Then, they rode their horses to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
tower seat
There are stone doors at the base of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. There are exquisite line carved Buddha statues and brick couplets on the lintel and door frame. On both sides of the south entrance of the ground floor were embedded steles. The west niche was written from right to left by Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty, and the Preface to the Great Tang Sanzang Sacred Religion written by Chu Suiliang, a great calligrapher at that time. The east niche was written from left to right by Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty, and the Preface to the Great Tang Sanzang Sacred Religion written by Chu Suiliang. It was called the "Two Saints and Three Unique Steles".
The two steles had the same specifications and form. The stele head was a coiled dragon, and the lines on both sides of the stele body were clearly divided into a narrow top and wide bottom echelon (this was the typical shape of the Tang stele). The stele base was a square stele base with patterns engraved on it. The two steles were ten feet high. The inscription highly praised Master Xuanzang for his historical achievements and extraordinary spirit of seeking Buddhist scriptures from the West and promoting Buddhism. It was known as the Holy Church of Yanta.
These two steles were erected here by Xuanzang in October of the fourth year of Yonghui of Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty. They are well preserved today. It was an important cultural relic for the study of calligraphy, painting, and sculpture in the Tang Dynasty. It was worth mentioning that the Tang Dynasty painter Wu Daozi and the great poet Wang Wei had painted many murals for the Temple of Mercy, but unfortunately, they had long been lost in history.
However, on the stone lintel and door frame of the four entrances under the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, there were still exquisite Tang Dynasty line carvings. In addition, on both sides of the south gate's coupon hole, there were also pictures of Xuanzang carrying a book collection and Xuanzang translating scriptures.
The Great Wild Goose Pagoda was also the place where the Tang Dynasty's new Jinshi was named. It was one of the famous eight scenic spots in Guanzhong. Unfortunately, the inscription on the Yanta Pagoda could no longer be seen. The reason was that Li Deyu, the prime minister of Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty, was not born in the Jinshi. He was deeply jealous of the Jinshi and ordered the abolition of the Qujiang River drinking,"removing all the inscriptions."
In the Tang Dynasty, the new Jinshi were all inscribed in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, so that later generations used the "Yanta Inscription" to replace the Jinshi.
tower body
Ta 'nan Gate
In the Tang Dynasty, after the new Jinshi passed the examination, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty gave a banquet in the apricot garden, gathered at the Qujiang River to drink, and wrote an inscription under the Cien Tower. These were the customs that people often called "Qujiang River Flowing Drinking" and "Yanta Inscription".
After entering the south gate, there were many inscriptions on the wall of the cave on both sides of the Ming Dynasty. Among them,"The name of the Yanta is the first thing of the first-class people between heaven and earth", which is the scenery of the "Yanta" at that time. In addition, there were also the "Xuanzang Carrying the Book Stele" and "Xuanzang Translating the Scripture Stele" that described Xuanzang's glorious life. On the first floor of the pagoda, there were four long couplets hanging on the bright pillars. They were written about the history, characters, and stories of the Tang Dynasty.
On the first floor of the pagoda, there was also an exhibition of ancient pagodas and photos of famous Chinese pagodas, showing the origin and development of pagodas, as well as the structure and classification of pagodas. On the east side of the pagoda's platform, there was a stone carved with the footprints of Xuanzang's half-step sutras. The patterns vividly reflected the legendary story of Xuanzang's journey to the West, as well as his spirit of struggle.
Second floor: Buddha statue of Shakyamuni
Inside the tower room on the second floor of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, there was a gilded bronze Buddha statue of Sakyamuni. It was a precious cultural relic of the early Ming Dynasty and was regarded as the "treasure of the tower". The tourists who visited here rushed to worship and admire.
On the walls of the pagoda on both sides, there were two murals of Manjushri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, as well as many calligraphies of modern celebrities. Most of them were poems written by poets of the Tang Dynasty when they climbed the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
[Level 3: Sarira]
In the middle of the three-story tower room, there was a wooden seat. There are precious Buddhist relics and models of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda on the throne. There was a story about the origin of the relic. It was given by Master Wu Qian, the abbot of Xuanzang Temple in India. It was a Buddhist treasure.
In the third year of Emperor Gaozong's reign, Master Xuanzang built the Big Wild Goose Pagoda to store Buddhist statues and relics. In the Biography of Master Xuanzang, it was only recorded that there were 150 flesh relics and one box of bone relics, but the specific number was not specified. In the same book, when describing the section on the tower, it was stated that there were sariras in the center of each layer, some 1,000, some 2,000, a total of more than 10,000.”Later, Chang 'an rebuilt the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, and there were no detailed historical records on how to deal with the original relics in the pagoda.
