According to reports, Gaozhou, a city with a long history, has the largest number of nunneries in Guangdong. The oldest local nun and the youngest nun who also recently became a monk are all in the above-mentioned "Nangong Nunnery Group".
Why were three nunneries built in a row just 500 meters away from the road? Why are there so many nunneries in Gaozhou? How do they live with the ancient Buddha of Qingdeng? The reporter, led by the director of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau of Gaozhou City, went to the "Nangong Nunnery Group" to explore the "mystery"...
The nunneries in Gaozhou City "gather in groups"! On the afternoon of the 17th of this month, a cadre from the Gaozhou Municipal Party Committee Office accidentally mentioned this interesting anecdote to reporters. On the afternoon of the 19th, under the guidance of Director Kuang Wenhua of the Gaozhou Ethnic and Religious Bureau, the reporter came to the "Nangong'an Group".
The majority of nuns in the city are from Leizhou
Turn from Nanguan Street into an unmarked intersection on the west side, and you will see an inconspicuous "Xingwen Stone Bridge" in front of you. After passing the stone bridge, there is an uneven dirt road with a length of no more than 500 meters. The "Nangong Nunnery Group" is located on the mountainside on the left side of the dirt road, including Baolian Nunnery, Fulong Nunnery, and Huishui Nunnery. Standing shoulder to shoulder. There are currently 16 official bhikkhunis (including 5 in Baolian nunnery, 3 in Fulong nunnery and 8 in Huishui nunnery).
Li Qingwen, an old man in his 70s who is known as the "Living Fossil of Gaozhou", told reporters: In ancient times, there were a maximum of 13 nunneries in Gaozhou City, but now only 5 remain, except for "Nangong". In addition to the three nunneries in the "nunnery group", there are Yishou Nunnery at No. 91 Huancheng North Road and Huilong Nunnery next to Pingshan Power Station in the northern suburbs of the county. Most of them were rebuilt with donations from lay people and believers in recent years, while the rest have been demolished due to changes over time.
According to statistics, among the 28 official nuns in Gaozhou City, people from Leizhou, Guangdong are the largest, accounting for nearly half; followed by people from Gaozhou, and the rest are from Guangxi, Xinyi, Zhanjiang, Jiangxi, In Hunan, Hebei and other places, the average age is about 38.9 years old. The oldest one is Shi Miaosong of Huilong Temple (born in January 1929, a native of Gaozhou, who became a monk in 1942 and was only 5 years old when he became a monk). The youngest is only 20 years old. She is Shi Youru (from Leizhou, Guangdong) from Huishui Temple. She is also the latest bhikshuni to become a monk (she became a monk in September 2005).
But if you include the nunneries scattered in various towns in Gaozhou, the number will be even more impressive. Therefore, some people say: "Gaozhou has the largest number of nunneries in Guangdong."
Why are there three nunneries on a 500-meter road?
It is said that Gaozhou City opened in 1989 A special Religious Affairs Bureau was established in 2002 (renamed the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau in 2002), while other counties and cities in Maoming did not have similar departments until 2003. This is not only because there are many nunneries in Gaozhou, but also in Gaozhou, in addition to Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, and Christianity are all available, which is not found in other areas of Maoming. The background should be that Gaozhou has a long history. In ancient times, Gaozhou Mansion once lived in The first of the "Four Lower Prefectures" (Gaozhou Prefecture, Leizhou Prefecture, Qinzhou Prefecture, and Qiongzhou Prefecture) in Guangdong.
Why are there so many nunneries in Nangongling and even in Gaozhou as a whole?
Elder Li Qingwen believes that the reason why nunneries are clustered together in Nangongling is because it is indeed a geomantic treasure. The bad road in front of the "Nangong'an Group" was an important post road leading to Lianzhou, Qiongzhou and other places in ancient times. It is said that in the past, the water in Jianjiang River was so deep that the boatman could not reach the bottom of the river with a bamboo pole. The Jianjiang River flows to the foot of Nangong Ridge to form a backflow. There is a Baoguang Pagoda on the left bank of the river, and a nunnery or temple is built on the right bank of the river, which has the meaning of protection. This practice was very common in ancient times.
