There is also Longshan Guoen Temple, the hometown of Huineng, the sixth ancestor.
The following is an introduction:
Guo 'en Temple is located at the foot of Longshan, Integration Town (now Liuzu Town), Xinxing County, Yunfu City, Guangdong Province. It is about 70km away from Zhaoqing, a famous tourist city, and about170km away from Guangzhou, a southern metropolis. Guo 'en Temple is a famous temple in Lingnan with a long history. Backed by green hills, facing Yuan Ye in western Shandong. There are lush trees, surrounded by distant mountains, birds and flowers, and the environment is quiet. Ming Dynasty poet and monk Xin Ru had a couplet saying:
There is nothing like a hundred cigarettes and water.
The wind of the six generations has traveled thousands of miles a day.
This couplet is engraved at the main entrance of the temple, with a short length of 14, praising the unparalleled local scenery, the outstanding achievements of Huineng, the sixth ancestor, and setting off the supreme Buddhist artistic conception.
Longshan, where Guo 'en Temple is located, is called "Jiasha Mountain" according to Zhaoqing government records. There are three peaks on the mountain, which people call the "Three Peaks". There is a mountain winding down from "Baofeng Mountain". If it looks like Youlong, Guo 'en Temple was built at the "dragon head" at an altitude of164m, so it is also called "Longshan Temple". Longshan, the mountain is not high, and Zhong Ling is beautiful; There is a Luxi River at the foot of the mountain. The water is not deep but clear. Beautiful scenery around the temple, there are poems praise:
Longshan smoke and water accompanied by sunrise, Lingnan sanctuary first.
The woodcutter who sells firewood was born here, and South Zongdun teaches the world.
In the seventh year of Hongzhi in Ming Dynasty, Meng Hui, an emerging county magistrate, also loved Youlong Mountain. Today, he recorded his poem "Youlong Mountain":
It is said that Longshan has the most secluded scenery, the eastern end of Baiyun Lock Ridge.
The mountains are infinitely interesting in the sun, and flowers and birds welcome guests like strong teams.
Speaking of forgetting the plane and returning to yourself, who is it for today?
The ancient temple of the remnant tablet has been insatiable for a long time. Why not?
Guo 'en Temple is not comparable to other temples. It is the former residence of Huineng, a world-famous thinker, philosopher and founder of China Nanchan Zen. It was also the Dojo and the place of death in his later years. It is also the place where the Six Ancestors' Magic Tanjing was edited. In addition, its temple name was given by Emperor Tang Zhongzong. Therefore, Guo 'en Temple is famous both at home and abroad, not only with Huineng's Buddhist Dojo-Guangzhou Huozhuo Temple (now Guangxiao Temple).
In the Tang Dynasty, there was a custom that monks built temples in their former residences. Huineng's master Hong Ren and his brother Shen Xiu both built temples in their former residences. In order to repay the kindness of his parents, Huineng ordered his disciples to return to Longshan in Xinzhou (now Xinxing County) in the first year of Hongdao in Tang Gaozong (683) and rebuilt his former residence as Hongji. On November 18th, the third year of Shenlong (707), Tang Zhongzong praised the sixth ancestor Huineng for carrying forward Buddhism, and gave Hongzhi the title of "Guo 'en Temple", which was the beginning of naming Guo 'en Temple. It has a history of nearly 1300 years. On the eighth day of July in the second year of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (7 13), Huineng led his disciples to leave the Fashen Temple (that is, Baolin Temple, now Nanhua Temple) and returned to the abbot of Guo 'en Temple. He died in the temple on the third day of August of the same year. On 1 1 month 13 that year, the sixth ancestor moved back to the Faquan Temple in Caoxi to worship. President Mao Zedong spoke highly of the contribution of Huineng, the sixth ancestor of Buddhism, and thought that he was the real founder of Buddhism in China and the ancestor of Buddhism in China. Huineng and his Magic Tanjing have had a far-reaching influence in China and even the world. Tanjing contains rich Buddhist and Zen thoughts and philosophies, and is a precious wealth of mankind. It has been translated into many languages and spread all over the world. Therefore, some foreign institutions and media listed Huineng as "one of the top ten thinkers in the world" and called him "the three saints of oriental culture" with Confucius and Laozi. Hui Neng, the sixth ancestor, was born in poverty and grew up hard. His ancestral home was in Fanyang, Hebei Province, and his father Wang won for the people and was exiled to Xinzhou. Huineng lost his father at the age of three and had a hard time with his mother. At the age of 24, he went north to Huangmei to seek dharma. After eight months of hard training, he said that Bodhi has no trees, and it is not Taiwan in the mirror. There is nothing in it, so there is no dust. This demonstration poem won the appreciation of the five ancestors and was given a mantle, becoming the sixth generation founder of Zen. Since then, a new situation of Buddhist culture and philosophy in China has been created. Huineng, the sixth ancestor, returned to Guo 'en Temple on the eighth day of July in July13, after thirty-six years of lecturing in Caoxi Baolin Temple, and died in the temple on the third day of August at the age of 76.
