Sizhou Temple

Sizhou Temple

Fujian, mainland China. Sizhou Buddha Temple, stork forest village, shisandaugu County, Longxi County, Zhangzhou Prefecture, was originally named stork forest temple. (now called: Fujian. Zhangzhou. Sizhou Buddha Temple in Guanlin village is only a few thousand meters away from guxianya site in Longxi County. Stork forest village still has many old place names: huangshanpu, dingcuo, hancuo, wencuo, wangcuo, Jiangcuo, chencuo, Jiangcuo, Houkeng, etc. The deities worshiped in Sizhou Buddha Temple in stork forest village are as follows: five Buddhas in the west, such as the Tathagata, Buddhists in Sizhou, Buddhists in Budao, Emperor Shennong, Prince Xiefu (Guangying holy king), Sun God, dutianyuanshuai, King Kaizhang, Emperor Sanguan, Wuer Buddha, etc. There are not many temples dedicated to so many gods in Longxi County. In Sizhou Buddhist temple, there are still ancient wells dedicated to temples in the Tang and Song dynasties. This shows that Sizhou Buddha Temple in stork forest was one of the religious centers in Longxi County in ancient times.

Historical situation

Four ancient temples in Yangxin

Sizhou temple is located in the southwest of Luojia mountain, 780 meters above sea level, Dongyuan County, Yangxin County, Hubei Province. The mountain is high and the forest is luxuriant. It is shrouded in clouds all the year round and mysterious. There is also a Luojia village on the hillside. According to master Rongming of Sizhou temple, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, there was a man named yuan Di in Sishui County, Yanzhou Prefecture, Shandong Province. He was highly respected and became a monk in the local zhunchi temple. He dreamt of immortals at night and said that he was a place to live when he met a tiger. When he woke up from his dream, he kept it in mind and began to travel all over the famous mountains. One day, when I passed Luojiashan in Dongyuan, I saw a tiger perched on a strange stone. Duke Fu gave it three treasures of clothing, and the tiger left immediately. As a result, he established his foundation here, and according to the Buddhist scriptures, there are four major continents around Xumi mountain, named "Sizhou Chan Temple". Since then, the incense has continued. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, wars broke out and the temple was destroyed. According to the records of the temple, Sizhou temple was rebuilt in 903 A.D.

Yangxin County annals records: in 903 ad, Luo Jinggong built Sizhou temple in Luojiashan, Dongyuan, which was destroyed in Yuan Dynasty. In Xuande period of Ming Dynasty, Shandong monk Xidao came here to rebuild. It is one of the four famous ancient temples (Qifeng temple, Sizhou temple, Shibi temple and Wanfo Temple) in Yangxin more than 1100 years ago.

Luo Bin Wang's retreat

There is a newly built monk's tomb tower in a clearing behind the Sizhou temple. The young bhiksuni Master said that master Rongqing, the old master of Sizhou temple, had just passed away, and some disciples studying in Buddhist schools from other places returned to the temple to offer sacrifices. According to reports, master Rongqing and master Rongming adopted more than a dozen abandoned babies and orphans. These disciples were all abandoned babies raised by the two masters.

Master Rongqing became a monk in 1927 when he was only 8 years old. A few years later, his mother and one of his sisters (Master Rongming) also became a monk in Sizhou temple, witnessing the historical changes of Sizhou temple in the past century. Master Rongming said that many precious historical relics were preserved in the temple, which were basically destroyed during the cultural revolution. In particular, a stone tablet of King Luo Bin, which was granted by Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty, was also destroyed. There are some ruins of different historical periods everywhere in the temple. The only one well preserved is Putong tower, which was built in the 22nd year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1817). The seven storey tower is more than Zhang high, with six square layers and square corners. Unfortunately, some dealers stole the stone tombstones from Putong tower (the tomb chamber where the monks' ashes were placed) and rebuilt them. Most of the ceramic jars in the tower where the monks' ashes were stored were also stolen.

Master Rongming also said that Luo Binwang, one of the four outstanding poets in the early Tang Dynasty and a famous poet, fled to Sizhou temple to retire after his defeat in Yangzhou. In 684, the first year of guangzhai, Wu Zetian abolished Zhongzong Li Xian as the king of Luling, and actively prepared to change Tang Dynasty to Zhou Dynasty. In September of this year, Xu Jingye (given the surname of Li by the emperor, later called Li Jingye) set up an army against Wu Zetian according to Yangzhou. King Luo Bin took part in the military action and was appointed as the art and literature order, in charge of the confidential documents. It was at this time that the famous "call to arms" was written. In November, Li Jingye was defeated and Luo Binwang's whereabouts were unknown.

Master Rongming said that after his defeat in Yangzhou, Luo Binwang converted to Buddhism in Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, and soon fled to Sizhou temple. He inherited the mantle of Duke Fu. At that time, the temple was solemn, resplendent and full of believers. In February 1961, Sizhou temple was awarded by the provincial government as "the key protection unit of Sizhou temple where Luo Binwang retired".

The mystery of Luo Bin Wang's life and death

Where on earth did king Luo Bin go? Where does he die?

According to a large number of historical materials, when Li Jingye launched the Yangzhou mutiny, King Luo Binwang drafted the famous "call for war", counting Wu Zetian's bad deeds, plotting evil intentions, and declaring righteousness, hoping to achieve the purpose of fighting against the armed forces.

