Leiming Temple

Leiming Temple

Leiming temple, located in Dongzhai Town, Ningwu County, Shanxi Province, is the source of Fenhe River, an important tributary of the Yellow River. The name of the temple comes from the following two aspects: one is that the mountain at the outlet of Fenyuan is like an empty urn, and the sound of underground river waves is like thunder; the other is that the king of Tibet chants scriptures here, and the sound is like thunder. Therefore, the temple built on the ridge was named leiming temple.

architectural style

The ancient leiming temple sits in the north to the South and is built in the middle of the mountain. At the bottom is the stage. From the stage, you can climb 108 steps to the mountain gate. The two sides of the gate are lined with three rooms, three rooms wide and two rooms deep. There are five wooden archways on the central axis of the gate, with Bell and drum towers on both sides. After entering the gate, surrounded by the East and West Zen houses, a row of seven main halls is the main building of the temple. In the middle of the main hall is Zhenwu hall.

Zhenwu, also known as Xuanwu. Zhenwu hall, the full name of Zhenwu hall, is a northern God in ancient China. Originally, it was the northern Dou, Niu, Nu, Xu, Wei, Shi and Bi seven of the twenty-eight sleepers. Later, it was believed by Taoism. Together with green dragon, white tiger and rosefinch, it was called Sifang God. The statue is a turtle or a combination of turtle and snake. In the Song Dynasty, Xuanwu was changed to Zhenwu, which is called Zhenwu emperor by Taoism. Its statues are hair, black clothes, sword, tortoise and snake. The follower holds the black flag. It can be concluded from a statue of emperor Zhenwu in the middle of the main hall of leiming temple that after the destruction of the Pilu Buddhist temple in Luya Mountain in the late Ming Dynasty, the religious belief in Fenyuan had changed from pure Buddhism before the Ming Dynasty to the integration of Buddhism and Taoism in the Qing Dynasty, and Taoism was in the dominant position.

Three rooms in the east of the main hall are the Bodhisattva Hall of the king of Tibet, in which there are statues of the king of Tibet of ten dynasties. Dizang is a free translation of Sanskrit. The Buddhist Scripture says that this Bodhisattva "is as calm as the earth, and his meditation is as deep as dizang." So it got its name. Sakyamuni had asked him to save six living beings before the death of Sakyamuni and the birth of Maitreya. He swore that "all living beings are exhausted, and Bodhi is proved. Hell is not empty, and he swore that he will not become a Buddha." According to the biography of eminent monks of the Song Dynasty, it seems that he was reincarnated as the prince of Silla (today's Korean Peninsula). He became a monk when he was a child. When Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty came to China to build a temple in Jiuhua Mountain to receive apprentices. He passed away at the age of ninety-nine. His body was not bad, and his whole body went into the tower. At present, there is a body hall in shenguangling of Jiuhua Mountain. It is said that it is the place where the Bodhisattva of the king of Tibetans became a Taoist.

In the west mountain is the Buddha Hall, in which there are more than 20 Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The walls of the western mountain are painted with colorful figures of Xumi mountain.

Historical evolution

Leiming temple was rebuilt in Zhengde period of Ming Dynasty. During the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, it was rebuilt and destroyed in the cultural revolution. In 1996, it was rebuilt as a museum.

There are natural Grottoes under the main hall. The stone is like magmatic rock after volcanic eruption. Although the grottoes are small, they are mysterious and have always been regarded as gods by the people. In the cave, there are gods and immortals that people should respect.

Along the leiming temple to the north, gradually to the top of the original cave. It is mainly for Fenhe Taitai. Taitai is a legendary master of water control when Zhuan Xu was in power during the reign of three emperors and five emperors in ancient times. He was officially known as xuanming master. He was deeply loved by the world after he conquered Fenhe River. In the spring and Autumn period, Taitai was granted the title of God of Fen by the erudite statesman of Zheng State. After that, the posthumous title of each dynasty was Jia, who was honored as Shanggong and worshipped as Guishen. In the Jin Dynasty, he was granted the title of Changning Gong. In the sixth year of Daoguang (1826) of the Qing Dynasty, three Taitai ancestral halls were built on the stone cave, which were Pavilion style buildings and rebuilt in the tenth year of tongzhi (1817). Destroyed in the cultural revolution.