Guo 'en Temple is a large-scale building complex with traditional temple architecture art and unique Lingnan style. The total area of temple buildings is 1.6 million square meters, and the area of garden land is 1.2 mu. The main hall in the temple is carved with beams and painted with buildings, simple and elegant, unique and spectacular in shape, and the overall layout of the hall is generous and decent.
There are Shanmen archway, Banshan Pavilion, Mirror Pond, Lotus Pond, Pearl Pavilion, Release Pond and First Shanmen archway in front of the temple.
There are the Temple of the King, the Hall of the Great Hero and the Hall of the Six Ancestors in the temple. The front and rear halls are connected as a main shaft, and there are Dizang Hall, Bodhisattva Ancestral Hall, Manjusri Pu Xian Hall, Shifengzhi Hall, Sipeidian Hall, Bell and Drum Tower, abbot's room, sitting room, fasting hall, meditation room, Sutra Pavilion and Six Ancestors Memorial Hall on the left and right.
On the left side of the temple are Thanksgiving Tower, Guanyin Hall, Gongde Hall and Tongyuan Hall.
On the right side of the temple are the graves of six grandparents, Cui Yiting, Jingxin Pavilion, Homesickness Pavilion, Bathroom and Quanming Pavilion.
There is Zhuoxi Spring behind the temple.
Entering the temple area, the first thing you see is a grand and solemn four-poster archway at the entrance of the mountain. On the top of the memorial archway, the four characters "Zen Sanctuary" are engraved in the middle, and a pair of couplets are engraved on the big columns on both sides of the main entrance:
Rice Futian Wanshan flower transcends heaven.
Huangmeifa's baby returned to the south of the ridge.
At the top of the back of the memorial archway, in the middle, there are four characters of "Longshan blessed land", and a pair of couplets are engraved on the big columns on both sides:
Bodhi has no trees, the land of the East, and it is destined to spread fine varieties.
The reason why Ming Jing failed to stay in Tainan for several days.
Going up the hill through the archway, there is a semi-mountain pavilion not far away, and there is a couplet on the pavilion column:
The mountains and the moon are white and have clear sounds.
Deng Hui shines on the whole ocean and sky.
Walking through the Mid-Mountain Pavilion and looking down to the left, there is a mirror pool and a lotus pond. There is a pearl pavilion in the mirror pool. The word "Pearl Pavilion" was written by monk Yunfeng, and there are zigzag bridges connecting the Pearl Pavilion on both sides of the pond.
There is a secondary platform in front of the main entrance of the temple. On the stone wall of the platform, there are four vigorous and powerful characters inscribed by Zhao Puchu, president of the Chinese Buddhist Association, "Buddha shines brightly". There is also a release pond in front of the temple.
