After leaving the poplar forest, Zhuang Rui and his group were stunned by an ancient building that suddenly appeared before them. The shock was no less than when they discovered the poplar forest.
Between two rows of dead poplar trees, large bluestones several meters long are laid out, forming a staircase that extends upwards to a height of seven or eight meters. Although it has been eroded by wind and sand, the smooth stone surface can still be seen.
At the end of the more than 20-meter-long staircase is a temple gate that has collapsed halfway. The pillars on both sides of the gate, which are carved with intricate patterns, have fallen to the ground, and the plaque above the gate is so blurred that the words are no longer legible.
Although the temple gate is dilapidated, one can still see the well-arranged and magnificent halls and pavilions inside through the gate. The ancient temple, which has endured thousands of years of wind and sand, still looks magnificent.
"Brother Mengzi, this kind of 'small' temple is rare even in Henan and Shaanxi, isn't it?"
Even before entering the temple, one can see from the outside that this temple was once very prosperous. Perhaps only during the Sui and Tang dynasties, when Buddhism flourished, could such a large-scale temple have been built.
One can imagine the bustling scene a thousand years ago when the Silk Road was thriving, with scholars, Buddhist disciples, merchants and travelers from all over coming to worship Buddha and visit temples.
Chapter 1112 Ancient Temple (Part 2)
"I've never been to Henan or Shaanxi, but the scale of this Buddhist temple is comparable to those in Dunhuang..."
Mengzi had never been as far as Dunhuang in his life, so he couldn't answer Xiao Jia's question. However, it was clear that the dilapidated ancient temple had also deeply impressed him.
Influenced by Dunhuang culture, Mengzi was also a lay Buddhist. Unlike Zhuang Rui and others, he did not walk straight up the stone steps, but instead knelt down respectfully at the foot of the steps and bowed to the temple gate.
"The architectural style and form of this temple are influenced by the culture of the Western Regions, so it seems that it was first built during the Sui and Tang Dynasties at the very least..."
Archaeology is a broad field of study, encompassing chemistry, museology, history, and even architecture. It is essential to be able to discuss these subjects in some way. As a result, Dr. Ren was able to determine the age of the ancient temple from its exterior even before entering it.
"Brother Mengzi, Brother Erdan, don't go in yet. Oh, and Xiao Yan, you shouldn't go in either. Stay here with Zhongchuan..."
Zhuang Rui stood on the stone steps and carefully examined the wood of the temple gate. He found that although it had been hundreds of years, the wood had not rotted. It was only because of years of neglect that the joints had broken, which led to the collapse of the gate.
However, Zhuang Rui has no way of knowing what the buildings inside are like. Firstly, he is afraid that the palaces inside might collapse and injure people, and secondly, he is afraid that Mengzi and his people do not know the knowledge of cultural relic protection and might damage the cultural relics inside.
As for not letting Xiao Yan and the Japanese man in, Zhuang Rui did it on purpose. He wanted to see what the Japanese man's purpose was in coming to the desert. Now that they had found the ancient temple, he would probably show his true colors.
“#￥#@#…”
Sure enough, right after Yan Xiaowei translated Zhuang Rui's words, Nakagawa shouted loudly in dissatisfaction.
“Brother Zhuang, this Japanese guy is making a scene and insists on going in. He says you're not law enforcement officers or the managers here, so you have no right to stop him from entering…”
Yan Xiaowei didn't have a good impression of his employer and often used "little Japanese" to refer to Nakagawa's name when translating. Now that he heard Nakagawa make this request, he felt even more impatient.
Although the desert trip was worthwhile because it included seeing the mysterious and beautiful mirages and the strangely shaped poplar forests, the scene of quicksand swallowing camels left Yan Xiaowei, a student with little experience of the world, feeling a bit scared.
Faced with this ancient temple complex imbued with strong religious significance, he felt only fear of the unknown, with no desire to explore it. He was more than happy to wait at the entrance with Nakagawa.
"Xiao Yan, tell him that we are a formally approved and registered national archaeological team, and we have the responsibility and the right to stop outsiders from damaging cultural relics..."
Zhuang Rui sneered inwardly. He wanted to see if this little Japanese man had any more excuses. If he insisted on entering the ancient temple ruins, then he must have something to hide.
"Brother Zhuang, he said his father was killed while exploring, and he hopes to fulfill his father's last wish, to go inside and take a look, and promises not to damage anything inside..."
