There is a natural stone cave halfway up the middle peak of Xiangshan Mountain, known as Qifeng Cave, or Xiangshan Main Cave. It houses the "Thousand-Hands and Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva", also known as Xiangshan Bodhisattva, and is a Buddhist worship center. According to relevant historical records, the establishment of the monastery in Xiangshan began in Fu Qin (351-384) and flourished in Yao Qin (384-417). The eminent monk Kumarajiva of Kucha was invited to translate the Sanskrit Sutra here. During the Yongxi period of the Song Dynasty (984-987), the Fengqi Feng Cave was repaired, and the Shengguoyuan and Baique Temple were built. During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, more than 90 pavilions and pavilions of various types were built. Climb up the steps from Canglong Ridge at the foot of the mountain, pass through the "Lingguan Temple" and go west along the mountain trail for about 1.5 kilometers to reach the Zhongfeng Zhengdong. There was originally a wooden statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva with Thousand Arms and Thousand Buddhas in the cave. There is a small hole on the west wall of the cave, and at the entrance there is a clay sculpture of a seated "physical body" of Bodhisattva. There is a small cave behind the cave, which is mysterious and mysterious. Above the big cave, there is a line of white flaws on the left, going from bottom to top, shaped like a white drill, so it is named Bailong; there is a line of green flaws on the right, going from bottom to top, like clouds and smoke, so it is named Qinglong. The two dragons meander to the center of the cave roof and spit out water, forming a pool called "Tianjiang Shengqiu". The water is clear, fragrant and green, refreshing.
The west peak of Xiangshan Mountain is the highest and the situation is more dangerous. There is a palace with several rooms on it, which are incomplete due to disrepair for many years.
There is Longquan Temple on the east peak, and the monument of Longquan Temple is still left. Behind the temple is close to the cliff waterfall, more than 5 feet above the ground. There is a pool below, which flows day and night, hence the name of Longquan Temple.
According to Qianyao County's "Taixiangshan Chronicle": Local people legend said that Xiangshan Temple was the place where Princess Miaoshan, the second daughter of King Miaozhuang, practiced cultivation. In the past, Princess Miaoshan became a monk because she was dissatisfied with her marriage and entered Baique Temple in Suining, Sichuan. King Zhuang once issued an edict and burned Baique Temple if she did not return. Later, King Zhuang was ill and sought medical treatment, and the prescription required the hands and eyes of his relatives. The princess then gave up her own hands and eyes to cure King Zhuang's disease. Therefore, she was named the "Living Bodhisattva with Thousand Hands and Thousand Eyes", which is the Bodhisattva enshrined in Xiangshan Temple. Therefore, Xiangshan I also wish for the spread of opera.
The Baique Temple was modeled after the Baique Temple in Xiangshan, Suining, Sichuan, and was once called Yunyan Temple. This temple suffered a fire in 1920, and the original building was completely destroyed. The Buddhist halls and sutra halls we see so far were all rebuilt later. Only the statues and steles from the Yongxi period of the Northern Song Dynasty (985) have been preserved. Tongshan Temple
On the top of the west peak is Tongshan Temple. At the end of the steep stone steps, we can see two splendid antique buildings, built in the Xieshan style. The beams outside the temple are painted with " The "Golden Dragon and Seal Color Painting" is very exquisite. The first one is the Heavenly King Hall of the temple, which contains Maitreya Buddha, behind it is Skanda, and on both sides are the four heavenly kings. There is also Guan Gong here holding the Qinglong Yanyue Sword. On the other side is the statue of the Empress giving birth to children. Guan Gong is a martial saint believed by the Chinese people. He is a Taoist god and should not appear in Buddhist temples. This may be a bronze statue donated by believers, and it also shows a fusion of religious beliefs among the people. Further up is the main hall, which houses Guanyin Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva wears a crown on his head, holds a pure vase, and sits on a lotus throne. It is also called the Son-Giving Lady here. This is the image of Guanyin Bodhisattva who appears as the Son-Giving Lady in order to fulfill the wishes of all living beings. She delivers the gospel to those who cannot have children and allows them to have children early. The people who come here every year to ask for a child are extremely pious and are said to be very effective.