Before entering the temple, you must first step into a side gate archway, which is called "the first gate archway". This archway was built in the forty-six years of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (16 18), with the words "the first place" written on it. There are pottery sculptures of Dragon and Tiger Club on the forehead of the archway, which are1.2m long and 0.5m wide. It is a precious cultural relic, full of vitality, exquisite craftsmanship and ingenious conception. On both sides of the main entrance of the archway, a pair of couplets are engraved:
The progressive party knows the mountain first.
Getting started is unparalleled.
On the central axis of the temple, the first entrance is the Heavenly King Hall. Above the main entrance, there is a plaque "Gift to Guoen Temple", which was given by Tang Zhongzong Li Xian when he gave Hongzhi the title of "Guoen Temple". During the Cultural Revolution, in order to prevent the plaque from being damaged, someone shoveled the jade seal and sealed it with mud, so the plaque we see now lacks the jade seal. On both sides of the temple are statues of the four great kings, and on the east is the king with a more sensitive sense of smell and bigger eyes. To the west are the growth king and the country king. They are all tall and powerful, and Buddhism believes that they are guarding the world and guarding Buddhism for a long time. There is a statue of Maitreya Buddha in the center of the temple, with a kind smile, respectable and amiable, and the plastic work is very fine. According to legend, in the Five Dynasties, the Maitreya Buddha statue in Lin Yue Temple in Fenghua County, Zhejiang Province was shaped according to the appearance of a monk in a cloth bag (the name "Long Pavilion"). Because the cloth bag monk claimed to be the reincarnation of the "future Buddha Maitreya", Zhejiang people built a memorial statue of Maitreya for him. On the back of Maitreya, there is a statue of Wei Tuo, the patron saint.
The second entrance to the temple is the Hall of the Great Hero, where there are five large white marble stone tablets with tortoise loads on them, and each stone tablet is engraved with inscriptions. In the middle is the imperial edict given by Wu Zetian of Tang Dynasty to Hui Neng, the sixth ancestor, in the first year of Long Live Tian Tong (696). The first one on the right is a tablet written by Tang Zongyuan, a Zen master given by the six ancestors of Caoxi. The second piece on the right is the tablet of the six ancestors Zen master written by Tang. The first one on the left is the second monument of Zen master Cao written by Tang Yuxi. The second picture on the left is also written by the decree of Liu Tang, with the inscription "Inscription of Buddha's clothes". Sakyamuni Buddha is enshrined in the center of the hall, with pharmacist Buddha on the left, Amitabha Buddha on the right and 20 arhats on both sides. In Chinese Buddhist temples, there are generally sixteen or eighteen arhats on both sides of Daxiong Hall. Why are there 20 here? According to legend, Fahai, a disciple of Huineng, and God gave their lives to save the manuscript of the six ancestors' magic weapon altar sutra, which was set on fire by evil spirits, but they kept the manuscript, so they were revered by all the disciples and unanimously called Luohan, and their laws were enshrined on both sides of the Hall of Ursa Major. So I added two more arhats. Twenty arhats have different looks, some holding scriptures, some holding mords or dusting, and some holding silver rats tightly, all of which are lifelike. On both sides of the Sambo Buddha statue in Daxiong Hall, there is a unique couplet written by Yao Yongning, an emerging governor in the thirty-fifth year of Qianlong (1770):
Ultra-ultra-ultra-ultra-precision
Qi Qi Qi Qi Qi Jie Qi Jie
"Chao" and "Qi" in couplets are disyllabic words. Among them, the third and ninth "Chao" characters in the first couplet are pronounced as "Chao" sounds of "worship", and the rest are pronounced as "Chao" sounds of "Chaoyang"; The third and ninth "qi" in the bottom couplet are pronounced as "fasting", and the rest are pronounced as "qi". Its pronunciation and metaphorical meaning are:
Super super super, super super fine, super super fine;
Zhai, Jie and Kuai.
The words "qi" and "house" were commonly used in ancient times.
The pillars in the temple are also engraved with couplets inscribed by Zhao Baqing in the Qing Dynasty:
The color is not color, the air is not empty, and the Buddha country is destined to enter from here.
Those who come and go to the Zen Gate are not forbidden.
