Ningguo Temple

Ningguo Temple

Zizhong Ningguo temple, located in Zizhong County, Neijiang City, Sichuan Province, was built in the 5th year of Jian'an (AD 200) of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is known as "the first Buddhist temple in Bashu". It is the last place to collect kapok cassock. In history, the Third Prince of Silla (now South Korea) practiced here for 14 years.

Ningguo temple has a long history and Buddhist culture. It has great influence in Sichuan and even the whole country, but it was destroyed in the 1950s. In order to further promote its long history and Buddhist culture, transform the rich historical and Buddhist cultural resources into historical and Buddhist cultural capital, better show its magnificent momentum to the world, and inject new vitality into Zizhong tourism, Zizhong County started the restoration project of Ningguo temple in 2006, which lasted for three years and cost nearly ten million yuan.

Historical development

Initial construction

It was built in the fifth year of Jian'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty and was initially named Dechun temple.

prosperous

In Tang Dynasty, it was still named Dechun temple, and Emperor Wu Zetian gave it the name of "Bodhi Daochang". In the early Tang Dynasty, Zen was divided into the northern school headed by Shenxiu and the southern school headed by Huineng. The Baotang Zen School founded by Zhishen was neither attached to the South nor attached to the north. It was the first one to introduce Zen into Sichuan, so Ningguo temple was honored as the ancestral temple, also known as "the first Zen forest in Bashu". The four patriarchs of the Tang Dynasty Buddhism school all came from the Tang Dynasty and made important contributions to the cause of Buddhism in Sichuan and even in China;

In the Song Dynasty, Dechun temple was officially renamed Ningguo temple; in the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizong's personal letter "zhicao Lingzhi" was hung in the temple.

In the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty, Ningguo temple was still very well-known. In order to whitewash peace, Qin Hui collected "auspicious signs" from all over the world, among which was "Zhi Cao Lian Li" of Ningguo temple in Zizhong.

decline

In 1463, Ningguo temple was rebuilt. After Zhang Xianzhong, the leader of the peasant uprising army in the late Ming Dynasty, entered Sichuan Province (about 1644 A.D.), Ningguo temple was completely burned by a fire. In 2007, Ningguo temple was rebuilt again, and the structure layout of the temple rebuilt in this period was basically preserved.

After the Ming Dynasty, due to the decline of Zen culture in Zizhong, the influence of Ningguo Temple gradually declined, and Ningguo temple also gradually declined. In the late 1940s, this temple was set up as an agricultural middle school. During the Anti Japanese War, the government of the Republic of China set up the office of the second administrative region Commissioner of Sichuan Province here. A large number of movements from the 1950s to the 1970s led to the destruction of most of the cultural relics in the temple Time is long, wind and rain erosion, has been in danger.

Nirvana

In order to carry forward Buddhist culture and prosper Zen tourism in Zizhong County, Zizhong County Party committee and government decided to restore the original history of the famous Xishu temple in Ningguo temple, so that the millennium old temple can reappear its glory. In 2006, the government funded the resettlement of the original villagers in the temple, expropriated the land around the temple, built the road into the temple, and afforested the surrounding environment. Ye luogui, vice president of Sichuan Buddhist Association, one of the eight eminent monks in contemporary China and a Zizhong monk named Shi Qingde, resolutely took up the task of comprehensive restoration of Ningguo temple at the age of 82. On November 11, 2009, he held a ceremony for the restoration and completion of Ningguo temple and a Buddhist statue opening ceremony. This thousand year old temple, which has experienced many vicissitudes, will radiate the light of the Buddha and rebirth in Nirvana!

Famous monks of all ages

Zen master Zhishen

According to the records of magic weapons of all dynasties discovered in Dunhuang in modern times, Zen master Zhishen, with a common surname of Zhou, was born in Runan. He followed his ancestors to Shu. At the age of ten, he is always good at Buddhism, but he does not want to be a child's play. At the beginning of his life, master Xuanzang learned Confucian classics. Later, when he heard of master Shanren, he resigned from master Xuanzang and gave up Confucian classics. So he took Maoshan to master tanren. Shi Yun: we should have both culture and character. Later, he returned to Dechun temple in Zizhou and transformed all living beings. He was invited to Xijing. Later, he rushed to play the watch, but returned to Dechun temple for more than 30 years. It is said that he has written three volumes of xurongguan, one volume of Yuanqi and one volume of Prajna Xinjing.

