Peace of mind
心安
Longquan Monastery is an oasis of peace, beauty and tranquility.
Provided to China Daily
龙泉寺是一方安宁、优美、静谧的绿洲。中国日报供稿。
Longquan Monastery is just an hour away from downtown Beijing, but Harvey Dzodin discovers it's a breath of fresh air.
龙泉寺距离北京市区不过是一小时的车程，然而哈伟邹定却发现这里具有着别样的新鲜空气。
Beijing is a city of hidden treasures. There’s a lot more to it than the Forbidden City and the Silk Market but sometimes you have to make an effort to scratch beneath the surface or be lucky enough to stumble onto something of great value.
北京是一座富有秘藏的城市。紫禁城、秀水街这些远远不足代表一切，有时候，你必须努力撕开表面去探究，要不就得有足够的运气，撞上什么具有巨大价值的事物。
Pardon me for mixing religious metaphors, but I had an epiphany recently when I visited the ancient Longquan Monastery in the wilds of Haidian District abutting the Phoenix Ridge beyond the northwest Sixth Ring Road.
如果我混用了宗教隐喻，敬请谅解，可是我近来确曾遭遇到一件天启一样的事件，这一切都发生在我到访古刹龙泉寺之时，它隐身于海淀区的偏隅山野，接邻凤凰岭，处于西北六环之外。
With historic remnants of more than a millennium,
Longquan is definitely worth a visit, especially for the upcoming Spring Festival.
龙泉寺的历史遗存过逾千年，绝对是一处值得造访的地方，特别是春节临近，更是绝佳的去处。
Many of the monks attended attended the best universities in China but gave up distinguished careers to devote themselves to a pure life. There is also an abbot who uses the internet and social media to spread Buddhism’s venerable eternal values in a multitude of languages,
这里不少的僧人都毕业于中国顶尖学府，却毅然舍弃出色的职业生涯，甘于清净的生活。这里的方丈运用着互联网和社会传媒，以多种语言传播佛教崇高、永恒的价值观。
Beijing is blessed to be surrounded by rugged mountains, although we can only see them from afar a handful of days each year. From central Beijing and with no traffic, Longquan is only an hour away, but it is worlds away in terms of peace, beauty and tranquility.
北京天然环拥群岭，层峦叠嶂，可惜如今一年到头，或许仅可遥观数日。从北京市中心出发，如逢交通顺畅，龙泉寺亦不过一小时车程，然而若论其安宁、其优美、其静谧，则恍若是多少个世界之外的一处所在。
Entering the grounds, one encounters the 1,000-year-old Golden Dragon bridge, which has stood there since 951. It was built by Longquan’s first abbot, Venerable Master Jisheng who spent three years collecting alms from believers to realize its construction.
始入其境，就踏上了千年遗存金龙桥，它自951年以来，就一直矗立于斯，未经翻新。龙泉寺的第一代方丈继升和尚积三年之功，从信众募化善款，终毕此功。
The bridge is one of the largest and oldest single-arch stone bridge in Beijing. According to legend, a golden snake lives in the stream beneath it
该桥是北京地界最大、最古的单孔石桥之一。据传言有金蛇居于桥下涧流之中。
Nearby there is a giant gingko tree also dating back to the Liao Dynasty (916-1125).
桥畔有颗巨大的银杏树，也是辽代（916—1125）之物。
Local lore has it that a white-bearded old man seen frequently wandering there was the god of this tree. A short, easy climb up the mountain are the haunting remains of an equally venerable nunnery. Women associated with the imperial court were sent here in service to Buddhism.
地方传说有一白须长者，常见逡巡周围，实是树神。沿着山道漫步，不久就可爬到一处同样神圣的山中古庵，尚有遗迹，当时是皇家妇人来此修行侍佛的尼庵。
Although both moving and interesting, a place like Longquan is not about its physical plant but about its beliefs and activities.
尽管从风物而言，龙泉寺也堪为动人和引人入胜，然而它真正的精髓却是信仰及举行的各项活动。
These are embodied by the monks and others who live a strict monastic life there, and their spiritual leader who guides them.