Another old man from Gaozhou told reporters: "What does 'Nangong' mean? One of the residences of the crown prince. In ancient times, the emperor called the palaces where his sons lived respectively 'East Palace', 'West Palace', 'Nangong', etc. Legend has it that Prince Nangong escaped from the war by hiding in a camphor tree in a temple on the mountain. Prince Nangong promised that if he succeeded to the throne, he would rebuild the temple. If his wish came true, he would spend huge sums of money to rebuild the temple and name it 'Fulong'an'. The locals also renamed the ridge 'Nangongling'. ”
However, as Gaozhou City. The two oldest nuns at the moment, Shi Miaosong and Shi Jingwei, gave simple answers.
The former said: "It was there when I became a monk (at the age of 5)"; while Shi Jingwei, known as the "Master", said: "Destiny! This is the fate of Buddha!" ??
Bhikshuni's words Why enter the empty door
Being a monk means "the four elements are empty". Why would a woman in her youth decide to walk into Buddhism?
Shi Miaosong, who is respectfully known as "Songbo", said: Her parents are natives of Gaozhou, and her family is a "water family". Every time she and her parents pass by the nunnery on a boat, they will go to the nunnery to worship the gods. She has also loved this kind of place since she was a child. So when she was 5 years old, her family took her to Huilong'an to become a monk. During the "Cultural Revolution", the nunnery was demolished, and she returned to Pingshan (commune) and worked as a farmer for 39 years.
Abbot Shiruwang of Yishou Temple, who became a monk in 1985, said in response to a reporter’s question: “It’s nothing, I just like this kind of place.”
In the interview, almost all All the bhikkhunis said that their parents agreed (or acquiesced, or let it go) before they became monks. When they became monks, their parents would even send them to the nunnery, and some even set up a table of fast food in the nunnery to celebrate.
A lay practitioner said: Some of these girls experienced life or emotional setbacks before becoming monks, and some suffered from financial difficulties due to the large number of girls in the family. Parents send one or two daughters to the temple to become nuns. Firstly, they can accumulate negative virtues. Secondly, they can also reduce the financial burden on the family. Why are there the most nuns from Leizhou? It is said that for this reason, the two sisters even became monks together or one after another.
Shi Jingwei, known as "Master" said: When she became a monk at the age of 17, her parents did not know about it. Her family is not considered poor. Her father is an officer of the Kuomintang and also worked as the secretary of the county magistrate. When she was two years old, her biological mother died of illness, and her stepmother gave birth to four more children. When she went to Baolian Nunnery to become a monk, there was only one master in the nunnery and the nunnery was very shabby.
Young people are often sent to Buddhist academies for further study
After a girl proposes to become a monk, how does the nunnery usually deal with it?
"Usually we will let her stay in the nunnery and examine her for two years (sometimes three years) to see if she is calm and determined, and whether she can adapt to life here. Being a monk is voluntary. If she If she doesn't like it, she can leave; if she can make up her mind, she must first cut off her long hair and kneel in front of the Buddha statue, and then we (we) will shave her and officially accept her as a disciple for the Buddha. " Shi Guoqing’s master, Master Shi Miaoyin, introduced it.
"Is there anyone who will regret and return to secular life after being ordained?"
"No! More than 99 out of 100 people can't." Ruwang The mage said with certainty.
It is understood that after being ordained, most young bhikkhunis will be sent to Buddhist colleges to study Buddhism. For example, Master Guoqing went to Mount Emei in Sichuan to study for three years. Now, Master Confucianism and several newly ordained nuns who have returned to Shui'an have also gone on a long journey.
According to reports, after graduation, they will basically return to where they came from. Shi Ruwang said: "If there are few people in the nunnery, they must come back; for example, if there are many people, they don't have to come back. Monks are at home all over the world. But if they want to go to other places, someone must first take them in. If If you don’t come back, there will be no one to accept you, so you will have to wait for the assignment from the college.”