Zhenji Temple

Zhenji Temple

The "Zhenji Temple" of the Liao Dynasty Grottoes is the cave temple of houzhao temple in Lindong. The temple is located in a valley 15 kilometers south of Beijing. The grottoes are located on the steep wall in the south of Taoshi mountain. They are divided into central, southern and Northern grottoes. In front of the cave is the "Shanfu Temple", a lama temple built in the Qing Dynasty.

The inscription "Zhenji Temple" on the forehead of the middle Grottoes should be the title of the grottoes excavated in Liao Dynasty. The word "Zhenji" is consistent with the meaning of Sakyamuni's "Yuanji" in Zhongzhong grottoes. There are a number of Buddha disciples around the Buddha statues of Sakyamuni lying in the grottoes, making a sad appearance. There are more than 100 statues of Thousand Buddhas on the wall of the cave, with different images. In the middle of the statues of the South cave are Buddhas. Manjusri and Puxian Bodhisattvas riding on lions and elephants are on both sides. They are also served by donors. At the entrance of the cave are statues of King Kong.

The North grottoes are divided into two chambers. The statues in the outer chamber are the same as those in the South grottoes. The statues in the inner chamber are all relief sculptures, with Buddha, disciples and donors. On both sides of the cave are carved a pair of Hu costumes and shulishi statues, which are quite unique. On both sides of the valley entrance of Taoshi mountain, there are two reliefs of Vajra strongmen, which are very vivid. One is the East and the other is the West. They set Vajra pestle and step on two ghosts to resist smoking. On the other hand, there are many Sanskrit inscriptions in the Qing Dynasty on the rock walls and boulders: "six words of truth". There are also a number of Grottoes in the valley near the Zhenji temple, including the Hongfu temple and Kaihua temple sites recorded in the history of Liao Dynasty. Many signs show that this is the place where the Buddhism was carried forward in the Liao and Qing Dynasties.

Zhenjizhisi grottoes are the Sixth Batch of national key cultural relics protection units announced by the State Council on May 25, 2006.

Historical evolution

Zhenji temple was called "Shanfu Temple" in Qing Dynasty. When the roof of the temple was repaired in 1974, four characters of "Zhenji Temple" were found on the top of the lintel of the grottoes. "Zhenji Temple" was originally named when the grottoes were excavated in Liao Dynasty.

According to historical records, during the reign of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty, a Gegen Lama named zhamuyang shidaba came to Lingyan mountain from Ta'er temple in Qinghai Province. He saw that the mountain was beautiful and the earth was auspicious, especially the grottoes excavated by the Liao people, which were ancient and mysterious. So he settled down and planned to build a temple to serve the Buddha. At midnight one day, a beam of white light flashed from the top of the reclining Buddha's head in the grottoes, penetrating the rocks and scattering in all directions above the peach stones on the top of the mountain. In this way, the determination of the Gegen Lama to build a temple and serve the Buddha was strengthened. As a result, he and balinzasak (banner leader) said that Lingyan mountain and the surrounding mountains are Foshan with Wutai Mountain in Shanxi Province, so temples should be built to serve the Buddha, so as to ensure good weather and prosperity of the people. Therefore, with the support of qizhasak, seven main halls of Lama Temple were built on the basis of Liao Dynasty Buddha Hall and leaning back on the front wall of the grottoes. When the Lama Temple was built, it was originally named "Manjusri Shili Temple". At that time, the left and right banners of Balin took turns to manage it. The Qing Palace once gave each banner a plaque. The left banner was named "Shanfu Temple" and the Right Banner was named "Huien Temple". Later, Youqi no longer participated in the management of the temple, and the temple was in Zuoqi, so the name of "Shanfu Temple" was widely known, while the name of "Huien Temple" was gradually forgotten. After the completion of Shanfu temple, all the Buddhist relics of the Liao Dynasty were included in the temple, which perfectly combined the simple grottoes of the Liao Dynasty with the magnificent Lama Temple. During the reign of Emperor Guangxu, Shanfu temple was repaired and expanded. However, during the cultural revolution, the Buddha Hall and other buildings were completely demolished, and the bronze Buddha, ritual vessels, scriptures and other cultural relics disappeared.

In 1975, the main hall, doors, windows and courtyard walls of Shanfu temple were slightly repaired. In 1987, the state again allocated funds and restored Shanfu Temple according to its original appearance, so that the old view of Shanfu temple could reappear. The newly built Shanfu temple is seven rooms wide and three rooms deep, with a nine ridge Xieshan roof and grey bricks and tiles. It looks simple and solemn, calm and flying. When you enter the temple, you can see that the whole hall is colorful and vivid. There are many niches in the hall, which are dedicated to Avalokitesvara, White Tara, Green Tara, big white umbrella Buddha, zongkaba and Erdeni. In addition, under the north wall of the hall, there is a statue of Guan Yu, which is called "Lord Guan" by local farmers and herdsmen. This is a kind and respectful name. It can be said that this is the straightforward respect of the common people for historical heroes.

