Jiufeng Mountain Self-driving Tour Guide

Staying in the office for too long will make you feel sore in the back and neck, and your mood may also be a little depressed. Now the pace of life in the city is too fast, every day facing constant pressure, find some time to relax. Look at the wonders of nature, relax.

At the beginning of this year, a friend of mine went to Jiufeng Mountain at my suggestion. After he came back, he complained to me: “What’s so good about Jiufeng Mountain? It’s just a few hills and a few caves. It’s tiring to walk around, but the farmhouse dishes are pretty good!” After listening to my friend’s description, I felt very embarrassed. It is said that “visiting Xi’an, 30% is seeing, 70% is listening.” Otherwise, you can’t understand the essence of the ancient capital. In fact, any cultural relic site is like this. When you visit Jiufeng Mountain, if you only see the strange peaks and rocks, it will inevitably be pale. Its Buddhist Zen culture and hermit culture are brilliant and profound. If you abandon this soul connotation and look at Jiufeng Mountain, you will probably miss the pearl and be laughed at by others.

The cultural heritage of Jiufeng Mountain is enough to make people sigh in amazement. Bodhidharma, the founder of Chinese Zen Buddhism, Ge Hong, an important figure in Taoism in the Jin Dynasty, a famous alchemist, Longqiu Chang, the successor of Confucian education, and Tao Yuanming, a poet of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, all left behind “life traces and cultural wealth that can shock the world” on Jiufeng Mountain.

Sleeping Buddha of Jiufeng Zen Temple

Walking to the left from the entrance of Jiufeng Mountain Scenic Area, there is a concrete road. Along the way, you will pass the “Release Pond” and a piece of sesame field. Turn around and look up at the mountains, and the figure of the “Sleeping Buddha” will be clearly visible. The head is the Damofeng Peak of the Jiufeng Mountain Scenic Area, the eyes, nose, chin, and Adam’s apple are all clearly visible. Especially the eyes, because of the gaps in the trees and the light, they also shine. The mountain range on the left is the huge body of the Sleeping Buddha. The abbot of Jiufeng Zen Temple said that this scene looks very much like Bodhidharma.

Bodhidharma

Bodhidharma, also known as Bodhidharma, claimed to be the twenty-eighth patriarch of Buddhism and the founder of Chinese Zen Buddhism. Therefore, Chinese Zen Buddhism is also known as the Damofeng School, and Damofeng is revered as the “First Patriarch of the Eastern Land”. He was known as one of the Three Great Masters of the Liang Dynasty together with Baozhi Zen Master and Fu Das. He sailed to Guangzhou during the period of Emperor Liang Wu of the Southern Dynasty. Emperor Liang Wu was a believer in Buddhism, and Damofeng arrived in the capital of the Southern Dynasty, Jianye, to meet Emperor Liang Wu, but they disagreed with each other, so he crossed the Yangtze River on a single reed and went north to the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Luoyang. Later, he settled in Shaolin Temple in Songshan Mountain and faced a wall for nine years. He passed on his robe and bowl to Huike. Later, he traveled outside the Yu Pass and wandered for the rest of his life.

Damofeng’s Parinirvana at Jiufeng Mountain

There are many different accounts of Bodhidharma’s parinirvana. However, according to experts, Jiufeng Mountain may be the place where Bodhidharma entered parinirvana. From the Guangxu “Jinhua County Chronicle”, Jiaqing “Yiwu County Chronicle”, Kangxi “Tangxi County Chronicle” three different county chronicles and “Fu Das’ Collection – The Biography of Songtou Tuo Damofeng”, we can draw the following conclusion: During the Liang Tianjian period, Damofeng arrived in Yiwu, Jinhua, Tangxi and other places, and built Xiangshan Temple in Yiwu, Shifo Temple in Caozhai, Jindong, Longpan Temple in Xiaoshun, Zhengguo Temple in Yangpu, Wucheng, and Jiufeng Temple in Tangxi. Later, he entered parinirvana in the Jiufeng Xian Cave after sitting in meditation for forty-nine days, which is the year 566 AD. This basically coincides with the fact that Damofeng lived for more than 150 years and lived in China for about fifty years. In addition, there are written records that after Damofeng’s parinirvana, his disciples, according to the highest standard of “hanging coffin burial” in the local area, placed his coffin in the rock cave at the highest point in front of Jiufeng Temple. There is a pair of natural rocks that form the divine rabbit and divine turtle guarding the entrance of the cave. This divine rabbit and divine turtle still exist today. In order to commemorate Damofeng, the main peak of Jiufeng Mountain, the original Qinglian Peak, was renamed Damofeng Peak.

