Fahai Temple

Fahai Temple is located at the foot of Cuiwei Mountain, which is at two kilometers to the north-east of Moshikou, Shijingshan District, in the Beijing City, China.

History

Fahai Temple started to be built in 4th year of Emperor Zhengtong of the Ming Dynasty and was completed in 8th year of Zhengtong .

Frescoes

The most distinguishing part of Fahai Temple is the Ming Dynasty frescoes. The total area of the frescoes is 236.7 square meters. Comparing with other famous frescoes in China, such as the Yongle Palace frescoes and the Dunhuang frescoes, Fahai Temple frescoes are at an even higher level in the depiction of figures, subtlety of patterns and the craft methods.

Additionally, these frescoes are extremely well-preserved, looking as complete as new. So the production and preservation method of Fahai Temple frescoes are at very high level.

Cultural Relics

* Bronze Bell

Donglin Temple

Donglin Temple is a monastery approximately 20km away from Jiujiang, Jiangxi, . It was built in 386 at the foot of Lushan by , founder of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.

The monastery reached its peak of influence during the Tang Dynasty, but was severely damaged during the Taiping Rebellion and all but destroyed during the period. It currently houses a small community of monks supported by a small farming village in its immediate vicinity.

Dafo Temple

The Dafo Temple is a famous Buddhist temple in Zhejiang and has a long history of more than 1000 years. This Temple is the symbol of the Xinchang prefecture and it attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. Recently, the temple and its surroundings have often been used as a movie shooting area because of its exquisite natural beauty.

During the Cultural Revolution, locals covered the giant buddha statues in the temple with pictures of Mao Zedong to prevent the radical Red Guard from smashing the statues, which they were mandated to do so under the directive of "destroying all the old traditions".

Changchun Temple

The Beijing Changchun Temple is a
Buddhist temple in the of Beijing, China. The temple also houses the Xuanwu Cultural Museum.

History

The temple was first built by the Wanli emperor's mother during the the Ming Dynasty in 1592. in 1679, the temple was heavily damaged in an earthquake, and was never really restored to its former glory, and later became a storage space for coffins. Following the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949, the temple was transformed into housing. In 2001, the temple was put under cultural protection and went through an extensive renovation costing nearly 200 million RMB. In 2005 the temple reopened as the Xuanwu cultural museum.

Layout

The temple is organized around one main courtyard which contains three halls. Adjoining the temple is the Xuanwu Municipal Bureau of Tourism.

Location

The temple is located at 9 Changchun Jie in Xuanwu district, Beijing.

Zunsheng Temple

Zunsheng Temple is located in Huyangling, 20 kilometers northeast of Wutai County.

It was founded in Tang Dynasty and was initially called "Shan Zhu Ge Yuan" . It was rebuilt in Tiansheng 4th year, , and named "Zhen Rong Chan Yuan" . After renovation in Wanli 19th year of Ming Dynasty, it was named "Zunsheng Temple". And it was partly renovated in Tongzhi 7th year, Qing Dynasty. The stele erected in Kangxi 24th year of Qing Dynasty recorded the history of the temple. Its current appearance reflected the renovation during the period of the Republic of China.

It has a land area of more than 32,000 square meters.

Zhihua Si Temple

The Zhihua Si Temple is a Ming Dynasty-era temple in Beijing, China. It is located in the Lumicang ''hutong'', in the Chaoyangmen area of the , within the to the north of Jinbaojie Street, west of the Yabaolu area. The temple was built in 1443 at the order of , a powerful eunuch in the Rites Supervising Office of the court of the Zhengtong Emperor ..

The temple, surrounding buildings, and grounds comprise approximately 20 thousand square meters. It is one of the most important original building complexes from the Ming Dynasty period in the Old City area, and one of the only wooden structures and groups of buildings from the Ming Dynasty to remain intact in Beijing. It is also striking for its extensive use of black roof tiles. The Beijing Cultural Exchange Museum, established in November 1992, is located in the temple compound; its principal aim is "as a centre for developing cultural exchange and for developing the study of cultural relics and museums."

At the temple, a group of musicians regularly performs centuries-old ritual music which has been handed down over 27 generations. The six-member group is led by the octogenarian Buddhist monk Zhang Benxing , the only surviving member of the 26th generation of musicians, and the last person to have learned the music in the traditional manner. In addition to singing voices, the instruments used include '''' , ''dizi'' , '''' , ''yunluo'' , and percussion including drums and cymbals.

The Zhihua Si Temple became a nationally preserved cultural and historic relic in 1961. In 2005 the Chinese government undertook a renovation of the temple in preparation for the numerous international visitors expected at the time of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Discography

*''Buddhist Music of the Ming Dynasty'' . JVC.

Zhenjue Temple

The Zhen Jue Temple , located near the Beijing Zoo, lies on the north bank of the Changhe River near the White Stone Bridge in Haidian District of Beijing. The temple was first built during the Yuan Dynasty and later reconstructed during the Ming Dynasty.

