截至2016年3月，甘肃省西和县白雀寺，常住僧人、道士共5名。 其中比丘两名：法号分别是明法、明圆，比丘尼一名：法号道学。又各自本名：刘具甲（1946年生人）、符瑞儿（1949年生人），和汪学花（1950年生人）。另坤道（即女道士）两名：称谓又分别是独嗣贞和张兴盛。各自本名：独一贞（80岁余）和张月琴（80后）。
听明法大师说，每年四月初八的释迦牟尼佛诞辰，寺庙都会往来一些同道修行，还有来自各地的大批虔诚信众，成了寺庙一年中最为热闹的日子。虽说，白雀寺早已没了以往繁荣：民国时期，大家群策群力的时候，相关团体编写出了一本《汉阳舟子集》。
笔者曾于2016年2月短暂停留过寺庙一周，同明法大师、明圆师傅居住在寺庙的偏隅，吃住也都相同！算是真切体验了把佛院生活。时隔两年，才想起写这样一篇文章。话不多说，直接步入正题。
诵经念佛 参禅入定
每天早上，师傅们会定点醒来，5点—8点是打坐念经的时间。通常他们是在各自的起居室进行这个仪式，半掩着门，然后点燃香烟，端坐在床上，双手再拨弄平常就戴在手上的佛珠，一边嘴里念着佛语。
2、3月的西和，天气还比较寒冷，夜晚经常会下起雪。寺庙里没有暖气供应，更别说空调了。唯一辅助取暖的东西，是师傅们赖以喝茶的工具。
一日两餐 过午不食
8点打坐完毕，在煮好斋饭之前，明圆师傅会叫醒仍处于熟睡中的香客，告知他们早饭时间到了。然后准备期间，请各自洗脸刷牙。
寺庙里，斋饭的种类不多，又通常是面食、土豆泥和馍馍。吃惯大米的南方香客，明圆师傅会特地为他们熬上一锅米粥。但米粥又与其它地方大有不同，锅里不仅有小块的土豆，还有许多细碎的生姜、配以咸盐。明法大师热情地为我盛了碗米粥，记忆犹新！
吃罢早饭，师傅、香客们会各自清洗碗筷，然只需清水冲洗一遍，碗筷就显得格外干净了。至于吃饭期间不小心洒落的饭粒、馍屑，师傅们一边进餐就一边拾掇起放进专用的小碗，留给后来需要用到的地方（比如，喂给竹林里的蚂蚁、昆虫，鸟儿等动物）。之于一餐剩下的食物，他们会保留到下一次的进餐再次享用。
上午，师傅们会再次进食，同时为暂住于寺庙的香客，提供一些馍馍或是土豆泥。这个进餐阶段通常是在11点之前，即午时以前。接下来就是漫长的修行了！（注：寺庙内是不允许香客有破戒的事情发生的。）
最大爱好是喝茶
通常在上午的进餐之后，两位师傅会进行简短的诵经。猜测的大致内容，应该就是对于“过午不食”的奉行和坚守。而我通常这个时候，是待在香客房间的床上，精神处于百无聊赖的状态。
在没有香客拜访的时候，师傅们又通常是待在各自的房间念经、打坐、喝茶。借宿停留期间，明法大师时常邀请我陪他一同饮茶，还会叫上旁屋的明圆师傅。谈些过往，谈些心境。尽管他们地道的甘肃话，在我甚是听不明白，但是，一些简单的普通话沟通还是能行的。
前面谈到的取暖、喝茶工具，是一个凹陷可以放置烧炭的圆盘。看起来很重，实则也很重，大小有点类似学生时期使用的床桌，只不过是圆形。
然后喝茶的盛具，是一次只能够装下200毫升水的陶瓷罐。师傅们爱喝浓茶，因为要避免打坐的时候睡着了。茶叶被放在罐子里同水一起煮沸，然后将沸腾的茶水过滤到玻璃杯中，冷却再品味！
由于“过午不食”，师傅们要求自己在同香客喝茶聊天的时候也是不能进食的，但这并不妨碍香客们可以“破戒”。明法大师就时常会把馍馍等干粮拿给我，因为担心上午没吃饱，然后下午、晚间喝茶的时候让伴着茶水吃。当然，也都只能是寺院规定的食物！
“藏书阁”
明法大师的起居室，有个不小的藏书阁。征得他允许之后，我有幸能够一睹阁子里的各类佛教书籍。
依稀记得离开寺庙的头天晚上，明法大师找来他的一个俗家弟子，也是20多来岁。沟通之后，与师傅留下了各自联系方式，然后让弟子找来两本佛教书籍：《佛学基本知识》，与《正信的佛教》。这些，我都留存下来做人生的宝贵回忆。
冥想
到了一天的22点，是师傅们开始真正睡眠的时间。当然，睡觉之前，他们也会进行一个简短的仪式，“总结”一天的得失、收获。有时候，寺庙会零散前来一些问道、或是寻方的客人，他们有的专门带给师傅们精心准备的干粮，有的临走时又掏出一点金钱，嘱咐买些必要的起居、生活用品。
没客人或是天气比较不错的时候，明法大师和明圆师傅，又会商量前往寺庙后面的山坡，散步修行。待寺里生活物资匮乏了，这时候明法大师又会安排明圆师傅下山，前往市集购买一些生活的必需品。然后入睡、醒来。度过他们的一天！
临别之际，明法大师、明圆师傅一同站立在眺望香客来路的山坡上，目送这人世间的孩儿，离开去找寻他们的人生方向，然后在疲惫不堪甚至心生邪恶的时候回头，依旧能够望见他们那真挚的守候。仿如盼望儿女健康归来的父母一般，忧心这迷惘的天下苍生！
厕所
