The story of the sea god Mazu's "opening the light"

Lin, commander of Fujian Road Navy, has returned to China. When he was in office, he heard from his subordinates that his granddaughter Maureen died in the sea to save her three brothers. The remains were buried by immortals on the steep rocks of Bijia Mountain, and the words "Mazu's Tomb" were engraved. Because of his busy business, he didn't have the opportunity to go out to sea with his subordinates and see for himself. It was not until he retired from the army and returned to his hometown that he stopped by to see the "Mazu Tomb" on the lighthouse peak. Chief Lin is carrying incense and paper money. In fact, he has only met his granddaughter Maureen twice, but he can still clearly recall the temperament of this extraordinary woman: she is tall and well-proportioned. Although she comes from a famous family, she is different from those fragile ladies. Hair on the head, chubby face is not a fairy, white skirt is really a lily in the mountain and a lotus in the pool. Lin ordered his family to worship with him. He was Maureen's distant grandfather by generation, but according to the custom at that time, he died first. Out of respect for his niece, he took the lead and knelt down. Then his wife and children knelt beside him and kowtowed to the "Mazu Tomb" on the lighthouse peak. All merchant ships and fishing boats passing by know that this is Lin, the leader of the water army, and it is worshipped. All the boats stopped and honked their horns to pay tribute to Mazu, the goddess of Meizhou in people's hearts! Two pairs of big candles are burning, and curled cigarettes fly to Lighthouse Rock. Lin stood up, took the money paper from the servant, lit it by candlelight, held it in his hand, and let the breeze blow the paper ash to the sea. At this time, an old turtle appeared on the sea, leading a group of young turtles. The old turtle stretched out his long head and nodded at the "Mazu Tomb". Other turtles did the same thing, and suddenly those turtles disappeared without a trace. Lin returned to his hometown of Meizhou Island Village, and the three brothers of Lin went to the dock to meet the veteran with good official name and high prestige. Lin Ping followed her stepfather. Now he is the eldest son of a new generation in Fu Lin. In the future, he will naturally come out to see the world, meet some people and increase some knowledge. Although he is not Yuchun's son, Yuchun has reached middle age and cannot give birth to a man and a woman for the Lins. Her maid was pregnant with Lin's second child, and her eldest daughter-in-law's position was threatened by new threats, and she fell in love with Lin Ping instead. Although Lin Ping grew up in a poor family, he is a smart and lovely child because he is the blood of the Lins. Lin got off the boat and his three brothers greeted him. Lin's family, Lin's three brothers, have all met before, so we meet again. After a brief greeting, the Lins' second child pulled Lin Ping over and said to the leader, "Uncle, this is my eldest brother's son, Lin Ping. He was raised by my sister! " Introduced by his stepfather, Lin Ping kowtowed to Lin Tongling, who grabbed him and said, "Today is free!" After the leader returned to his hometown, Lin Touling said at a family dinner in Fu Lin, "My nephew and granddaughter were blessed by the emperor and did many good things to save the fishermen. As far as I know, she has influence in Ryukyu and Korea. One of my subordinates said that at a port in Ryukyu, a statue was specially made for my nephew and granddaughter in recognition of her meritorious service in rescuing them. " He stopped here, thought for a moment, and then said, "In my niece's hometown, we living people will build temples and pavilions for her to commemorate her infinite merits!" " Let our descendants praise her! Lin's idea was immediately supported by the three brothers. Lin said, "In Putian, we set a precedent for those who have made contributions to others." Then, he listed five temples, including Changshou Ling Ying Temple, Jixian Temple, Lingen Temple, Daji Guangji Temple, Xiangying Temple and Lingxian Temple, all of which were built behind the most influential local people.