The distinctive tower in the Zhenjue Temple is also commonly called "Wutashita" . The tower stands of 17 meters tall, and consists of many pedestals and five surrounding towers. The temple is also known by the locals as "Five Pagoda Temple" or , as referring to its grand five pagodas.

Zhanshan Temple

Zhanshan Temple is a Buddhist temple in Qingdao, Shandong, China. It is located on the southern side of Zhanshan , facing the sea.

It features a number of buildings, including a Buddhist scripture library and a large Yaoshi stupa.

In 2004 the temple underwent renovation.

, entry was priced at 5, with discounts available for seniors and the disabled. During August 2004, the price was reported as 8, which may be related to the renovations which were still underway.

Yunju Temple

Yunju Temple is located in Fangshan District, 70 kilometers southwest of Beijing.

History

The temple was first built in the early 7th century. In 616, the first Buddhist stone scripture tablet was made at the temple by a monk named Jingwan. Because there were debates going between Buddhists and Daoists, and Jingwan feared reprisals from Daoists, he decided to carve his scriptures on stone instead of writing them on paper. The work on the stone tablets continued on for more than a thousand years before ending in 1655. The tablets were based on an edition of the Canon of Buddhist Writings put together during the Tang Dynasty as well as a Liao work known as the Qidangcan. In total, 1122 Buddhist scriptures in 3572 volumes were produced at the temple. In the 1930s most of the temple was destroyed.

Layout

There were originally six halls in the temple, arranged from east to west. On both sides of the halls, there was accommodation for guests and dormitories for monks.

The temple contains a total of twelve pagodas from the Liao and Tang dynasties and three tomb pagodas from the Qing Dynasty.

Yonghe Temple

The Yonghe Temple , also known as the "Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple", the "Yonghe Lamasery", or - popularly - the "Lama Temple" is a temple and monastery of the of Tibetan Buddhism located in the northeastern part of Beijing, China. It is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world. The building and the artworks of the temple combine Han Chinese and Tibetan styles.

History

Building work on the Yonghegong Temple started in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty. It originally served as an official residence for court eunuchs. It was then converted into the court of the Prince Yong , a son of the Kangxi Emperor and himself the future Yongzheng Emperor. After Yongzheng's ascension to the
throne in 1722, half of the building was converted into a lamasery, a monastery for monks of Tibetan Buddhism. The other half remained an imperial palace.

After Yongzheng's death in 1735, his coffin was placed in the temple. The Qianlong Emperor, Yongzheng's successor, gave the temple imperial status signified by having its turquoise tiles replaced with yellow tiles which were reserved for the emperor. Subsequently, the monastery became a residence for large numbers of Tibetan Buddhist monks from Mongolia and Tibet, and so the Yonghe Lamasery became the national centre of Lama administration.

The temple is said to have survived the Cultural Revolution due to the intervention of Prime Minister Zhou Enlai. It was reopened to the public in 1981.

Architecture and artworks

The Yonghe Temple is arranged along a north-south central axis, which has a length of 480. The main gate is at the southern end of this axis. Along the axis, there are five main halls which are separated by courtyards: the ''Hall of the Heavenly Kings'' , the ''Hall of Harmony and Peace'' , the ''Hall of Everlasting Protection'' , the ''Hall of the Wheel of the Law'' , and the ''Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses'' .

The ''Hall of the Heavenly Kings'' is the southernmost of the main halls, it served originally as the main entrance to the monastery. In the center of the hall stands a statue of the Maitreya Buddha, along the walls statues of the four Heavenly Kings are arranged.

The ''Hall of Harmony and Peace'' is the main building of the temple. It houses three bronze statues of the Buddhas of the Three Ages, the statue of the Gautama Buddha is in the center, it is flanked by the statue of Kasyapa Matanga and the Maitreya Buddha . Along the sides of the hall, the statues of the 18 Arhats are placed. A mural in the hall shows the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.

The ''Hall of Everlasting Protection'' was Emperor Yongzheng's living quarters as a prince and the place where his coffin was placed after his death. Today, a statue of the ''Bhaisajya-guru'' stands in this hall.

The ''Hall of the Wheel of the Law'' functions as a place for reading scriptures and conducting religious ceremonies. It contains a large statue of Je Tsongkhapa, founder of the Geluk School. The hall also contains the Five-Hundred-Arhat-Hill, a carving made of red sandalwood with statues of the arhats made from five different metals .

The ''Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses'' contains a 26 tall statue of the Maitreya Buddha carved from a single piece of White Sandalwood. The statue is one of three artworks in the Temple which were included in the Guinness Book of Records in 1993.

Location

The Yonghe Temple is located in the Dongcheng District of Beijing, near the northeastern corner of the Second Ring Road. The postal address is: ''12 Yonghegong Dajie, Beixinqiao, Dongcheng District, Beijing''.

Further reading

*Lessing, Ferdinand, and G?sta Montell. ''Yung-Ho-Kung, an Iconography of the Lamaist Cathedral in Peking: With Notes on Lamaist Mythology and Cult.'' Stockholm: 1942.

