Baotong Temple

Baotong Buddhist temple is located at the south foot of Hongshan mountain in Wuchang. It is a pure Buddhist temple of all ages. In 1983, it was designated by the State Council as the national key Buddhist temple in the Han nationality area. Baotong temple is located at the south foot of Hongshan mountain in Wuchang, which is one of the four famous Buddhist forests in Wuhan. In 1983, it was designated as the national key open Temple of Chinese Buddhism by the State Council. In 1992, it was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Hubei Province and the first Buddhist site in the three Chu states. Baotong temple, with a long history, is well-known both at home and abroad. It was first built in the Liu Song period (420-479) of the Southern Dynasty and was initially known as Dongshan temple. During the reign of Zhenguan in Tang Dynasty (627-649), it was renamed Mituo temple; during the reign of Duanping in Southern Song Dynasty (1234-1236), it was renamed Chongning Wanshou temple, which is the oldest temple in Wuhan. Pure Land Sect, Zen sect and esoteric sect are the most typical Royal monasteries. They have been strongly supported by ten emperors and six princes, such as Tang Wenzong. The temples and pavilions in the temple are built in accordance with the mountains. They are layered, natural, simple and solemn, with a radius of 150 mu and the largest area. There are many cultural relics, such as song bell, Yuan tower, xumizuo and Ming lion. There are many historical sites, such as cliff carvings and eight scenes of Hongshan, which have the most Buddhist cultural connotation. Wuchang Buddhist College, founded by Taixu, the great master of Buddhism in modern China, was reopened in Baotong Buddhist temple in 1994. It is the most important Sangha education base in modern times.

Baotong Temple

Baotong Buddhist temple is located at the south foot of Hongshan mountain in Wuhan City, Hubei Province. It is a pure Buddhist temple of all ages. It is the first Buddhist place in the three Chu states. It is one of the four Buddhist forests in Wuhan city and the oldest existing temple in Wuhan.

Covering an area of more than 110000 square meters, the temple is the largest one in the cities of central and southern China. Its large scale and grand hall are the first temples in Wuchang.

Baotong Chan temple has always been a royal temple, which has been maintained by the royal family in various dynasties. Today's temple architecture is obviously Royal. In 1983, it was designated by the State Council as the national key Temple of Buddhism in the Han nationality region. In the same year, it was listed as the national key open Temple of Chinese Buddhism determined by the State Council. In 1992, it was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Hubei Province.

Historical evolution

Initial construction

From 420 to 479, Baotong temple was first built during the Liu Song period of the Southern Dynasty. It was initially named Dongshan temple. From 627 to 649, it was renamed Mituo temple in Zhenguan period of Tang Dynasty. Yuchi Jingde, who was then the Duke of the state of E, expanded Dongshan temple and renamed it Mituo temple. He made it an Anchan place with "the main gate of the deep hall, the heavy porch and the complex fence, the high wall turning, the corridor and the wings relaxing, the incense kitchen opening, and the monk's room opening". He also made a giant iron Buddha, which flourished for a time. From 742 to 756, during the reign of Tianbao of Tang Dynasty, the cast iron Buddha of Tang Dynasty was 4 meters high, 8 meters wide, and sitting on the knees. In 826, the second year of Baoli in Tang Dynasty, monk Shanqing of Kaiyuan Temple in Hongzhou (now Nanchang City in Jiangxi Province) traveled to Dahongshan in Suizhou to build "Lingfeng Temple". In 835, before his death, monk Shanqing resolutely cut off his feet and stayed in the temple, saying that he would run for the interests of the villagers after he ascended to heaven. At that time, Emperor Wenzong Li Ang of the Tang Dynasty gave Shanqing the title of "master CI Ren". He called his feet Buddha feet and left the gate of Zhenshan. He also wrote a plaque of "Youji Temple" to Lingfeng temple. This pair of "Buddha feet" has become the treasure of Lingfeng temple. Around 1119, at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was renamed "Chongning Wanshou Temple". From 1134 to 1141, Yue Fei took part in the anti gold war and planted pine trees here. From 1234 to 1236, during the Duanping period of the Southern Song Dynasty, Meng Gong placed several Buddha statues in Youji Buddhist temple in Dahongshan, Suizhou, together with "Buddha foot", the master of LINGJI Tzu Jen, and the imperial edicts of the past dynasties. After the Buddha foot and the monks of Lingfeng temple came to Mituo temple, the two temples merged. Emperor LiZong Zhao Yun gave the temple the name of Chongning Wanshou temple. In 1240, in the fourth year of Jiaxi reign of the Southern Song Dynasty, "Wanjin bell" was cast in the Song Dynasty. The body of the bell is made of iron with bronze inlaid at the edge. The body of the bell is huge and heavy. It can be seen that people in Song Dynasty have reached a certain level in the study of temperament and smelting and casting technology. The Wanjin bell is tall and simple in shape. It is surrounded by the inscriptions of "long live the emperor, long live the important officials, good weather and peace of the country". From 1280 to 1291, Hongshan pagoda was built. The tower is seven steps and eight squares, made of bricks and stones. It is 13 zhang3 feet tall, 11 zhang2 feet wide at the base, and 1 zhang3 feet high at the top. From 1271 to 1285, the temple was damaged in the war. From 1272 to 1276, Kublai Khan, the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, made a southern expedition and discovered Buddha feet. When ban Shi returned to the imperial court, he ordered the abbot of Wanshou temple in Chongning to send a letter from the Buddha to the capital. He specially ordered him to be placed in the secret temple for strict worship. In 1332, the abbot raised money to rebuild and construct the temple. After two years, the temple was revived. From 1351 to 1367, peasants revolted at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and Wanshou temple was destroyed by war. From 1370 to 1425, Zhu Zhen, the son of Zhu Yuanzhang, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, was rebuilt when he established his vassal. From 1465 to 1510, Zhu Jun, King Jing of Chu, overhauled the main hall, showing his extraordinary bearing. In 1485, in the 21st year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty, it was renamed "Baotong Temple" and became one of the four great jungles in Wuhan. From 1635 to 1644 (from the eighth year of Chongzhen to the seventeenth year of Chongzhen), Zhang Xianzhong's peasant uprising led to the destruction of Baotong temple.

