Xiyuan Temple

Xiyuan JieChuang temple, or Xiyuan temple for short, is located outside the west gate of Suzhou city. It was founded from Yuan Dynasty to Yuan Dynasty and has a history of 700 years. The ancient trees in the temple are deep, the Vatican is full of trees, the water is green, the birds are singing and the flowers are fragrant. Most of the existing temples were built in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. They are the largest temples in Suzhou. From south to north, there are three wide arches, Mountain Gate, King Kong hall, release pool, Mahavira hall and Sutra library. There is Guanyin hall in the East and Luohan hall in the West. There are also Buddhist Chanting hall, Fayun hall, guest hall, Zhaitang, warehouse and other buildings in the temple. There are four complete "dragon collections" in the Sutra library, one sent to Baolian temple in Hong Kong, and more than 80000 Buddhist scriptures such as "Huayan Sutra" written by master Shanji in Yuan Dynasty. Xiyuan temple is a large-scale temple with complete scale, magnificent temple, solemn Buddha statue and garden characteristics.

Xiyuan Temple

synonym

Xiyuan temple in Suzhou generally refers to Xiyuan Temple (Xiyuan temple, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province)

Xiyuan JieChuang temple is called Xiyuan temple for short. Located at No.18, Xiyuan lane, Liuyuan Road, changmenwai, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, it is adjacent to Liuyuan in the East, Hanshan ancient temple in the west, Huqiu scenic spot in the north and changmen canal in the south.

Xiyuan temple was founded between the Yuan Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty (1264-1294) and was named Guiyuan temple. It has a history of 700 years. The existing building is rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. The 500 arhat hall in the temple is one of the four arhat halls in China. In 1982, it was announced by the people's Government of Jiangsu Province as the unit of cultural relics protection in Jiangsu Province.

Historical evolution

Xiyuan temple was founded between the Yuan Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty (1264-1294) and was named Guiyuan temple. It has a history of 700 years.

At the end of Jiajing (1522-1566) in the Ming Dynasty, when Xu Tai, the Minister of Taipu temple, built the East Garden (today's Liuyuan garden), he rebuilt the declining Guiyuan temple into a residential garden, named the west garden.

After the death of Xu Taishi, his son Xu rongsheyuan became a temple, which was named retro Guiyuan temple. In 1635, he invited Maolin lawyer of Baoguo temple to be the abbot, and changed his name to jiechuanglu temple. The name reflects the principle that the temple is built on the basis of precepts and rules. Thanks to the efforts of Maolin lawyer and later generations of abbots, Xiyuan Temple became a Taoist center of the law school, and the Dharma association was very popular, and it was listed as a famous temple in the south of the Yangtze River.

Cherish in the Qing Xianfeng ten years (1860), destroyed in war.

During the reign of Emperor Guangxu, Sheng Kang, the governor of Zhejiang Province, together with the gentry of Wujun County, proposed the restoration of Xiyuan temple. Rong Tong, the abbot of zizhulin temple, and his Tu Guanghui were invited to take charge of the work. Master Guanghui rebuilt the jiechuanglu temple. From the age of 43 to 73, in the past 30 years, the main hall, Guanyin hall, Luohan hall, Tianwang hall, release pool and supporting facilities of Ansheng have been built successively. When the scale of the whole temple has been basically formed and the internal statues have been completed, it is the 15th year of the Republic of China (1926). Master Guanghui revived the temple, and Xiyuan Temple became the first temple of Wumen once again. Since the 1960s, Xiyuan temple has been listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Suzhou City and Jiangsu Province.

In recent years, with the development and function adjustment of the temple, the tourism function of the temple has gradually weakened, and the number of pure tourists has also shown a downward trend. The main source of tourists is local and surrounding area pilgrims. In view of this, the temple applied to the higher authorities in June 2018 to withdraw from the national 4A scenic spot. At present, the application has been approved. On October 26, 2018, we hereby inform all walks of life.

geographical environment

Location context

Xiyuan temple is located in the west gate of Suzhou City, with Liuyuan in the East, Hanshan Temple in the west, Huqiu scenic spot in the north and changmen canal in the south.

climate

Xiyuansi has a north subtropical monsoon climate with mild and humid climate and abundant rainfall.

architectural composition

Most of the existing temples in Xiyuan temple were built in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. It is the largest temple in Suzhou. From south to north, there are three wide arches, Mountain Gate, King Kong hall, release pool, Mahavira hall and Sutra library. There is Guanyin hall in the East and Luohan hall in the West. There are also Buddhist Chanting hall, Fayun hall, guest hall, Zhaitang, warehouse and other buildings in the temple.

Main attractions

Zhaobi

Zhaobi is located in the most peripheral part of the temple, with yellow walls and dark tiles. On the top, there are two dragons winding around, which can be said to be the barrier of the temple. On the front is written "Jie Chuang Lu Temple". Abstinence is a kind of discipline. It's not to stop evil. It is a kind of pillar flag of Buddhism, which is used to solemnize the Buddha and Bodhisattva and the Taoist temple. Law is a variety of commandments that practitioners should abide by. From this name, we can know that Xiyuan JieChuang temple is a law school which attaches importance to discipline, takes discipline as the foundation and takes law as the religion.

On the other side of Zhaobi is "consciously aware of him".

