What is the "Lhasa Business Card" Jokhang Temple?

For Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, Jokhang Temple, located on Barkhor Street in the center of the old city, is an unparalleled business card. For thousands of years, it is not only the central stage of important Buddhist activities in Tibetan areas, but also an eternal temple in the eyes of Buddhists.

Jokhang Temple is the earliest Buddhist building in Tibet. It was built in 647 AD, with an east-west direction and basically a wood-stone structure. The architectural style of the whole temple is mainly Tibetan, with some features of China in the Tang Dynasty and Nepal. When it was first built, it was not big, only eight halls. After many repairs and expansions in the past dynasties, today a large Buddhist building complex with a four-story hall and a golden roof covering an area of 25 100 square meters has been formed. Since 1950s, the state and Xizang Autonomous Region government have invested a lot of money, manpower and material resources to repair and repair Jokhang Temple for many times. In 2000, the government of the autonomous region invested another 29 million yuan to carry out large-scale environmental improvement. In June165438+1October of the same year, Jokhang Temple, as an expansion project of Potala Palace, was approved to be included in the World Heritage List.

There are many rare treasures in Jokhang Temple, among which the most famous cultural relic is the 12-year-old statue of Sakyamuni brought to Tibet by Princess Wencheng in the Tang Dynasty in 64 1 year. This is the first Buddha statue to enter the snowy plateau in history, and Tibetans call it the reclining Buddha. It is not only the most precious cultural relic in all Tibetan areas, but also the most supreme and beloved Buddha in the eyes of Buddhist believers. An endless stream of pilgrims, pilgrims sleeping in the wind and tourists flock to Lhasa, mostly for this dazzling sleeping Buddha.

The main body of Jokhang Temple consists of a porch, a courtyard, a temple and a monk's house warehouse distributed around it. Courtyard patio is the main place for daily practice. Tens of thousands of butter lamps are lit under the cloister, and the butter used is provided by worshippers. These ever-burning lamps are the first sight of Jokhang Temple.

The cloister is the busiest place in the temple every morning. There are thousands of Buddha statues painted on the walls of the cloister, so it is also called the Thousand Buddha Gallery. Some people say that turning over the scriptures is the most relaxing time for Tibetans, because at this time, these chanting people are in a hurry and walking on the six roads of the wheel of karma.

The main hall is the oldest main building of Jokhang Temple and the essence of the whole temple. This 12-year-old statue of Sakyamuni is enshrined in the center of this hall. The beam frame and bucket arch structure of the hall adopt the classical architectural techniques of Han nationality; There are 108 woodcarving crouching animals and clay sculpture of the semi-circular sphinx between the first eaves and the double eaves, which embodies the architectural characteristics of Nepal. All the decorations on the roof of the stigma are typical Tibetan traditional styles. This inclusive feature of different styles is closely related to the construction background of Jokhang Temple.

More than 1,300 years ago, it was called Xue Ji Wotang. In fact, it is a swamp full of aquatic plants. In the middle of the swamp, there is a small lake called Wotang Lake. Although the land here is fertile and the grass is rich, it is a wilderness with few people and wild sheep. It is said that it belonged to the powerful Supi tribe at that time, and the power of the Tubo tribe-the ancestor of the Tibetan king Songzan Gambu-has not yet extended here. At the beginning of the 7th century AD, the Tubo tribes living in Shannan were rising day by day. By the thirtieth generation of Sambo and Songzan Gambu's grandfather Darinisi, the great cause of reunifying Tibet had begun. Songzan Gambu's father, Langri Lunzan, continued his arduous campaign after he succeeded to the throne. Unexpectedly, something unexpected happened. Langri Renzan was poisoned by the rebellious minister. The young prince Songzan Gambu, who was only 13 years old, ascended the throne and became the 32nd generation Zamba of Tubo. In that turbulent era, Songzan Gambu lived up to expectations. He bravely met the challenge of the old aristocratic forces, quickly stabilized the situation and quelled the rebellion. In order to complete the great cause of reunification, he continued to crisscross the whole Tibetan area.

According to legend, one summer, Songzan Gambu, who was going to war, passed by Wotang, Xue Ji. In order to relieve the fatigue of the journey, he came to the Jiqu River at that time, which is now the Lhasa River to take a bath. When he looked up into the distance, he saw a small plain not far from the coast. The plain is surrounded by mountains, and there are two hills standing abruptly in the center. Songzan Gambu realized that Wotang, Xue Ji is not only a place with lush green grass and fertile soil, but also a strategic place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. He made up his mind that after the great cause of reunification was completed, he must move Wang Du from Shannan to Wotang, Xue Ji. Soon after, the ambitious Tubo king unified all Tibet.

