Travel Notes of Nan Wutai Immortal

Nan Wutai was called Taiyi Mountain in ancient times. It is located about 30 kilometers south of Xi'an and has an altitude of 1,688 meters. It is a branch of Zhongnan Mountain. There are five peaks on the mountain: Qingliang, Wenzhu, Xianchen, Lingying, and Guanyin. Because it is located in Wutai Mountain (Yaowang Mountain) in Yao County, Shaanxi ) to the south, hence the name Nanwutai. This is one of the dojos of Guanyin Bodhisattva and is a famous Buddhist holy place in China.

Nanwutai Mountain is steep in shape and the scenery is extremely beautiful. It is called the "Zhongnan Shenxiu District". There were hundreds of temples on the original mountain. After the war, there are now more than 40 temples of different sizes, distributed on various platforms. Among them, the Shengshou Temple Pagoda was built in the Sui Dynasty, with a square shape of seven floors and a height of 23 meters. It is the earliest existing pagoda in Xi'an. It is said that Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian, and his mother traveled to India and brought back a Buddha tooth. When he came to Nanwutai, he saw the beautiful mountains and clear waters, so he meditated and chanted sutras. His mother practiced here. In the early Tang Dynasty, the mother of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin also came here to worship several times a year. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was once built in imitation of this tower .

There is an ancient poem that says:

Chang'an Three Thousand Gold World,

Zhongnan’s million-dollar jade tower;

A white cloud cannot cover it,

The red leaves all over the mountain are like monks.

This poem expresses the grand scene of Taiyi Mountain temples and Buddhism during the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

We set off early in the morning and climbed to the Guanyin Tower at noon. Just as we were about to take a nap, someone suddenly shouted: It’s going to rain again! As soon as he finished speaking, a thin drizzle of rain hit his face with the cool mountain breeze.

After a while, a sea of ​​clouds appeared before our eyes, rain and mist drifted with the breeze, and mountain temples and pine forests were looming. Standing on the railing of Guanyin Tower and looking out into the distance, you feel like you are standing on the clouds. The bells under the eaves of the temple were struck by the wet mountain wind, making a crisp sound that made people feel like they were in another world.

"Guanzhong Tongzhi" records that "among the beautiful areas in Nanshan today, Chang'an South Wutai is the most beautiful." During the trip to Nanwutai, I was lucky enough to encounter the sea of ​​rain, fog and clouds, and appreciate its spiritual and graceful state, which made people feel ecstatic and relaxed!