The third entrance to the temple is the Six Ancestors Hall, which was built in the Ming Dynasty and has a double-eaved hilltop structure, with a width of 14m and a depth of 12m. Inside the big column is engraved with a pair of:
Bodhi has no return.
Mirrors are not a sign of color emptiness.
There is a golden statue of six ancestors in the temple, which is the same as that of Nanhua Temple in Shaoguan and Liu Rong Temple in Guangzhou. It was made by Fang Bian, a sculptor and disciple of the sixth ancestor, so its shape is very realistic, just like a body bodhisattva. At the top of the statue, there is a plaque with the seal of Buddha's heart and couplets on both sides:
No mind, no phase, no life.
Not born, not dead, not moving.
Next to the statue of Six Ancestors, there is also a Buddha statue of "Seven Black-faced Ancestors", whose dharma name is "God", and he is a capable disciple of Six Ancestors. It is said that he made outstanding contributions to the restoration and maintenance of the legal status of the six ancestors of Zen Buddhism, so he was named "Seven Ancestors" by Tang Dezong. His face is black. It is said that he protected the manuscript of the six ancestors' magic altar sutra and was set on fire by evil spirits.
Huineng's clothes and utensils, the golden hairpin and palace lantern given to him by Wu Zetian and Tang Zhongzong, and the precious cultural relics in the temple, such as the water purification bowl, the Taoyuan lithograph, the bronze incense burner and the chair seat of the faucet case, were originally stored in the Sixth Ancestral Temple. Unfortunately, they were destroyed in the Cultural Revolution.
Zou Hao, who was appointed as Zuo Jian and assistant minister of the official department by Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty, left a poem "Visiting Six Ancestors":
Xinzhou outside the ridge is a hometown, so I came to enjoy the cool under the shadow of Buddha.
Clouds appear on the cassock, and the bath pool is surrounded by sunlight.
Depending on the tree, the wind is curling, and birds are singing in the mountains.
Looking at the sky across Chang' an Road, we will cleanse the king of vulgar manners.
Qiu Jun, a scholar of Wenyuange in Ming Dynasty and a prince of Shaobao, also left a poem "the legendary swordsman" praising the six ancestors:
Buddhism has been introduced into China from Lingnan.
The mantle of the Millennium is there, and the four seas come to participate.
On the left of Liuzu Hall is Liuzu Memorial Hall, which was built in 1994. It has a four-column hall glazed tile cement structure with an area of 200 square meters. In the center of the hall is a sitting Hui Neng statue, a white marble sculpture, two meters high. Hanging on the shrine is the "Six Ancestors Memorial Hall" inscribed by Ye Xuanping, former vice chairman of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and a pair of woodcarving couplets inscribed by the master of Hailing Yuanzhan are hung on both sides, saying:
All phases are false.
You should live. There's no place to live.
Twelve oil paintings of six ancestors' historical stories painted by Lao Chongpin, a researcher and famous painter of the Ministry of Culture, are hung on the surrounding walls. Above the gate of the temple hangs a mahogany plaque inscribed by Zhao Puchu, the late president of the Chinese Buddhist Association.
There is a flower stand between the three main halls and the attached halls in Hoonji, and there are flowers and trees such as Bodhi, Osmanthus fragrans, Milan, Mango, Peach, Holly, Egg Tree, etc., which are flourishing all year round, and the temple is full of fragrance when flowers bloom. What is particularly striking is that two egg-blossom trees with a height of 8 meters and a crown diameter of about 6 meters are planted on the big flower platform in front of the Ursa Major Hall. According to records, the tree was planted by the monks of Guo 'en Temple in Qing Dynasty, with a history of more than 300 years. In summer and autumn, green leaves are swaying, yellow flowers are in full bloom, and the fragrance is refreshing, which is unique to Lingnan jungle.