这里单独提出来，作为寺庙“不足”的地方存在。是不是因为注重修行，而没有特别在意？还是僧人们都已经习以为常，不认为这是需要迫切解决的问题呢？
相信也只有在寺庙居住过一段时间的香客，才能亲身体验到如厕的不方便。当然，明法大师和明圆师傅并没有提出定点儿抱怨或是有所求的意思。毕竟，这一世的修行，若不苦一点，来世，你我脸上的欢笑，怎能每天都见到！
As of March 2016, there were five permanent residents at Baique Temple in Xihe County, Gansu Province, including two bhikkhus, Mingfa and Mingyuan, one bhikkhuni, Daoxue, and two female Taoist priests, Duzhi Zhen and Zhang Xing Sheng. Their birth names were Liu Jujia (born in 1946), Fu Rui’er (born in 1949), Wang Xuehua (born in 1950), Du Yizhen (in her 80s), and Zhang Yueqin (born in the 1980s).
According to Master Mingfa, every year on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month, which marks the birthday of Shakyamuni Buddha, the temple receives fellow practitioners and a large number of devout visitors, making it the busiest day of the year. Although Baique Temple has lost its former glory, during the Republican period, the local community collaborated to compile a book titled Hanyang Boatmen Collection.
I briefly stayed at the temple for a week in February 2016, living in the temple’s corner alongside Master Mingfa and Master Mingyuan, sharing meals and lodging. This allowed me a genuine experience of monastic life. It wasn’t until two years later that I decided to write this article. Without further ado, let me delve into the main topic.
Chanting, Meditation, and Deep Contemplation
Every morning, the monks would wake up at a set time between 5 and 8 AM for meditation and chanting. Typically, they performed this ritual in their individual rooms, with the door slightly ajar. They would light incense, sit on their beds, and manipulate their prayer beads with one hand while chanting sacred words with their mouths.
During February and March in Xihe, the weather remained cold, with frequent snowfall at night. The temple lacked heating or air conditioning, and the only aid for warmth was the tea-drinking apparatus used by the monks.