Although Yan Xiaowei disliked Nakagawa, he still fulfilled his duty as a translator and translated Nakagawa's words verbatim.
Dr. Ren also sensed something fishy was going on. After thinking for a moment, he gave Zhuang Rui a wink and said, "Zhuang Rui, let him in. Let's take a quick look first. I'll urge the Dunhuang Cultural Relics Bureau to conduct a protective excavation here later..."
"Alright, Xiao Yan, tell Nakagawa to be careful and not to damage anything inside..."
When Zhuang Rui heard Dr. Ren speak, he shook his head with a wry smile. His senior brother had been in the ivory tower for too long and did not understand the harm caused by those antique dealers.
Even if the cultural relics department were to intervene, those profit-driven antique dealers, driven by money, would still be able to deceive the pirates about what was inside. As for the government's capabilities, Zhuang Rui had no faith in them whatsoever.
Some time ago, Zhuang Rui heard something from someone in the industry: Jiaxiang, Shandong is the hometown of Zengzi, a student of Confucius. There is a Zeng Temple there, which has been guarded by Zengzi's descendants for generations. However, after the death of Zengzi's direct grandson in the modern era, the government requested to take over the Zeng Temple and turn it into a tourist attraction.
In an effort to attract tourists, local authorities requested that Zengzi's descendants bring out a white jade cauldron that had been preserved in the Zeng Temple for over a thousand years, but Zengzi's descendants refused.
However, they couldn't fight against the powerful. Under pressure from the relevant departments, Zengzi's descendants finally brought out the white jade tripod. However, less than a month after it was brought out, it disappeared.
After the item was lost, the relevant departments began to shirk responsibility, and to this day, there has been no news of the priceless white jade tripod. Therefore, expecting those departments to protect cultural relics is simply a pipe dream.
"Senior brother, take a closer look later. If there's anything of research value, we'll take it with us..."
Zhuang Rui walked ahead and whispered something to Dr. Ren. Dr. Ren was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Nakagawa and nodded slightly.
The temple gate had lost its original function. After stepping over the fallen pillar and half of the wooden door with nails, Zhuang Rui and his group of eight entered the ancient temple ruins in single file.
Behind the temple gate is a large open space paved with bluestone, presumably used by eminent monks for religious ceremonies. At the entrance to the main hall at the end of the open space stands a large iron cauldron, about two meters long and one meter wide.
The place, which used to be bustling with worshippers, is now deserted. A thick layer of gravel covers the bluestone ground, making a "crunching" sound when you step on it.
As you walk up to the entrance of the main hall and look up, the four characters "Daxiong Baodian" (Great Buddha Hall) come into view. Decades of wind and sand have only slightly dimmed the golden characters, but they still stand tall in the hall.
However, the dilapidated window frames and the pervasive dust around the main hall bear witness to the rise and fall of this ancient temple, which may have been famous hundreds of years ago.
"Brother Ren, be careful, let's not go in for now..."
The main gate of the Great Buddha Hall opened, and Dr. Ren walked to the door, looked around, and was about to step over the threshold when Zhuang Rui grabbed him.
You know, if a piece of wood collapses, it can kill someone. This Mahavira Hall has been abandoned for at least eighty or ninety years, not to mention it has been subjected to the ravages of wind and sand for half a century. It might collapse with just a breath.
"It's alright, Zhuang Rui. Look at these pillars; they're all made of top-quality nanmu and pine wood, and judging by their age, they shouldn't be more than 200 years old. Plus, this place is arid and receives little rain year-round, so they won't collapse..."
Dr. Ren smiled and waved to Zhuang Rui. To work in archaeology, one must have a thorough understanding of various building materials. For example, even in ancient tombs, a large amount of wood is used.
A qualified archaeologist must be able to roughly determine the age and tree species of a piece of wood based on its appearance. For example, the pillars in the Ming Tombs palaces are almost all made of expensive Phoebe zhennan wood, a type of wood that had become extinct by the Qing Dynasty.
Legend has it that when Emperor Qianlong was building his own imperial mausoleum, he ordered the renovation of the Ming Dynasty emperor's tomb, but in reality, he wanted to steal the golden nanmu wood to build his own palace.
Moreover, the structure of this temple fully adheres to the ancient architectural style, using wooden pillars and beams to form the framework of the house. The weight of the roof and eaves is transferred to the pillars through the beams, and the walls only serve as partitions, rather than structural parts that bear the weight of the house.