出家人及在家众在此过着严格的寺院生活，依止精神导师而住。
Master Xianyu won the Gold Medal of the International Mathematics Olympiad while still a high school student. He became a monk after graduating from Peking University.
贤宇法师还是高中生时，就已是国际奥数金奖获得者了。北京大学毕业后，他选择了出家。
So as not to not be disturbed in the cause of advancing his mind, he chose a monastic life to benefit others.
为了堪能不受干扰地提升自己心灵，他抉择了一条出家之路来行利他事业。
Another of his colleagues with a PhD from Tsinghua University, Master Xianqi says he joined Longquan to "do the most needed work of our time, that is, to practice and promote Buddhist culture."
他的一位同事、清华博士贤启法师谈到他加入龙泉寺的目的则是“做这个时代最需要的工作——实践和传播佛教文化。”
The abbot of Longquan is the internationally recognized Venerable Master Xuecheng, who hold many leadership positions at home and abroad.
龙泉寺方丈就是国际知名的学诚大和尚。他身兼国内外多项领导职务。
He also serves as the abbot of the monasteries in Guanghua in Fujian province and Famen in Shaanxi province.
大和尚同时还是福建广化寺和陕西法门寺的方丈。
While the Buddhism practiced by Master Xuecheng and his disciples is two and one half millennia old, I was astonished to see banks of state-of-the-art computers, a media studio and a modern library at Longquan.
学诚法师及其弟子所践行的佛教已有2500年的历史了，而我在龙泉寺看到的则是一排排的新款电脑、传媒工作室、现代化的图书馆，令我倍感惊讶。
Those who practice this ancient religion at Longquan have embraced the Internet, including multilingual modern social media and websites.
在龙泉寺修持着这一古老宗教的人们，不仅拥抱互联网，而且还驾驭多语种现代社会媒体和网站。
This is in keeping with the abbot's vision for Longquan to be a contemporary Dharma-proclaiming monastery promoting "the possible combination of Buddhist tradition and modern civilization".
这一切都是响应着方丈对于龙泉寺的愿景——成为一座“探索佛教传统与现代文明相结合”的现代弘法寺庙。
The monastery is open to the public without charge. On weekends, there are Dharma study classes of the principle of cosmic order in several languages and on some weekends, celebrated scholars and scientists are invited to give lectures.
本寺完全免费向公众开放。周末都有学佛小组在上课，使用几种的语言，谈论着关乎万有极则的佛法。而在一些周末，会邀请著名学者和科学家来举办讲座。
For the upcoming Lunar New Year, a 10-day multilingual Dharma Assembly will be held with chanting in Chinese and English, as well as several other tongues.
即将到来的春节期间，一场10天的多语种法会即将举行，诵经以汉语和英文进行，也包括几种其他的语言。
Attendance, meals (with much of the food grown organically on-site) and lodging, are free of charge.
参加法会、用餐（很多的食物都是就地采用有机方式种植的）、住宿统统免费。
On Lunar New Year's eve, Feb 9, Longquan will have a party with original performances given by volunteers. On the 15th day of the first lunar month, Feb 24, the Lantern Festival, Longquan will be lit up with lanterns of various designs and many events have been planned.
大年除夕（2月9日）会有龙泉晚会举行，上演义工们表演的原创作品。正月十五（2月24日）是传统的灯节，龙泉寺将被设计多姿多彩的灯笼所照亮，目前有很多的活动在筹划中。
(China Daily 02/03/2013 page15)
（《中国日报》2013-2-3第15页）
转载自：中国日报； 作者：Harvey Dzodin（哈伟邹定）
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IF YOU GO
LONGQUAN MONASTERY
访问龙泉寺：
Add地址：27 Longquansi Rd., Haidian, Beijing
Reception Office客堂：010-6240-9092 ext.100
Email电邮: bjlongquansi@163.com
Voice of Longquan website龙泉之声： http://www.longquanzs.org
Ven. Xuecheng’s Qing blog学诚法师轻博： http://qing.weibo.com/xuecheng
Ven. Xuecheng’s blog学诚法师博客： http://blog.sina.com.cn/xuecheng
Ven. Xuecheng’s microblog学诚法师微博： http://weibo.com/xuecheng?source=blog