There are also many sacred objects of Six Ancestors Huaying in Guo 'en Temple, including the Gratitude Pagoda, the litchi tree planted by Six Ancestors, the grave of Six Ancestors, Zhuoxiquan, bath pool and so on. The original Gratitude Pagoda was built in the first year of Tang Taizi (7 12) when the six ancestors preached Dharma at the Fashen Temple in Shaozhou and the Ming people returned to Xinzhou. The name of the tower is named according to the meaning of "four kinds of gratitude" of the six ancestors (grateful Buddha, parents, country and all beings). 1200 years later, after several dynasties, the tower was destroyed and repaired several times. Chen Xianzhang, a famous Neo-Confucianist in Ming Dynasty, visited Guo 'en Temple during the orthodox period (1436-1449) and wrote six Odes to Longshan, leaving "the ancient pagoda beside the temple is still there, but there is nothing in Gankun." This poem. Until the early Qing Dynasty, when Pan Yuheng, a juren, wrote Lu Xi Tong Zhi, there was still a scene of "the shadow of the ancient pagoda", indicating the existence of this pagoda. When cleaning the old tower foundation in 1989, it was also found that there were many tower bricks engraved with "seventeen years from Yuan Dynasty to Zheng Dynasty". The new tower was rebuilt in September. 1990. The tower is octagonal and has seven layers. The first floor is 8m in diameter, 28.88m in height and 2.7m in foundation depth under the tower. The inscription on the plaque of Thanksgiving Tower was written by President Zhao Puchu before his death. The tower is inlaid with 28 stone statues from Ye Jia, a disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha, to Dharma, the twenty-eighth ancestor. On each floor stands a white marble Buddha statue with different handprints. In addition, there are corridors around the towers on each floor for pilgrims and tourists to board and watch the outside. Climbing to the top of the tower, overlooking, the peaks of Longshan Group fluctuate like Youlong, with steep mountains and lush trees; See Yuan Ye in western Shandong, where rivers flow like practice, green fields are lush, and mountain villages are dotted with smoke. Jiangshan is beautiful, picturesque and panoramic.
There is a litchi tree on the left side of Guo 'en Temple, which is nearly 1300 years old. It is said that it was planted by Huineng, the sixth ancestor, when he returned to his former residence in July12. Throughout the ages, this tree has withered several times, and then it has grown new branches. The most surprising thing is that this old litchi tree has never been infested. It is "planted by my teacher, old trees don't decay." During the "Cultural Revolution" from 65438 to 0966, he was burned by the bad guys and almost died. Now you can still see the black marks of burned trees in the hollow. 1979 after the reform and opening up, the country became rich and strong, and the trees relapsed with new branches. After careful care, it is strong and tall, flourishing and fruitful. In 2004, it produced 65,438+050 kilograms of fruit. It can be said that this tree is blessed with the people and honored with the country. 1988, identified by the Provincial Forestry Department and the Provincial Greening Committee, is 18.5m high and is listed as one of the oldest18 ancient trees in the province, and one of the oldest fruit trees in the province. Therefore, it is called "Buddhism" and "Buddha Tree". Under the tree stands a white marble turtle back stone tablet engraved with the introduction of "Six Ancestors planted ancient litchi by hand". In the 9th year of Jiaqing in Qing Dynasty (1804), local juror Chen Zaiqian wrote a poem entitled "Six ancestors planted litchi trees by hand" to praise litchi trees.
There are branches on the edge of Longshan Mountain, which is the cemetery next to the land.
My teacher planted it. Old tree bugs don't bite.
1200 years old, plundering leisure.
The cloud is too fragmented, and it still embraces Wei.
Unique branches, dancing into the clouds.
In midsummer, the fire is really parallel, and you will vomit when you smell the fragrance.
The pearl embryo is crystal clear, but there is everything in the middle.
Agate holds a jade bowl, but it falls to the law as cloth.
The mind is clear, and the bodhi has no trees.
It's an oral map, which translates to living in the back.
Trees can't live, and teachers can't walk.
I eat lychee, and the Buddha speaks for itself.
Believers regard this litchi tree as a "sacred tree". Believers from Japan and South Korea will visit this tree when they come to the temple to worship their ancestors. In the ripe season of litchi, believers at home and abroad, especially in Southeast Asian countries, often come here to taste the fruit.