In this article, Luo Binwang ends with "who is the world in today's world?" which is very powerful and appealing. It is said that after reading the address, Wu Zetian suddenly changed color and asked who wrote it. When she heard that it was Luo Binwang who did it, she was very sorry. Wu Zetian said: "the prime minister's fault is that people are so talented, and it's not even right to make him exile?"

In the preface to Luo Bin Wang Wen Ji written by Xi Yunqing of the Tang Dynasty: "in the period of civilization (684 years of emperor Ruizong of the Tang Dynasty), he conspired with his Heiye in Guangling to revolt, but the war was not successful, so he fled." "The new book of the Tang Dynasty · biography of King Luo Binwang" also follows this saying, "dedication failed, King bin died, I don't know what happened." Therefore, Luo Binwang has become a mystery in history.

As a result, there are several theories in history, which can be summarized as follows: one is the theory of escape. It is said that the tomb of King Luo Bin was found in the east of Nantong, and that King Luo Bin died in Chongchuan.

Second, the theory of being killed. Luo Binwang and others prepared to flee to Gaoli and arrive at Hailing (now Taizhou, Jiangsu Province). They were caught in the wind and waves and were killed by Wang Naxiang, the Minister of the Ministry of Commerce. They passed on the story to Dongdu, and implicated their family and people.

Third, suicide theory. Luo Binwang finally threw himself into the river.

Fourth, to become a monk. Song Zhiwen once wrote poems on the moon at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou. An old monk came up against him, who turned out to be king Luo Bin.

According to master Zhiyuan, a disciple of master Rongming, he once heard his father Rongqing say that the chronicle of Sizhou Temple introduced that after becoming a monk in Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, Luo Binwang fled to Sizhou temple and finally died in Sizhou temple. Not far from Sizhou temple, there was an ancient tomb stele, which my father remembered clearly. The stele introduced the life of King Luo Bin. Unfortunately, the temple records were burned by the rebels during the cultural revolution, and the ancient tombstone was buried in the field at that time. The reporter also found a piece of information to introduce the memories of General Wang Ping, former political commissar and general of the General Logistics Department of the Chinese people's Liberation Army. He said: there is an ancient tomb not far from his mother's tomb. The tombstone is tall, and the inscription records the historical King Luo bin.

As for the whereabouts of King Luo Bin, due to the contradiction of historical records, various conjectures have been formed, so far it is difficult to conclude. Whether Luo Binwang was secluded in Sizhou temple and died here remains to be further studied by experts and scholars.

geographical position

Sizhou temple is located in xiaxindian Town, Yunmeng County, Xiaogan City. It is close to Handan railway and Hanyi highway. It is 60km away from Wuhan city and 40km away from Xiaogan City. It was first built in the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasty. Rebuilt in the Tang Dynasty and rebuilt in the fourth year of yuantaiding, the temple's main hall and bell and drum tower are simple in shape, with unique cornices and ingenuity. It is the only ancient building with Yuan Dynasty style in Hubei Province, and is now listed in one of 450 large temples in China. In October 1976, Sizhou temple was recognized as a national historical and cultural relics protection unit by the State Administration of cultural relics.

Around the temple are lakes and marshes, often surrounded by water, so it is named. It is said that it was founded in the Tang Dynasty. According to the stone tablet of Yuan Dynasty in front of the temple, it was rebuilt in 1327. The main building is the main hall, in front of which the bell tower and drum tower are on the left and right, and then there is a mountain gate. The main hall is of wood structure, 9 meters high and 117 square meters in area. It has double eaves and is well preserved. The clock tower is nearly square in plane, 8.5 meters high and covers an area of 50 square meters. It also has double eaves and rests on the top of the mountain. The drum tower was destroyed by the flood in 1954. The mountain gate and the wall have disappeared and have not been repaired. The existing buildings, painted buildings with flowing colors, green tiles and clouds, all kinds of carvings, are still ancient and elegant. The environment around the temple is quiet.

According to the stone tablet of Yuan Dynasty in front of the temple, it was rebuilt in 1327. The main building is the main hall, in front of which the bell tower and drum tower are on the left and right, and then there is a mountain gate. The main hall is of wood structure, 9 meters high and 117 square meters in area. It has double eaves on the top of the mountain and is well preserved. The clock tower is nearly square in plane, 8.5 meters high and covers an area of 50 square meters. It also has double eaves and rests on the top of the mountain. The drum tower was destroyed by the flood in 1954. The mountain gate and the wall have disappeared and have not been restored.

It has become a famous Buddhist tourist attraction. "Qi engulfs clouds and dreams, waves shake Yueyang Tower.". Sizhou temple is like a dazzling pearl embedded in the water country. When you are in the temple, you can feel the Buddhist music of the morning bell and evening drum, and you can see the white water in the four fields, like a dream in a fairyland.

Mysterious phenomenon

Sizhou temple is mysterious. Three years after the death of a monk and Nun, his body was found to be in good condition without decay, which is called the miracle of Buddhism by the Buddhist circles, and the appearance of "Bodhisattva in the flesh".

On March 30, 2003, a group of religious cadres from Yunmeng County Bureau of ethnic and religious affairs came to Sizhou temple and saw the statue. When you untie the cassock, you can see that the monk and Nun, who has been dead for three years, is still sitting cross legged. His nails and hair are the same as those of living people. His body is slightly shrunk because of natural drying. His body skeleton is still well connected, his waist can move, and his skin can be pinched

Chinese PinYin : Si Zhou Si