Maitreya Buddha
The prototype of Maitreya Buddha is a Budai monk who lived in the Five Dynasties. His common name is Zhang Qizi, his name is Chang Tingzi, he is a native of Fenghua, Zhejiang, with a bold temperament and good marriages. He often carries a big cloth bag on his back, and puts the food he gets from alms into the bag. Later, people shaped the Maitreya Buddha in the temple into his image. It means "a big belly can tolerate things that are difficult for the people to tolerate; a smile is always open to laugh at the ridiculous people in the world."
The Four Heavenly Kings
The Four Heavenly Kings are the guardian gods of Buddhism, commonly known as the "Four Vajras", also known as the Four Heavenly Kings who protect the world. They are four of the twenty heavens in Buddhism. A god, located in the first heaven, the first heaven is also called the Four Heavenly Kings. They are usually arranged on both sides of the first hall of the Pure Land Buddhist Temple, hence the name of the Heavenly King Hall. According to legend, the four heavenly kings live in Huizuo Peak on the mountainside of Mount Sumeru. The four heavenly kings are: the eastern king holding the country, holding a pipa; the southern king of growth, holding a sword; the western king of wide eyes, holding a snake (red dragon); the northern king of hearing, holding a precious umbrella. The Four Heavenly Kings are known as "good weather". Chinese Buddhist believers believe that the southern king holds a sword and controls the wind; the eastern king holds a pipa and controls tunes; the northern king holds an umbrella and controls rain; the western king of Guangmu holds a snake and controls the wind. The combination becomes "good weather".
We can see that the four heavenly kings here are Chinese-style images after the Song Dynasty. The earliest one is the statue on the relic holder in our Yaozhou District Museum. It retains the characteristics of the Northern Dynasty statues and has the appearance of the ancient Persians.
Weituo
It is said that when Sakyamuni Buddha entered nirvana, evil spirits snatched away the Buddha's remains. Weituo chased after him in time and fought hard to take it back. Therefore, Buddhism regards him as a god who drives away evil spirits and protects Buddhism. Since the Song Dynasty, Skanda has been worshiped in Chinese temples and is called Skanda Bodhisattva. He often stands behind Maitreya Buddha and faces the Mahavira Hall to protect the Dharma and help monks.
Shanmen
There were no buildings here originally, but they were newly built in the past few years. It is dedicated to King Miaozhuang, the father of Princess Miaoshan. On the surrounding walls, there are sculptures of the legendary story of Princess Miaoshan from becoming a monk to saving her father to becoming a Bodhisattva. There are 14 stories in total, which are: Master Cihang, Arranging Flowers and Giving Dew, Eradicating Suffering and Saving the World, Miao Shan Accepting Disciples, Burning White Birds, Pilgrimage to Lingshan Mountain, Divine Dragon Blocking the Road, Black Tiger Rescue, Bodhisattva Dressing Up, He sacrificed his life to save his father, attained enlightenment and became a Buddha. Miaoshan Patriarch, saved all sentient beings, and fulfilled his vows on the Fragrant Mountain.
Qifeng Cave
This is a natural cave under the Zhongfeng mountainside. According to legend, Princess Miaoshan died here. Later, people built the Great Compassion Hall in this cave. During the Qing Dynasty, because stones often fell from the mountain and damaged the roof, iron tiles were cast to cover the roof, so it was also called the Iron Tile Palace. The main hall we see now was repaired and expanded in recent years. The outside of the hall is made of a double-eaves and hilltop roof, with a width of 7 rooms and a depth of 5 rooms. The beams are painted with dragons, phoenixes and seals with gold dots, making it look magnificent.
Avalokitesvara with Thousand Arms and Thousand Eyes
It is said that in ancient times there was King Miaozhuang who had three beautiful daughters. The eldest daughter Miaoyan and the second daughter Miaoxiang got married very early, but the third daughter Miaoshan did not want to get married. Miao Shan was smart and kind since she was a child. She was able to recite scriptures at the age of five and wanted to convert to Buddhism. King Miaozhuang promised her marriage, and she said she planned to become a nun. King Miaozhuang was so angry that he cruelly cut off the relationship between father and daughter. After she became a monk, she came to Xiangshan. Later, King Miaozhuang fell seriously ill, and the doctor prescribed medicine, saying that his own flesh and blood should be used as medicine. King Miaozhuang had no sons, and neither his eldest daughter Miaoyan nor his second daughter Miaoxiang were willing to make sacrifices. When Princess Miaoshan heard the news, she rushed to the palace immediately and cut off her arm flesh to treat her father's illness. Not long after King Miaozhuang recovered from his illness, he developed eye disease again. Princess Miaoshan donated her eyes to cure her father's eye disease. When Sakyamuni Buddha learned of this, he immediately promised to give her a thousand hands and a thousand eyes, so she became Avalokitesvara with a thousand hands and a thousand eyes.