In this way, even if the four walls of the main hall collapse, the roof will not collapse, which is exactly what the ancient Chinese saying "the walls may fall, but the roof will not collapse" means.
After hearing Dr. Ren's explanation, Zhuang Rui felt relieved and followed Dr. Ren into the main hall. The entire Mahavira Hall was about ten meters high, but apart from the three Buddha statues enshrined in the center, it was completely empty.
The three Buddha statues are all seven or eight meters tall, with solemn postures and benevolent faces. The painted decorations on them have not completely faded, but the yellow cloth draped around them has decayed into ash.
Seeing the shapes of the three Buddha statues, Zhuang Rui said with a smile, "Senior brother, this temple is older than we thought..."
The central figure enshrined in the hall is Shakyamuni Buddha, representing the present world; to his left is Dipankara Buddha, representing the past world; and to his right is Maitreya Buddha, representing the future world. These are known as the "Three Buddhas of the Three Times," signifying the past, present, and future.
After Buddhism was officially introduced to China during the Eastern Han Dynasty, it incorporated many Chinese elements during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Most temples enshrined Shakyamuni Buddha of the Saha world, Bhaisajyaguru Buddha of the Eastern Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli, and Amitabha Buddha of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
The three types of Buddha statues mentioned above are called the "Horizontal Three Buddhas". Only temples before the Sui and Tang Dynasties would enshrine the "Vertical Three Buddhas", which is why Zhuang Rui made this statement.
"Hmm, Zhuang Rui, you seem to know quite a bit about this. Come on, let's go take a look in the back..."
After circling the three Buddha statues, Dr. Ren found nothing on the ground except for sand and dust. There wasn't even a table, chair, or altar. He shook his head in disappointment. They had come to search for and excavate ancient artifacts, not to worship Buddha in a temple.
"Brother Zhuang, Zhongchuan said he wants to worship Buddha..."
Just as Zhuang Rui was about to walk out, Yan the Translator's voice suddenly came from behind him. Turning around, he saw Zhongchuan kneeling in front of the Buddha Shakyamuni in the main hall, performing a deep bow.
"Tell Nakagawa to hurry up. This ancient temple is very large; we can't see it all in a short time. If we all bow down, it will probably be dark by then..."
The main religious belief in Japan is Shintoism, followed by Buddhism. There are also a large number of Buddhist believers in Japan, so Zhuang Rui didn't take Nakagawa's actions to heart.
Chapter 1113 Nothing Gained
"Brother Zhuang, Nakagawa said that during his trip to China, he would pay homage to every Buddha statue he encountered, including these three. He suggested we visit them first..."
After Yan, the translator, relayed Zhuang Rui's words to Nakagawa, Nakagawa mumbled something else, remaining kneeling on the ground facing the seven- or eight-meter-tall Buddha statue before him, looking extremely devout.
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and said, "Peng Fei, you go with him. Ren Ge and I will go check the back first..."
This Buddhist temple, which was originally built during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, has an architectural style that is very rare in mainland China. Zhuang Rui just wanted to see it for himself and was too lazy to waste words with Zhongchuan. He then gave Peng Fei a few instructions to keep an eye on Zhongchuan.
Peng Fei and Zhuang Rui had known each other for several years and had developed a tacit understanding. He understood Zhuang Rui's meaning, nodded, and said, "Brother Zhuang, don't worry, with me watching over him, he won't be able to pull any tricks..."
"Okay, be careful. We'll just take a quick look around the back and come right back. We'll do a more thorough survey tomorrow..."
It was already past four o'clock, and the sun was setting, making the light rather dim. It was only because Zhuang Rui and others dealt with ancient tombs and corpses all day long that they dared to walk around in this deserted place.
However, nothing could be seen at night. Zhuang Rui just wanted to get a general understanding of the architectural structure of the ancient temple so that he could start an investigation tomorrow and see if he could find any valuable objects.
After giving Peng Fei his instructions, Zhuang Rui, Dr. Ren, and several graduate students from Peking University walked out through a dilapidated side door inside the main hall.
Outside the side gate of the Mahavira Hall is a small courtyard. At the end of the courtyard is another building, but instead of a plaque, it is directly engraved with the three large characters "Amitabha Pavilion".
"This...this is actually a stone pavilion..."
