1.6 Text 讲解词资料文件与下载

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. As a 4A attraction, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is always a popular travel destination. Today we are going to appreciate its charm. Now please come to the introduction.

Daci’en Temple

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda stands in Daci’en Temple in the south of Xi’an city . It is one of the most famous pagodas in China. Daci’en Temple was originally built in 589 AD in the Sui Dynasty, and was named Wulou Temple. In 648AD, Emperor Li Zhi (Gao Zong), then still a crown prince, ordered to repair the temple. Emperor Li Zhi was a filial son. He had this temple renovated in memory of his mother who died when he was quite young. Then named it Daci’en temple which means the Temple of Great Maternal Grace. It is said that Emperor Gao Zong paid homage to the temple twice a day (in the morning and at dusk) by looking in its direction from the Han Yuan Palace. The temple consists of 1,879 magnificent rooms. The buildings we see today date from either the Ming or the Qing dynasties.

Brief Introduction to Xuan Zang

Before we get more information of the Pagoda, let’s learn an important man in China---Xuan Zang. Xuan Zang was both a great translator and traveler.  At the age of 29 in 628 AD, he went to study Buddhism in India. He lived in India and studied Buddhism there for 17 years. In 645AD, three years before the temple was renovated, Xuan Zang returned from India through his long trip across Central Asia. Back in Chang’an, Xuan Zang was welcomed at the imperial palace. Because of his unique knowledge of India and Central Asia and his deep understanding of Buddhist doctrines, he spent the next 12 years translating a total of 1,335 volumes of Buddhist scriptures.

Building of the Pagoda

In 652AD, Xuan Zang made a proposal to the court for a pagoda to be built inside the temple to store the scriptures and statues he had brought back from India. The Emperor agreed without hesitation. Xuan Zang was very pleased. He personally took an active part in the process of its construction, form designing, supervision to actually carrying bricks and stones on his back to the construction site. The design of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda combined the traditional style of Chinese tower and the art of pagoda building from the western regions. The pagoda was first built with only five storeys, 60 meters high. Later, the pagoda increased to 10 storeys when it was reconstructed from 701 to 704. Because of destroy of wars, the pagoda now rises 64 meters with 7 storeys. It was built with layers of bricks but without any cement in between.

The Origin of the Name of the Pagoda

There has been an interesting story about the name of the pagoda. It was said that Xuan Zang used to stay in a Mahayana temple in India. There are two sects in Buddhism: the Mahayana and the Hinayana. Believers of the Mahayana sect were vegetarians, while believers of the Hinayana sect were non-vegetarians. Near the temple where Xuan Zang was staying, there stood a Hinayana temple. One day, a monk was worried about the shortage of meat in his temple. However, it happened to be the General Alms Day of Buddha; another monk looked up at the sky and sighed “the merciful Buddha will never forget what day today is.”  At that time, a flock of wild geese were flying over the temple. At these words, the head goose dropped dead on the ground right in front of the monk. The monks were all puzzled and astonished. They thought that this must be the result of Buddha’s spirit at work to satisfy them with the wild goose. Ever since then, the monks of the temple became vegetarians and began to believe in Mahayana. They also set up a pagoda at the place where the wild goose dropped dead, and called it the Wild Goose Pagoda.

The Wild Goose Pagoda we see here is a structure modeling after the one in India, and given the name in memory of Xuan Zang and in praise of Buddhism. After about half a century, the pagoda in Jian Fu Temple was built. The two pagodas face each other from the distance, but at the same time revealed different styles. Since the one in Jian Fu Temple is smaller than the Wild Goose Pagoda, people started to call it the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and this one the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

The Bell Tower and the Drum Tower

Inside the Ci’en temple, there are two small buildings. The one on the east side houses a bell, and the one on the west side houses a drum. The bell is an iron cast from the Ming Dynasty, weighing 15 tons. The bell and the drum were used to strike time for the monks in the temple.

Now let’s come to Da Xiong Bao Dian. Da Xiong Bao Dian is the most important hall in a Buddhist temple, because it is dedicated to Sakyamuni Buddha. It is often called Da Dian or the Great Hall.

The Hall of Xuan Zang San Zang

The Hall of Xuan Zang San Zang is north of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Inside the Hall are Xuan Zang’s relic and a bronze statue of a seated Xuan Zang. The inner wall is chiseled with murals depicting this hierarch’s story.

The Tablets with the Inscriptions of Emperor Tai Zong and Gao Zong

Here on both sides of the south door of the Pagoda we can see two tablets inserted into the walls, one on each side. Xuan Zang stayed in the temple for 12 years and translated 1,335 volumes of Buddhist scriptures. In praise of the master’s dedication to Buddhism, Emperor Tai Zong Wrote “A Foreword on the Holy Religion”, followed by crown prince Li Zhi’s “a Preface to the Foreword on his Holy Religion”. The two compositions were written by the famous calligrapher Chu Suiliang of the Tang Dynasty.

Ok, ladies and gentlemen, so much for this part.