The Sleeping Buddha of Wo Fu Ssă
ERHAPS the oldest of the many fascinating hill temples is the famous monastery known as Wo Fu Ssū. This fine old sanctuary carries us back to the time when the Northern Capital was in the days of its infancy: for it was established during the reign of the T'angs (A.D. 932-936). Nestled close under an outcropping bluff of the Western A Hills and surrounded by dense groves of fine old trees, it is famed as a beauty spot as well as a retreat of distinguished antiquity. For centuries this monastery of the Sleeping Buddha has been noted for its genial hospitality, and every summer many Peking residents come here to escape the dust and heat of the plain, and to enjoy the picturesque and romantic country life that this quaint Buddhist temple affords. In fact, all the Western Hill temples are largely patronized as summer resorts during the hot summer season, for, as Hubbard says: "The doors of a. temple are open to all and sundry, and thanks to Chinese tolerance in religious matters, foreigners can enjoy their hospitality as freely as tatives of the country. Guest rooms, often comprising a whole courtyard, are a feature of every temple and in these the visitor can install himself and his whole household and live a self-contained existence quite outside the official life of the temple." Many foreign residents in Peking rent their favorite temples and establish permanent summer homes here. Of late years the Y. M C. A. has monopolized most of the quest rooms of beautiful Do Fu Ssū, having established their out-of-town headquarters itt its spacious courts. The approach to this ancient temple is a charming one. A long avenue of fine old cypresses leads from the plain below to the gorgeous green and gold pailou by the gate, a replica of the much-admired Confucian pailou at the Hall of Classics. (See page 125.) Leaving our car in the shade of wide-spreading trees by the roadside, we pass beneath the glittering archway and cross several sun-lit courtyards to the Hall of the Sleeping Buddha-chief glory of this famous temple. Entering a richly adored sanctuary we stand before a huge bronze figure-the "Beloved One at rest." (See opposite plate.] "The image with its calma passionless face and closed eyes an impressive embodiment of drearless sleep is fully clothed in robes of state," writes Juliet Bredon. "Only the feet are bare, The pious bring offerings of shoes, large and small, silk or paper, according to their means, to place upon the altar, Why? Is there a hint of a resurrection?" Yes! In just three hundred years, the priests now tell us, their lord will awaken out of his age-long sleep. Note the shoes at the left of the picture-a gift, it is said, from one of the emperors. And following the precedent set for them, the presidents of China now add their gifts to the long line of gigantic footwear.