On the right side of Guo 'en Temple, there are six grandparents' graves. Legend has it that during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, a Feng Shui master came to NSW to look for the Dragon Cave, and was warmly received by Hui Neng and his mother. Huineng not only gives the bed to the owner to sleep, but also climbs on the mattress stool in the middle of the night to avoid shaking and let the owner sleep well. The master was moved by Huineng's true feelings, so he gave his mother and son the "Ten Thousand Buddha Cave" where his ancestors were buried, and asked them whether they wanted "the ninth generation champion" or "ten thousand generations cigarettes". Huineng's mother was deeply touched by her life experience, and said, "Don't seek the ninth generation champion, but seek ten thousand generations of cigarettes, and the world will be peaceful!" "So Feng Shui master buried Huineng's father's bones in Longdong according to the wishes of his mother and son. Later, Huineng became a monk and became the sixth generation founder of Zen Buddhism, which was respected by people, just like Feng Shui master said "ten thousand generations of cigarettes". After her mother died, Master Huineng buried her bones in this cave, so later people called this cave the tomb of six grandparents and erected a monument to commemorate it. During the "Cultural Revolution", the top of the tomb and the inscription were destroyed, only the tomb base and the inscription pattern were preserved. It was not until the early 1980 s that it was restored to people.
Twenty meters behind the temple, there is a well called Zhuoxiquan. It is said that when the sixth ancestor Huineng returned to his former residence from Caoxi, it was difficult for villagers and monks to use water. Therefore, the sixth ancestor came to the spring in Zhangxi and built this well, so it was named Zhuoxi Spring. The spring water is sweet and cool. No matter how much water is used, the water level of this well will never dry up. In the 1990s, a compatriot in Taiwan Province Province saw this well in his dream. After many searches, he finally found this well in Guo 'en Temple, and his dream came true. He was very happy, so he set up a monument by the well and carved a stone as a souvenir.
Under the big tree on the right side of the temple, there is a round stone pool called "Six Ancestors Bath". It is said that there was no water here. After the sixth ancestor returned to Guo 'en Temple, the spring water suddenly flowed out of a small hole on the upper edge of the stone pool and dripped into the stone pool, just filling the pool at night. Sixth ancestor took a cold bath here at night. Strangely, after Liu Zu took a bath, the water automatically drained from the sink at the bottom, and then the water continued to drip into the hole, day after day.
On the right side of the temple, there is Cui Yiting, and the pillars of the pavilion are engraved with couplets inscribed by Su Dongpo, a great writer in the Song Dynasty:
The sound of the stream is full of wide tongues.
Isn't the mountain clean?
Opposite the Green Pavilion, there is a meditation pavilion with couplets engraved on its columns:
Clear the heart and drive away vulgar thoughts
Method of removing dust by rainwater
Guo 'en Temple, a thousand-year-old temple, experienced four periods: the initial stage of Tang and Song Dynasties, the peak of Ming and Qing Dynasties, the decline of the Republic of China and the revival of the People's Republic of China.
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the temples of Guo 'en Temple were quite huge. There were 4 1 Buddha statues in the temple, all of which were lifelike and exquisite in modeling technology. Since the temple was built, it has experienced vicissitudes and been repaired several times. During the years of Shaoxing in Song Dynasty (1131-161year), a major maintenance was carried out. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, Guo 'en Temple was full of incense, and hundreds of monks came to worship their ancestors in an endless stream. At that time, the temple land yield was 1800 mu, and the mountain area was 1000 mu, which was the Lingnan jungle.
In the sixth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1408), Guo 'en Temple was rebuilt. But in the next 70 years, it gradually declined. For example, in the "Xinxing County Records", it is recorded that at this time, the Guo 'en Temple "buildings were tilted only to shelter from the wind and rain, and cigarettes were constantly lit. If there is no vibration, there are 1,800 mu of land in the temple, which are mostly eaten by the arrogant, and the rest are not allowed to enter the temple, so there is less tin gathering. " By the middle of Jiajing in Ming Dynasty, there were only seven incense lamps, so the middle of Ming Dynasty was the decline period of Guo 'en Temple.
