“Ennin’s Travels” Photo Exhibit at Yunjusi Temple “穿越千年，回眸云居” ——追寻圆仁法师求法巡礼足迹摄影展

Posted on: November 26th, 2012

The story of Japanese monk Ennin’s travels in 9th c. Tang China as told by my photos of his route, were put on display for five months (June to November, 2012) at the famous temple of Yunjusi located in the hills southwest from the center of Beijing. Ennin himself didn’t come here, he actually passed further to the south, on his way to Mt. Wutai. However, as this temple has the amazing stone-slab library of sutras that began to be carved from the Sui and Tang dyansties, there is a connection with Ennin to the time frame of the temple. In addition, both are symbolic of the earnest desire for the preservation of the teachings of Buddhism in the face of anti-Buddhist persecutions. For me, to have an exhibition at Yunjusi was very important as I had been visiting this rather remote temple many times since 1984.The curators also put up some old photos of Yunjusi, many taken by Japanese scholars during the first part of the twentieth century.

I am grateful to the officials of the Yunjusi Museum and my dear friends Ms. Wu Menglin and Wang Weiming for their helping to organize this exhibition. Li Xueqing and Ye Xue’s family helped hang the photos. Minister Saito of the Japanese Embassy, Monk Yoden Kiyohara and his grandson Joden from Yamagata’s Yamadera in Japan, Monk Zhenguang of Baoding and Qigong Master Wan Sujian, as well as officials from Fangshan District, were the special guests. After the opening ceremony in front of the temple, we went to the exhibition hall where Monk Kiyohara performed a Tendai Buddhist ritual that Ennin had probably brought back to Japan from China 1,200 years before. We were all stunned by his energetic primal scream at the end.

The temple then served a wonderful fully vegetarian luncheon banquet.It was something that Ennin probably didn’t have a chance to enjoy as temple meals back then were primarily millet soup and some pickled vegetables. As I write this, Ennin’s story is still on display at Yunjusi Temple, both powerful reminders of Buddhism’s legacy in East Asia, a long-standing bond that overrides the tensions of the moment.

追寻圆仁－慈觉大师求法巡礼的足迹
大约一千二百年前，有一名日本僧人－圆仁法师随日本遣唐使团入唐求法巡礼。他历经９年的时间（８３８年－８４７年），总行程万余里，途经江苏、山东、河北、山西、陕西、河南、安徽等省，写下了四卷七万多汉字的日记－《入唐求法巡礼行记》（“圆仁日记”）。这本日记体裁的行记详实地记录了唐代政治、经济、文化、佛教，特别是老百姓生活的历史，叙述了当时社会真实情况，也记录下了武宗灭佛的历史事实。作为一名四十多岁的日本高僧，他不顾艰难险阻，千辛万苦入唐求法，为的是把佛教的精髓、真谛及各方面的知识和先进经验带回日本。
圆仁于公元７９４年出生在日本的枥木县，公元８６４年圆寂于日本京都郊外的比睿山。他是日本天台宗延历寺的第三代住持。圆仁去世后被授予慈觉大师的称号，当时影响极大，名震全国。
遗憾的是他的日记却并不为人们所重视。
60年代，我第一次看到由哈佛大学莱绍尔教授翻译成英文的《圆仁日记》。圆仁经常日行三、四十公里，不畏艰辛，刻苦修行的精神感动了我。从80年代，我便产生了重走圆仁之路的想法。我不断地研究“圆仁日记”，想像着当时的场景，更加按捺不住这种感动。于是，便开始找资料，看地图，查路线。通过步行、乘船，水路、陆路并行，日记中提及的桥梁、村镇全都一一走过，近七千五百公里，走完了圆仁之路。这次的摄影是近十年的时间拍照的（２００１－２０１２）。
我希望通过这次摄影展让大家追忆并记住圆仁－慈觉大师的足迹，同时更希望对促进中日两国的文化交流以及增进两国人民的友谊作出一些贡献。

阿南史代