In 64 1 year, Songzan Gambu married Princess Wencheng, a female imperial clan in the Tang Dynasty, and entered Tibet. At that time, Buddhism had been introduced into the mainland from India and was thriving. Princess Wencheng, a Buddhist, had a gold-plated bronze statue of Sakyamuni at the wedding ceremony. According to historical records, it took Hans Jalaga and Lu Jia brothers three years to reach the Tibetan area from Chang 'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty. When entering Lhasa, the dowry team was blocked in the north of the city, and people had to stand in all directions and cover the Buddha statue with white silk. The clever Princess Wencheng learned through calendar calculation that the place where the car was trapped happened to be the palace of the West Sea Dragon King, so she decided to put the Buddha statue in place and build a temple to worship it, so there is the present Xiaozhao Temple. For thousands of years, Xiaozhao Temple has become a historical witness to the unity and friendship of Tibetan and Han nationalities.

Before Princess Wencheng arrived, Songzan Gambo had married Nepalese Bhrikuti Devi. The construction of Jokhang Temple also aroused Bhrikuti Devi's idea of building a temple for the Buddha. She chose a temple base in the southeast of the city and personally directed the craftsmen to start construction. Strangely, the part built during the day collapsed at night, and the tilt was repeatedly built, so she had to turn to Princess Wencheng, who was familiar with the astrological calendar and the five elements. Princess Wencheng readily agreed. She observed the terrain during the day and the astronomical phenomena at night, and found that the terrain of Tubo was very similar to lying witch, which was not conducive to the establishment of Wang Jianguo in Tibet. A temple must be built in a designated place to deter the evil witch from arrogance. The Wotang area in Xue Ji was originally the heart of the witch, and Wotang Lake was her blood lake. It is necessary to build a temple on Wotang Lake to fill the lake and block the blood of witches. Princess Wencheng suggested to Songzan Gambu to fill the lake with white goat's back soil according to the principle of five elements. Thus, the mighty project of filling lakes and building temples began.

Three years later, Jokhang Temple and Jokhang Temple were completed at the same time, and the Buddha statues brought by the two princesses were also invited to their respective Buddhist temples. The reclining Buddha was originally placed in Jokhang Temple for support. In 7 10, Princess Jincheng entered Tibet, welcomed her to Jokhang Temple, and moved the 8-year-old statue of Sakyamuni brought by Bhrikuti Devi to Jokhang Temple. Since then, the two Buddha statues have lived in the temple.

At the end of the 7th century, temporary residences, guest houses and houses for Buddhists gradually appeared around Jokhang Temple. With the constant incense in Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street gradually formed the scale of the first commercial street in Wang Du. Lhasa, the king of this plateau, has taken shape since then. Lhasa was called "Gesa" at that time. China's history books are translated into "Luo Di" or "Luo Shao". In Tibetan, "goat" is called "provocation" and "earth" is called "sa". The original meaning of "provocation" is the goat's back, but it is actually the original name of Jokhang Temple. Because Jokhang Temple is the earliest building in Wotang, Xue Ji, and it is also a symbol of the king's capital. Therefore, over time, people called this imperial city centered on Jokhang Temple "Yossa", and the name Xue Ji Wotang was gradually forgotten.

In front of the main hall of Jokhang Temple, people waiting to worship the reclining Buddha have lined up. Judging from their clothes, many of them are strangers from afar, but most of them are locals. On weekdays, hundreds of pilgrims come to the Jokhang Temple to worship Buddha every day, but if they catch up with festivals or the 15th day of the Tibetan calendar every month, the number will be more. There is a time limit for worshipping Buddha, which is generally reserved for tourists only in the morning and afternoon 1 later. These people are full of piety and expectation, and sometimes it is difficult to see the "Buddha's face" after waiting for a morning.

The form of pilgrimage is very simple. They gently stroked their foreheads on the lotus seat of the Buddha statue, and then put Hada or coins in their hands in front of the Buddha statue. Even if they express their wishes, the whole process is very short, no more than ten seconds.

For more than 1000 years, the flame of Jokhang Temple has been blowing, and pilgrims are coming in an endless stream. However, just as everything in the world has its ups and downs, this temple, which is called "Mecca Kabbah" in Tibetan areas by believers, has also had painful periods in history.

In the middle of the 9th century, the Tubo royal family established by Songtsan Gampo gradually split after more than 200 years, and the tribes refused to accept jurisdiction, and the kingship and slavery were also facing the crisis of total collapse. In 84 1 year, Rondama ascended the throne of Tubo Zampa. When there is no rain, the plague spreads, monks ask Buddha for help, and social production suffers unprecedented damage. What is even sadder is that Rondama listened to the slanderers of the surrounding ministers and described all these natural disasters as the result of Buddhist anger falling from the sky. Rondama therefore issued a decree and began to wantonly destroy Buddhism, forcibly shut down monasteries, forced monks to get married and return to the secular world, and burned Buddhist classics. In 842 AD, the darkest period came since the Jokhang Temple was built, and the square in front of the temple became a slaughterhouse with rivers of blood. The monks were terrified and fled everywhere, and the incense in the front hall no longer existed. However, things are impermanent, and sometimes an incredible causal source is deduced. In the same year, in front of Jokhang Temple, Dharma, a Tibetan monk who destroyed Buddhism, was shot to death with a bow and arrow by the monk Lalong Bedoji, who offered a religious dance. From then on, the Tibetan king's rule over the tribes began to slowly disintegrate, and the Tubo dynasty in its heyday collapsed in the subsequent popular uprising.

