I am not Ximen Qing.

Of the 480 temples of the Southern Dynasties, looking at the stone tablet atop a turtle-shaped rock in the pavilion outside the Lingyin Temple gate, inscribed with "Lingyin Temple," I immediately recalled a poem by Du Mu:

A thousand miles of orioles singing amidst green and red,

Small village, mountain town, wine flags fluttering in the wind.

Four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasties,

How many pavilions and terraces are shrouded in mist and rain?

My journey to visiting mountain temples began with the Yonghe Temple in Beijing. I remember my second trip to Beijing was with my aunt, where we visited the Forbidden City and Beihai Park. At that time, I was filled with longing and curiosity for everything in Beijing. No matter what, Beijing was unparalleled in my mind, and I felt an immense sense of closeness to it! Even with such a fascination with Beijing, my first visit to the Yonghe Temple was many years ago.

This shows how difficult it is to attain enlightenment through Buddhism. It's like the Zen-like state of mind in Qian Zhongshu's *Fortress Besieged*, the scholarly Confucianism, the magnanimity of Mencius. Qian Zhongshu found that subtle sense: "Those who go in want to come out, and those who come out want to go in"—this best embodies the spirit of Zen. So how difficult it is to achieve enlightenment instantly! In the past, visiting West Lake was like reading Xuanzang's *Great Tang Records on the Western Regions*. Now? Not only do we understand Du Mu's poems from the Southern Dynasties, but we are also immersed in the experience. Du Mu's poems are like paintings; *Dream Lover* suddenly opened the window to Zhang Sheng's thoughts, taking him to a dreamlike Jiangnan. Is this still Zhang Sheng from the Southern Dynasties? The Zhang Sheng of the Southern Dynasties has traveled to the gates of Lingyin Temple in modern times. Actually, this is the most wonderful moment, filled with Zen thought and spirit. What is Zen? To be honest, I don't know! Inside the mountain gate, outside the mountain gate; outside the mountain gate, inside the mountain gate—this is the form of Zen Buddhism. I don't know if my understanding is correct, but in any case, Lingyin Temple is the ancestral home of Zen Buddhism. It's like the best steamed buns Zhang Sheng ever ate were the lotus root-filled buns outside the mountain gate of Lingyin Temple, with egg white rice porridge, fried dough sticks, cucumbers, and pickled vegetables—that's delicious taste! Look at the atmosphere just outside the mountain gate of Lingyin Temple, and Zhang Sheng became the kind of uncultured scholar Song Yu mocked! Song Yu most admired Zhang Sheng's entertaining and studious spirit; he had to put on airs wherever he went, carrying around English versions of Chekhov, Dostoevsky, and Wilde, and the complete works of Shakespeare—well, the Royal James version. Of course, one absolutely cannot forget Milton's *Paradise Lost*, which Song Yu called the *Greater Odes* and *Lesser Odes*—cultured people with a womanizing spirit! Zhang Sheng had always dreamed of creating a Yuan Zhen-style "The Story of Yingying." Bai Juyi's "The Song of the Pipa" far surpasses "The Song of Everlasting Regret" in terms of its artistic realm. "The Song of the Pipa" is a Buddhist perspective on the White Bone Demon, a realization of one's true nature. The White Bone Demon in the world is not just the one in "Journey to the West"! Tang Xuanzang loved the White Bone Demon, Bai Juyi also loved the White Bone Demon, and Kumarajiva, the Indian monk who had the most profound understanding of the White Bone Demon, translated the "Diamond Sutra." Let's return to the gates of Lingyin Temple!

Shenxiu's verse:

The body is a Bodhi tree, the mind a clear mirror.

Keep it clean and dusty, lest it gather dust.

Huineng's verse:

No Bodhi tree, nor stand mirror.

There is nothing, where can the dust be.

