Zhu Sheng Temple

Zhu Sheng Temple

Zhusheng temple is located in the East Street of Nanyue Town, Nanyue District, Hengyang City, Hunan Province, half a mile away from Nanyue temple. It is one of the six Buddhist forests in Nanyue.

Zhusheng temple is a national key Buddhist temple in Han nationality.

Historical evolution

Zhusheng temple is located in the East Street of Nanyue Town, half a mile away from Nanyue temple. It is one of the six Buddhist forests in Nanyue. In 1983, it was designated by the State Council as the national key Buddhist temple in the Han nationality area.

Cheng Yuan (712-802 AD), an eminent monk of the Tang Dynasty, founded a Buddhist temple here, named mithatai? -777), who first lived in Lushan Mountain and became a member of the Western Taoist school. In the second year of Dali (767), Mu Chengyuan came to Nanyue, where he was a teacher for 12 years. At the end of the Dali calendar (779), he was ordered to enter Chang'an. He went to the imperial palace to teach the palace people to chant Buddhism at five meetings (five hundred people for a while). In the Tang Dynasty, he was honored as the national teacher and preached to the world.

Fazhao strongly praised Daizong for his different virtue in his learning. Daizong went south and was polite. His degree could not be collected. It was named "banzhou Daochang" and respected his position. Another famous disciple of Chengyuan, Rihuan, became a monk at the age of 13 and served with Chengyuan for a long time. In the first year of Qianyuan reign of emperor suzong of Tang Dynasty (758), he ordered seven famous mountains in the world to set up Dade and to teach commandments. Rihuan was elected the first. He ascended the altar and preached sermons in Nanyue for 37 years. Every year, he had thousands of monks, which was called the heyday. On the former site, he built a seminary named "Pan Zhou Tai", which specializes in Buddhist samadhi and is known as "Pan Zhou monk" in the world.

During the reign of emperor Dezong of Tang Dynasty (785-805), it was called "Mituo Temple". As a result, from mithatai, panzhou Daochang to Mituo temple, it became a famous temple in the world, which was famous to the imperial court and moved Gongqing. Zhu Sheng Temple has a long history. According to the records of Nanyue Zongsheng Ji, Dayu, the king of the Xia Dynasty, built Qingleng palace here to worship Emperor Shun. In the Tang Dynasty, Cheng Yuan (712-802), an eminent monk, founded a Buddhist temple here, which was called mithatai temple. Chengyuan believes in the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism, which is also called lotus sect. Its purpose is to recite the name of Amitabha and to survive in the pure land of Western bliss.

According to the Pure Land Sect, there are 13 teachers in this sect, they are Huiyuan, Shandao, Chengyuan, fazhao, Shaokang, Yanshou, Shengchang, Zhixu, Shixian, Xingwei, Shixian, Jixing and Yinguang. Chengyuan is respected as the third generation of pure land founder. His main achievement in winning this eternal name is to spread the pure land Dharma in Nanyue.

Related allusions

In the fifth year of Huichang (845) of Tang Dynasty, Li Yan, a Wuzong, was not good at Buddhism. He was a teacher of Taoism, Zhao Guizhen. He believed in Taoism. When Zhao Guizhen was favored by Wuzong, he destroyed Buddhism in front of Wuzong. Therefore, the destruction of Buddhism flourished. He destroyed 44600 Buddhist temples and ordered 26500 monks and nuns to return to the secular life. This is called Huichang's legal difficulty, also known as the third Wu's misfortune. Mituo temple was destroyed in a disaster.

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (930-960), Ma Yin was called king of Chu according to Hunan. When Yang Ziying, the wife of Zhang Gao, gave money to rebuild the temple on the old foundation of Mituo temple, Ma Yin called it "Baoguo Temple". In the Song Dynasty, Zhao's court worshipped Buddhism again, and FA yuan prospered. During the period of Taiping rejuvenating the country (968-976), Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi issued an imperial edict, and the temple was named "Shengye Temple".

In the first year of Xuanhe (1119), Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty believed in Taoism and ordered the world to build "Shenxiao Palace". Most local officials replaced it with giant temples. Shengye temple was changed into Shenxiao palace and was promoted by officials. After the restoration of the temple. During Xuanhe period, FA Zhong, a monk of Tiantai Sect, visited Hengxiang. Feng Ji, an official in Hengzhou, invited the abbot to Zhusheng temple, and supported FA Zhong to maintain the temple, make Buddha statues, and clean up the temple property. The scene has taken on a new look. Zhu Xi, a famous scholar and educationist, and Zhang Shi, a philosopher and educationist in the four dynasties of Gaozong, Xiaozong, Guangzong and ningzong, visited Nanyue and had a rest in Shengye temple.

Multiple maintenance

In the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368), Shengye temple was repaired many times and trees were planted around the temple. The legal movement was still prosperous. In the Ming Dynasty, Shengye temple was repaired many times. In 1635, the abbot of Fuding made another major renovation to the temple and the statue of Buddha.

At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Zhusheng temple was renovated and rebuilt to become a great temple. In 1705, Zhao Shenqiao, the governor of Hunan Province, planned to invite Emperor Kangxi to make a southern tour, so he built a grand and magnificent palace. Later, Emperor Kangxi's southern tour failed, and the palace was closed for nearly ten years. In 1713, when Emperor Kangxi celebrated his 60th birthday in the first year of Jin Dynasty, the Xiantai in the north and south of Dahu gathered in Nanyue to build "Wanshou Guojiao". The governor of Huguang, e'lunte, and the governor of Hunan, Wang zhisuzou, changed the palace to Zhusheng temple. The Emperor Kangxi awarded all the "longzang", 735 letters, 1669 volumes and 7838 volumes.