Crossing the River on a Single Reed

Legend has it that Bodhidharma stayed in the Jinxi area for decades. He not only built nearly ten temples for the people of Jinxi, helped dig more than ten wells, but also left behind Damofeng Peak, Damofeng Cave, Sleeping Damofeng, the Divine Turtle, the Divine Rabbit and many other scenic spots and beautiful legends related to Damofeng, which had a profound impact on Jinxi. The people of Jinxi also passed on Damofeng’s culture. Most of them believe in Damofeng’s Zen. They don’t hold grudges, don’t complain, don’t expect anything in return, do good deeds, and practice public morality. This is the folk custom of Jinxi. Buddhist Zen culture is deeply rooted in this beautiful land, making every corner subtly filled with Zen.

Hermit Tradition, Seclusion from the World

Jiufeng Mountain has a unique feng shui, and many literati and scholars have regarded it as a place to live in seclusion from the world. Longqiu Chang, who lived at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, was a successor of Confucian education. He was known for his noble aspirations and vast knowledge, but he lived in seclusion on Jiufeng Mountain, repeatedly refusing to accept the invitations of the Grand Tutor, Grand Teacher, National Master, and National General. He lived a carefree life on Jiufeng Mountain, holding a small position in charge of education, and spreading Confucianism. Later generations respected him and also called Jiufeng Mountain Longqiu Mountain. During the Yuanjia period of the Southern Song Dynasty, Xu Bozhen moved to Jiufeng Mountain and built the “Anzheng Academy”, “built a house to teach, and taught thousands of students”, becoming the earliest Confucian center in Zhejiang. In the second year of Shenlong of the Tang Dynasty, Xu Anzhen studied at Jiufeng Mountain since childhood. He became a Jinshi in the second year of Shenlong and served as Minister of Personnel. Later, he abandoned his official position and lived in seclusion here. The “Anzheng Academy” was built at the foot of the mountain. Later generations built the “Sanxian Hall” in Jiufeng Temple, honoring “Longqiu Chang, Xu Bozhen, and Xu Anzhen” as the three sages, and worshiping them together. Like the Hu (Ze) Gong Temple, the incense has been flourishing for generations.

Tao Gong’s Seclusion at Jiufeng Mountain

It is said that Longqiu Chang’s virtue deeply moved Tao Yuanming, who had also resigned from office several times more than three hundred years later. The “Xunyantang Tao Family Genealogy” states that Tao Yuanming visited the relics of Longqiu Chang on Jiufeng Mountain during his travels. As soon as he arrived at Jiufeng Mountain, he was awestruck by the beautiful mountains and rivers in front of him, and exclaimed: “How can I get to this place and live here, broaden my mind and be enough to support my old age!” So, he moved his family to the foot of Jiufeng Mountain. Because this place is located in Dongyang, Zhejiang, it is called the hermit of Dongyang. Moved by the beautiful scenery at the foot of Jiufeng Mountain, he wrote the famous “Peach Blossom Spring” for the ages.

What is real and what is false, what is false and what is real. We won’t dwell on the experts’ discoveries. But actually, as long as you step into Jiufeng Mountain, stroll among the mountains and rivers, and personally experience the Zen and the hermit’s dwelling in a paradise, you will naturally feel the cultural connotation beyond the strange peaks and rocks. Perhaps only in this way will travel be meaningful, don’t you think?

