Baolin Temple

Baolin Temple

Baolin temple, located in the west corner of the spring and autumn Yancheng site in Wujin, Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, is located at No. 98, Hongxi Road, Yancheng middle road. It was built in 527 AD and is a royal temple built by Xiao Yanying, the emperor of Liang Dynasty.

The name of "Baolin" is derived from the Buddhist scripture "forest of pure land, seven treasures into a journey". In 557, Emperor Xiaomin of the Northern Zhou Dynasty rebuilt Baolin temple and renamed it "fahua Temple" with the help of the Dharma Sutra.

Historical evolution

Baolin temple, located in Wujin District, Changzhou City, about 1 km west of the spring and autumn Yancheng site. It was first built in 527 A.D. when Emperor Liangwu of the Southern Dynasty was in power. In 557, Emperor Xiaomin of the Northern Zhou Dynasty rebuilt it and renamed it "fahua Temple". Song Chongning destroyed it and rebuilt it in the Ming Dynasty and renamed it "Baolin Temple".

Prosperous period

At its peak, there were thousands of temples, which were magnificent. By 1949, there were still more than 100 temples. It was demolished in 1958, leaving only three Temple houses as warehouses. In December 1995, Baolin temple was reopened, with a total area of 9000 square meters, including Tianwang hall, Daxiong hall, Luohan hall, Wanfo hall, lecture hall, Zhaitang hall, etc., and new statues of Buddha with solemn and unique features were created. In A.D. 527, Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty founded Baolin temple in the southern and Northern Dynasties. As the basic Taoist temple of Guanyin, Baolin temple has been well-known all over the world.

In 1995, at the request of the Party committee, the government and the four disciples, monk Huiwen was stationed at the Guanyin Bodhisattva Taoist center of xibaolin temple. Since then, Baolin temple has entered a new period of resurgence of the French movement. In 2007, it happened that the national movement was prosperous and the government was in harmony with the people. It was inspired by the legend that the Bodhisattva Guanyin of Baolin Temple stepped on the West Taihu Lake.

Layout structure

All the Dharma followers of Baolin temple are willing to prepare for the construction of the Guanyin Cultural Park of Baolin temple and the "Baolin Guanyin tower" with a height of 91.9 meters. It is dedicated to the 39.9-meter-high Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva on three sides and ten directions. Guanyin Bodhisattva is the great Bodhisattva of Mahayana Buddhism. He has a compassionate mind, can hear the sound to save the suffering, lead the Saha beings, get rid of the suffering and evil in the world, and pursue the wisdom of life. Over the past two thousand years, Guanyin belief has spread all over Asia and even reached the western world. It has become the most brilliant flower in the world of human religion. Especially in India, Southeast Asia, Tibet and other regions of China, it has shown a unique culture of Guanyin belief. Our goal is to restore Baolin temple to be the basic Taoist center of Guanyin, the belief and practice center of Guanyin.

During the reign of Chongning in the Northern Song Dynasty (1102-1106), it was destroyed in the war. In the Southern Song Dynasty, it was rebuilt and renamed Baolin temple. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, it was destroyed in the chaos of war. In the Ming Dynasty, it was renovated and expanded three times in the years of Hongwu, Yongle and Zhengde. At its heyday, there were 1408 halls, which were famous in the middle of Wu Dynasty And "temple hidden east forest" stone path oblique, the bell is separated from the haze. If the world of mortals does not reach the depths of the clouds, it will knock down the trees and flowers of the pines. " Wait for praise.

During the Japanese occupation

During the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, the Huai army and the Taiping army fought a decisive battle in Changzhou, and the Baolin Temple suffered a lot. During the Guangxu period (1875-1908), it was restored 12 out of 10. During the Japanese invasion of China in the last century, more than 100 towering ancient trees were cut down. By 1949, there were only more than 30 temples left. In 1958, the base of the temple was changed into a mulberry field. In the end, only two rooms and one compartment were left as warehouses for the production team. As a result, the bhikkhu disappeared and the Dharma lamp disappeared.

Buddhist activities

At the end of the cultural revolution, the temple ban was gradually opened. In 1995, Baolin temple was approved as a place for Buddhist activities by the people's Government of Wujin County. The abbot Huiwen devotes himself to Baolin. He has been renovating the temple for ten years. The sound of Sanskrit revives and the light of Buddha reappears, which is the beginning of the Renaissance.

In 2009, Baolin temple was listed as a key cultural relic unit in the city and district, belonging to the spring and autumn Yancheng tourist area in China. The main building of Baolin religious and Cultural Park lasted for five years. The first phase project of a magnificent Tangfeng jungle covering an area of more than 200 mu was completed in the former site of the temple. On June 19, 2013 (July 12, 2013), the gate was opened to welcome Chinese and foreign tourists.

Scenic spots in the temple

The ancient and young Baolin Buddhist temple has a water scenery. The Baolin river is surrounded by clear water. Only through the five white jade bridges of Baolin, Ford, great kindness, great compassion and wisdom can people enter the ten directions of harmony.

