Guangde Temple

Guangde Temple

Guangde Temple, the Chinese royal Zen forest, is located in Wolong mountain, three miles west of Chuanshan District, Suining City, Sichuan Province. It was built before the Kaiyuan year of Tang Dynasty (713 A.D.), formerly known as Shifo temple; it was renamed Baotang temple in the second year of Dali (767); it was named "Chan Lin Temple" in the 13th year of Dali (778); it was named Shanji temple in the first year of Dezong (780); it was named "Zaixing Chan Lin Temple" in the third year of Zhaozong (903).

Guangde Temple was named Guangli temple in 1011, the fourth year of Dazhong Xiangfu of Zhenzong in Northern Song Dynasty. During the Zhengde period of emperor Wuzong of Ming Dynasty, Guangde Temple was granted. Over the past 1300 years, Guangde Temple has gone through many vicissitudes. It has been destroyed several times and rebuilt several times. It has the reputation of "the first Zen forest in the west" and is the famous Guanyin Taoist temple in Sichuan.

Historical evolution

Since the first year of Zong Yongtai (765) in Tang Dynasty, the eminent monk ke you came here and presided over the opening of the mountain to expound Buddhism, the eminent monk has been well-known for his flourishing incense. In particular, it was granted 11 imperial titles in Tang, song and Ming Dynasties, which made it famous. In Ming Dynasty, it was extremely prosperous, with more than 1000 monks. It once led more than 300 mountains in Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan. It was honored as "the first Zen forest in the west". It became a famous scenic spot in Sichuan and a Buddhist holy land in Southwest China. Every year, during the birthday of Guanyin in February, pilgrims and tourists were like clouds, lasting for more than 1300 years After many vicissitudes, the temple was destroyed several times and rebuilt several times.

Since the 1985 annual report was approved by the provincial government as an open temple, after nearly 20 years of maintenance, reconstruction and expansion, the temple's appearance has taken on a new look, and the Daochang is very prosperous. There is an endless stream of pilgrims and tourists from home and abroad and even Southeast Asian countries, with more than one million person times.

Cultural relics protection

On May 25, 2006, Guangde Temple, as an ancient building from Song Dynasty to Qing Dynasty, was approved by the State Council to be listed in the Sixth Batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Guangde Temple, Suining City, Sichuan Province

The existing scale of Guangde Temple was rebuilt in the first year of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty and expanded many times in Qing Dynasty. The temple was built at the head of Wolong mountain. From the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, the temple is built according to the mountain. There are seven halls on the central axis, and the East and west side halls form a courtyard alone. There are 25 halls, pavilions, towers and squares, most of which are built in the Ming Dynasty, but the main and secondary buildings are distinct and symmetrical, with the architectural layout style of the Song Dynasty.

There are precious and rare cultural relics in the temple, such as wooden structure imperial edict square of Ming Dynasty, Yougu pagoda built in the third year of Zhenyuan reign of emperor Dezong of Tang Dynasty, Shanji pagoda of Northern Song Dynasty (commonly known as relic pagoda and body pagoda), and stone tablets built in song, Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The origin of the temple's name

Guangde Temple, a Buddhist temple in Central Sichuan, is located in Wolong mountain, sanlixu, west of Suining City. It was built before Kaiyuan of Tang Dynasty (around 713 AD) ）In the second year of Dali (767), it was renamed Baotang temple. In the 13th year of Dali (778), it was named "Chan Lin Temple". In the first year of Dezong's construction (780), it was named Shanji temple. In the third year of Zhaozong's Tianfu (903), it was named "Zaixing Chan Lin Temple". In the fourth year of Zhenzong's Xiangfu (1011) of Northern Song Dynasty, it was named "Guangli Chan Temple". In the Zhengde year of Wuzong of Ming Dynasty, it was granted "Guangde Temple".

Master Keyou, a famous monk of the Tang Dynasty, became a monk here. Folk legend has it that master Keyou is the incarnation of Guanyin. Guangde Temple has a long history and has been valued by emperors. Apart from the virtues of the eminent monk Keyou, it is also closely related to his life experience. Keyou is the imperial clan of Tang Dynasty, the grandson of Tang Zhongzong and the nephew of Tang Xuanzong. Perhaps it is because of the blood relationship between Keyou and the Li Shimin family and the folk legend that Keyou is the incarnation of Guanyin that the emperors of Tang, song and Ming Dynasties gave it special favor. Its royal Zen atmosphere is second to none in China. Since Suining Municipal Government approved the opening of the temple by Sichuan Provincial People's Government in 1985, after more than ten years of maintenance, reconstruction and expansion, the temple has taken on a new look, the Taoist temple is particularly prosperous, and there are an endless stream of pilgrims and tourists, with an annual population of more than one million.

 

Layout structure

The five existing treasures of Guangde Temple have witnessed the glorious history of thousands of years. They are: Myanmar jade Buddha, imperial edict square of Ming Dynasty, Shanji tower, Jiulong stele and two jade seals granted by the emperor.