He cited these examples and finally said, "Grandpa, let's build a temple pavilion where my sister lives!" " "Chief Lin, of course, knows that the birthday boy captured the pirates with the water army, so he got the seal of the emperor. So, he nodded and said, "That's a good place, and the location is set there. What name should you take? " "The fairy called my sister's grave Mazu. Naturally, the temple pavilion we built for her can only be named "Mazu Tempel" or "Mazu Pavilion". This is in line with god and people's hearts! "Lin Laosi is difficult to comment, but it is often a blockbuster. His suggestion was not only approved by his two brothers, but also supported by Lin Tongling, so the name of the temple pavilion was tentatively named "Mazu Tempel" or "Mazu Pavilion". Lin Tong, the most prestigious leader in Meizhou, decided to build a temple pavilion, which naturally won the support of the Lins, although their surnames were different, because they had all been saved and built temples for their benefactors. Of course, this is a question of will. Everyone contributes according to their own economic ability, and poor fishermen who have no money take the initiative to ask for help. The "new house" where Maureen once lived was demolished, and the "Mazu Tempel" was built on the original foundation. The Zhao family has no place to live, so Lin puts Zhao's head at the back door, and Liu does odd jobs in this widow's house. Because her son was adopted by Lin, she had to live alone and manage the maid and the old woman so that she could take care of her son and study hard. After a year of construction, Mazu Tempel was finally completed. Maureen's portrait was specially invited by painters and stone carvers in Xiaenbukuji, Jiuri Mountain, Nan 'an, Quanzhou. First, the painter painted a portrait of Maureen. Then, the stonemason carved a 4.8-foot-high white marble statue based on the portrait. After the stone statue was carved, the three brothers Lin and Meizhou residents came to watch it. Is this stone statue a portrayal of Maureen's life? After being recognized by most people, the painter gilded the stone statue and turned it into a golden statue-Maureen's real idol. Lin Er hired the abbot monk of Enbukuji in Quanzhou to unveil the new statue of Maureen. Quanzhou was the main seaport of China in Song Dynasty. As early as the Tang Dynasty, an earlier sea temple in China-Enbukuji under Jiuri Mountain in Nan 'an was established here. Poseidon, a male, was named "Tong Yuan Wang". There is a legend in Quanzhou: During the period of Xian Tong in the Tang Dynasty, monks in Enbukuji built a shrine. The monk of this temple "asked for materials in Leshan, Yongchun, and met an old man to lead the way, dreaming of escorting." "One day, the river surged and its raft arrived, so it was named after a famous temple. Yue: "Temple" is the wooden old man in Leshan. In order to worship the shrine, floods and droughts will fester and ships will beg for wind, which is a good sign. When the Song Dynasty was tired, it sealed Roy and gave the temple the title of "Zhao Hui". Later, the words' good, rich, and remarkable economy' were added. " Of course, the abbot here in Enbukuji is happy to open a light for another female sea god. The newly-built temple was officially named "Mazu Tempel", and the temple forehead was inscribed by a famous calligrapher in Fuzhou at that time. Entering the temple gate, General Jin stood on the right-clairvoyant, looking intently, wearing a loose robe, holding a gold fork in his right hand, standing on a humanoid sea clam with his right foot, and farsighted with his left hand. Side by side, Jia Ying has black teeth, looks fierce, wears armor and holds a big axe. On the left is General Liu, whose ears move with the wind, his face is ferocious, his chest is open and his belly is exposed, his right hand is holding a square sky painting halberd, his right foot is stepping on a snail, and his left arm is wrapped around a red snake, which makes people look far away. On the side is Jiayou, with a white and kind face and a spear in his hand. This is the "Four donkey kong" guarding the statue of Maureen. The main hall of the gate is the Mazu Pavilion of Maureen's golden statue. The 4-foot-8-inch-tall statue of Lin Mojin stands on the lotus throne, with bright eyes staring at the boundless sea. The maid lightly followed her to the right. The eaves and horns of Mazu Tempel are made of pig iron, and four golden dragons want to take off. The bell under the faucet makes a wonderful sound with the breeze of the sea. On the top of the hall, golden phoenix, with his head held high, brought out the best in each other.

