China's Largest Nunnery: Daytime Cultivation, Nighttime Special Regulations
Nowadays, unlike before, tourists now prefer more vibrant and beautiful attractions, but now tourists prefer quieter and more serene attractions. When it comes to quiet and elegant, we have to mention temples. Most people's impression of temples still stops at 'monks' and believe that temples don't have women. In fact, temples do have women, and some temples even only accept women. These temples are generally called 'nunnery' by people.
01. The Most Beautiful Nunnery in Sichuan
This nunnery is located in Baiyu County, Sichuan, and is named 'Ya Qing Temple' by those who have a discerning eye. Ya Qing Temple was built in 1985, and so far, more than 20,000 women have practiced at Ya Qing Temple. Because there are many nuns at Ya Qing Temple, it looks like a small town from a distance. And that's why Ya Qing Temple is called the 'Most Beautiful Nunnery' in Sichuan by local people.
In the surrounding area of Ya Qing Temple, there are many 'small boxes', and these 'small boxes' are the residences of the nuns. Why are the residences called 'small boxes'? The answer is simple, because these residences are really small, so small that it's hard not to doubt whether anyone can live in them, and whether they will be suffocated if they do.
02. Nuns' Daily Life
Nuns are different from other women; ninety percent of the nuns live very frugally. For example, the nuns at Ya Qing Temple only eat potatoes every day. This is not because the nuns don't want to eat other foods, but because the nuns' daily expenses are relatively scarce. The lowest is only one yuan a day. What else can one yuan buy besides potatoes?
In addition, the nuns also need to attend classes every day. Three classes a day, morning, afternoon, and evening. Generally, the nuns need to arrive at the classroom location before class time. These classroom locations are mostly red houses. And the nuns never make noise during class, and the classroom environment is very elegant. More importantly, Ya Qing Temple has a complete system to constrain the nuns' behavior. This life is like being a student, which is quite interesting.
03. Special Regulations at Night
Every evening, the nuns are not allowed to go shopping. Why? This is also one of the constraints on the nuns. Shopping is a woman's nature, and women can find excuses to shop at any time. Especially at night, most women are prone to impulsive consumption. In order to let the nuns focus on cultivation, Ya Qing Temple issued such a seemingly incomprehensible but actually very useful regulation.
In fact, this regulation was also made for the purpose of ensuring the safety of the nuns. After all, more than half of the nuns are relatively weak, and if these nuns encounter any trouble when they go out at night, when people are few and it's dark, it would be a waste of words.
04. The Largest Nunnery – Pusuo Temple
After talking about the 'Most Beautiful Nunnery', let's talk about the 'largest' one. Pusuo Temple is located on Mount Fating, and its scale is unimaginable, with a total area of 20,000 square meters. Pusuo Temple was originally a part of the Great Wild Temple, but due to the changes of the times, this temple was declining day by day, and it was not until the Qing Dynasty was rebuilt that it became the lecture hall of the Dali Lama.
Pusuo Temple is very clean, with east and west courtyards. Most importantly, the buildings in Pusuo Temple are full of artistic sense. If you think temples are boring, you can come to Pusuo Temple to take a look. In the 20s and 30s, Pusuo Temple had two female monks who established a school, which is the same as schools today. You have to pass layer after layer of exams to enter, and anyone who fails will not be allowed to enter.
Every year, many women come to the nunnery to become nuns. These women willingly cut off the red dust and leave the world, starting a new life in pursuit of peace and redemption. Everyone has a different opinion and understanding. What do you think of these nuns? Do you know any famous nunneries?