One is cultured, the other uncultured; having and not having are appearances, worldly existences. Before, when I came to Hangzhou, I couldn't see the Qiantang River, even though it was right in front of me. Now, coming to Hangzhou, it seems like everywhere is the Qiantang River. The Qiantang River's scenery is ever-changing, unfathomable. And what about West Lake? Like a beautiful fairy, ethereal and dreamlike, Qin Shi Huang actually sought the wrong Penglai Immortal Mountain. The atmosphere of West Lake could encompass the atmosphere of Penglai Immortal Mountain, encompassing all phenomena. In the end, Shi Nai'an probably thought it over and over. Hong Taiwei, with his extraordinary abilities, unleashed the power of the 36 Heavenly Spirits and 72 Earthly Fiends from Longhu Mountain, only suitable for attacking Fang La in the south and the Liao Dynasty in the north. Moreover, Lu Zhishen, a man of murder and arson, indulging in wine and meat, was a living Arhat reincarnated, his mind clouded. Only by going to the Qiantang River in Hangzhou and listening to the tide could he achieve enlightenment and attain Buddhahood. *Water Margin*, *Jin Ping Mei*, *Journey to the West*, and *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* are treasures; not a single word is superfluous. This shows the significance of Hangzhou. Historical significance brings to mind Emperor Qianlong sitting on the ordination platform in the Yonghe Temple, expounding Buddhist teachings. It almost feels like a journey through time. Almost every temple and shrine in Beijing bears a stele inscribed with Qianlong's calligraphy. The author of *The Story of the Stone* was Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty, revealing the son's deep dissatisfaction with his father, much like how Emperor Gaozong (Zhao Gou) loathed his decadent, artist-emperor, Zhao Ji. Zhang Shengsheng had experience in exploring Buddhism: his experiences of traveling and meditating at Badachu, seeking wisdom at Wutai Mountain, and his longing for the Southern Dynasties, which led to numerous pagodas and temples throughout the Jin and Liao dynasties. No matter how one pursues the spirit of Buddhism, one will eventually find it; the mind finds its place. Buddhism is the path to wealth and status, and wealth itself is part of Buddhism, isn't it? Emperor Qianlong spent his life searching for his inner doubts, constantly seeking the lost Imperial Seal of the State in Jiangnan. Therefore, he practiced the spirit of jade throughout his life, both inside and outside the Forbidden City. To think that a supreme ruler like himself constantly doubted his own authenticity is truly remarkable. Emperor Qianlong's ambitions went far beyond the question of where the Imperial Seal of the State was or the true jade. He harbored a far greater ambition: to become a sage, both spiritually and physically, and in his world, nothing more! Qianlong was obsessed with the cultural studies of the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties. Interestingly, it seems that the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties and the Qing Dynasty were essentially a cycle outside the gates of Lingyin Temple!

On the banks of the Wujiang River:

"Although Jiangdong is small, it covers a thousand miles and is still enough for a king to rule. I only have one boat, and I urge Your Majesty to cross it quickly!"

The emperor's power was already waning.

Eight thousand soldiers scattered, accompanied by the Chu song.

The Wujiang River is not without boats for crossing.

It is shameful to raise an army against Eastern Wu again.

It is futile to talk about war without practicing benevolent governance.

How can Heaven's will still require effort to achieve?

I cannot return to my hometown across the river.

For ten years, I have failed to live up to my reputation as a mountain-climbing hero.