Xingjiao Temple

Xingjiao Temple is located in Shaoling Yuan, Chang'an District, 20 kilometers south of Xi'an City. The five-storied Buddhist Relic Pagoda, preserving the relics of Xuanzang , is inside the temple, along with the pagodas of his desciples, Kuiji and Yuance.

Xingjiao Temple was built in AD 669 in order to re-inhume Xuanzang, ans was one of eight famed temples in Fanchuan in Tang Dynasty.

Now the relic pagoda is still the original building of Tang Dynasty. But the temple was burnt to the ground at Tongzhi years in Qing Dynasty. It was rebuilt during the period of the Republic of China.

Wolong Temple

Wolong Temple is located on Baishulin St., Beilin District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province of China. According to the stele in the temple, it was first built during Lingdi years , Han Dynasty, more than 1,800 years ago. It was called "Fu Ying Chan Yuan" in Sui Dynasty. The temple kept a painting of Guanyin drew by Wu Daozi in Tang Dynasty, so it was also called "Guanyin Temple" . It was renamed Wolong Temple during Taizong's years , Song Dynasty.

Wofo Temple

Wofo Temple is a located in the Beijing Botanical Garden from Beijing, China. The temple is best known as the location of the 'Recumbent Buddha', a large sculpture of the Buddha lying down created in 1321.

History

The temple was first built in the 7th century and known as the Doulu temple. During the following centuries temple was destroyed and rebuilt numerous times while also undergoing name changes. The current incarnation dates from 1734. The temple's first recumbent Buddha was carved in carved in sandstone. In 1321, during the Yuan dynasty the sandstone carving was replaced by a 5.2 meter long statue made of bronze and weighing 2.5 tons.

Layout

Following a north-south axis, the temple contains an entrance gate followed by three halls. On either side of the axis are buildings used by the monks for lodging as well as to accommodate guests. The first hall is called the Tianwang hall, the second the Sanshi Buddha hall, followed by the Recumbent Buddha hall.

White Horse Temple

White Horse Temple was the first temple in China, established under the patronage of in the Eastern capital Luoyang in the year 68.

Founding

According to the Book of Later Han history, Emperor Ming was said to have dreamed one night in the year 64 of a golden person standing 20 metres tall and with a radiating white aureola flying from the West. The next day he told his ministers, and the minister Zhong Hu explained to him that he had probably dreamed of the from India. The emperor then sent a delegation of 18 headed by Cai Yin, Qin Jing and Wang Zun to seek out Buddhism. They returned from Afghanistan with an image of Gautama Buddha, the ''Sutra of Forty-two Chapters'' and two eminent monks.

The monks names have been variously romanized as Kasyapamatanga and Dharmavanya, Moton and Chufarlan.

The next year, the emperor ordered the construction of the White Horse Temple three li east of the capital Luoyang, to remember the horse that carried back the sutras. It was China's first Buddhist temple.

Naming

Notably, the emperor ordered the suffix 寺 to be used in the temple's name, as a display of respect. Previously, this character had been used to denote ministries of government. In later periods, all temples came to use this character in their name and it was dropped from the names of government ministries. As a result, the temple's name is sometimes translated as White Horse Ministry, a translation true to the time. However, White Horse Temple is the correct, literal reading to modern Chinese people.

Significance

The first version of the Chinese ''Sutra of Forty-two Sections'' was produced within the temple. The temple then increased in importance as Buddhism grew within China, and spread to Korea, Japan and Vietnam. The introduction of Buddhism in China was also a significant influence on Chinese morals, thought and ethics.

Location

The temple is located within and Dynasty Luoyang, which lies approximately 12km east of modern Luoyang, in Henan .

History

In 258. a royal monk, Po-Yen, translated six Buddhist text in to at the temple, including the important ''Infinite Life Sutra''.

In 1175, an inscription on a stone tablet next to Qilun Pagoda—a 35 m tall, multi-eaved square-based tower located to the southeast of the White Horse Temple—stated that a previous fire occurred five decades previously and destroyed the temple and the Sakya Tathagata sarira stupa, a predecessor to the pagoda. The same inscription of 1175 stated that a official had the stone Qilun Pagoda erected soon after. The is built with the design style imitating the square-based pagodas of the Tang Dynasty.

In 1992, with the assistance of and Chinese donors, the Hall of the Thai Buddha was constructed slightly west of the old temple.

Description

The temple compound covers an area of 200 , and faces south. A stone paifang has been recently built 150 metres in front of the original gate. Between the archway and gate lies a pool with fountains, spanned by three stone bridges.

Entering the temple today, one sees the Hall of , Hall of the , Hall of Mahavira, Hall of Greeting, the Cool and Clear Terrace and the . On each side of the pavilion are the Sutra House and the Magic Weapon House.

Visiting today

The temple is open to the public, and can be reached by public bus number 56 from Luoyang Train Station. Standard tickets cost 35元 and discounts are available to students at half price .

Wanshou Temple

The Wanshou Temple is a temple located at the Suzhou street in Beijing. In addition to being a Buddhist temple, the Wanshou Temple also houses the Beijing Art Museum.