Ford bridge and wisdom Bridge

On both sides of the screen wall are Ford bridge and wisdom bridge, both of which are made of white marble. Ford and wisdom are very important to any person, just like two legs of a person, both of them are indispensable. The same is true of learning Buddhism and practicing. We should cultivate both happiness and wisdom.

Imperial archway

The imperial archway was built during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty. The upper part is the wooden fanglou, the middle is the minglou, and the left and right are the side Lou. On the banner of the middle gate of the archway, it was written "imperial edict to Xiyuan JieChuang Temple". On both sides of the stone column couplet, the first couplet is "the Buddha day brightens, reopens Changhe", the second couplet is "zongfengzhenlv, enlivens the jungle".

Shanmen Hall

The new gate and Hall of Xiyuan temple. The mountain gate is the outer gate of the temple, which is composed of three gates in parallel, so it is also known as the three gates. The three gates symbolize the three liberation gates of emptiness, formlessness and wishfulness in Buddhism, and also contain the meanings of faith, understanding, action, wisdom, compassion and convenience. Just above the mountain gate is the plaque of "jiechuanglu Temple", and the couplets on both sides are as follows: "one water has two bridges, one group of students ascends Jue'an, three winds hang down for hundreds of generations, and strictly hold Jingjie certificate Bodhi.". This is the remains of the late Chinese Buddhist Association vice chairman and contemporary famous calligrapher Liu Bingsen.

Front garden and bell tower

There are Cinnamomum camphora trees in the front garden of more than 10000 square meters, and both sides of the stone road are covered with grass. There are long billboards on the yellow walls on both sides of the front garden, which are a comprehensive introduction to Xiyuan temple and Jiezhuang Buddhist Research Institute. The bell and Drum Tower in the history of Xiyuan temple was destroyed in 1860. Although the temple was restored later, it could not be rebuilt because of financial difficulties. Today, with the efforts of Abbot Pu Ren, the bell and drum tower rings again after 145 years of silence.

Tianwang Hall

The Tianwang temple is located in the north facing south, with a flat top and an overhanging eaves. The location of Tianwang hall is equivalent to the avant-garde of the temple, which plays the role of protecting the temple. Maitreya Bodhisattva Maitreya Bodhisattva is a disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha. After his death, he was born in the inner courtyard of the heaven.

Maitreya plucked the tree with one finger and put one hand on the cloth bag. The four big statues on the East and west sides of the temple are the four most famous Dharma protectors in Buddhism. They are the eastern King holding the lute, the southern King holding the sword, the Western King with a snake in his arm, and the northern king with an umbrella. On the back of the Tianwang Hall of Bodhisattva Weituo, the Bodhisattva is worshipped. Bodhisattva Weituo is the patron saint of the temple, whose duty is to protect the safety of the temple.

main hall

The main hall is the central building of the temple. It was built in the late years of Guangxu. Liang Fangjun painted in Su style. There is a plaque of "xiqian Yingji" hanging on the eaves. The main hall is one of the most important buildings in a temple. It is a place for monks to do morning and evening homework and hold various Dharma meetings. As soon as Sakyamuni Buddha enters the main entrance, three tall Buddha statues are facing him. Sakyamuni Buddha is in the middle, pharmacist Buddha in the East and Amitabha Buddha in the West. Sakyamuni Buddha in the middle is the leader of Buddhism in our Suva world. Pharmacist Buddha and Amitabha Buddha the pharmacist Buddha in the East is the leader of the Oriental pure glass world, also known as the "great medicine King Buddha". Because he can free all living beings from pain, suffering and disaster. Therefore, he is also known as the "disaster relief and longevity extension pharmacist Buddha". In the west is Amitabha Buddha, also known as wuliangshou Buddha, who is the leader of the Western Paradise. Manjusri Bodhisattva and Puxian Bodhisattva hall back wall East for Manjusri Bodhisattva, West for Puxian Bodhisattva. Manjusri is famous for his great wisdom. He was the teacher of the seven Buddhas in the past and is now the head of all Bodhisattvas. He is the embodiment of wisdom and preaches Buddhism together with Sakyamuni Buddha.

Puxian Bodhisattva is famous for his great deeds. He has made ten great wishes to benefit all living beings. The six tooth elephant king he rode symbolizes the incomparable power of six degrees (six degrees, also known as six paramita), which are the six main resources of Bodhisattva's practice, namely: giving, keeping precepts, enduring humiliation, meditation and wisdom). Island Guanyin group shapes Island Guanyin. On the left is a good talent boy and on the right is a dragon girl. The upper center reflects the scene of Sakyamuni Buddha in the snow mountain. There are sixteen gods on both sides and eighteen Arhats below.

Buddism godness Guanyin Temple

Guanyin hall is located on the right side of the main hall. It was built in the early years of Guangxu. There are three niches in the hall, offering three seated Guanyin Bodhisattvas. The middle one is tall, sitting on the lotus seat, with shancai and Longnv attendants on the left and right. This statue of Guanyin is made of Cinnamomum camphora wood by a craftsman in Ming Dynasty. The smile lines on the face and the pleats on the body are smooth, reflecting the craft level of that year. It has high cultural value.

Luohan Hall

Directly opposite the Guanyin hall is five hundred

Chinese PinYin : Su Zhou Xi Yuan Si