In the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, Guo 'en Temple was revived. In the first year of Qin Long (1567), Deng Yingping, a magistrate of a county, proposed to raise funds to rebuild Guo 'en Temple. In the following 340 years, thanks to the joint efforts of local people, officials of past dynasties, monks and believers, Guanyin Hall, bathing pavilion, the first memorial archway at the entrance of the mountain, the mirror pool in front of the temple, the lotus pond, the pearl pavilion in the pool, the meditation room around King Kong Building and the Hall of Praying for the New Year were built one after another. 1655, the abbot Wei Zhen and Pan Yuheng, a juren in the city, mobilized the people of the whole city to donate money and repaired the middle hall, back hall and front building of the temple. Later, in the sixth year of Daoguang (1826) and the eighteenth year of Guangxu (1892), the temple was renovated twice. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were many believers in the local and neighboring counties. Every year, the eighth day of February and the third day of August in the lunar calendar are the birthdays of the six ancestors. A few days before and after the birthday, Buddhists and believers from this county and neighboring counties came to the temple in an endless stream. Neighboring villagers have also set up sheds in front of the temple, receiving pilgrims and merchants for several miles in a row, and the crowd is like a tide, which is very lively. By the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, temples were still prosperous. At this time, the land output of the temple has reached 3,000 mu, and 3,000 stones are collected in the valley every year, with more than 100 monks resident. It can be said that this is the heyday of Guo 'en Temple.
The decline of Guo 'en Temple began in the 17th year of the Republic of China (1928), and the local government banned all Buddhist activities. Except for Guo 'en Temple, all the temples in the county were demolished and the Buddha statues were burned. In the 19th year of the Republic of China (1930), Liang, then the county magistrate, confiscated 3,000 mu of land in Guo 'en Temple, and the land rental income was taken over by the county government. Only 100 yuan is allocated to Guo 'en Temple every year to support monks, and the rest is used as school funds. To this end, many monks go out to find another life, and a small number of people who stay in temples can only live on the incense money of believers, and there is nothing they can do to maintain the temples. Although the house in the temple collapsed, they had no money to repair it. By 1944, the wood truss corner of the Hall of the Great Hero and the Hall of the Six Ancestors was corroded and rotted by termites, and the roof tiles could not cover the rain. At that time, the abbot was a conscious master and had to contact the squire and believers to donate money to repair it.
After the founding of New China, especially after the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, the Party's religious policy was implemented and people's freedom of belief was respected. So believers at home and abroad donated money to overhaul Guo 'en Temple and reshape the Buddha statue. Subsequently, with the approval of the provincial and county people's governments, the restored Guo 'en Temple was opened to the public on August 29th 198 1 to receive tourists and pilgrims. For more than 20 years, there have been Zen delegations or Buddhist delegations from Southeast Asian countries, Britain, the United States, France, Canada, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, which received 654.38+million tourists and pilgrims annually. Take Japan as an example. During the period of 1982- 1987, six groups of Buddhist delegations visited the temple. Buddhists from all over the world heard that Guo 'en Temple was reopened, and more people came to pay homage, especially in the Pearl River Delta region. Master Yunfeng, president of the Provincial Buddhist Association, also led the elders in the mountains in the province to visit the temple for guidance. 1June 29th, 989, the provincial people's government listed Guo 'en Temple as a provincial key cultural relics protection unit. Master Ding Guang, abbot of Guo 'en Temple, was elected as a Buddhist assistant in the province. He actively implemented the party's religious policy, formulated the temple regulations, led the monks in the whole temple to carry out Buddhist activities and spread Buddhism, which opened the prelude to the revival of Guo 'en Temple. 