It was built in 1577 during the era of the Ming Dynasty to store Chinese Buddhist scriptures; it also later became a permanent celebration place for the imperial families of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The Wanshou Temple was known as one of Beijing's most important temples, and it was declared as one of Beijing's "Key Cultural Heritage of Preservation" in August of 1979. The Beijing Art Museum housed in the Wanshou Temple has also collected and preserved precious historical relics such as bronze and jade articles of and Dynasties , and ancient art treasures such as porcelains, earthenwares, enamels, carved lacquer ware, ivory carving, wood carving, and many relics from past dynasties.

Among the most important items displayed in the museum includes Chinese paintings and calligraphies from the Ming and Qing Dynasties since 1368 A.D, Chinese weavings and embroideries of Ming and Qing Dynasties, and ancient coins of China and foreign countries. Modern Chinese, Japanese and other Asian arts and crafts and paintings are also displayed in the museum.

Wanfu Temple

Wanfu Temple is a temple on Mount Huangbo in Fujian , China. It is famous as the original temple of Yinyuan Longqi, the temple's 33rd abbot and a master. He later travelled to Japan with his disciple Muyan to found the Japanese school of Zen.

Temple of the Six Banyan Trees

The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees is an ancient built in 537 in the Liang Dynasty in Guangzhou, southern China.

The temple's proximity to foreign consulates in Guangzhou has made it a regular destination for families participating in the international adoption of children from China. Typically families receive blessings for their newly adopted children at this temple in front of the statue of Kuan Yin.

History

The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees was originally called the Baozhuangyan Temple, but during the Northern Song Dynasty, a writer called Su Shi wrote the inscription ''Liu Rong'' because of the six s he saw there and it has since been called the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees.

The temple was burned down and rebuilt in the Northern Song Dynasty. Flower Pagoda, the main structure of the temple, was built in 1097, and was named for its colorful exterior. The Flower Pagoda once had a square base in its architecture, but was given an octagonal shaped base after it was rebuilt in 1097. It was rebuilt again in 1373 AD after another fire in the early Ming Dynasty period, and restored in 1900.

Temple of Great Compassion

The Temple of Great Compassion is a temple in Hebei district, Tianjin, China. It was built during the of the Qing Dynasty .

The temple was once famous for holding a skull relic of Xuanzang, however, the relic was presented to India in the 1950s and is now held in a Patna museum.

Today the temple is a tourist attraction, with entry costing 4 Renminbi. It opens at 9 AM and is within walking distance of the main Tianjin train station.

Temple of Bright Filial Piety

The Temple of Bright Filial Piety on Guangxiao Road is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Guangzhou and was the mansion of Prince Zhao Jiande of the during the .

The temple was initially built by an Indian monk during the but the present temple, occupying an area of 31,000 square meters, dates from the Qing Dynasty . The temple has an important place in Buddhist history as Huineng of the sect was a novice monk here in the 7th century.

The Sixth Ancestor Hall in the temple was built in memory of Huineng, the sixth master of the Zen Sect of Buddhism, who is widely considered the most influential monk in the history of . In the temple there is also a pagoda where Huineng's hair was buried. Other ancient structures in the temple include Sakyamuni Hall, Samgharama Hall, the King of Heaven Hall, and two iron towers.

Temple of Azure Clouds

The Temple of Azure Clouds , is a temple located in the eastern part of the Western Hills, just outside the north gate of Fragrant Hills Park , in the Haidian District, a northwestern suburb of Beijing, China, approximately 20 km from the city center. It was built in the 14th century , during the Yuan Dynasty and was expanded in 1748.

The temple, which is built on six different levels over an elevation of nearly 100 meters, is known for its fine scenery. The temple also includes a memorial hall to Sun Yat-sen, which is located at the center of the temple complex. Two other prominent features are the Five Hundred Arhats Hall and the Vajra Throne Tower.

Tanzhe Temple

The Tanzhe Temple is a Buddhist temple situated near China National Highway 108 in the Mentougou District, in the Western Hills, a mountainous area to the west of Beijing. It is relatively well-known in Beijing. At one time, it was one of the most important temples in the nation.

Built in the , it has an age of around 1,600 years. The area of the entire temple is 100 , and its arrangement of halls is akin to that found in the and dynasties.

The temple's central hall is its Mahavira Hall. 24 metres in length, 33 metres wide, and with a depth of 20 metres. Buddhist monks regularly perform chanting here, to the accompaniment of woodblocks, cup gongs, and bells. Despite the age of the temple, most of the statuary and paintings are fairly new.

Tanzhe Temple also has some other features. The bed of its former "Dragon Pool", which has dried up sits on the hill at the back of the temple. The ''zhè'' trees , now few in number, are located in the temple as well. Their number has dwindled shockingly from the original thousand or so. There are also persimmon trees, as well as a stand of bamboo.

