Amid the urban hubhub, silence is golden
Print Edition
SURROUNDED by bustling streets and shopping malls sits Xilin Temple, a Buddhist shrine with a history dating back more than 700 years.
A stately front door of brick, stone and wood is guarded by four stone lions. Past the door, is a central square paved with cobblestones and decorated with neatly trimmed pine bonsai. Doves stroll casually about, fed by pious Buddhism followers passing by.
No one speaks. Everything is quiet, as though monks, disciples and visitors dare not disturb the precious peace and tranquility of the temple. Only sunrise bells and sunset drums break the silence.
In the center of the square is a bronze lamp carved with Buddhism scriptures on its eight facades.
On the east and west are the bell and the drum. The bronze bell weighs about two tons. Its creation was financed by donations from 108 Buddhists. The drum is two meters in diameter.
In 1992, the temple went through a major facelift, sponsored by Songjiang Museum. When the workers removed the ornament at the top of the pagoda, a large number of old treasures were found. They included ancient coins, golden Buddha statues, gold, silver and jade relics, and wooden placards bearing the carved history of the temple’s major events.
From the pagoda’s foundation, experts dug out more statues, jade rings, ink slabs and bowls, scriptures and accessories made of amber, agate, crystal, jade and red coral dating back to Song Dynasty (960-1279).
The biggest discovery was small balls made from a crystalline-like material. They were owned by Master Yuanying, who founded the temple.
Today the temple is a holy place for devout followers, a tourism attraction for visitors and a venue for locals to pray for a happy life.
For Spring Festival, going to the temple to burn joss sticks for the New Year is a traditional activity after the family feast on the eve of the holiday. From midnight to dawn, the Xilin Temple is always crowded with pious prayers, and area roads are so clogged that police are sometimes dispatched to keep order.
Long queues form outside the temple as people wait to enter and ring the bell inside, keeping an old Songjiang tradition alive.
People strike the huge bronze bell, light paper lanterns and burn joss sticks in front of Buddha statues to bring blessings for the New Year.
Usually the first bell gong is done by the most senior abbot in the temple. The bell is then run by 107 people from different backgrounds — the number 108 in Chinese culture is an auspicious one.
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