Sixteen years later, in 1727, Wang Guodong was the governor of Hunan Province. He once again presented a memorial to the court about the change of Xinggong to Zhusheng temple. Yongzheng emperor Yinzhen made a "know" Zhu criticism, and agreed to "Zhusheng Temple" name, Zhusheng Temple name from now on. It is time that Shengye temple was merged into Zhusheng temple.

The beauty of the scenery

In 1705, when Zhao Shenqiao, governor of Hunan Province, heard that Emperor Kangxi was going to visit the south, he built a large-scale palace, which was later renamed Zhusheng temple. After Yongzheng, the abbots of Zhusheng temple had Tanyuan, qianshen, and Fuge successively, which made the temple more magnificent and magnificent. There were an endless stream of people who came to burn incense and worship Buddha.

At that time, people summed up the "ten scenes of blessing the saints": the sun in the pavilion, the sky in the double Pavilion, the moon in the pines, the clouds in the emerald cypresses, the ape's knowledge of entering the tranquility, the goose's habit of listening to the Scriptures, the fragrance of the furnace, the mountain Bell's automatic movement, the pomegranate in yueyun's light, and the waterfall's flowing kitchen.

During the period of the Republic of China, monk kongye held "Tiantai school" in Shisheng temple. In 1929, master Lingtao (1898-1950), a famous monk in Hunan Province, set up "Nanyue Buddhist workshop" here to cultivate a group of Sangha talents.

On May 7, 1937, out of concern for the future of the motherland, Nanyue Buddhists and Taoists dedicated themselves to the struggle against foreign aggression. Inspired by Ye Jianying, deputy director of education of Nanyue guerrilla cadre training class jointly organized by the Kuomintang and the Communist Party at that time, the whole mountain monks and Taoists established the patriotic organization "Nanyue Buddhist and Daoist Salvation Association" in Zhusheng temple. At the meeting, comrade Ye Jianying gave a speech on "universal salvation, knocking on the door to the difficult reality", which greatly inspired the Buddhists and Taoists.

Tradition of Buddhism and Taoism

The organization not only selected three monks to participate in guerrilla cadre training classes, but also organized monk and Taoist training classes to learn military knowledge and rescue and nursing techniques. Later, he organized "Buddhist Youth Service Group" and "Buddhist mobile working group" to carry out Anti Japanese and national salvation propaganda activities in Changsha, Xiangtan and other places, arousing the people to oppose aggression and defend the motherland. Guo Moruo, Zou daofen, Tian Han and other comrades gave warm support to the patriotic actions of Nanyue Buddhists and Taoists. Zou daofen published the declaration of establishment and the outline of organization of Nanyue Buddhist and Taoist Rescue Association in the Journal of national anti Japanese War edited by him. In his poem, Comrade Tian Han praises that he dares to make trouble with the world without wearing Shaoyi. He only cherishes the spring and dusk of Xiaoxiang, but he forgets to return when he sits down before the flowers.

After 1949, Zhusheng temple was the activity center of Nanyue Buddhism. The Nanyue Buddhist Association, founded in 1956, is located in Zhusheng temple. Monks carried forward the fine tradition of "attaching equal importance to agriculture and Zen", mobilized and organized Buddhists to engage in labor and production activities, and realized self-sufficiency. During the "Cultural Revolution", Buddhist activities were forced to stop, and Buddhist statues, scriptures, and magic weapons disappeared. Fortunately, the temple was completely preserved.

Since 1979, with the implementation of the policy of freedom of religious belief, monks have returned to the temple one after another. In 1980, Zhusheng temple was handed over to Nanyue Buddhist Association for management, and the state funded the comprehensive restoration of the temple. In May 1985, the opening ceremony of the Buddha statue was solemnly held, which became a major event in Nanyue.

Main building

There are five main buildings in Zhusheng temple, including Tianwang hall, Daxiong hall, shuotang, Abbot's room and Luohan hall. In the heyday of the temple, there were thousands of monks. The buildings in the temple are resplendent, the environment is quiet and elegant, and the attic and pavilions can be seen everywhere. The original 500 arhat statues in Luohan hall are all carved with bluestone and embedded on the left and right walls. They are vivid and are a pearl in the cultural treasure house of Nanyue. Unfortunately, during the ten years of turmoil, all the Arhats were destroyed, and now only 500 rubbings of Arhats are on display in the calligraphy and painting Museum of Nanyue temple for tourists to watch.

The temple is composed of six courtyards with six entrances and four horizons. The first entrance is a three arched gate. The gate is filled with clay paintings, which is both solemn and majestic. On the opposite side of the gate is a newly built granite five dragon wall with a height of 6 meters, a width of 18 meters and a thickness of 1 meter. On the front is engraved with six characters of "Amitabha Buddha in the South" with a diameter of about 1 meter, and on the back is a relief of five dragon playing with beads. Surrounded by stone railings, the entrance is a 30 meter long corridor courtyard. It used to be the second Mountain Gate. In 1938, the Japanese plane bombed the road and razed it to the ground. Here is the ancient camphor cover empty stone pavement, long Garden Road, become a shady and quiet courtyard, walk through the courtyard is the third into the palace of the heavenly king. Guotianwang hall is the fourth main hall, Daxiong hall.

Gold plaque

Change to hang: "Dafa wangcha" four gold plaque. In addition, there are three gold Inscriptions: "shuotang", "fangzhangshi" and "tianwangdian". They are all written by Zhao Puchu, President of the Chinese Buddhist Association. The fifth entrance hall, the fifth floor

Chinese PinYin : Zhu Sheng Si