Spring Temple Buddha

The Spring Temple Buddha is a statue depicting Vairocana Buddha in Lushan, Henan, China. At 128 m , which included a 20 m lotus throne, it is the largest statue in the world. When the 25 m pedestal/building it is placed upon is taken into account, the monument has a total height of 153 m .

As of June 23 2008, little information is available online in English about the statue. Plans for its construction were announced soon after construction had begun on a planned Maitreya Buddha by Indian and British planners in Bihar, Northern India, which set out to be the world's largest statue itself.

The project as a whole was estimated to cost around $55m, $18m of which being spent on the statue. It was originally estimated to consist of 1,100 pieces of copper cast, with a total weight of 1,000 tonnes. Plans of the construction of the Spring Temple Buddha were announced soon after the blowing up of the Bamiyan Buddhas by the Taleban in Afghanistan. China has condemned the systematic destruction of the Buddhist heritage of Afghanistan.

Xinhua news agency said the Bodhisattva statue was inspired by , an ancient Korean prince who retired to live on Jiuhua Mountain to become a monk in 719AD and spent 75 years on the mountain until his death at 99 years of age. Buddhist tradition tells that Bodhisattvas renounced nirvana so as to help humanity, having attained enlightenment.

Shuanglin Temple

The Shuanglin Temple , part of the World Heritage Site of Pingyao, stands in the countryside about 7 kilometers southwest of the ancient city. It was originally founded in the 6th century during the Northern Wei period, although the present buildings date to the and dynasties. It is notable for its collection of over two thousand decorated dating from the 12th-19th centuries.

Shaolin Monastery

The Shaolin Monastery or Shaolin Temple , is a Chan Buddhist temple at in Henan of what is now the People's Republic of China. The monastery was built by the Emperor Hsiao-Wen in AD 477, and the first abbot of Shaolin was Batuo, (also, ''Fotuo'' or ''Bhadra'' , an Indian dhyana master who came to China in AD 464 to spread Buddhist teachings. Long famous for its association with Chinese martial arts and particularly with Shaolin Kung Fu, it is the Mahayana Buddhist monastery perhaps best known to the Western world.

Name

The ''Shao'' in "Shaolin" refers to "Mount ''Shao''shi", a mountain in the . The ''lin'' in "Shaolin" means "forest". Literally, the name means "Monastery in the woods of Mount Shaoshi".

Early history

According to the ''Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks'' by Dàoxuān, the Shaolin Monastery was built on the north side of Shaoshi, the western peak of Mount Song, one of the Sacred Mountains of China, by of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Yang Xuanzhi, in the ''Record of the Buddhist Monasteries of Luoyang'' , and Li Xian, in the ''Ming Yitongzhi'' , concur with Daoxuan's location and attribution.
The ''Jiaqing Chongxiu Yitongzhi'' specifies that this monastery, located in the province of Henan, was built in the 20th year of the ''Tàihé'' era of the Northern Wei Dynasty, that is, the monastery was built in AD 497.

Kangxi, the second emperor, was a supporter of the Shaolin temple in Henan and he wrote the that, to this day, hangs over the main temple gate.

Bodhidharma

Bodhidharma is said by the Shaolin monks to have introduced the sect of Chan Buddhism to them at Shaolin Temple in Henan, China during the 6th century. Bodhidharma was also given the opportunity to teach what the monks called “18 Hands of the Lohan,” .

Various styles of Chinese martial arts are said in some sources to have been practiced even before the Xia dynasty , styles such as Jiao Di, the precursor of Shuai Jiao. Not to mention Shou Bo kung fu practiced during the Shang dynasty , and Xiang Bo from the 600s BC, along with the hundreds of other systems of Chinese martial arts that have persisted from ancient times to the present day. There is a story that Huiguang and Sengchou were martial artists before the arrival of Bodhidharma, when they became two of the very first Shaolin monks.

Destruction

The monastery has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. Perhaps the best-known story of the Temple's destruction is that it was destroyed in 1644 by the Qing government for supposed anti-Qing activities ; this destruction is also supposed to have helped spread Shaolin martial arts through China by means of the 5 fugitive monks Ng Mui, Jee Shin Shim Shee, Fung Doe Duk, Miu Hin and Bak Mei. This story commonly appears in martial arts history, fiction, and cinema.

However, accounts of the Qing Dynasty destroying the Shaolin temple may refer to a southern Shaolin temple, which Ju Ke, in the ''Qing bai lei chao'' , located in Fujian Province. Additionally, some martial arts historians, such as Tang Hao and Stanley Henning., believe that the story is likely fictional, appearing only at the very end of the Qing period in novels and sensational literature.

Recent history

There is evidence of Shaolin martial arts techniques being exported to Japan in the 18th and 19th centuries. Okinawan Shōrin-ryū karate , for example, has a name meaning "Small lin". Other similarities can be seen in centuries-old Chinese and Japanese martial arts manuals.

In 1928, the warlord Shi Yousan set fire to the monastery, burning it for over 40 days, destroying 90% of the buildings including many manuscripts of the temple library.

The Cultural Revolution launched in 1966 targeted religious orders including the Monastery. The five monks who were present at the Monastery when the attacked were shackled and made to wear placards declaring the crimes charged against them.