Upon closer inspection, Zhuang Rui and the others discovered that the Amitabha Pavilion was actually carved entirely from mountain rocks.
Stone pavilions are not uncommon in the west, especially near Dunhuang. The famous Mogao Caves are all carved into the mountains. However, it is quite surprising to see stones other than yellow sand in the desert.
"Zhuang Rui, have you noticed that the terrain here gradually rises up? It must have been a mountain before. Let's go in and take a look..."
Temples from the Sui and Tang dynasties, and even earlier periods, were mostly built against mountains, such as the White Horse Temple in Luoyang and the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song. It seems that this abandoned ancient temple is no exception.
After carefully examining the outside of the stone pavilion, Dr. Ren sighed, "The ancients really didn't care about the common people but about ghosts and gods. They spent so much money to build a temple, just to seek peace of mind. How much wealth and resources did they waste?"
The Amitabha Pavilion is exquisitely constructed, with half of it clinging to a cliff, making it appear as if it were suspended in mid-air.
Opening the rusty iron gate, one can clearly see a statue of Amitabha carved on the inner wall of the pavilion. The statue is barefoot, dirty-faced, and smiling, with a very lifelike appearance.
In the very center of the stone pavilion was a courtyard. Zhuang Rui shone his flashlight on it, and it was pitch black, so dark that he couldn't see the bottom. He estimated that it was at least ten meters deep.
The stones surrounding the courtyard are very smooth, presumably from when the monks in the temple were drawing water in the early years. However, the water in the well has long since dried up, otherwise this place would not have become an empty temple.
Zhuang Rui turned around and noticed the four large characters "Qiongya Dicui" carved on the lintel of the back door of the stone pavilion. He couldn't help but sigh, "Qiongya Dicui, what a beautiful image. This place must have been lush with greenery and ancient trees growing at an angle back then. But who could have imagined that it would fall into such a state of decline?"
"It's just like the changing of dynasties, there's always rise and fall, victory and defeat. It's such a pity that such an ancient temple, with a history of a thousand years, is buried in the desert..."
Although we haven't been able to see the whole picture yet, we can tell its scale just from these two halls. If it were located in the Central Plains or the Jiangnan region, its reputation would probably surpass that of Shaolin Temple on Mount Song.
As it was getting late, Zhuang Rui and his group did not linger and continued walking towards the back gate. However, as they walked along, they discovered that the size of this ancient temple, which had stood for a thousand years, far exceeded their expectations.
After passing the Amitabha Pavilion, there are about eight or nine other Zen temples, including the Thousand Buddha Pavilion, the Coiled Dragon Pavilion, the Arhat Temple, the Central Heaven Temple, the Calling Immortal Pavilion, the Better Pavilion, and the Dragon Spring Pavilion, with corridors winding through them and multiple buildings stacked on top of each other.
Although the area is now dilapidated, one can imagine the grand spectacle of people from various Western Regions and within China gathering here to worship Buddha during its heyday.
When Zhuang Rui and his group reached the last part of the ancient temple, Zhuang Rui looked at the vast, barren land in front of him with six scattered ancient pagodas and couldn't help but exclaim, "This...this is a stupa?"
Stupas are used to enshrine the relics of eminent monks after their passing. Relics, as the crystallization of a person's achievements in precepts, meditation, and wisdom, hold a very important position in Buddhism and serve as evidence of the practitioner's attainment.
Just like when Shakyamuni Buddha entered Nirvana 2,500 years ago, his disciples found a piece of skull, two scapulae, four teeth, a middle finger bone relic, and 84,000 pearl-shaped relics from the ashes when they cremated his body. These relics of the Buddha have always been regarded as sacred objects and Buddhist treasures by believers, who have been vying to worship them.
The Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism in China, Huineng, and modern masters such as Hongyi, Yinguang, Taixu, and Zhangjia, all left behind a considerable number of relics after their passing, which are worshipped and venerated by later generations of Buddhists.
In ancient times, generally speaking, only extremely important temples could not build stupas. Most of them were built by imperial decree. The existence of a stupa here suggests that it was an important Buddhist site during the heyday of Buddhism a thousand years ago.
After circling several hexagonal pyramid-shaped stupas, each over 4 meters tall, Dr. Ren's face showed a hint of disappointment. He said, "They are indeed stupas, but I'm afraid the relics of eminent monks throughout history have already been taken away..."