1989, Master Ding Guang applied for retirement because of his advanced age, but on the other hand, he actively planned to send someone to Guangzhou to hire the eminent monk Dade as the abbot. After his efforts, he invited the first natural mage of Guangxiao Temple in Guangzhou to be the abbot of Guo 'en Temple. After the abbot of Guo 'en Temple, the natural mage led the monks in the temple, with the support of the local government and four disciples, to complete the Six Ancestors' Gratitude Pagoda project, and built doorplate building, side archway, meditation room, guest room, Six Ancestors' Memorial Hall, Six Ancestors' Jail Hall, Maintenance Hall and Side Hall, rebuilt Gongde Hall and guanyin temple, carved 500 arhats, rebuilt Pearl Pavilion, decorated mirror pool and rebuilt the Six Ancestors' Tomb. Longshan stele forest (built in August 1997, covering an area of 60 mu, with various steles 186, and demolished in June 10, 2005 due to its transformation into a stele gallery) has also been completed. At the same time, a number of cars were purchased, which solved the traffic problem of the temple, and a parking lot was opened in front of the temple to facilitate the parking of pilgrims and tourists, which made the face of Guo' en Temple look brand-new. In addition, the rules and regulations of the temple, such as morning bell and evening drum, chanting in the morning and evening, were gradually improved, the Taoist style was purged, and the management was strengthened, which made the Guoen Temple continue to prosper, the incense was increasingly prosperous, and the status of Lingnan jungle was quickly restored and it embarked on the road of rejuvenation.
At present, the temple is planning to build a Buddhist scripture collection building, as well as the reconstruction of the bell and drum tower, the hall for praying for the New Year, the ordinary pagoda, the incense burning pavilion, the monk's house, the VIP building and the golden body of the Buddha. It is also planned to display the precious cultural relics and handicrafts that have been preserved for tourists to watch. At the same time, it plans to expand the area of new temples and build new halls.
Guo 'en Temple attaches great importance to the construction of the six-ancestor Zen culture from the master of nature to the Zen master. As early as 1997, the chronicle of Guo 'en Temple in Longshan was compiled, which reflected the development history of Guo 'en Temple and its historical position in Buddhism in China and the world. In September, 20001year, in order to commemorate the 288th anniversary of the death of the Six Ancestors1year, Guo 'en Temple, together with the Macao Chinese Culture and Art Association and other units, held the "Second International Symposium on the Huineng Thought of the Six Ancestors", which was attended by more than 70 Zen experts, scholars and monks from home and abroad.
In 2002, the master in charge, such as Zen, compiled the book Six Ancestors and the Hall of National Grace. In 2003, he edited a set of five volumes of Essays on Six Ancestors' Tanjing, which collected more than 65,438+000 papers on the study of Six Ancestors' Tanjing from academic and Buddhist circles at home and abroad in the past century. After the book was published, it won unanimous praise from the academic and Buddhist circles.
On the occasion of the birthday of Huineng, the sixth ancestor of Zen Buddhism1366th anniversary, the party committee and government of Yunfu City and Xinxing County held the first sixth ancestor of Zen Culture Festival in Xinxing County of Yunfu City on February 27-28, 2004. In order to promote the excavation, protection and utilization of local Zen culture and further promote the development of local economy, culture and tourism, a series of activities were carried out to commemorate the sixth ancestor and visit the holy land. A seminar on Six Ancestors' Thought and Culture was held, which was attended by more than 50 research experts and scholars from all over the country. After the meeting, the Proceedings of the Seminar on Six Ancestors' Huineng Culture was published. At the same time, the launching ceremony was held for two books, Huineng, Six Ancestors of Zen, and Record of Six Ancestors. In addition, relevant departments have also carried out various activities on the development of economy, culture and tourism. The first Six Ancestors Cultural Festival in Xinxing County was very successful.
Author: Huang Canxing
Source:
(1), recorded by Longshan Guoen Temple.
(2) Huineng, the sixth ancestor of Zen.
(3) The sixth ancestor's former residence-Guo 'en Temple (He, Hu/Wen)
(4) Guo 'en Temple, a new ancient temple (Zhao Junhua, Zhao/Wen)
(5) Emerging literature and history materials