Qixia Temple

Qixia Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Qixia Hill, 22 kilometers northeast of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.

The temple was built in Yongming 7th year in South Qi Dynasty.

Puji Temple

Puji Temple is a Buddhist temple located on the island of Putuoshan in Zhejiang province, China.

The temple is now a tourist attraction as the island is significant in Chinese Buddhism. In , entry tickets to the temple cost five yuan per person.

History

Built in 916, at the time it was called 不肯去观音院 .

In 1080, during the Song Dynasty , the Emperor Shenzong of Song China renamed the temple 宝陀观音寺 . Shen Zong donated lands to the temple, and a new monk was ordained every year. The monks studied Buddhism and the temple slowly prospered.

In 1214, still in the Song Dynasty, Emperor Ningzong of Song China donated tens of thousands of ''min'' to the temple and presented them with a sign reading 'General Funds Hall' .

In 1298 by order of of the Yuan Dynasty, 李英 repaired the temple, completing the work in 1301. The monks were given over 4000 of land, and 20 ''min'' of government funds. In 1299, the abbot of the temple was appointed the director of Buddhist teaching for the region and was sent as an emissary to Japan by the emperor.

In the winter of 1313, the 's mother sent an envoy to present the temple with 868 metal bars and three qing of land, and to make offerings.

In 1327, presented the temple with 1000 metal bars and 2 ''qing'' 26 ''mu'' of land.

In 1386, during the Ming Dynasty, Duke Tang was asked to come to the mainland to advise the Emperor. He brought with him 30,000 people from 46 islands, including the monks of Putuoshan. At the same time, Duke Tang ordered the burning of 300 temples on Putuoshan. He also moved a large statue of Guanyin to a temple on the mainland, which was then renamed 普陀 .

In 1515, the Buddhist community began to recover through donations and alms.

In 1553, the Ming government under the Jiajing Emperor moved the monks and destroyed temples once more.

In 1572, a monk named Zhen Song came to Putuoshan to help rebuild it to its former glory.

In 1574, a monk named Zhen Biao wanted to ascend the mountain to locate the site of old Bao Guo Si , destroyed 200 years previously, but was not allowed. Despite this, he still ascended the mountain and located the old site of the temple, and managed to rebuild a small monastery, only to have it destroyed by a military commander named Xu Jing Xing . Afterwards, Zhou Liangbin , a Ningbo government official, had Zhen Biao and a group of nuns punished. Fours years later, Zhen Biao was made abbot. He had the Hall of Heavenly Kings and one other hall built.

Sources

*普陀山史话, 张坚. 甘肃民族出版社. ISBN 7-5421-0728-3

Nanputuo Temple

Nanputuo Temple is a very famous Buddhist temple founded in the era in the Chinese city of Xiamen. Nanputuo literally means South Putuo. Putuo referring to the mountain in Zhejiang province.

Geographic Location

The Nanputuo Temple is located on the southeast of Xiamen Island. It is surrounded by the graceful sea and the Wulao Peaks behind the temple. The Wulao peaks is a small mountain range that rises on the island. It enjoys a very high reputation for its picturesque view of Xiamen and the surrounding district of Haicang, Gulangyu and Zhangzhou Prefecture Level City. Nanputuo Temple has many deep caves and verdant woods. The Nanputuo Temple is adjacent to Xiamen University and Lujiang River.

History

During the remaining years of Tang Dynasty, the monks who inhabited the place had established it into a Buddhist sacred land. It used to have different names. In the first years of the Qing Dynasty, the general Shi Liang provided funds to rebuild the temple, where the Bodhisattva Guanyin was mainly worshipped. The general thought it was on the south of the Mount Putuo of Zhejiang Province, hence he gave the temple its present name. In the year 1924, Hui Quan was appointed the first abbot of the South Putuo President and other famous masters like Hong Yi and Yin shun used to teach here. The college has so far educated many famous Buddhist and has built strong local and overseas reputation for its Buddhist education.

After renovation and reconstruction in 1980s, the temple has changed beyond recognition. It has become a perfect example that embodies natural scenic and cultural heritage, boasting many beautiful rock formations, old pine trees, pavilions, lotus ponds, pagodas and halls. As a result, the Nanputuo Temple has attracted many tourist locally and abroad with its splendid architecture and practicing Buddhists for pilgrimage.

Nanhua Temple

Nanhua Temple is the Zen Buddhist monastery of the 6th Patriarch of Zen Buddhism Hui Neng. It is located 25 km southeast of Shaoguan, China in the small city of Caoxi , which lies in the northern part of Guangdong Province. The temple was founded during the time of the North-South Dynasties in 502 AD by an Indian monk named Zhiyao Sanzang who originally named the site Baolin Temple . It received its present name in 968 during the reign of the Song Dynasty Emperor Taizong. The site was later renovated in 1934 under the leadership of Hsu Yun.

