turning temples".In these three days, the third day is the most important.According to the lamas, there are often demons and ghosts in our world who poison the living beings, and "acting ghosts" and "fighting ghosts" are held to cast down demons and eliminate ghosts.In those three days, when the stars and the moon were about to sink, they recited mantras in the hall, and appointed two strong lamas in advance, one as a black ghost and the other as a white ghost, and some lamas all wore mastiff teeth. Headgear, behind the two ghosts, black and white, howled and ran after them, while some senior lamas chanted sutras and mantras loudly.Others use the unique camel drum and bronze horn of the Yellow Sect to play and beat all the way in the team, limping and dancing. This kind of dance is called Zhabu dancing.All the palaces have to be surrounded for a week. This is the so-called "Zhuan Temple". Finally, the black and white ghosts are knocked down. At this time, the lama who dressed up as the black and white ghosts immediately took off the ghost mask and made a portrait with two pastry flour. As a stand-in, and then cut the dough man to pieces with a knife.They think that by doing so, they can bless good luck within a year.There is a custom in Beiping, the rules of the old people, most of them are not allowed to go to see the Yonghe officials to fight ghosts, because when the ghosts are exorcised, and the ghosts are chasing each other, let them do it for a while, and it will not go well for a whole year. It's not a ghost fetus, it's a miscarriage.So it's not surprising that the real old Peking has never seen the Lama Temple fighting ghosts.

The "Firing Thread Pavilion" is held on the seventh day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar. Use sorghum straw to make a shelf and tie the silk thread and colored silk into a gazebo. In addition, there are two people with delicate silk paper paste, one is an old man with gray beard and hair, and the other is a new cut The teenagers are all set on a large basin.The lamas chanted scriptures and cast mantras around them, and then burned the pavilion and paper figurines together.I heard the old lamas of the Yonghe official say: "The old man is Yue Wumu, the young man is his son Yue Yun, and the pavilion is Fengbo Pavilion. That day is the anniversary of the death of their father and son. Yue's father and son are loyal and courageous, and vowed to restore the rivers and mountains. The lofty aspirations of Lingyun are admired by everyone, so I chant scriptures for them and pray for the blessing of the country and the people." In addition, there is a set of famous paintings of Lizhitian Bodhisattva on the walls of the Falun Hall, which is similar to the main hall of the "Po Temple" (commonly known as the Reclining Buddha Temple) in Thailand. Depicting the deeds of the Buddha's life, that is, the "Jataka" in Buddhism and more than 300 statues of Sakyamuni Buddha in different shapes arranged in the two corridors, are regarded as the three rare treasures by scholars studying Buddhist scriptures.However, ordinary tourists rejoice in sightseeing, and if it is not explained by an expert guide, most of them will pass by at a glance.

In front of the temple of ghosts and gods, there are two giant bears with black fur all over their bodies. They are a pair of giant bears that have never been seen before.It is said that it was the spoils that Emperor Qianlong personally hunted during the siege of Changbai Mountain. His subjects made specimens and displayed them in the verandah of the palace to show off the might of the sky.Although it is powerful, it is far from the unique skill of Professor Xia Yuanyu, the current taxidermy master.But at the time it was possible to make a specimen, and I don't know how many people worked hard.