Others go to West Lake for the sparkling beauty, but I admire the Buddhist culture of the southeastern Buddhist country.

There are so many temples around West Lake, and there are so many famous temples. I wanted to indulge in this vast Buddhist culture, but unexpectedly I was attracted by the food.

This is Jingci Temple on the edge of the West Lake, opposite Leifeng Pagoda. Compared with the crowds in front of Leifeng Pagoda, there are obviously fewer tourists here.

I always like peace and quiet, so I went there sacrificing myself.

The temple is not small in scale. It relies on Nanping Mountain and is surrounded by towering peaks and green mountains, creating an elegant picture.

The ancient temple is a dual practice of Pure Land Buddhism and Zen Buddhism. This is not surprising in China. Among the eight major sects of Chinese Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism and Zen Buddhism are the most influential. Some incense practitioners cannot tell the difference, and temples simply have both.

Jingci Temple was built in 954 AD for the eminent monk Yongming Zen Master.

Zen Master Yongming's life is quite legendary. He believed in Buddhism since he was a child and had a compassionate nature. When he was young, he worked as an official in the government. Some people were selling fish, shrimps and birds, so he bought them and released them. Over time, all his salary had been squandered.

Pity arose, but he couldn't help but want to release his life, so he had to use government money, and was finally sentenced to death.

When he was about to die, the master was calm and composed, saying, "I have no personal use for the money in the treasury. I bought all the money and released it for living. I don't know how much it is. Wouldn't it be great to die now and be reborn in the Western Paradise?" As a result, these heroic words made him happy.

The penalty was waived.

After that, the master became a monk and worked hard step by step to become the sixth ancestor of the Pure Land Sect and the third ancestor of the Dharma Eye Sect.

With this layer of origin, Jingci Temple has become unique.

Throughout the dynasties, Jingci Temple has been a famous temple in the West Lake. Countless literati and poets came to visit it. Many Hangzhou magistrates came here to learn Buddhist scriptures, leaving behind many good stories.

Yang Wanli, a writer in the Southern Song Dynasty, came to Jingci Temple to say goodbye to his friends early one morning. It was mid-June, the sky was slightly bright, the lotus flowers were bright, and the breeze was clear. He wrote a poem "Leaving Jingci Temple at Dawn to See Off Lin Zifang":

After all, the scenery of West Lake in June is different from that of the four seasons. The lotus leaves touching the sky are infinitely green, and the lotus flowers reflecting the sun are uniquely red.

After leaving the temple, I paid special attention to the endless lotus flowers in the West Lake not far away.

It happens to be early summer at this time, the lotus flowers are in full bloom, and the lotus leaves are green. Unfortunately, my talent is limited and I cannot write beautiful poems.

Jingci Temple was originally called Shouningyuan. After visiting it, Zhao Gou, Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty, was very pleased and changed its name to "Jingci Zen Temple".

Later, the temple was damaged by a disaster, and Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty visited it in person and gathered craftsmen to rebuild the temple, which took five years to complete.

During the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Kangxi visited Jingci Temple three times and left a couplet: The clouds are blooming, the trees are filled with thousands of flowers, and the sound of springs in the bamboos is hundreds of times flying.

This couplet is considered a masterpiece in Kangxi's literary career.

All in all, the temple is favored by dignitaries and literary figures. Through their pen and ink, they have turned this thousand-year-old temple into one of the famous temples in the past.

At the entrance of the temple, I saw a stele pavilion. I never thought that this was the place where the "Nanping Evening Bell" sounded, one of the ten scenic spots in the West Lake.

It is said that there is a big bell in Jingci Temple. The bell has a deep and long sound. Every time the dusk falls and the sun sets, the big bell will be rung.

There is a poem by Zhang Dai in the Tang Dynasty: "The night air blows to the south, the breeze is as thin as paper; the bells sound above, and the river is crossed in the sky at night."

Crossing the empty river all night, the long and lonely charm of the bells is vividly displayed.

The temple is simple and leisurely, with yellow walls covered with gray glazed tiles, solemn and solemn.

The Main Hall is even more magnificent, with a mountain-style roof with double eaves, vermilion pillars, and golden glazed tiles. It is so noble that it makes people respect it unconsciously.

There is an octagonal pavilion in front of the hall, and there is a huge incense burner in the pavilion. This is almost the largest incense burner I have ever seen. Even ten people cannot surround it.

The smoke from the incense burner was filled with smoke, lingering in the sky above the temple. Although it was raining lightly, it could not stop the smell of incense.

There are many ancient wells in the temple with dates engraved on the sides. Many of them were dug during the Song Dynasty.

The water in the well is sweet and clear and has not been cut off for hundreds of years. It maintains the same water level all year round for monks to drink.

While wandering around, I accidentally discovered that there is another "Jigong Courtyard". This courtyard is built like a garden or a Zen courtyard. It is fresh and elegant, with clouds and trees filling the windows, and it is shining even under the cloudy sky.

"Jigong" is sitting in the temple, holding a cattail leaf fan and looking at the believers coming and going with a smile and a kind face.

Jigong is probably the most recognizable famous monk among the people. He was born in the Southern Song Dynasty and his religious name was Daoji. He seemed to be crazy throughout his life, accumulating virtue and doing good deeds all day long. He was the fiftieth ancestor of Zen Buddhism.

After Jigong was expelled from Lingyin Temple, he had no choice but to come to Jingci Temple, where he later lived and practiced.

Interestingly, "Legend of Jigong" was also included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists.