No incense burning, only flower planting: the most beautiful nunnery in China, even Han Hong came to visit

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

hides a rather famous temple,

Though small, it carries many accolades:

the most beautiful Buddhist nunnery in China, the most artistic temple in China!

It also has a beautiful name:

Jizhao Nunnery!

The name Jizhao Nunnery

comes from "feeling and thus penetrating, in silence illuminating".

The temple was first built in the early Ming Dynasty, later destroyed,

and rebuilt under the supervision of Tang Jiyao during the Republic of China period.

The "Jizhao Nunnery" on the gate was inscribed by him.

The temple is surrounded by shady pines and cypresses in a quiet environment,

everywhere exuding a fresh and elegant atmosphere,

interpreting true poetic charm.

In many people's impressions,

temples are mostly magnificent halls with flourishing incense.

However, Jizhao Nunnery is exactly the opposite,

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

What makes it beloved

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

Stepping over the temple threshold,

both sides are lined with various flowers and plants.

You will be amazed that there is no trace of temple atmosphere here,

it is more like an artistic garden filled with spring.

Only by visiting can you understand what it means:

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

Following the path into the temple,

sight and smell are drawn by the flowers and plants,

exceptionally fresh, artistic and full of life.

Wind chimes sway, their ringing crisp,

echoing through the silent mountain forest.

The charm and Zen spirit of the fragrant Buddhist land

unwittingly seep into the heart.

Photo by Shuying

Turning the corner to the front courtyard,

various fresh flowers and succulents come into view.

Standing casually before a pot of flowers and plants,

one can linger for ages, leaning in to smell.

Passionate, subtle, vivid, delicate...

In a thousand forms, it is truly a paradise for succulents.

Echeveria glauca, bigger than a fist,

like lotuses full of Zen spirit,

fits well with this pure Buddhist land.

Looking around the whole front courtyard,

you will actually find surprises everywhere.

Every succulent plant is matched with exquisite perfection!

This old wooden boat

has been planted full of various succulents,

gorgeous and colorful, as if naturally formed!

Old rotted wood

has also been given new life.

Photo by Shuying

Some succulents hang in hanging baskets,

in these deep mountains, rippling with the breath of spring.

Examining them closely,

not one fails to stir tender affection.

Photo by Shuying

The back baskets hanging on the wall

are also filled with the scent of spring.

Bamboo baskets large and small

are also planted full of colorful succulents.

How I wish I could carry this basket of spring away.

And in all kinds of vessels...

Even this large stone mill

reveals vitality in its aging years.

How is this like a temple?

It is clearly a garden of a hundred flowers,

with flower language everywhere, clean and serene.

In the courtyard, before the steps, even under the eaves and between the walls,

everywhere is a profusion of flowers, gentle and elegant,

seemingly casual yet meticulous in every detail.

With so many exquisite flowers and plants before one's eyes,

there must be a thoughtful "owner" behind them.

This "owner" is Master Miaohui.

In 1982 Jizhao Nunnery was restored,

and in 1989, Master Miaohui became the abbess of Jizhao Nunnery, a position she holds to this day.

With morning bells and evening drums, accompanied by green lamps and ancient Buddhas,

for decades, Master Miaohui, with a resilient heart,

has restored the once dilapidated Jizhao Nunnery into the image in her heart.

Photo by Yanzi

Master Miaohui, who loved flowers since childhood,

whenever she sees a flower she likes, brings it back to grow seedlings.

Year after year, day after day,

now it is a garden full of a hundred flowers.

Especially the "Hundred Flower Garden" in the back courtyard of Jizhao Nunnery,

is Master Miaohui's favorite place besides her spiritual practice.

There are two flower houses here,

one for cultivating succulents and moss, one for growing fresh flowers.

The bhikkhunis of the nunnery,

in their spare time are all happy to come here to tend the flowers and plants.

In this flower house,

there is the fresh scent of soil,

there is verdant green everywhere.

In the day-after-day chanting of Buddhist songs,

they seem to receive the Buddha's blessing,

radiating vigorous vitality.

Besides flowers in both the front and back courtyards,

in the main hall of Jizhao Nunnery - the Mahavira Hall,

no incense burner can be seen on the altar either,

only fresh flowers are placed there.