This is Cai Dongfan's historical assessment of Xiang Yu! Perhaps Xiang Yu's heroic spirit has reincarnated in Chongzhen, and the final atmosphere of the Ming Dynasty is the sorrowful "Li Sao." In the passage of time, there is actually a kind of beautiful cause-and-effect relationship. The ethereal atmosphere outside the gate of Lingyin Temple, oh beauty, oh soul, oh mountain spirit! Suddenly, I am reminded of the feeling of Mount Kuaiji. Going to Shaoxing, going to Mount Tiantai, the heart of the wanderer returns. The ethereal atmosphere outside the gate of Lingyin Temple temporarily allows Zhang Sheng to find peace and tranquility. The restless heart is empty. Everything about Lingyin Temple is blank, empty. This state is the most wonderful, the most wonderful, the best. It's like being empty of everything at Mount Wutai now. All things and all phenomena exist in the Diamond Sutra. I admire the Diamond Sutra calligraphy handwritten by Emperor Yongzheng the most. The owner of the Yuanmingyuan, the layman of the Yuanmingyuan, Yongzheng proclaimed himself the Great Dharma King. However, Emperor Qianlong was Yongzheng's rebel at heart, rehabilitating Dorgon, Dodo, Ajige, and all the nobles who suffered persecution under the previous dynasty! The Yuanmingyuan, in the end, left behind only a dream. Perhaps the most beautiful existence in the world is emptiness. The water system and the scenery of the lakes and mountains under the ruins of the Yuanmingyuan still faintly retain some of the Zen charm of the West Lake at sunset. The way the Buddhism existed in the Yuanmingyuan was almost indistinguishable from the real thing. How wonderful this world is! Returning to the gate of Lingyin Temple, I don't know why, but in front of the temple, I only have an empty mind. But Lingyin Temple has also witnessed the history of Jiangnan. It is an ancient temple with a long history of thousands of years. I can only feel awe. Relax, forget everything, and forget everything. Use the emptiness of what you see with your eyes! All phenomena arise from dependent origination and are empty of inherent existence; all things are empty. Mara is omnipresent, and this is also the compassion of Buddhism! Mara's temptation is the beauty of a dream! The Romance of the Western Chamber tells of Zhang Sheng and Yingying's affair. In the Western Chamber, there are often countless beautiful ghosts in mountain temples, more beautiful spirits and shadows, listening to sutras and teachings amidst the green bamboo and golden bamboo groves. What do our eyes see now? All things have feelings; listening to sutras for a long time gives them a sense of spirit. Isn't life about searching for the spirit of life? Some people die but live on, some live but die—it's not about form but about spirit. Perhaps Mara has already possessed someone; ordinary people are like that too, yet they are happy. What are they searching for? Are they searching for love and romance? A quest for love? From the Li Sao to Lingyin Temple, from Qu Yuan's spiritual world, we suddenly arrive at the Buddhist world of Lingyin Temple! Think of the myths of love and romance created with dreammLover—the most beautiful dream! Will Yu Ji and the mountain spirit return? Is the myth real? Does the myth exist? In Qu Yuan's world, it seems I've returned to Lingyin Temple. Thinking of Qu Yuan's loneliness, how he sacrificed his noble spirit and pure soul with the waters of the Miluo River, Zhang Sheng still believes in the allure of love and romance. The dream of the Goddess of Wushan has always been the soul of drama. "Dream Lover" makes him believe in illusions, fleeting illusions, like dew or lightning. Beauty is always like this, time flows like a river, that sigh is like a dream, not a dream, like a flower, not a flower, like an illusion… Zhang Sheng believes this is the vibrant youth and romantic love that Qu Yuan yearned for. He's entered; the Dharma exists in Lingyin Temple, it is real and true. For the first time in his life, he's seen cliff carvings and lifelike Buddha statues in the grottoes. From the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang in the Forbidden City to the thousand-year-old grotto carvings on the cliffs in front of Lingyin Temple's gate, everything in Lingyin Temple possesses a spirit, yet he knows nothing about Lingyin Temple, only wanting to pursue the beauty of emptiness and tranquility! The beauty of the Diamond Sutra, the beauty of the Chinese Sutra, the beauty of the Nirvana Sutra, the beauty of the Perfect Enlightenment Sutra, and the beauty of the Surangama Sutra—Zhang Sheng is merely trying to attract attention. Because of emptiness, everything in Lingyin Temple is beautiful!

However, the 1700-year history of Lingyin Temple is already filled with its legendary history. When you come to Lingyin Temple, don't deliberately seek any Dharma, because Dharma doesn't exist. Just learn to offer flowers to Buddha, and you won't be lost in it. Beauty is just like that! Even Mara was captivated by beauty!