Puxian Temple

Puxian Temple

Puxian temple was built in 1042 ad (Korean period). It is a famous Korean Temple composed of 24 palaces (243 rooms). It is a cultural treasure of Korea. In the early days, this temple was a temple of Huayan sect. Later, it was changed into a blessed land of caoxizong (Zen), which experienced several ups and downs. At present, there are more than 10 buildings in the temple, such as Daxiong hall, Wansui building and Guanyin hall, as well as ancient pagodas and stone tablets. There are also 6793 volumes of the 80000 Tripitaka. There are also Shangyuan nunnery, Zhusheng hall, foying terrace, xiapilu nunnery and other ancient buildings in the mountain, which are in harmony with the natural scenery. The temple is surrounded by mountains, adding splendor to the ancient architecture.

brief introduction

Puxian temple is an ancient temple with high status of Buddhism, Buddhism and monks in Korea. During the Renchen Patriotic War (1592-1598), some Sakyamuni sermons were moved from Tongdu temple in Liangshan, South Road of Qingshang, and the Sakyamuni Serta was established. A complete set of engravings of 80000 Tibetan scriptures were also moved from Haiyin temple in Shanchuan, South Road of Qingshang. Master Xishan (1520-1604), a famous eminent monk in the 16th century and Korean patriotic monk general, spent the second half of his life here. Many patriotic monks and soldiers emerged in the anti post Jin invasion in the 17th century.

Religious belief is a matter of personal belief and human rights. After the restoration of North Korea, the North Korean government never intervened and suppressed it. The overhaul of Buddhist temples is invested by the state, and the alms of believers are only used to maintain and protect the life of monks.

During the Korean War of liberation, 14 buildings and more than 7400 cultural relics, including the main hall, were destroyed by American aerial bombing. After the war, the government took measures to repair the destroyed Korean buildings. The main buildings of the temple, such as Daxiong hall and Wansui building, have been restored. The main hall is dedicated to the Buddha of piluzana, Sakyamuni and Amitabha. Manjusri, Puxian Bodhisattva are also worshipped. Many nunneries in the mountain have also been renovated or overhauled.

In order to preserve the 80000 Tripitaka permanently, a special preservation library was established in the temple in the 1980s, and the Jixiang Pavilion and other ancillary buildings were renovated. From Caoxi gate, through jiejie gate, Tianwang gate, Wansui tower to the main hall, the buildings on the axis of the temple, Guanyin hall and Lingshan pavilion are surrounded by dense cypress forest and Haisong forest, as well as tens of thousands of square meters of gardens with blooming flowers in four seasons.

Today, the monks and believers of Jinxian temple are engaged in religious rituals, classic studies, and labor practices. They also have friendly exchanges with Buddhists in many countries around the world. Visitors from friends and overseas Chinese from five continents are increasing day by day. The abbot and monks also visited some Southeast Asian countries and China, met with Buddhist leaders of these countries, and visited many Buddhist holy places and famous temples.

Puxian temple is one of the five temples in Korea. It was built in 1042 and rebuilt several times later. The existing building was rebuilt between 1441 and 1765. It was originally composed of 24 buildings and towers. Today, it is composed of Daxiong hall, Caoxi gate, jiejie gate, Tianwang gate, Wansui building, Guanyin hall, Lingshan hall, Jiaozhong temple

It is composed of the 80000 Tripitaka preservation library, the jiecangyuan, the four corner nine storey pagoda, the eight corner thirteen storey pagoda and the tablet of Puxian temple. Daxiong hall embodies the excellent architectural art of the Korean nation. There are stories of patriotic monks such as master Xishan fighting against Japanese pirates. The 80000 Tripitaka, a precious national treasure reflecting the development of printing technology in North Korea, is kept in the 80000 Tripitaka repository.

Da Xiong Hall

There are three gates to Puxian temple. It is said that those who walk through the door of liberation will be relieved of all pain and fatigue. In the gate of heavenly kings, there are four statues of heavenly kings, which were made in 1644. After the gate of heaven and the longevity building, you will see the main hall of Puxian temple, Daxiong hall.

Daxiong hall is the most magnificent and largest building in Puxian temple. It is located in the center of the temple. The structure of the building is like a Chinese temple. There are black fish scale tiles, scarlet log pillars, golden door lattice, Paifang on the forehead of the main hall, and the Chinese character "Daxiong hall" is written in gold on the black background.

This is a bit puzzling: the main hall of Chinese Buddhist temples is called "Da Xiong Bao Dian", but the main hall of Puxian temple is called "Da Xiong Dian". Why is there a word "Bao" missing?

The doors of Daxiong hall are carved with different and wonderful patterns. The knife is skillful and the wood is carved like jade. The colored Dougong above the main hall is completely of wooden structure, with the combination of Mao and falcon, the crossing of dourafters, the overlapping of layers, and the depiction of gold everywhere. There are carvings in the paintings and a set of paintings in the carvings, reflecting the exquisite architectural art of ancient Korea.

