The Legend of Shushan Xuanjian

Chapter 203
The old gentleman said: When people practice positive virtues, they repay themselves; when people practice negative virtues, ghosts and gods repay them.When people do evil, they repay themselves; when people do evil, ghosts and gods harm them.Looking for these two ways, yin and yang repay and give, is it false? ...

——Excerpt from "Prescriptions for Emergencies" by Sun Simiao (Tang Dynasty)

……

"Fu'er, what do you feel?" Mrs. Xu said with a smile
Bai Fu was still thinking, and said: "This courtyard looks colorless and flowerless, but it contains some kind of power. Being in it, you can quickly discard distracting thoughts, meditate inwardly, and perceive epiphany.

This power is also a bridge, which not only allows the viewer to perceive the spiritual expression of the gardener, but also allows the viewer's inner world to communicate with the world. "

"What is spiritual expression?" Xu Taifu asked.

"It's Zen. It can concretize the invisible feeling, and replace it with your own state of mind with a specific form. It's like the gains and losses of mountains and rivers." Bai Fu replied.

"There is no gain or loss in mountains and rivers, the gain or loss lies in the hearts of the people."

Xu Taifu said: "The victory of my garden in the Tang Dynasty is that mountains and water are the only two things, and the mountains and waters are the basics of garden design. 'Talent and love are the mountains and rivers of the heart; landscapes are the talents of heaven and earth.'

We have also admired the gardens and gardens of Dugu, Changsun and other famous families in Chang'an. Tell me, what is meant by "dream mountains and manage water", and how are Chang'an's courtyards different from here? "

Seeing Mr. Xu thinking about himself, Bai Fu secretly laughed, reserved for a while, and then said: "'Dropping mountains', also known as building mountains and stacking mountains, is a craftsman's technique of stacking soil and stones to form rockery for the purpose of landscaping. 'Water management' refers to the use of water and the construction of landscapes with water.

In the gardens of Chang'an, miniature mountain pools are popular in the courtyards of "gathering fist stones into mountains and ringing buckets of water into pools". The composition of peaks and stones imitates mountains, and the more realistic the better.

Mountain scenery is a must in the garden, and the gardens of rich and famous families must be stacked with rockery.Earthy mountains are solidified with stones, like human bones; rocky mountains are planted with trees, full of vitality.

Today's royal family and relatives often use soil as the main mountain, which is lush and wild, and the cost is small but the effect is obvious.Into the gesture of 'Hiraoka Kosaka, Quan Huisha'. "Wood and stone embellishment, brush strokes cloud forest, mixed trees on the mountainside, coiled roots embedded with stones, just like a painting."

Dugu, Changsun and other famous families use stone as the main mountain, and require stone materials to be "small like Yunlin, big for a long time, although the block is stubborn, it is more steep and scaled".It is very difficult to stack stones, and no mountain craftsman can make a good scene unless he is a master.Once the scenery is completed, the core scenery in the garden is high and steep, with streams, caves and valleys turning back and forth, and the landscape is picturesque. "The hidden ring window in the brake space is like a picture of Xiao Li; the rocks are piled up with rocks, and half of the walls are jagged." Let the viewer "think outside the dust and imagine walking in the painting."

Apart from mountain views, most families have water features in their courtyards.Some are misty and vast, with sky light and cloud shadows; some are blue and blue, with lotuses blooming and fish swimming.If the interest of water is combined with mountains and rocks, surrounded by water, and connected by mountains and rivers, then "the water turns with the mountains, and the mountains are alive with the water", which is the most poetic and picturesque. "

Taifu Xu was taken aback, and said: "I didn't expect Taoist Master Qingxuan to also study mountains and rivers? What you said made this old man very impressed."

"Teacher, he's teasing you."

There was a burst of laughter like silver bells, it turned out that the little monk had also summoned Li Xuexuan.Some time ago, thanks to Li Xuexuan's meticulous care, Tai Tuo recovered so quickly.Tai Tuo really likes this child, seeing him now, he is warm and happy.

The Taifu turned his head to look at Bai Fu, and was having fun at the side.Xu Taifu knew that there must be something wrong, so he pretended to be angry and said: "Aren't you really asking for it?"

Bai Fu managed to stop his laughter, and said: "Teacher, don't blame me, the day I visited the courtyard of the old lord Dugu's home, the eldest grandson secretly slipped me a note, saying that the family of the old lord Dugu will definitely test me about gardening in the future. , let me memorize the answer well. I didn’t think so at the time, but I didn’t expect you to take the exam first before they asked. Hehe”,
The Tai Fu thought about it, laughed dumbly, and thought to himself: "This old guy is good at being a good boy, and he can sneak through the questions. Cough, why not me. It's just that we old guys are just worrying about young people's affairs. Flower Whoever falls, let it be."

Li Xuexuan took Tai Tuo's arm and said with a smile: "Teacher Fu, Senior Brother Fu guesses the questions based on the answers to the riddles, it doesn't count. Tell us about it."

Master Xu smiled and said, "Okay, the garden next door is also a classic garden, let's talk about it as we walk."

The little novice led the three of them into another courtyard, smiled and said: "Layman Xu, please go first, I will wait for Master here, and I will join you all later."

After saying goodbye, Master Xu pointed to the courtyard and said, "This garden was created by Zen Master Liaokong when he was not a monk. When it was completed, it was famous in Luoyang, and even Emperor Wuzhao lingered on it."

The interest of Bai Li and the two increased greatly, and they followed the Tai Tuo into the garden to enjoy..."

　references:
　　1. "What is the relationship between Japanese Karesansui and Chinese landscape painting?" ", Wang Shuyao, Harper's Bazaar Art, June 6.

　　2. "Landscape and Garden: Direct Pursuit and Presentation of Painting", Gu Kai, "Knowledge, Landscape Special Collection", CITIC Publishing House, 2015st edition, October 10.

　　2015. "No stone and no water can't make a garden: landscape gardening techniques to manage mountains and water", Liu Tingfeng, Liu Yong'an, "Knowledge, Landscape Special Collection", CITIC Publishing House, 10st edition in October 1.

　　Notes:

　　[-]. In the article "Duoshan" in "Yuanye", Ji Cheng divides Duoshan into Yuanshan, Tingshan, Loushan, Geshan, Study Hill, Chishan, Neishishan, etc. Seventeen types of mountain landscapes, including cliffs, rock pools, goldfish bowls, peaks, mountains, rocks, caves, streams, curved waters, and waterfalls, summarize and gather most types of rockery landscapes in gardens.

　　[-]. "Talent is the landscape of the heart; landscape is the talent of the world." It comes from Li Weng Secretary written by Li Yu, a famous scholar during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

　　
　　
　
(End of this chapter)