Stepping into the hall, waves of delicate fragrance greet the nose,

instantly one feels free of dust, refreshed in spirit!

Photo by Shuying

Chinese Buddhism values above all the flourishing of incense,

but in Jizhao Nunnery, flowers are used to honor the Buddha and make offerings.

Why is this so? Master Miaohui says:

The Buddha lacks nothing, and does not care about your stick of incense,

but cares about your heart.

Photo by Shuying

It is precisely with this pure and resilient heart

that today's Jizhao Nunnery exists,

a temple that perfectly combines Zen spirit and aesthetics.

Brilliantly colorful fresh flowers, soaring morning bells and evening drums,

Zen words flowing through the empty valley, birdsong warbling behind the eaves.

Such a quiet and beautiful place,

that many female visitors even want to stay after visiting.

Last May,

Han Hong also visited Jizhao Nunnery, drawn by its fame,

and after chatting freely with Master Miaohui,

left the inscription "Jizhao Buddha's light, purple smoke brings wisdom."

Through the secluded, stepping on stones past the sand gate, summer rain and breeze cleanse the mortal dust;

The whole courtyard's flower language writes elegance, quietly listening to Zen sounds, reflecting on half a lifetime.

Here, there is no need to say anything,

the heart inexplicably feels a serene, calm peace,

and then Zen spirit slowly permeates body and mind.

Accompanied by flowers and plants,

facing the turmoil of the mortal world, one can still smile faintly.

Content with simplicity, happy in solitude.

Besides flowers and plants,

the halls of Jizhao Nunnery also have a distinctive style,

seemingly simple, yet full of sentiment and wisdom,

fresh, beautiful, artistic.

Master Miaohui says

the house was originally slowly built with stones picked up from the mountain

and old wood given by the villagers below the mountain.

The interior decoration was designed with help from a person from Hangzhou,

and all old materials were used.

Although it looks exquisite and complex,

in fact not much money was spent,

just more thought and time.

Jizhao Nunnery is not only quiet and elegant in environment,

its vegetarian meals also make one feel pure and desireless after tasting,

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

At first Jizhao Nunnery provided vegetarian food for free,

later as believers and visitors grew more numerous,

Jizhao Nunnery charged 20 yuan per person,

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

Even later, there were really too many people,

and the temple could not bear it,

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

Those who have visited

all praise the vegetarian meals here endlessly,

and the reason is: delicious!

And Master Miaohui says

the vegetarian food here is just ordinary fare,

completely ordinary home-style cooking.

The cooks are all ordinary volunteers,

no outside chefs are hired.

It is just that they are indeed particular about ingredients,

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

only selecting what farming households grow themselves.

Even if insects have bitten them and they look a bit ugly,

as long as no pesticide has been used, they will take them.

And things like rice, potatoes, and pumpkins

are even "custom-grown" for the temple.

Now two to three hundred people come here every day to eat vegetarian meals.

Master Miaohui also personally holds up a sign

to encourage everyone to cherish food:

take only as much as you can eat, and get more if not enough,

and by all means avoid waste, for that is a sin.

There was once someone who left food uneaten and wasted it,

and so had to go kneel in the Buddha hall.

But most people

will eat everything clean.

Eating a vegetarian meal at Jizhao Nunnery,

what you eat is not just a meal,

but also a culture, a philosophy, a cultivation.

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

and sit peacefully for an afternoon, not noticing the days and months growing long in the mountains.

Outside the tea room door there is a small fish pond,

with flowers and plants scattered on it, and fish joyfully swimming within.

Every blade of grass and every tree, every brick and every tile,

a bowl of vegetarian food, a cup of clear tea,

every inch of time at Jizhao Nunnery

is so beautiful.

Wispy Buddhist sounds, purity from the start,

the home of the heart in a Zen life.

When spring comes flowers naturally turn green, when autumn arrives leaves drift down,

Infinite prajna, the heart at ease, in speech and silence, in motion and stillness, embodying nature.

We do not all need to live dazzlingly,

inner freedom and peace

are what matter most.

When the heart is at ease, the body is at ease.

May you and I, no matter what we face,

be calm and detached, peaceful and kind,

like the Buddha's flower-twirling smile.

--THE END--

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