Hundreds of years after Langdama destroyed the Buddha, although devout believers came to burn incense and worship, the incense in Jokhang Temple was much less than before. It was not until A.D. 1409 that the incense of Jokhang Temple flourished again with the continuous gathering of monks after Master Zong Kaba initiated the Gelug Sect Zhao Fa Conference in Lhasa.

The new Buddha statue is only a handicraft before it is hidden, and it has life after it is hidden. This is a unique concept of Tibetan Buddhism. The packaging is very particular. First, wash the Buddha's empty stomach with cinnabar water, then soak it with fragrant Tibetan medicine to prevent corrosion, insects and moth, and finally add pearls, five treasures, holy soil, scallops and scriptures in turn. Most of these materials come from India and Nepal, and some of them come from major monasteries in Tibetan areas. The scriptures used for storage must be specially printed according to the size of the Buddha statue. These scriptures are numerous and varied, and the scriptures installed on different Buddha statues are different, and the scriptures installed on different parts of the Buddha statues are also different. In addition, the monks in Jokhang Temple can also load some special materials, such as natural pearls, gold and silver, precious stones and relics, for the Buddha statue according to the requirements of the guests and the amount of money paid.

These hidden Buddha statues only have life, and only after being blessed by a monk in front of the reclining Buddha in the Hall of the Great Hero can they have soul and spirituality, and then they can become buddhas for people to support. Storing new Buddha statues for believers, tourists or some temples has become a very important management method of Jokhang Temple.

With the process of global economic integration and the development of modern civilization, sightseeing has become a fashion and trend of life. Tibet is rich in tourism resources, with unique landscapes and unique human history. Tibetan Buddhism has cast a mysterious veil over this snowy plateau, and everything here is fascinating. The rapid development of tourism has not only rejuvenated the ancient Jokhang Temple, but also revealed its true meaning to the world. Besides meditation, chanting and practice, the lamas here have a new occupation-Lama tour guide. "Going to Lhasa without going to Jokhang Temple means that you have never been to Lhasa." These are the words of Nima Tsering, a famous Lama in Jokhang Temple. It is also a view that almost every traveler agrees with.

The second floor on the north side of Jokhang Temple is the monk's house area, where the young monk Nima Tsering lives. He is the first Lama tour guide in Tibet wearing a crimson robe. Nima Tsering was originally the son of an ordinary farmer. His hometown of Pengbu in Linzhou County is only separated from Lhasa by a mountain. Nima Tsering's childhood dream was to be a mobile phone. Gexi is the scientific name of Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, which has four grades. Gexi usually comes from the debate of the annual Dafa meeting of Tibetan Buddhism in Jokhang Temple. In order to fulfill his childhood dream, Nima Tsering, who was only 15 years old, took a passing truck from his hometown to Jokhang Temple, cut his hair and became a young Lama. He is ambitious and studies hard. He not only studied Buddhism seriously, but also took Chinese and English classes. In just a few years, he stood out from many monks in Jokhang Temple. Although Nima Tsering did not become a Gexi in the usual sense, he became a real scholar and a pillar of Jokhang Temple.

Lama guides in Jokhang Temple charge 50 yuan for each tour group. These incomes are not owned by them personally, and they are all handed over to the temple. Lama guides receive a fixed salary of several hundred yuan from temples every month. Tickets for Jokhang Temple have increased year by year from the initial 5 yuan, and now every 80 yuan, tickets are the main economic source of Jokhang Temple. This income is as high as more than 6 million yuan per year, plus donations from believers, domestic and foreign organizations or private individuals, as well as business income from making and storing Buddha statues in the temple, the annual profit can reach more than 6,543,800 yuan, which can basically meet the cost of monks and the maintenance cost of Jokhang Temple itself.

Nima Tsering, as a Lama's tour guide, is well-known and praised by tourists. Someone once asked Nima Tsering how many times, thousands or tens of thousands of times had Jokhang Temple been explained? Nima Tsering couldn't answer it himself. He just said that he was very involved in every explanation. Nima Tsering always smiles, bends slightly, points to a mural, a Buddha statue, a carved beam or a lintel with respectful and elegant gestures, and speaks fluently and accurately in Tibetan, Chinese or English, which is easy to understand, humorous, past, present, historical and future. Under his leadership, many tourists traveled through the Millennium just visiting and enjoyed Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism in detail, as well as the intriguing vicissitudes of the Jokhang Temple.