Two Meals a Day and No Eating After Noon
After morning meditation, before preparing the breakfast, Master Mingyuan would wake up the still-sleeping guests to inform them it was time for breakfast. Guests would then wash their faces and brush their teeth in preparation.
The temple offered few varieties of food, typically consisting of noodles, mashed potatoes, and flatbread. For southern guests accustomed to rice, Master Mingyuan would specially prepare a pot of rice porridge. This porridge was unique, with chunks of potato and pieces of fresh ginger, seasoned with salt. Master Mingfa once kindly served me a bowl of this porridge, an unforgettable memory.
After breakfast, the monks and guests would wash their own bowls and chopsticks, often only needing to rinse them with water, which made them exceptionally clean. Any rice grains or bread crumbs that fell during the meal were collected into small bowls by the monks and later used in places such as feeding ants, insects, or birds in the bamboo forest. Leftover food was saved for the next meal.
Before noon, the monks would eat again, offering flatbread or mashed potatoes to the guests temporarily staying at the temple. This meal typically occurred before 11 AM, after which the long period of spiritual practice began (Note: guests were not allowed to break their vows during their stay at the temple).
A Love for Tea
After their morning meal, the two monks would briefly chant again. The content likely revolved around adhering to the practice of “no eating after noon.” During this time, I would often be lying on my bed in the guest room, bored and idle.
When there were no visitors, the monks typically stayed in their rooms, reading scriptures, meditating, or drinking tea. During my stay, Master Mingfa often invited me to join him for tea, and would also call Master Mingyuan from the next room. We would chat about the past and spiritual matters. Despite their strong Gansu accent, which I had difficulty understanding, simple conversations in Mandarin were still manageable.
The heating and tea-drinking tools mentioned earlier consisted of a heavy circular plate designed for burning charcoal, somewhat like a round student desk but quite heavy. The tea-making vessel was a ceramic pot, able to hold only 200 ml of water at a time. The monks preferred strong tea to stay awake during meditation. The tea leaves would be boiled in the pot, and the boiling tea would be filtered into a glass cup to cool before drinking.
Because of the “no eating after noon” rule, the monks also refrained from eating when drinking tea and chatting with guests, though guests were free to “break the rule.” Master Mingfa often offered me bread or other dry snacks, worried I might be hungry after the morning meal, so I could eat alongside the tea in the afternoon or evening. However, all food was strictly temple-approved.
The “Library”
Master Mingfa’s room contained a small but impressive library. With his permission, I was fortunate to explore the collection of Buddhist books. I vaguely remember the night before I left the temple, Master Mingfa invited a lay disciple, a young man in his twenties, and after our conversation, they exchanged contact information. The disciple then brought me two Buddhist books, Basic Buddhist Knowledge and True Buddhism, both of which I kept as cherished mementos.
Meditation
By 10 PM, it was time for the monks to go to bed. Before sleeping, they would perform a brief ritual to reflect on the day’s gains and losses. Occasionally, some visitors would come to the temple with questions or requests. Some brought prepared snacks for the monks, while others left a small donation to buy necessary supplies.
When there were no visitors or when the weather was pleasant, Master Mingfa and Master Mingyuan would discuss walking up the hill behind the temple for spiritual practice. If temple supplies ran low, Master Mingfa would send Master Mingyuan down the mountain to purchase essentials. Then, they would sleep and begin another day.
On my departure, Master Mingfa and Master Mingyuan stood together on the hill, watching the road where visitors arrived, as if to send off children leaving to seek their life’s direction. They looked on with care and concern, much like parents waiting for their children’s safe return, their hearts heavy for the lost souls in the world.
The Toilet
This is a notable shortcoming of the temple. Was it because the monks prioritized their spiritual practices over practical matters, or had they simply become accustomed to the discomfort?
Only those who have stayed at the temple can truly understand the inconvenience of the toilet facilities. However, neither Master Mingfa nor Master Mingyuan voiced any complaints or requests for change. After all, if there is no hardship in this life, how can we expect to find joy in the next?