Finally, I made an outdoor trip with my roommate, and I couldn’t help but feel excited. On May 6th, I left school (Business College) at 7:30 AM and took bus No. 820 to Gulou to meet her. We bought some puffs, my favorite croissants, and mineral water at Owen’s, and then took Metro Line 1 north to Beilun. It took us about 30 minutes to get to Daji Station.

After getting off the subway, we followed other people’s guides and went to the bus stop next. We made a mistake here: we thought there was bus No. 703-2 on the bus stops on both sides of the road, but later found out there wasn’t. When we were wondering if we had checked the wrong guide, a driver from another place told us that there was no direct bus to Jiufeng Mountain from here, and he could take us there. Out of safety, we declined his kindness. Later, a local grandfather told us that there was a Beilun Bus Station on the right side of the subway exit, where there were a few buses that went straight to Jiufeng Mountain. The 703-2 was one of them. Later, we perfectly missed the nearby 703-2 bus, so we just took a taxi to Jiufeng Mountain. It cost 24 yuan (a total of two people). Because we had student IDs, we didn’t have to pay to enter the scenic area.

The air on the mountain was very good, and the water was very clear. As soon as we entered the forest, we felt very relaxed. Along the way, we met a group of volunteers, one of whom was a father who came to Jiufeng Mountain with his child. He was doing volunteer work while enjoying the beauty of nature. It seemed like children are naturally full of life and vitality. Seeing him jumping around and making a fuss, I felt a surge of joy in my heart and quickened my pace. “Five Little Niang Pools”, “Clear Curtain Spring”, “Longtan Waterfall”… We saw every amazing work of nature, integrated it into our minds and bodies, and felt it.

We walked and stopped, and the sweat on our backs was cool. We encouraged each other, laughed and chatted, and time flew by. It was already more than an hour. My roommate said, “Our goal is clear, it’s to reach the top of Jiufeng Mountain”. Yes, other people took photos along the way, took a nap, played in the water, and frolicked. But our eyes were always on the top of the mountain. When we finally stepped onto the stone at the top of the mountain and grabbed the green railings at the top, we took a long breath. Of course, we were excited. At this moment, having a can of “Six Walnut” made me truly feel moved. [Smirking]

On the way down the mountain, we took another side, a more flat and wide slope. Look! This guy is “posing” again! The next moment, my friend happily rushed down the slope, climbed to the slope next to it, and picked a bunch of raspberries and “red girls” (dialect). As we walked, I was using Gaode Maps and felt like we were going in the wrong direction. My friend said, as long as we can go down the mountain, that’s fine. Later, we met a mother who followed us. She was with her five- or six-year-old son and eleven- or twelve-year-old daughter. My bold friend went ahead and asked for directions.

—”When my three of us went up the mountain, we also took this side, don’t worry, this side can go down the mountain.”

—”Ok, thank you, auntie.”

It took us about twenty minutes to walk this stretch. Finally, at a turn, we saw some tourists and a sign for the “Ruoyan Scenic Area Exit”. Our hanging hearts settled a little. When we reached the Lanyue Bridge again, the two of us jumped up and down on the bridge, truly joyful. [Winking]

This was the first time I went out with my roommate, but it definitely won’t be the last. I always want to leave some memories before graduation. At least, years later, when we talk and laugh, we can recall those turbulent experiences.

Our lives are too long and too short. At my age, I just want to go whenever I want, enjoy myself on the journey, rather than staying in the dormitory, staying at home, watching others show off their new and interesting things and moving scenery on their Moments or Spaces.

On the journey, we will encounter all kinds of people, and we will also encounter new and interesting things. While we are young and still passionate, why not be carefree and unrestrained! If you want to eat, play, sing, and dance, go for it! [Love](P.S. This is a combination of a small guide and my small thoughts)