Zhao volunteered to practice, and he would burn incense, oil and purity in the future. At this time, he is guarding the gate, and no one can enter without permission. So, now the temple is empty. The opening ceremony will be held in the temple. In the hall in front of Mazu Pavilion, the incense table has already been set. Incense and candles have been inserted in the incense burner, because the lighting ceremony has not been officially held and has not been lit. Someone shouted: "please get out of the way, the abbot and monk are coming in!" " "Those people on the third floor automatically make way for the abbot monk. Because of the large number of people, Lin had to ask the defenders stationed in Meizhou Island to help maintain order. Abbot Embukuji is in front. He is wearing a brand-new silk tulle and his hair is a child's face. He strode forward. On the right is his assistant, and on the left are Lin Tongling and Lin's three brothers. Behind them are 779 monks invited from all over the world. Each of them has a wooden fish in his hand. When all the monks entered the temple gate, the crowd immediately closed again. Fortunately, soldiers sealed the temple gate, and the crowd could only squeeze under the steps. When the abbot and the monk approached the incense table, the assistant immediately lit the incense candle. Led by Lin and the Lins, followed by the forty-nine monks. The clock in the bell tower behind Mazu Pavilion struck once and rang twice until twelve o'clock. The bell rang and the opening ceremony began. The abbot's assistant stepped forward and announced, "Mazu Tempel, the unveiling ceremony of Maureen's statue has begun!" "He said to take a step back, and the monks muttered, and rhythmically knocked on the wooden fish. As soon as the fish stopped, the abbot went to the incense table and began to preach Mahayana Buddhism and Nirvana Sutra. He read a sentence, and the monk sang along and knocked on the wooden fish. The chanting in the temple and the knocking of wooden fish came from outside, but those people couldn't see inside anyway. After the abbot and monk finished reading, he personally lit a wick, inserted a pair of big candles in the incense burner, and then mixed the burnt incense ashes and paper ashes in holy water. Holding the holy water bowl, he walked slowly to the statue of Maureen, saying something, dipping his fingers in the holy water and splashing it on the statue of Maureen. Maureen's statue was not only illuminated, but also baptized with holy water. Maureen's golden statue stands on the lotus throne in the shape of a boat, silently watching the people who worship her-although she is dead, she will live in the hearts of people and even future generations forever, and her gods will always bless her future generations with good luck. Although people outside the temple desperately want to see inside, they can't see anything. In this strong desire for expectation, the bell tower behind him rang again. The bell shocked people and the noisy crowd suddenly quieted down. The abbot's assistant came out of the temple and personally unveiled the red cloth covered on the "merit monument". Although people know who donated the most to Mazu Tempel, they all want to find their names on this monument. Today, Putian County Magistrate and Wang Shoubei didn't attend the opening ceremony of Mazu Tempel in person, but their names are all on the merit tablet, which was the original county magistrate who was dismissed a long time ago, and the tablet is also famous. What is more striking is that there are foreign languages on that "merit tablet", which people certainly don't know. Hu Shangdu in Quanzhou has already done business with the Lin family in Meizhou. Therefore, they not only donated money to Mazu Tempel, but also sent representatives to attend the opening ceremony in Mazu Tempel. They are guests, of course, they won't crowd together like local residents, so they should stand far away. These Hu businessmen believe in Islam, but they definitely reject Quanzhou folk religion. The blessing of a sea goddess is naturally a buffer for them-a spiritual comfort. Maybe they can set up their own Islamic Muslim temple in Quanzhou as soon as possible and get the government's approval. As soon as the opening ceremony was over, all the onlookers wanted to go into the temple and see Maureen's statue with their own eyes. Some people have already prepared incense sticks. They all want to burn incense for Maureen's statue and knock their heads on it. The abbot, monk and Lin were led out in the order in which they came in.

When the soldiers were still blocking the gate, Zhao Quanlai announced: "Those who want to visit the statue of Maureen, line up, must go in and come out in turn!" After Lin Moxian visited, people in Meizhou Fishing Port first built the "Mazu Tempel" for her, and then it appeared in Ninghai Shengdun. Every day, a dead tree floats to the holy pier in Ninghai. The "Holy Pier" is where Maureen has been. She used to treat sick fishermen there. Therefore, people in Saint Pierre think this dead tree is Maureen's soul. There is a nursery rhyme in Time that says, "I am the goddess of Meizhou, and I should go to the dock when I am dry." Another Mazu Tempel with three piers stands by the sea. As early as the Song Dynasty, Zhu Mu's book Yu Fang Sheng Lan clearly recorded that there was a "Meizhou Goddess" temple on Meizhou Island in the Northern Song Dynasty. Quanzhou Mazu Tempel was founded in the Southern Song Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, and eventually Mazu replaced Xionghai's power.