The Buddha of piluzana, Sakyamuni and Amitabha, as well as Manjusri and Puxian Bodhisattvas in the Mahatma hall are also resplendent in gold body, broad in face and good in eyebrows, with two ears and shoulders, hands folded or cross legged in meditation, which is no different from Chinese Buddhist temples. There is a merit box in Daxiong hall to make friends with tourists. Through the box glass, you can clearly see Korean yuan, RMB, US dollar and euro. In front of Buddha, visitors don't have to worry about nationality.

North Korea's laws protect religion. Since the restoration, the repair of Puxian temple has been invested by the state, and the alms of believers are only the living expenses of monks. Monks here cultivate themselves and study Buddhism. They also have friendly exchanges and exchanges with their counterparts in the Buddhist circles of other countries in the world.

During the Korean War, American planes bombed the Puxian Temple twice, burning down 14 houses and buildings, burning down more than 10000 cultural relics and seriously damaging the main hall. Later, under the care of Comrade Kim Il Sung, it was restored to its original style in 1976.

Out of the main hall, along with Miaoxiang mountain unique black and white stones paved corridor, came to the temple. In the courtyard, the sea pines are green, the cypress trees are drooping, the incense is burning, and the environment is elegant. There is an old mulberry tree that has grown for more than 400 years. It is a natural cultural relic with luxuriant branches and leaves.

Stone pagoda

There is an octagonal 13 storey stone tower in front of Daxiong hall, which is basically the same height as Daxiong hall. It was built in 1042 and is the treasure of Puxian temple. After the vicissitudes of wind and rain, the white stone on the base turns brown. Around the pagoda, the stone pagoda has Korean national characteristics. The bottom is big and the top is small. It is like a folded octagonal hat, giving people a sense of exquisiteness. No matter which corner of the stone tower is on which floor, it is in a line with the upper and lower corners, absolutely the same. Each corner of the stone tower has a small hook, which was used to hang wind chimes in those years.

In front of the octagonal thirteen storey tower, there is a four corner nine storey tower. It is simple and powerful. It was built in 1044, two years later than the octagonal thirteen storey tower. It should be my younger brother.

Between heqifeng and longzhufeng at the back of Puxian temple, there is also a Guanyin hall, whose architectural style is basically similar to that of Daxiong hall. The golden lotus seat of Guanyin Bodhisattva in the hall is half open and half closed. It is kind-hearted and vivid.

collect Buddhist sutras

In the Puxian temple, there is the valuable 80000 Tripitaka of North Korea. 80000 Tripitaka is the famous Koryo Sutra. It is called 80000 Tripitaka because it is printed with more than 80000 pieces of wood. The Scriptures preserved in Miaoxiang mountain are a set of Buddhist scriptures printed in block form from 1236 to 1251. There are 6780 volumes of Chinese character thread bound books. They were originally neatly and orderly hidden in the Buddha shadow platform of Puxian temple, but now they are hidden in the newly-built Sutra collection Pavilion. This is the only copy of the Sutra that still exists today, and it is a priceless treasure.

Through the glass window, we can see that this set of sutras is originally written in Chinese characters. The handwriting is neat, clear and beautifully printed. More than 86600 block printed editions of this set of 80000 Tripitaka have been preserved in South Korea. These woodblocks fully reflect the excellent printing technology of ancient Korea and are national treasures with historical and research value.

In the Puxian temple in Miaoxiang mountain, there are also records of Li Dynasty and history of Korea. After the outbreak of the Renchen patriotic war in 1592, several Korean patriots braved the risk and overcame difficulties to move from quanluo road to Haizhou, Huanghai Road by water. In 1597, the Japanese invaders invaded Korea again, and several patriots transferred these historical documents to Jianghua Island, and then to miaoxiangshan Buddha shadow platform.

Reward for loyalty Temple

There is an ancestral hall in the Puxian temple, which is the ancestral hall of reward for loyalty. During the Japanese rebellion in Renchen, master Xishan, a 73 year old monk, organized more than 5000 apprentices to fight bloody battles with the Japanese. The master died here at the age of 86. Later generations built this ancestral hall in memory of a generation of martyrs. The portrait of master Xishan, as well as the portrait of his main apprentice, is still preserved in the ancestral hall. President Kim Il Sung once praised master Nishiyama's patriotism during his inspection here.

Due to geographical reasons, Buddhism was introduced to Japan through Korea. According to the records of the book of Japan, in 552 ad (the 15th year of Qinming Dynasty), King Baiji of Korea sent a gold and copper Buddha statue of Sakya to the Japanese imperial court for the first time, such as Sutra Sutra and flag cover, which praised the merits of Hongbu Buddhism. This is the beginning of the introduction of Buddhism into Japan.

Status quo of temples

Today, the monks and believers of Jinxian temple are engaged in religious rituals, classic studies, and labor practices. They also have friendly exchanges with Buddhists in many countries around the world. Visitors from friends and overseas Chinese from five continents are increasing day by day. The abbot and monks also visited some Southeast Asian countries and China, met with Buddhist leaders of these countries, and visited many Buddhist holy places and famous temples.

Chinese PinYin : Pu Xian Si