The temple covers an area of more than 42.5 hectares . It consists of a set of magnificent Buddhist buildings, including the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Grand Hall, Sutra Depository, Sixth Ancestor Hall, Lingzhao Pagoda and 690 Buddhist statues.

The majestic Hall of Heavenly Kings was originally built in 1474 during the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty . The statue of Maitreya is enshrined in the hall and the mighty statues of the four Heavenly Kings holding religious objects stand on both sides of the statue of Maitreya. Behind the hall is a three-storey bell tower which was constructed in 1301 during the Yuan Dynasty . On top of the bell tower there hangs a brass bell from the Southern Song Dynasty . The massive bell is 2.75 meters high with a diameter of 1.8 meters .

The Grand Hall, constructed during the Yuan Dynasty , stands in the center of the temple. Covered by glazed tiles, it houses the statues of Sakyamuni the Medicine Buddha, and Amitabha, which are situated in the sacrarium of the hall. These gilded figures are all over 8.3 meters high. Within the Grand Hall there are about 500 fine clay sculptures of Buddhist arhats.

The temple holds many precious cultural relics; the most precious being the statue of Hui Neng, which is worshiped in the Sixth Ancestor Hall. There are 360 Buddhist arhats figures which are the only Chinese wooden carvings preserved from the Northern Song Dynasty and a rare cassock trimmed with the dainty embroidery of over 1,000 Buddhist figures.

Nanchan Temple

The Nanchan Temple is located on the north bank of the Xiaoyinhe, Yangbaigou, 21 kilometers south of Wutai County, Xinzhou, Shanxi Province of China. It is 35 kilometers from the town of Dongzhi.

When the temple was founded is unknown. It was rebuilt in the 3rd year of Dezong Jianzhong of the Tang Dynasty, more than 1200 years ago. The temple faces south, and has a land area of 3078 square meters. It is a preserved location of national historical and cultural relics.

Its main hall is the earliest preserved timber-structured building nationwide, built in the Tang Dynasty. The sculptures of the Tang Dynasty are masterpieces, and have significant historical and artistic value.

The Tang Dynasty was the peak in China's architectural history, and is also the heydays of Buddhist buildings. However, only four timber-structured buildings of the Tang Dynasty have been preserved till today, and all of them are in Shanxi Province. Among them are Nanchan Temple and Foguang Temple, which are both located on Mount Wutai. The other two are Tiantai An in Pingshun County and Guangrenwang Temple in Ruicheng County.

Famen Temple

Famen Temple is located in Famen town, Fufeng County, 120 kilometer west of , Shaanxi Province. It was widely regarded as the "ancestor of pagoda temples in Guanzhong area".

History

Before Northern Zhou Dynasty, one theory, supported by unearthed eaves-tiles and carved bricks of Han Dynasty, is that the temple was built during and 's years of Eastern Han Dynasty. The literature record indicates that during Northern Wei Dynasty, Famen Temple already had a quite large scale. However, Buddhism was greatly suppressed in 's years of Northern Zhou Dynasty, and Famen Temple was almost completely destroyed. After establishment of Sui Dynasty, Buddhism was venerated, and Famen Temple was rebuilt, although it couldn't be recovered to its heydays in Northern Wei Dynasty. Its name was changed to Cheng Shi Dao Chang , and soon it merged with nearby Baochang Temple , and became a temple-owned farm.

After formation of Tang Dynasty, Famen Temple entered its halcyon days. In 1st year, Tang Dynasty, it was named Famen Temple, and monks were recruited next year. Later the temple took in homeless people from chaos caused by the war at the end of Sui Dynasty, and was unfortunately burnt. It was rebuilt later by the effort of monks. In 5th year , a man named Zhang Liang was appointed to demolish Wangyun Palace to build the pagoda. It was rebuilt in Xianqing 5th year, and appeared to be a four-storied pavilion-like pagoda. It was named later by "True Relic Pagoda". actively advocated Buddhism, and along with buried their hairs under the pagoda . 4th year , the temple was renamed "Grand Empire Carefree King Temple", and the pagoda "Grand True Relic Pagoda". In Wenzong Kaicheng 3rd year , it was renamed "Fayun Temple", but soon was changed back to Famen Temple. When Buddhism was suppressed in Huichang year of Wuzong, Famen Temple was affected. In Yizong's years, it held the last activity of Buddha relic acquisition in Tang Dynasty. At that time, Famen Temple was rebuilt, and its underground palace has never been altered since then. The emperors of Tang Dynasty acquired Buddha relic 7 times here, and every time donated generously, which facilitated the expansion of the temple and pagoda. After being built and renovated multiple times, Famen Temple evolved into a scale of 24 courtyards.

During Five Empires period, the king of Qin, Li Maozhen spent more than 30 years greatly renovating Famen Temple. In Houzhou Zhizong's year, Buddhism was restricted, but Famen Temple was not abandoned. After establishment of , Famen Temple was revived again. After being renovated many times, in Da'an 2nd year, Jin Dynasty, it was claimed to be "Temple and Pagoda against Heaven". During Longqing's years , Ming Dynasty, Famen Temple was greatly destroyed in Guanzhong earthquake, and the wood pagoda built in Tang Dynasty collapsed. In Wanli 7th year , the "True Relic Pagoda" was rebuilt, and became 13-storied brick-mimic-timber structured pavilion-like pagoda.

