Nanhua Temple

Nanhua temple was built in the first year of Tianjian (502 A.D.) of emperor Liangwu in the northern and Southern Dynasties, with a history of more than 1480 years. For thousands of years, Nanhua temple is famous for its connection with the names of the six ancestors. Huineng, the sixth patriarch, taught Zen here for 37 years. He had 43 disciples and spread them all over the country. Later, he formed five schools, namely Linji in Hebei, Xieyang in Hunan, caodong in Jiangxi, Yunmen in Guangdong and fayan in Nanjing. Fayanzong spread to Thailand and Korea; caodong and Linji spread to Japan; Yunmen and Linji spread to Europe and America. Therefore, Nanhua temple is known as "Zuting".

Nanhua Temple

Nanhua temple is located on the Bank of Caoxi, 7km southeast of MABA Town, Qujiang District, Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province, about 24km south of Shaoguan City. Nanhua temple is one of the famous Buddhist temples in China. It is the birthplace of Huineng, the sixth patriarch of Zen, to promote "Southern Zen".

Nanhua temple was built in the first year of Tianjian (502 A.D.) of emperor Liangwu in the northern and Southern Dynasties. In the third year of Tianjian, the temple was built, and Emperor Wu of Liang granted it the name of "Baolin Temple". Later, it was renamed as "Zhongxing Temple" and "Faquan Temple" successively. In the first year of Kaibao in Song Dynasty (968 AD), the song Taizu granted "Nanhua Chan Temple", and the temple name has been followed up to now. Because the sixth patriarch of Zen preached Buddhism here, it is also called the sixth patriarch's Daochang. Nanhua temple, with a construction area of more than 12000 square meters, is composed of caoximen, fangshengchi, baolinmen, Tianwang hall, Daxiong hall, sutra Pavilion, Lingzhao tower, liuzu hall, etc. Except Lingzhao tower and liuzu hall, all the buildings were rebuilt by monk Xuyun after 1934.

In 1983, Nanhua temple was first designated by the State Council as the national key Buddhist temples in Han nationality areas. On June 25, 2001, Nanhua temple, as an ancient building in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, was approved by the State Council to be listed in the fifth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In October 2017, Nanhua temple was approved as "Cross Strait Exchange base"

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geographical position

Nanhua temple is located in the foothills of Yuling vein, 20 kilometers south of Shaoguan City, on the Bank of Caoxi, 7 kilometers southeast of MABA in Qujiang County, 24 kilometers away from Shaoguan City.

Historical evolution

In the first year of Tianjian (502 A.D.) of emperor Liang Wu of the Southern Dynasty, it was recorded that sanszang, a Buddhist monk, and his disciples came to Mount Wutai to worship Manjusri Bodhisattva. When they passed by the mouth of Caoxi, they drank the water and felt that the water was extremely sweet, so they went to Caoxi. Looking around at the picturesque mountains and rivers and the gurgling water, he said, "this mountain can be built as a Buddhist temple. 170 years after I leave, there will be a magic weapon here.". After Shaozhou Mu Hou Jing will play this matter in the court, on its request, and the amount of "Baolin Temple".

Baolin temple was built in the third year of Tianjian (505 A.D.) of emperor Liangwu of the Southern Dynasty.

At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Nanhua temple was destroyed.

Huineng was born in 638 ad.

From 677 to the second year of Tang Feng, Huineng, the sixth ancestor, was stationed in xicaoxi, where he was granted land by Chen Yaxian, the landlord, and Baolin temple was revived.

In the first year of emperor Zhongzong of Tang Dynasty (705 AD), Emperor Zhongzong ordered the sixth patriarch to go to Beijing, and the sixth patriarch gave thanks. Zhongzong sent people to give things, and changed the name of "Baolin Temple" to "Zhongxing Temple".

In 708 A.D., the imperial edict was "Faquan Temple", which attached equal importance to decoration.

In 713 ad, Huineng sat at Guoen temple in Xinzhou. He was 76 years old. Later, his disciples collected the quotations of the sixth patriarch and wrote the Sutra of the sixth patriarch.

In the early Song Dynasty, the temple was destroyed by fire.

In the first year of Kaibao (968 AD), Emperor Taizu ordered the restoration of the whole temple and named it "Nanhua Temple".

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Nanhua Temple suffered three wars and was in a state of decay. The monks scattered day by day and the ancestral Court declined.

In the 28th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1600 AD), Hanshan Zen master vigorously revived and became a monk. However, at the end of Ming Dynasty, Nanhua temple was abandoned again.

In 1688, the seventh year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, Shang Kexi, the king of Pingnan, renovated the whole temple, making the famous temple of Zen take on a new look.

In 1934, monk Xuyun rebuilt Nanhua temple.

In 1981, Huineng's real body opened in October of the 1981 lunar calendar. It was built in the new hall of the sixth patriarch for worship.

In 1962, Nanhua temple was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Guangdong Province.

In 1982, the people's government implemented the religious policy and restored the system of forest abbot, but because the master was invited to be the abbot of Nanhua temple.

In 1999, the current monk Chuan Zhengda returned to Nanhua at the invitation of Liangxu Dazhong to take over the post of abbot.

In 2000, Nanhua Temple Caoxi Buddhist College officially opened.

In 2002, Nanhua Temple held a grand celebration of its 1500 anniversary.