Zen master Wuxiang

Wuxiang Zen master was the Third Prince of Silla in Korean history. His common surname was Jin. He came to China in 728 ad. he first came to Chang'an and studied under Xuanzang. Then he visited the whole country and visited famous teachers. He went to Sichuan on foot and worshipped monk Chuji in Dechun Temple (now Ningguo Temple in Zizhong County) as a teacher. He practiced Zen for 14 years. Later, he was invited to Chengdu, where Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty granted 1000 mu of farmland to build Chengdu Da Sheng CI temple under the leadership of Zen master Wuxiang. Wuxiang Zen master preached Dharma in Chengdu for 20 years, and built Jingzhong temple and Bodhi Temple successively. On May 19, 762 A.D., Zen master Wuxiang sat down in Daci Temple and was later offered to 500 Luohan hall, ranking No. 455. Its inheritors are uninhabited.

Wuxiang Zen master inherited and developed the related theories of shizhishen, and took the three sentences of "no memory, no thought, no delusion" as the key to match with Jie Dinghui. The book of magic weapons of the past gives a specific explanation of this kind of match: "no memory is a warning, no thought is a determination, and no delusion is wisdom." At the same time, Wuxiang Zen master also uses "wunian" to control the three sentences and the precepts of Dinghui.

architectural style

The main hall of Ningguo temple was built in the seventh year of the Ming Dynasty, and it was announced as a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province in 2007.

The main hall is a seven purlin Xieshan beam lifting building with three wide faces. In the later period of the external eaves, a perimeter eaves column was added to form the veranda. There are four gold pillars in the hall, with lotus like stone pillar foundation and 12 eaves pillars around it, forming a "囲" shaped plane. Under the eaves, there are five steps, four steps, eight steps, four steps, four steps, four steps, four steps, three steps, three steps, one step, three steps, one step, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three steps, three. Among them, the flat body section is a golden Dougong, and the back tail beam extends obliquely to the lower golden Fang. In the hall, two groups of Douzi Shu columns and tilapia were applied respectively between Huatai Fang and Xiajin Fang, and between Wujia suiliang and Wujia Liang. Under the front eaves, there is an ink inscription of "the seventh year of Tianshun in the Ming Dynasty". Under the five beams on both sides, there are the names of officials and monks at all levels in Chengdu. In the height of five beams, the ceiling is added in the later stage, and the upper structure is unknown. The main hall of Ningguo temple has obvious official architectural features of Ming Dynasty, and has high historical, artistic and cultural value. There are three statues of patriarchs in the hall. On both sides of the wall, there are comic strips of Zen master Wuxiang's life story, and on the back wall, there are murals of pure land transformation, all of which are contemporary works.

Relic preservation

Ningguo temple in Zizhong, the last site of kapok cassock.

Kapok cassock was originally Sakyamuni's golden cassock, because JIAYE understood Sakyamuni's smile when he picked up the flowers and didn't speak, he was appreciated, and thus inherited this treasure. This cassock is the kapok cassock, which is a kind of Zen letter clothing worshipped by Buddhist disciples. Kapok cassock has been passed to Bodhidharma for the 28th generation. In the northern and Southern Dynasties, Dharma Venerable Master was ordered to come to China to spread Buddhist culture. Kapok cassock, a Buddhist holy thing, also came to China with him, and became the inheritance holy thing of Dharma ancestors and their successors.

When the kapok cassock was handed down from generation to generation to Hongren, the fifth patriarch, Wu Zetian finally received the kapok cassock from Huineng and invited the top ten disciples of the fifth patriarch to support them. Zhishen was one of them. When she invited the ten eminent monks to the inner court to receive a confession, Wu Zetian asked the Buddha's Dharma, saying that there are still seven emotions and six desires among the eminent monks? Other eminent monks and great virtues all gave a very mysterious answer, but Zhishen told the truth and said, "there is desire in life, and there is no desire in death", which means that I still have desire. Wu Zetian thinks that this is a great monk who tells the truth, a real eminent monk. Wu Zetian was very happy and gave her cassock to Zhishen.

Zhishen accidentally got the kapok cassock. He was afraid of making a big tree in the capital, so he asked him to go home because he was old and homesick, and quietly returned to Sichuan with his disciples. When master Zhishen returned to Sichuan, he came to Dechun temple in Zizhou, which was later Ningguo temple. He hid his kapok cassock in the main hall. So Dechun temple is the last place where kapok cassock was collected. Zhishen lived in Dechun temple for more than 30 years. He wrote books, enlightened all living beings, and created a new Chan school, Baotang Chan school.

Address: between Qinglong and Baihu foothills, Xiaomen village, Baifeng, Beilun District, Ningbo City

Longitude: 121.972529

Latitude: 29.868726

Ticket information: free.

Chinese PinYin : Ning Guo Si