Jingying Temple

Jingying Temple

Jingying temple, known as Xiangu temple and Jingjing temple in ancient times, is located in Xiuwu County, Jiaozuo City, Henan Province. Jingying temple was named after the Song Dynasty. In history, it was called Baoyan temple, Jindeng temple, Jinmen temple and so on. This is the place where Master Huiyuan, one of the three great masters of Buddhism in the Sui Dynasty, studied Buddhism. After that, many eminent monks practiced here, including Jing Hao, a famous painter in the Five Dynasties, Yuan Haowen, the most famous poet in the Jin Dynasty, and Zhao Bingwen, a writer.

brief introduction

Jingying temple is located in Xiuwu County, Jiaozuo City, Henan Province. It was built in the northern and Southern Dynasties. It was called Xiangu temple and Jingjing temple in ancient times. It was named Jingying temple after Song Dynasty. In history, it was called Baoyan temple, Jindeng temple and Jinmen temple.

This is the place where Jing Ying Hui Yuan, one of the three great Buddhist masters in the Sui Dynasty, studied Buddhism. After that, many eminent monks practiced here, including Jing Hao, a famous painter in the Five Dynasties, Yuan Haowen, the most famous poet in the Jin Dynasty, and Zhao Bingwen, a writer.

Jingying temple has been rebuilt and expanded for thousands of years. At its peak, there were more than 200 monks. The existing temples were built in the late Qing Dynasty. There are seven front halls, seven main halls and three East and West halls. They are two-story brick, stone and wood buildings. The old temple used to be the headquarters of yingsi village in the 1960s and 1970s, so the quotations of Chairman Mao, written in red lacquer brush at that time, can still be seen on the walls of the East and west side halls, which has become a historical witness of that special era.

At present, there are some steles of the Ming and Qing Dynasties when the temple was rebuilt. From these steles, we can see the establishment of Jingying temple and the process of its reconstruction, as well as the scale of the temple and the number of monks at that time. It is a key cultural relic to be protected in Xiuwu County. In 2004, on the basis of retaining the ruins of the old temple, Jiaozuo Highway Bureau invested in the restoration and reconstruction of Jingying temple. The temple has a large scale, including Tianwang hall, Daxiong hall, sutra collection building, bell and Drum Tower, monk's house, Abbot's room, etc.

Historical evolution

There is no exact time for the construction of Jingying temple, and its name must come from that time. However, according to the available data, Jingying temple was built at the latest during the Wei and Qi dynasties. It was not called Jingying temple at that time, but Xiangu temple, also known as Jingjing temple. According to the records in the biography of continued eminent monk Shi Huiyuan: "Shi Huiyuan, surnamed Li, was born in Dunhuang, and later lived in the high capital of Shangdang At the age of three, I am happy to become a monk. Every time I see Salmonella, I love and respect him Thirteen words uncle, to Zezhou Dongshan ancient Xiangu temple. There are some monks in Huayin who think of Zen master and spend their time when they see him. " According to the records in the biography of continued eminent monk Shi lingcan: "lingcan, a native of huaizhou, is also a disciple of Yuangong Yuangong died Renshouxing pagoda, descending order to send relic to Changshou temple in huaizhou At the end of Renshou's life, he was sent to the Jingjing temple in the ancient Xiangu of Zezhou to set up the tower, which is the birthplace of Yuangong. " From the biography of shilingcan, we can also see that the Xiangu temple, Jingjing temple, is not only the burial place of Huiyuan's bones, but also the place where he became a monk, because it has been explained that this is the "birthplace of Yuangong". The birth of a disciple in Buddhism is the place where he became a monk, which is consistent with the records of the ancient Xiangu temple in Dongshan, Zezhou For confirmation. Because of the connection between scenery and shadow, Jingjing temple is called Yingjing temple. From this point of view, Jingjing Temple (Xiangu Temple) is not only geographically located in the southeast of Zezhou city with today's Jingying temple, but also very similar in name to today's Jingying temple. Then, Jingjing temple, Xiangu temple and Jingying temple are actually three names of one temple, with different periods, different historical backgrounds and different titles.

In fact, the name of Jingying Temple existed in the early Sui Dynasty, but it is not the Qinglongxia Jingying Temple today. Jingying temple and Jingjing temple were actually two separate temples in the Sui Dynasty. Jingying temple was built by Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty for Huiyuan's interpretation in Chang'an. According to the biography of the eminent monk Shi Huiyuan, "Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty chose the right side of the South Street of the Tianmen gate. He had to travel from east to west and never tired of listening. Because of his temple, he was named Jingying, and he lived in changju to talk about it." This temple was specially built by Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty for Huiyuan, but it was named Jingying. There must be some reasons. The most likely reason is that the name of the temple comes from Jingjing temple, the place where Huiyuan became a monk. It makes Huiyuan feel at home here, so that he can give lectures and promote Buddhism in the capital. After Huiyuan lived in the Jingying temple in Chang'an, the children of four Buddhists came to study in succession, which made him famous and covered the original Jingjing temple, which made it impossible for Yu Huiyuan to go out and learn the method. However, from the end of the Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties, due to frequent wars, the Jingying temple in Chang'an was destroyed and gradually abandoned. The Jingjing temple in Zezhou has been preserved because it is located in a deep mountain. According to folklore, it was also robbed during this period. However, compared with the Jingying temple in Chang'an, it is still handed down from generation to generation, and its fragrance will last forever. Therefore, this is the place where Huiyuan became a monk and was buried. People gradually attached that this is the temple built by Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty for Huiyuan. Therefore, the name of Jingying temple in Chang'an replaced the name of Jingjing temple. The existing stone inscriptions on the three links of Jingying temple in Qinglong gorge can reflect the content of people's Association. In fact, by the time of the Northern Song Dynasty, the name of Qinglongxia Jingying temple had begun to show itself. For example, Qianlong's Fengtai County annals recorded the record of Fuyan Jingying temple in 1104, the fourth year of Chongning in the Northern Song Dynasty. This Jingying temple is now Jingying temple. Since then, after the yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties to contemporary times, most of them are called Jingying temple.