 

Main building

Imperial Palace

The imperial edict square stands on the top of the tenth step, which is the place where monks of all dynasties saluted the emperor's edict 11 times in the temple. Shengzhi square was first built in the Song Dynasty. The existing building was rebuilt in the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty. On the horizontal plaque, there are four gold characters of "chici Chan Lin" written by Yan Zhenqing. On the column of the square, there are two words of "Shengzhi". The square is like wings. It is the only "Shengzhi stele square" in China.

As Zen master Keyou is the royal family's direct relative, the Imperial Envoys of all dynasties entered the temple in person when they read the imperial edict to the temple. Other monasteries, such as Mount Emei, have to go ten miles out of the temple gate to welcome the imperial edict. Guangde Temple received the edict, but in the temple, we can see that the position is extremely respected.

 

Shanjita

Shanji pagoda is a square Pagoda with a height of 22 meters and a stone structure. It was first built in 787, the third year of Zhenyuan reign of emperor Dezong of Tang Dynasty. It is the spiritual pagoda of Zen master Keyou, an eminent monk of Tang Dynasty. It is the most complete preserved song Pagoda in China, though it has survived thousands of years.

 

Jiulong stele

It is the only Jiulong tablet found in China. Below it are the records of Guangde Temple granted by Nine Emperors of Tang and Song dynasties.

 

Myanmar jade Buddha

It was the monk Qingfu, a generation of eminent monks in the temple, who came back in the 32nd year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty when he went west to Myanmar and India to seek Buddhist scriptures.

 

Imperial Zhenshan seal

The imperial Zhenshan law is one of the few in China, but Guangde Temple has only two. One is the Guanyin jewelry seal of Guangde Temple, which is the imperial edict of emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty.

The other is the jade seal of the four kingdoms granted by Emperor Wuzong of Ming Dynasty. In order to manage the monasteries in Southwest China, Emperor Wuzong of Ming Dynasty granted Guangde Temple a "jade seal of four national languages", which was engraved with four Latin letters of Chinese characters, Burmese, Sinhalese and Pali. He led the monasteries in Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou. The ultimatum that had been stamped with this seal could also go abroad without any hindrance.

 

main hall

After the Tianwang hall, the stone ladder on the 18th level is a square quadrangle courtyard, with "Zunsheng building" standing on the left and right sides of the front courtyard. Ten stone ladders in the middle of the dam is a 15 meter wide platform. The courtyard and the platform are engraved with aphorisms. Another nine stone stairs are the main hall, which was built in Hongwu Period of Ming Dynasty. After the 1976 earthquake, the right foundation subsided, a lifting beam broke off and became a dangerous house. With the approval of the government, it was removed from the scaffold for major repair in March 1991. In September 1992, the large-scale maintenance was completed. It is a double eaves Xieshan style sloping roof building. The hall is 14.6 meters high, 24.4 meters long, 20.8 meters wide, covering an area of 771 square meters and costing more than 500000 yuan. It took two years and six months. The hall is covered with golden glazed tiles. There are two rolling dragon pillars in the hall. Ninety nine Golden Dragon whiskers on the pillars, eaves and corners are ferocious and vivid. There are golden bells and jade drums in the front corner of the hall. The "24 heavens" are shaped on the beam, with a heavy Dougong and a colorful pattern on the ceiling. The main hall is dedicated to Sakyamuni Buddha. The statue is 3.4 meters high, the lotus seat is 1.2 meters high, and the overall height is 4.6 meters. The statues of Ananda and JIAYE are 2.75 meters high. There are 18 Arhats on both sides, with each statue 1.7 meters high. The back hall is for Amitabha Buddha. The standing statue is 2.4 meters high, the lotus seat is 1.2 meters high, and the overall height is 3.6 meters. The four Buddha statues are vivid and solemn. Both the Buddha statue and the lotus seat are white marble. In 1992, the temple lived there for a long time and paid a huge sum of money to return to Hebei jade carving factory. The eight stone dragon pillars in front of the temple were donated by Chengdu Manjusri temple. The incense burning tripod in front of the hall is ancient and vigorous. "Utensils spectrum" contains: "own this temple, there is this Ding." "Then this tripod has been used since the Han and Jin Dynasties." It is said that it is the object of zhensi.

Xizhong and Jinzhong were destroyed in 1958, and the iron censer, Dading and Jinzhong on the Qingshi platform were restored in 1991 in Wuhan, Hubei Province. There are 80 pictures of Sakyamuni Buddha's deeds on the stone wall behind the hall. In the 2008 "5.12" Wenchuan earthquake with magnitude 8 on the Richter scale, the upper end of the 3-magnitude pagoda more than 2 meters high on the roof ridge of the palace and a dragon head were damaged by the aftershock, and the permanent residents are preparing for maintenance.

 

Chants of the past dynasties

Guangde Temple

Zhu Yunjun knows Anyue County

The ancient cypress is very powerful, and the scale does not record the year.

A thousand chapters are hidden in the sky, and all the way into the cold smoke.

The sound of emptiness can be heard at any time, and the flowers can be seen freely.

The dragon is like this peaceful Zen.

 

The current Abbot

The current abbot of Guangde Temple is Puzheng monk.

Address: beside 303 provincial road, Xiangcheng District, Xiangyang City

Longitude: 112.042307

Latitude: 32.007233

Chinese PinYin : Guang De Si