Renovation and reconstruction

From 1661 to 1722, during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, Baotong temple was rebuilt and built on a grand scale. From 1676 to 1691, from the 15th to the 30th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing government repeatedly allocated money to rebuild and build Baotong temple, which was called the head of all Buddhist temples in Wuchang. Around 1856 (the last year of Xianfeng in Qing Dynasty), Baotong temple was destroyed during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement. From 1865 to 1879, it was repaired many times from the fourth year of Tongzhi to the fifth year of Guangxu. From 1871 to 1874, the Hongshan pagoda was rebuilt on a large scale. In April 1911, Jiang Yiwu and Sun Wu invited some representatives of Biao and Ying to Baotong temple in Hongshan for a meeting to discuss the appointment of Li Yuanhong as the temporary governor. In 1911, during the Wuchang Uprising in 1911, the revolutionary army set up a headquarters in the temple. During the period of the Republic of China, Cheng Qian paid for the maintenance, which was destroyed by the garrison before it was completed. In 1924, master Chi song, the abbot of Baotong temple, built the Dharma palace, the altar of Buddhism Tantrism. Fajie palace was built in the form of "five Mandala" of Vajrayana Department of Tantric School of Tang Dynasty after Chi song returned to China. In order to study Tantric school, the original wooden Tantric altar was set up in the palace. Now the roof is covered with yellow glazed tiles, and the five pavilions are used to show the orientation of the five Buddhas. All pavilions are hollowed out with big ridges, cornices and claws, which are full of national characteristics. In front of the hall, the porch column is engraved with Falun cross, Jiemo pestle, and the double lotus petals are engraved around the base of the hall. In front of the hall, there is a three hole arch bridge under the steps. Outside the bridge, there are two pavilions. The pavilions match each other and the scenery is unique. This is the only Buddhist Tantric building in Wuhan. Its unique design has become a reference for the study of architecture. In the middle of May 1924, Master Taixu specially invited his master to Wuchang Buddhist College to spread secrets. In the spring of 1925, general Wu Peifu (Zi Yu), the leader of the direct warlord and the patrol envoy of the two lakes, took refuge on the warships in Yuezhou. Huang Dan, an adjutant, was specially sent to Hongshan Baotong temple to invite his master to explain the main idea of the Vajra Sutra to him. Chen Shuyun, President of Wuhan University, also invited his teacher to give a speech at that time. With the title of Yuanjing, he expounded the essence of all things in the universe from the perspective of time and space, combined with the six origins of Esoteric Buddhism, and analyzed it in detail, which was quite convincing to teachers and students. Master Chisong kept preaching, practicing Dharma, preaching precepts and broadcasting Bodhi seeds. In the autumn of 1925, master Chi song left Wuhan for the East Asian Buddhist Conference in Japan. When he returned to China in the spring of 1927, Baotong temple and fajie palace had been destroyed in the shelling, and the secret Dharma altar could not be restored. He had to come to Shanghai at the invitation of the residents. Since then, he has been invited to lecture, preach precepts, practice Dharma and guanding all over the country. In 1932, the abbot asked master Xian to ask Xia Douyin, then chairman of Hubei provincial government, to support and assist the temple's restoration and reconstruction, so that all the lost properties in the temple could be recovered. At that time, the scope of the temple was very large, and the gate was set at yuewangtai (now near fujiapo). In addition, a lower house was set up in the Dragon Temple (near the lighter factory in the east of Minzhu Road, Loudong, modern and ancient) in the city, which serves as the guild hall of Baotong temple and is specially used for the accommodation of monks who come to work in the city. At this time may be the peak of the temple, incense is very strong. On November 24, 1935, the funeral of Li Yuanhong, the late president of the Republic of China, was held here. In 1952, the people's Government of Wuhan allocated funds for the construction of Baotong temple, which took on a new look. In 1953, the government allocated funds for the maintenance of pagodas and halls, and the cultivation of garden flowers to restore the old view, and listed them as national cultural relics protection units. In 1954, master Panchen Lama and master xirao Jiacuo came to Baotong temple and held the "guanding Dharma meeting" of Tantric school. From 1966 to 1976, he was forced to move to other places during the "Cultural Revolution". In 1983, it was listed as one of the key temples in China. In the following year, the state allocated funds for comprehensive maintenance, recalled monks, resumed Buddhist activities, received monks from all walks of life at home and abroad, and set up Sangha training classes to train young monks from all over the country. In 1994, at the urgent request of Changming and other eminent monks, he worked in the branch of Hubei Province and Wuhan Municipal Bureau of nationalities and religions

Chinese PinYin : Bao Tong Chan Si