From 1936 to 1943, Xuyun monk, a famous monk in modern times, was stationed in xi'nanhua temple, where he raised money and rebuilt the temple. A total of 243 new halls, Yuan pagodas and 690 new Buddha statues were built. At that time, the wooden niche of the sixth patriarch's real body was damaged by termites. Xuyun asked him to come out of the body of the sixth patriarch and redecorate it. According to the form of Ayu tower, the ancestral niche was rebuilt. Outside the niche are four statues of Nanyue, Qingyuan, Fahai and Shenhui. At that time, Nanhua temple was very popular. It covers an area from caoximen to zhuoxiquan. It is 151 feet deep from north to south, 39.5 feet wide from the East temple wall to the west wall of Zen hall, and has a construction area of 12000 square feet. The main buildings are: caoximen, fangshengchi, wuxiangting, baohuanmen, Tianwang hall, Daxiong hall, Fatang, Lingzhao tower, liuzu hall and Abbot's room. On the left are Xuhuai building, Baoen hall, bell tower, Jialan building, guest hall, Daixian building, Xiangji kitchen, Zhai hall, Huixiang hall, Huiguang hall, Yanshou hall, nianfo hall and Dongxian hall. On the right side are Yunhai tower, Xigui hall, Gulou, zushi hall, Yunshui hall, Weituo hall, weinaliao, banshouliao, ruyiliao, Chan hall, Guanyin hall and Xixian hall. In the east of the temple, there are endless nunnery and Haihui pagoda. In the back of the temple, there are Feixi bridge, Fuhu Pavilion and zhuoxiquan. Master Xu Yun led the monks to strictly abide by the commandments and the rules of "one porridge, one meal, one time, one step at a time, one step at a time, and one step at a time."

After the founding of the people's Republic of China, funds have been allocated many times to rebuild the main hall, the Sutra Pavilion, the hall of the sixth patriarch, the bell and Drum Tower and other buildings. From October 19 to 21, 1981, the hall of the sixth patriarch of Nanhua temple was rebuilt and a ceremony was held to seat the statue of the sixth patriarch. More than 300 people from Hong Kong, Macao, Guangzhou and other places, including Yizhao, Shengyi, Xinming, Xingzhi, kuanchun and local detestable people, attended the ceremony.

architectural composition

Nanhua temple is built on the mountain, and the hall is on the same central axis, with strict structure and clear primary and secondary. After entering the first mountain gate, Caoxi gate (also known as Toushan gate), is the release pool. The pool is oval in shape, with an octagonal, columnar and pointed five spice pavilion built on it. Baolin gate is the second Mountain Gate of Nanhua temple. It was built in 1534 and rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty and 1912. The gate couplet is "the first treasure temple in eastern Guangdong and the only Dharma gate in Nanzong", and the horizontal inscription is "Baolin Daochang". The second floor of the bell and drum is opposite to each other. It was built in 1301. It was rebuilt in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and in 1933. The building is divided into three floors, with the top resting on the top of the mountain, the eaves and corners raised, lattice doors and windows, and the top floor of the bell tower is hung with ten thousand jin bronze bells cast in the Song Dynasty. Tianwang hall was built in 1474, the 10th year of Chenghua in Ming Dynasty. It was rebuilt in Qing Dynasty. It was originally Luohan tower, but later changed to Tianwang hall. Maitreya Buddha statue is worshipped in the center of the hall, Weituo statue is molded in the back, and four Tianwang statues are molded on both sides.

The architectural style of the whole temple is symmetrical on both sides of the central axis. From the main entrance, you can see Caoxi gate, fangshengchi, Baolin gate, Tianwang hall and Daxiong hall.

The pattern of Nanhua temple was rebuilt in 1934, funded by Li hanhun, then director of appeasement Office of Northwest District of Guangdong Province, and presided over by the famous monk Xuyun. It took ten years to build 243 halls and houses, and 690 new statues.

Cultural relics in the temple

The sixth patriarch

The statue of the sixth patriarch is the most precious cultural relic in Nanhua temple. The statue of the sixth patriarch is worshipped in the hall of the sixth patriarch. The sitting statue is 80 cm high. According to the research and research of Guangdong archaeologist Xu Hengbin, Shaoguan Museum and Nanhua Temple monks, the statue of the sixth patriarch is based on the body of the sixth patriarch Huineng.

Five hundred Arhats

Five hundred Arhats carved in the temple is the only existing group of five hundred Arhats carved in Song Dynasty in China. The Ming Dynasty was decorated with gold again. During the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, 133 Arhats were carved. In 1936, when master Xuyun was in charge of the temple construction, he hid most of the wooden Arhats in the belly of three 15 meter Buddhas in the main hall. It was not discovered until 1963. There are 360 existing ones, of which 133 are re engraved in Qing Dynasty. There are 154 Arhats with inscriptions. It can be seen from the inscriptions that these 500 Arhats were carved in the third to eighth year of Qingli (1043-1048) of Renzong in the Northern Song Dynasty. Yang Renxi, a "disciple of the assembly leader", organized the collection and carving of these Arhats. The donors included businessmen, craftsmen, monks and civilians. The craftsmen included Zhang Xu, Cai Wenzhi, Liao Yongchang, Wang Bao, Hao Zhang, etc. Each statue is carved with a whole block of wood, with a height of 49.5-58 cm and a diameter of 23.5-28 cm. The wood is mainly cypress, and a small amount of Phoebe, camphor or sandalwood. Each statue consists of a base and a seated statue. These luohanzao are of high artistic research value and are very precious historical relics.

Thousand Buddha cassock

The thousand Buddha cassock is a rare embroidery handed down from the Tang Dynasty. The bottom of the silk is apricot yellow and the top is embroidered with gold

Chinese PinYin : Nan Hua Si