During Qing Dynasty, Famen Temple was renovated in Shunzhi 12th year , Qianlong 34th year , and Guangxu 10th year . In Tongzhi 1st year , the temple was damaged in Huimin Uprising in Shaanxi Province. It's rebuilt later, but scale shrank a lot. After formation of the Republic of China, Famen Temple was used to station army continuously, and it was largely ruined. Because of natural and man-made calamities and the masses living in dire poverty, North China Philanthropy Association decided to rebuild the temple and pagoda, and use labor work as methods to relieve the distress. The reconstruction started in 1938, and concluded in July 1940. A month later, the Buddhist activities were restored.

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, Famen Temple was among the first key protected historical relics of the province. However, the properties of the temple were still appropriated for public uses, such like schools in Famen town. During Cultural Revolution, the Red Guard damaged temple halls and Buddhist figures under the name of "breaking four old fashions". The abbot, Liangqing monk, incinerated himself in front of the True Relic Pagoda, in order to protect temple's underground palace. When the palace was unearthed later, the relic of self-immolation could still be seen. Other monks were either demobilized or killed. The temple became "the temporary headquarter of proletariat rebellion of Fufeng County". After 1979, Shaanxi province government once funded reconstruction of the Grand Hall of the Great Sage and the Brass Buddha Pavilion. At 1:57am of 4 August 1981, half side wall of True Relic Pagoda collapsed in the heavy rain. This incident drew universal attention. In 1984, the government implemented religious policy and handed Famen Temple to Buddhist community. In 1985, Shaanxi province government decided to pull down the remaining half side wall and rebuild the True Relic Pagoda. On 3 April 1987, the underground palace of True Relic Pagoda in Famen Temple was opened, and a large quantities of precious historical relics were unearthed. This was quite a hit in news at that time. The expansion of the temple and the reconstruction of the pagoda were completed in October 1988. On 9 November of the same year, the Famen Temple Museum was opened.

Architecture

Famen Temple currently maintains such a layout as Grand Hall following Pagoda. The True Relic Pagoda is regarded as the middle axle of the temple. Before it stand the Front Gate, the Front Hall, and behind it is the Grand Hall of Great Sage. This is the typical layout of the early Buddhist temples in China.

The True Relic Pagoda has been altered several times. It evolved from four-storied pavilion-like pagoda in Tang Dynasty to thirteen-storied brick pagoda in Ming Dynasty. The current version was rebuilt based on the surveyed drawing of the pagoda in Ming Dynasty before it collapsed. It is made of armored concrete as skeleton, and then covered by grey bricks. Inside the pagoda there are sightseeing platforms for tourists.

The underground palace was restored to the structure of Tang Dynasty. Only few severely damaged parts were replaced. The whole palace was built by white marbles and limestone tablets. Inner walls and stony gate are all engraved. During the renovation of the underground palace, a circular basement was built surrounding the Tang palace, and Buddhist shrines were included. The preserved Buddhist finger relic rests at the center of the underground palace.

The western division of the temple is Famen Temple Museum, including multi-functioning reception hall, treasure hall and other buildings.

Relics

Buddha's relics

From 5-12 May 1987, four Buddha's relics were found after the opening of underground palace. Two of them were made of white jade. The third one was from a famed monk. These three are called "ghost relics". They were placed together with "true relic" in order to protect the latter. The true relic appeared to be yellow-colored, with bone-like secretory granules. It was identified by experts to be true Buddha relic. Thereafter, Famen Temple became Buddhist resort due to the discovery of true Buddha's relic.

Gold & Silver Apparatus

Colored Glaze

Colored Glaze is just today's glass. Chinese glass manufacturing technology was long influenced by western Asia, and most common style was Islamic. Because of it rarity, glass apparatus was as valuable as gold and jade. The unearthed glass apparatuses are mostly hollowware such as disks, plates and bowls, totally over 20 pieces.

Ceramics

There were a lot of speculations of "Mystic Color Ceramics" prior to the opening of underground palace. Someone thought mystic color referred to a secret craft of glazing color. Others believed it was a name for a specific color. This conundrum was solved by the description on the accounting tablet in the underground palace, and by the unearthing of 13 precious pieces of mystic color ceramics.

Silk

China's silk industry reached its prime time in Tang Dynasty, and the silk fabrics discovered in underground palace provided a convincing evidence. Most of those fabrics were contributed by former Empresses. Among them there is a "Empress Wu's Embroidered Skirt" belonging to Wu Zetian.

Buddhist scriptures

Figure of Buddha

There were 88 niches of Buddha in the 13-storied pagoda in Ming Dynasty, each containing a figure. By 1939, there were only 68 left. Later after clear-up, there were totally 98 figures of Buddha, many containing scriptures, sealed at the times of Ming Dynasty and the Republic of China.