[Level 4: Palm-leaf Sutra]
On the fourth floor of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, there were two Patterned Leaf Sutras worshiped. On them, there were dense Sanskrit characters. It was said that less than ten people knew the characters. Its preciousness and mystery could be seen.
[Level 5: Sakyamuni's Footprint Stele]
On the fifth floor of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, there was a monument of Buddha's footprints. The monument was copied from the statue of Buddha's feet that Master Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty had asked stonemason Li Tianzhao to engrave at Yuhua Temple in Tongchuan in his later years. There were many Buddhist patterns on it, and its meaning was very rich. There was a saying that "seeing the feet is like seeing Buddha, and worshipping the feet is like worshipping Buddha".
In the tower room on the fifth floor, there were also a few poems that Xuanzang rarely knew. One could see Xuanzang's superb artistic attainments in poetry.
Level 6: Tang Poetry Banner
On the sixth floor, there were five poems of the Tang Dynasty. In the late autumn of the 11th year of Tianbao, Du Fu, Cen Shen, Gao Shi, Xue Ju and Chu Guangxi made an appointment to climb the Big Wild Goose Pagoda together. They leaned against the railing and looked at the scenery from afar, and drank wine to help them write poems to express their feelings. All of them were talented and their poems were superb. Each person wrote a five-character poem, which was passed down through the ages.
Seventh floor: Lotus Cavern
The seventh floor was the highest point of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. One could look around and have a panoramic view of the four directions of the ancient city. The top of the seven-story tower was carved with a sacred lotus caissons. In the center was a huge lotus flower. There were a total of fourteen words on the petals, and they were linked into a poem. There were several ways to read them. On the wall, Xuanzang's Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty recorded the legend of monks burying swallows to build pagodas in India, explaining to tourists the most credible theory of the origin of the Wild Goose Pagoda.
"How was it? Did you get anything today?”Qiao Feng asked.
"I've gained a lot. These places are all very big, so I only skimmed through them today. He really wanted to come back to Chang 'an and appreciate these places of interest again!”Li Shishi replied.
"Yes, there will definitely be a chance in the future. It's just that I've been busy with Beggar's Sect's affairs these few days. If I have time in the future, I will bring you to visit Chang 'an again!”Qiao Feng said.
It was already 10:00 pm, and the sky was starting to darken.
"Let's go back!" Li Shishi said.
"Yes." Qiao Feng said.
Then, Qiao Feng rode back to the inn with Li Shishi.
Li Shishi brewed some tea and took a pill. She said to Qiao Feng,""Big Brother Qiao, today is the 26th of March. It's time for that again!”
"How many times did we do it today?" Qiao Feng asked.
"Tell me, as many times as you want!" Li Shishi replied.
"Twice!" Qiao Feng said.
"Yes, alright!" Li Shishi said.
Then, Qiao Feng began to do that.
He did it twice, and each time it was more than two hours.
The next day, after they woke up, Qiao Feng brought Shishi Li to the Chang 'an Great Wisdom Branch of Beggar's Sect.
"Gang Leader Qiao, what brings you to Chang 'an?”Great Wisdom Branch Leader Wu Xuewen asked.
"Brother Xuewen, the Black Tortoise Tribe of the Beggar's Sect in Xiongzhou City is in a tight spot now. Can you get some silver and men to support the Black Tortoise Tribe?”Qiao Feng asked.
"Of course. How much do you want, Chief Qiao?”Wu Xuewen asked.
"How about 150,000 taels of silver and 1,500 people?”Qiao Feng asked.
"Sure, but it will take half a year to raise it. How about it?”Wu Xuewen asked again.
"Alright, Brother Xuewen, you can start to gather the money now. After you've gathered the money, send the silver to the Black Tortoise Sect of Beggar's Sect in Xiongzhou through the escort agency. 1,500 people will report to the Black Tortoise Sect of Beggar's Sect. Chief Ma will arrange for their food, clothing, and accommodation.”Qiao Feng said.
"Alright, I'll do my best to satisfy Chief Qiao!”Wu Xuewen said.
Satisfied, Qiao Feng brought Li Shishi back to the inn.
"Brother Qiao, where are we going tomorrow?”Li Shishi asked after she finished brewing the tea.
"Back to Luoyang, there are still some matters to deal with in the sect. There will be a Beggar's Sect Meeting in a few days!”Qiao Feng said.
"Okay, then I'll start cultivating and refining Qi!”Li Shishi said.
"Alright, I'll go to bed first. You go to bed early too.”Qiao Feng said.
" Okay," Li Shishi said and started to cultivate.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。