China's most beautiful Buddhist nunnery grows only flowers and burns no incense; netizens say one glance makes them want to become monastics

The Buddha said that all beings suffer.

Yet there are always those who can find joy within suffering.

At the southern foot of Shengying Peak in the Cangshan Mountains of Dali, Yunnan,

hides a rather well-known temple.

It is not easy to find; it is not an ancient famous monastery,

nor a tourist attraction, and it does not even have a trace of incense smoke~

Its name is Jizhao Nunnery

It is said that

this poetic and philosophically rich name

comes from "feeling and then penetrating through, in silence illuminating and reflecting."

It was once rated as: "China's most beautiful Buddhist nunnery,"

"China's most artistic temple,"

and visitors have all said:

It's so beautiful, one glance makes you want to become a monastic!

In many people's impressions,

temples are mostly magnificent buildings with flourishing incense.

However, Jizhao Nunnery is exactly the opposite,

it is simple and small, and does not burn incense.

The reason it makes people love it

is also because it is filled with all kinds of flowers and plants.

"A winding path leads to a secluded spot, where the meditation room is deep among flowers and trees"

Here, flowers bloom in profusion, filling the eyes with color~

Looking around the entire front courtyard,

you will actually find surprises everywhere,

every succulent plant is matched with exquisite precision!

Looking closely,

not one fails to stir tenderness in the heart.

And these beautiful flowers are all carefully cultivated by the masters of the nunnery.

Hidden deep in the mountains, screened by flowers and trees,

this place seems to wait only for those with affinity.

And the quiet, secluded environment

often makes people forget all kinds of worldly troubles,

and attain peace of mind.

Jizhao Nunnery, which even now still looks bright and spotless,

was actually first built during the Tang Dynasty,

and a few years ago this place was not as it is now,

it had once weathered wind and rain, leaving only broken walls and ruins.

In 2012, Gao Ludong, who had just switched careers to become a designer, once wandered by mistake into Jizhao Nunnery,

at that time Jizhao Nunnery had only 3 masters,

and a monthly living allowance of less than 500 yuan.

After talking with the nunnery's abbess, Master Miaohui,

he found that the two got along very well.

Later, the abbess asked him to help rebuild the temple,

5,000 yuan in cash, a pile of stones,

Mr. Gao happily took on the job.

The two worked together to build the secluded dwelling we see today.

Jizhao Nunnery is not only quiet and elegant in its environment,

the vegetarian meals here, once tasted, also make people feel pure and free of desire,

many people come drawn by its fame, also for this bowl of vegetarian food.

A full big bowl,

the vegetable dishes include local potatoes, bean sprouts,

tea tree mushrooms and as many as 7 kinds,

the side dishes also include peanuts, tofu, and dried radish,

the staple foods include rice, erkuai, and steamed buns,

and there are even desserts like pumpkin and walnut cake.

At first Jizhao Nunnery provided vegetarian meals for free,

later, as believers and tourists increased,

Jizhao Nunnery charged 20 yuan per person,

free on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month and on weekends.

Later still, there were really too many people,

and the temple could not bear it,

so it could only be free on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month.

Master Miaohui said,

the vegetarian meals here are just ordinary food,

completely ordinary home-style cooking,

and the cooks are all ordinary volunteers,

with no outside chefs hired.

It is just that they are indeed particular about the ingredients,

going to the market to shop every morning after 4 o'clock,

choosing only those grown by farming households themselves,

even if some have been bitten by insects and look a little ugly,

as long as they have not been sprayed with pesticides, they will take them.

And things like rice, potatoes, and pumpkin

are even "custom-grown" for the temple.

Besides the vegetarian meals, you can also brew a pot of Zen tea in the tea room,

sitting peacefully for an afternoon, not noticing that in the mountains the days and months have already grown long.

Every blade of grass and every tree, every brick and every tile, every bowl of vegetarian food, every cup of clear tea - every inch of time at Jizhao Nunnery is so beautiful.