Some people suggest that the name of Jingying temple should actually be Jingying temple, which is mainly based on the stele of Jingying Temple Road in the east of Jingying temple. The name of Jingying temple is derived from the Jingying Temple of Chang'an in Sui Dynasty. In the literature, Jingying Temple of Chang'an is sometimes recorded as Jingying temple, but this is just an example of the ancient people's interchangeable writing. What's more, no matter in the literature or inscriptions, the number of people who call the temple "Jingying Temple" is far more than "Jingying Temple", and the examples of inscriptions are only limited to the "Jingying Temple Road stele" in the late Qing Dynasty. Moreover, the stele was set up by local people with poor grammar and poor calligraphy. However, a large number of other inscriptions were all set up by Wenwang gentry in Zezhou or the abbot of the temple, and their reference value is much higher than that of Jingying Temple Road stele. Therefore, in the literal sense, "Jing" should be the interchangeable word of "Jing", and Jingying temple is actually its correct name since the Song Dynasty; in the historical custom, it is also more known as Jingying temple.

In addition, Jingying temple is also known as Honggu temple, Baoyan temple, Jinmen temple and Jindeng temple. It is called Honggu temple, because it is located in the inner part of Taihang, surrounded by mountains, with basin in the middle, dangerous mountains and empty valley, which contains immortal machine; and because the temple is backed by high rocks, when the sunrise shines on the rocks, the rocks are glittering with gold, so scholars like to call it Baoyan temple or Jinmen temple; every February and August night, a considerable number of golden lanterns come from the treetops of the mountains, so the folk also call it Jindeng temple.

Eminent monks of all ages

Although Qinglongxia Jingying temple was not built by Hui Yuan, an eminent monk of the Sui Dynasty, historical data show that it was the place where he studied Buddhism and buried his bones after his death. There is also a saying in history that when Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty destroyed Buddhism, Huiyuan quoted scriptures to fight against it. Although Emperor Wu of the Zhou Dynasty did not surrender his crime at that time, he hated it. Knowing that a catastrophe was coming, Huiyuan fled from Chang'an to Jingjing Temple (Xiangu Temple) in Taihang, where he continued to devote himself to Buddhism. Therefore, Huiyuan has a deep historical origin with Jingying temple.

Huiyuan

Huiyuan (523-592), a popular surname Li, was born in huoxiu, Zezhou. His ancestral home was Dunhuang, Gansu Province. He was a monk who practiced in Jingying temple from the northern and Southern Dynasties to the early Sui Dynasty. In order to distinguish him from another Buddhist monk, Huiyuan of Donglin temple, the Buddhist community used to call him Huiyuan of Jingying temple. In the Buddhist circle, he and Zhiyi, the founder of Tiantai Sect, and Ji zangquan, the founder of Sanlun sect, are collectively known as the three masters of Sui Dynasty. Later on, he and Huiyuan of Donglin temple are also known as "two Buddhists". Huiyuan of Jingying temple is well versed in literature and science, known as Shuwang and shigaozu. He is a great master of Chinese Buddhism. The controversy about Huiyuan of Jingying temple is mainly about his relationship with the Pure Land Sect. Later generations have said that the believers of the Pure Land Sect respected him as the ancestor of the Pure Land Sect. Whether this statement is accurate or not is controversial in history. As for Huiyuan's contribution to the Pure Land Sect, there are two aspects: first, Huiyuan is the first in the history of Chinese Buddhism. This book has a great influence on the Pure Land Sect in China, so Huiyuan's contribution to the opening of the Pure Land Sect can not be ignored. Second, Huiyuan is the first one to put forward the unified theory of pure land classification in Chinese history. Huiyuan studied various classics and put forward the theory of three pure lands, that is, the pure land of things, the pure land of phases and the pure land of truth. He became the first explorer of the systematization of the pure land thought. The belief of pure land originated from ancient India, formed in the second and third centuries A.D., and was introduced into China in the Western Jin Dynasty. Although the Lotus Society founded by Huiyuan of Donglin temple is the earliest pure land activity, the establishment of pure land sect is another matter. Therefore, it is not accurate for later generations to regard Huiyuan of Donglin temple as the ancestor of Pure Land Sect. Later, the so-called "seven and nine ancestors of the pure land" in the history of Buddhism was not based on the principle of inheriting the master and the apprentice, but on the arrangement of the later generations according to the people who advocated the belief in the pure land in history. This shows that compared with other sects, the Pure Land Sect lacks a strict lineage. Therefore, it is not unreasonable for Huiyuan of Jingying temple to be respected as the ancestor of the pure land.

In view of the arrangement of the pure land ancestors and the lineage of the pure land law, a comprehensive view of Huiyuan's contribution to the Pure Land Sect shows that people respect Huiyuan as the first ancestor of the Pure Land Sect, which is the recognition and esteem of Huiyuan's contribution to the establishment and development of the pure Land Sect. In addition to the Pure Land Sect, Huiyuan's views on the Land Sect are different

Chinese PinYin : Jing Ying Si