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