There are many green trees and white walls in the courtyard, forming a beautiful picture of Buddhism. On the central axis, there are Zhaobi, pailou, zhengshanmen, Tianwang hall, bell tower, Drum Tower, Jialan hall and zushi hall. Among them, the main hall is more than 20 meters high, 40 meters wide, 30 meters deep from north to south, resplendent and majestic, with a Lingshan style; the Guanyin Pavilion is about 100 meters high, five Mu away from the base, just like a pure lotus in bud.

The outer Pavilion is composed of 108 lotus petal shaped niches, each of which sits a golden Buddha arhat. In the center of the pavilion, there is a 39 meter high Avalokitesvara on three sides and ten directions, surrounded by 9999 miniature Avalokitesvara. Miaozhuang is peaceful, the light of Buddha falls day and night, and the Miaoyin is light. There are also stairs and elevators in the tower for visitors to visit Guanyin. The Mahavira hall and the Guanyin Pavilion present the spirit of compassion of Sakyamuni and Guanyin Bodhisattva. On the East axis, Dongshan gate, Zhike hall, Xingyuan hall, fanyin Pavilion, promenade, Baolin lecture hall and Buddhist Academy show the great wish complex of Buddha and Guanyin to all living beings.

On the Western axis, Xishan gate, Liang Dixuan, God of wealth hall, Wenchang hall, Golden Buddha Hall, Abbot's building and Sutra pavilion are full of the wisdom of "supreme Prajna" and the wonderful principles of human Buddhism. Baolin religious and Cultural Park's architectural complex integrates Buddhism, culture, art, science and technology. It is an innovative version in the history of Chinese temple architecture.

Baolin temple, a thousand year old temple, has a new look with four people gathered. It will become a Buddhist holy land for Zen sightseeing, pilgrimage, Buddhism research, cultural worship, self-cultivation and spiritual cultivation, and will make due contributions to the promotion of Chinese Buddhist culture.

architectural style

The overall architectural style of the new Baolin temple is Tang Dynasty temple style, with modern design elements, covering a total area of 12797.7 square meters. It is mainly divided into the central area of the temple, the Buddhist area and the Buddhist area. The central area of the temple is composed of Mountain Gate, bell tower, Drum Tower, Tianwang hall, Manjusri hall, Puxian hall, Daxiong hall, East Pavilion, West Pavilion, Geshui square, 33 Guanyin and Guanyin tower.

Tianwang hall is the first hall in the mountain gate, with a height of 10 meters and an area of 190 square meters. The hall is dedicated to the four heavenly kings. Guanyin tower is an innovative building of the outer tower cabinet. It is surrounded by Lotus like waterscape on the outside and worships 12 Guanyin on the inside. Covering an area of 2461.8 square meters, the pagoda is 48 meters tall. The outer side of the tower is a three-dimensional shape of Ten Thousand Buddhas, which presents different artistic conception during the day and at night, and sets off the mysterious color of Buddhism and the sacred atmosphere of the temple. The Buddhist district is composed of xishanmen, lianghuangdian, yiyuxuan, liangdixuan, Zhaitang, Sangha, Dajue, Wenchan, Shenwu, Fangzhang and cangjing.

Dajue hall is a large-scale lecture hall for eminent monks, which can accommodate nearly 1000 believers. The area is composed of Wuguan hall, vegetable restaurant, Yuanyuan hall, pingming hall, jushiliao, meditation experience hall, life memorial hall, merit tower, side door and veranda.

After the transformation, Baolin temple will become the central temple in Wujin District, a first-class temple with large scale and rich Buddhist culture. There are about 70 permanent monks, which can accommodate tens of thousands of residents and believers.

Related verses

Du Mu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, sang in his poem Jiangnanchun: "the warbler crows in a thousand li, the green reflects the red, and the drinking flag is popular in Shuicun and shanguo. In the 480 temples of the Southern Dynasties, there are many buildings in the misty rain. " Baolin temple is one of the great jungles.

Temple host

Abbot Huiwen, commonly known as Xu Qiyou, is from Dongtai, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province. He was admitted to the Physics Department of Nanjing University in 1990 and converted to Buddhism after graduation. In 1995, he became a monk in Dalin temple under the guidance of master Jinghai. Since then, he has studied Buddhism and devoted himself to Sutra. He has won the mastery of samadhi Buddhism and is determined to prosper Baolin.

In 2005, he was elected president of Wujin Buddhist Association, vice president of Changzhou Buddhist Association and President of Wujin Buddhist Culture Research Association.

In 2007, he was promoted to the abbot of Baolin temple in Yancheng. In 2008, he took part in the "Jiangsu Province Chinese Buddhism preaching exchange" competition and won the first prize. He was honored as "Buddha dragon elephant" and "today's outstanding young monk talent".

Address: Baichao village, yayang Town, Taishun County, Wenzhou City

Longitude: 120.063053

Latitude: 27.386965

Ticket information: free.

Chinese PinYin : Bao Lin Si