Temple system

After passing through Shanfu temple and entering the cave temple, you will find that there are not only one but three caves. Among the caves of Zhenji temple, cave 2 is the largest, with a width of 6.5 meters, a depth of 5 meters and a height of about 2.5 meters. Inside, the main body is Sakyamuni's nirvana statue, lying on one side, thin clothes and barefoot, with a serene look; the third Buddha stands behind him, and there are two Bodhisattvas in Guanyin, with their heads and feet separated at both ends, and fifteen disciples beside them, all in a sad shape; 111 thousand Buddha statues are embossed on the stone walls of the south, North and West, with different shapes. The first grotto is slightly square in shape, with a round statue of Sakyamuni sitting in the middle. The two Bodhisattvas of Manjusri and Puxian are on both sides, and there are donors to serve them. The two sides of the grotto door are carved with Vajrayana, and there are 45 Buddha statues on the wall. Cave 3 and Cave 4 are actually two rooms in one cave. The statues in the outer room are the same as those in cave 1. The statues in the inner room are all relief sculptures with Buddhist disciples and donors. The statues of the heavenly king are separated on both sides, just like the spirit of Dharma protector. The statues in the Grottoes have the vigorous and rough style of Qidan people in the north. The excavation time of the grottoes should be in the middle and late Liao Dynasty. The statues in the whole zhenjizhi temple are exquisitely carved, round and full, with good shape and spirit. From them, we can see the signs of the integration of the northern and southern cultures of the Tang and Song dynasties. They are truly treasures of the Buddhist culture and stone carving art of the Liao Dynasty.

The zhenjizhisi grottoes and the qijianlip hall built during the Qing Dynasty are well preserved. On the east side of the hall, it is chiseled on the northeast and southwest stone cliffs, facing the southeast. This feature is just in line with the "Asahi" Customs of Qidan people. Standing in front of the temple, the four characters of "Zhenji Temple" in regular script on the lintel are clearly visible. When the Khitans excavated the grottoes, they named it "Zhenji Temple", which means that Sakyamuni Buddha "really achieved Nirvana".

Geographic transportation

The grottoes of Zhenji temple are surrounded by mountains. The three mountains of Wula, bielengwula and biligetuhada in the Aershan mountains form a dustpan shaped valley. Biligetuhada suddenly rises from the bottom of the valley. The cliff is very steep. The grotto temple is dug on its southeast steep wall. The caves are divided into three parts: Central, southern and Northern caves, which symbolize the Buddha's present life, previous life and afterlife. They are well preserved now. This mountain is called "arushenwula" in Mongolian and "holy water mountain" in Chinese. Every rainy season, the water is everywhere. There is a clear spring at the foot of the mountain, which is very cool and sweet. It is said that when the temple fair was held, nearly ten thousand people used this water every day, which was more than enough. Looking from the southwest of shunshankou, you can see that the mountain peak is like a huge sail, which is called "arrow mountain" by local people and "sumulula" in Mongolian. Looking at the southern foot of the peak where the grottoes are located, you can see that the mountain looks like a giant elephant lying on its back, with its head facing Southeast. It is called "chindamuni peak" in Mongolian and "Lingyan mountain" in Chinese. It is said that during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, the Buddha appeared in the mountain, so it was named "Lingyan mountain". On the west side of the top of the mountain, there are two huge stones, one in the South and the other in the north. The one in the south is called Taoshi, which is named because it looks like a peach. It stands dangerously on the edge of the cutting cliff, like a peach on a plate, if it can't roll. The one in the north is called "golden turtle", because it looks like a big turtle lying on the ground with its head to the southeast. The Mongolian called it "changnaqi", which is translated into Chinese as "tanshaoya". To enter the grottoes, one must first pass through the Tibetan Buddhist temple built along the grotto gate, which is called "Shanfu Temple". Because the two have become one, they are collectively called zhaomiao grotto temple. Zhao Temple is actually Shanfu temple, which was built in the early Qing Dynasty.

Other related

The existence of the brick and wood Lama Temple in front of the grottoes connected the difference of the leaping time between the grottoes of Liao Dynasty and the Buddhist temples of Qing Dynasty.

Zhenji temple and Taoshi mountain echo with Qiguo mountain, an important Quaternary glacial site in the south, forming a harmonious landscape of humanity and nature.

For thousands of years, the ancient and mysterious zhenjizhi temple and houzhao temple have become famous Buddhist holy places in the north, known as "small five platforms on the grassland". Not only the annual temple fair continues to this day, but also believers and tourists from all over the country come in an endless stream. Lingyan mountain, where the temple is located, is just like the lion lying in Buddhism. The mountain above the temple is just like the golden winged bird in Buddhism. It spreads its wings to protect the holy land of Buddhism. A towering peach shaped boulder stands on the top of the cliff. The Mongolian people call it "qindemuni peak (Ruyi treasure)", and people also call it "Taoshi mountain". One step at a time, one scene at a time, one legend at a time. To complete this mountain is to go through six samsara of life. Of course, the most exciting thing to try is to "break through three barriers on Taoshi mountain: climb the path of the king of hell, turn the Ruyi stone, and drill the regeneration hole", so as to get rid of the hardships and troubles of life. Nowadays, Zhenji temple and zhaomiao temple are tourist attractions integrating human landscape and natural landscape.

Zhenjizhisi grottoes are the best preserved grottoes of Liao Dynasty in China; they are the representative Buddhist cultural and artistic heritage of the minorities in northern China; they are one of the symbols of cultural exchange between Qidan nationality in northern China and Han nationality in Central China. It provides valuable information for the study of stone carving art in Liao Dynasty. Zhenji temple is located in the area where religious activities gather in Liao Dynasty. The rocks here are peculiar in appearance, and look like various objects. There is inner aura. There are caves carved on the rock wall below the mountain to carve Buddha nirvana. Nirvana means nirvana. The name Zhenji of the temple should also take its meaning of nirvana. Nirvana means that the soul breaks away from the body and sublimates to the holy place. There is a natural regeneration cave on the mountain, where there is a cycle of death and life. This shows that the wisdom of Khitan people is profound and the culture is broad. Only such a nation can combine the Buddhism and the original belief of the nation perfectly

Chinese PinYin : Zhen Ji Zhi Si