Leiming temple is lined with temples, ancient pines and cypresses, carved beams and painted buildings, red eaves and golden roofs, glazed green tiles, red sandalwood wood carvings, pavilions and pavilions, pavilions, corridors and gateways. The layout is reasonable and the structure is exquisite. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties and at the beginning of the people's Republic of China, it was called "famous temple in North China". When it was rebuilt in the 10th year of Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty, Xu Songkan, a famous scholar at home and abroad, and an honest and upright official of Wutai Dongye, wrote the inscription. In the inscriptions, Xu highly praised the Fen headspring lingzao as "the first scenic spot in the three Jin Dynasties". In 1997, leiming temple was rebuilt according to the original layout.

Historical legend

It's said that the water of Fenyuan came from the mouth of the stone toad at the foot of Guancen mountain. But in very ancient times, the water was blocked by a stone egg stuck in the stone toad's mouth, and could not flow out. Originally, the stone toad lies prone under the thunder peak, and the bottom of the thunder peak is a sea. As long as the stone eggs in the clam's mouth are cut off, Fenshui will flow continuously. But if you want to cut off the stone eggs, you have to have a golden axe. The golden axe is hidden in the cave under the Zifeng cliff. It's occupied by vicious monsters. It's more difficult to get the golden axe than heaven.

At that time, there lived Shi Yong and tie Yong at the foot of leiming peak, both of whom were good posterity of Hu Biao Biao. This year, there was drought and no rain, and the earth was dry. The two brothers who were planting the plow were hot and thirsty. They couldn't stand it any more. Shi Yong sighed and said: "the ground is dry and smoking. It's useless to plant it!" Tie Yong said: "as long as you go up to Zifeng cliff and kill the monster, get the golden axe and cut off the stone eggs in the mouth of the clam borer, the people will be saved!" The two brothers are dedicated to the benefit of the people, so they decide to go to Zifeng cliff immediately. With a bottle of wine in his arms and a knife pinned to his waist, his elder brother Shi Yong left like this.

When Shi Yong came to the bottom of Zifeng cliff, he saw the black clouds rolling at the top of the cliff and the golden light shining in the cave. Shi Yong knew that the monster was guarding the golden axe in the cave. He bravely climbed up the cane and stepped on the stone wall step by step and climbed to the half of the cliff and got into the cave.

The blue faced and fanged monster is dozing off with a golden axe. He is awakened by the sound of Shi Yong walking. He raises the golden axe and cuts at Shi Yong. Shi Yong unhurriedly took out the wine bottle from his arms and said in a flash, "old fairy, don't be angry. I've come to propose a toast to you!" the monster salivated and said, "well, have a good drink for me!" Shi Yong passes the bottle. The monster drinks all at once. Then he falls to the ground, foams at the mouth and is in a coma. When Shi Yong saw this, he took out his pocket knife and stabbed the monster. The monster screamed and died. Shi Yong picked up the golden axe and walked out of the cave happily. Strange to say, as soon as Shi Yong came out of the cave, he felt very tired. He wanted to have a rest, but he couldn't wake up as soon as he closed his eyes. With the development of society, Shi Yong became a lush pine tree, firmly rooted in the cliff. The golden axe is on the fork of the tree. It can't fall down in spite of the wind and rain.

Besides, tie Yong is waiting at home. If he doesn't see his brother back, he goes up the mountain to find him. Tieyong came to Zifeng cliff and saw that there was a pine tree at the entrance of the cliff. There was an axe hanging on the pine tree. He was surprised, so he climbed up the cliff and got into the cave. But he saw pine trees, no monsters, and no elder brother Shi Yong. He was so anxious that he cried out. At this time, the pine tree said: "brother, don't be sad, take down the golden axe to cut the stone eggs in the stone toad's mouth!" Full of tears, Shi Yong knelt down to the pine tree and said, "please rest assured, tie Yong will cut off the stone egg!" Tieyong turned over and went down the cliff to leiming peak. With all his strength, the stone egg in the stone toad's mouth turned around when he cut down with the first axe, and fell out when he cut down with the second axe. All of a sudden, the rolling mountains and waters from the stone toad mouth "Hua" straight out, the long stream, thousands of years. The water rushed out of the stone toad's mouth and made a loud noise, like thunder and lightning. Later, people built temples in the birthplace of Fenhe River, named leiming temple.

Address: Ningwu County, Xinzhou City

Longitude: 112.09852600098

Latitude: 38.8200340271

Chinese PinYin : Lei Ming Si