Another theory is that in order to save all living beings, Guanyin Bodhisattva transformed various Dharma appearances according to different needs to satisfy the wishes of all living beings. The Surangama Sutra says that the true body of Guanyin Bodhisattva contains 25 causes and effects, multiplied by 40 arms, which is exactly one thousand, so it is called Avalokitesvara with Thousand Arms and Thousand Eyes. From the perspective of satisfying the wishes of all living beings, Guanyin Bodhisattva has not only a thousand hands and eyes, but thousands of them.
Myanmar Jade Buddha
This is a jade Buddha statue from Myanmar. The carving is of Sakyamuni Buddha, sitting cross-legged on a lotus throne with a kind and profound smile on his face. Wearing a cassock as thin as cicada wings, it has the style characteristics of a foreign city.
Baique Temple
The main hall of Baique Temple is the only building in Xiangshan that has not been destroyed by the war, and the incense continues. It can be seen from the beams, masonry and stone tablets of the main hall that the scale at that time was still very grand. On the peak of the gable, there are exquisite brick carvings, which symbolize fortune, wealth and peace in all seasons, which are architectural features of the Qing Dynasty.
Longquan Temple
Longquan Temple is located under a stone cliff about 2.5 kilometers north of the east peak of Xiangshan Mountain. "During the Fu Qin Dynasty, a dragon shape hovered on the five-foot cliff of the temple, spitting out clear springs, as thick as jade liquid, pouring down from the sky day and night... so the temple got its name" (see "Residence Notes of Longquan Temple") ). During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the presiding monk flew to another place, occupied the foundation, and the palace was abandoned. Zuo Longlu, a native of Houyi, proposed the redemption and reconstruction, and the governor Luo Ren signed a monument. During the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns of the Qing Dynasty, repairs were continued. In addition to several main halls, there were more than 20 wooden buildings above and below. On the eve of liberation, there were still three people in the temple, including the resident monk Chuan Xin. The murals include "Tang Monk Fetching Buddhist Scriptures from the West", "Laojun Refining Sun Wukong in the Eight Diagrams Furnace", "Wei Zheng Killing the Dragon King", etc., which are bright and distinguishable. At the bottom of the cliff on the second floor of Longquan Temple, there is a small stone cave with three statues and murals on the wall. About 10 meters to the south, there is a flat land with a radius of about 3 meters, surrounded by green willows, shaped like a pool, called Phoenix Pond, or the locals call it Lotus Pond.
On the west mountain beam of Phoenix Pond, there was an original dressing building with a statue of Bodhisattva. It is said that when Princess Miaoshan came to practice Xiangshan, she passed by this place to rest and dress up. Due to disrepair, the building collapsed in the 1950s.
Tangwang Cave and Guanyin Temple
Tangwang Cave, about 10 miles northeast of Xiangshan Mountain, is a large naturally formed cave that can accommodate thousands of people. Legend has it that Li Shimin, King of Qin in the Tang Dynasty, once spent summer here, so it was called Tangwang Cave. Above the cave was the Jiulong Village. Legend has it that nine military camps were stationed for protection when King Qin spent his summer vacation, hence the name. I don't know when the Tangwang Cave was built into the Guanyin Temple, with three main halls, seven statues, and murals and couplets on both walls. There are more than 10 mansions in the west of the palace. There is a lotus platform in the east of the hall, dedicated to Sakyamuni Buddha. On the eve of liberation, there were 5 resident monks and nuns. After liberation, Seng Hongzi, Rendao and Bhikshuni Chuanhua all lived here one after another. It was demolished in 1968 for the forestry industry area. There is a valley called Luotuo Gong 2.5 kilometers northwest of Xiangshan. In the three seasons of spring, summer and autumn, the fragrance of flowers is refreshing, and butterflies gather in the valley, lingering and flying up and down. The whole valley is beautiful and very charming. Upon closer examination, there are 13 families and 56 species of butterflies, which is known as the natural butterfly museum.