According to legend, in the late Tang Dynasty, there were two big families in Pinganchang outside Pingle Temple, the Mao family (now living in Xiaosi Mountain) and the Huang family (now living in the eighth and ninth communities of Liuqiao). They had been doing business for many years and were rich. In order to make his descendants prosperous and prosperous, he spent huge sums of money to secretly invite earthly immortals (Feng Shui masters) to find the real dragon's cave. After the Earth Immortal Huang surnamed visited this place on foot from the ground veins of Zhongnan Mountain, he buried a copper coin in the cave as a mark; the Earth Immortal surnamed Mao also visited this place and buried a gold needle as a number. After the Mao and Huang families chose a place, they kept it secret and sent servants to guard it secretly. When the Huang family chose an auspicious day to start construction of the cemetery, the Mao family came forward and tried their best to stop it. The two sides were evenly matched and refused to give in, so they sued the government for justice.
In the lobby, both Mao and Huang families held different opinions. They both detailed how they spent huge sums of money to find the treasure, and requested Mr. Qingtian to conduct an on-site inspection. The county magistrate and a group of people came to the scene. Both parties told the evidence they had left and identified the location. The county magistrate ordered people to dig up the place, and a gold needle was inserted into the middle of the copper coin hole. Such a coincidence is difficult to decide. The case has become an unsolved case and has to be postponed again and again.
A few years later, the patrol commander Li Chao passed by Lizhou. When the two Huangmao tribes learned about it, they blocked the sedan chair and complained about their grievances. The two sides still argued with each other and never gave in. Seeing that it was difficult to resolve the case through negotiation, the inspector made a judgment that "this place is not owned by anyone and belongs to the Buddha" and ordered the two surnames to jointly contribute to the construction of the temple.
During the construction process, the conflicts between the two parties were resolved and they reconciled. It was not until the Shaoxing period of the Song Dynasty (1131-1163) that after several generations of joint efforts, the temple was finally officially completed. It was built due to a dispute between the Huang family and the temple was named "Huacheng Yuan".
After the completion of the ancient city courtyard, there was an endless stream of devotees and tourists from all over the world who came to burn incense and make wishes. After years of renovations during the Song and Yuan dynasties, the total construction area reaches more than 1,000 square meters, including the main hall, middle hall, front hall, Guanyin Hall, Yama Hall, east-west corridors, Zen rooms, guest rooms and other buildings. The temple enshrines 369 Buddha statues of various types, with There are dozens of monks and the incense is very strong. In the first year of Jianwen of the Ming Dynasty (1399), King Zhu Di of Yan launched an army to "Jingnan" in the name of "Qingjun side". In 1402, he captured the capital (now Nanjing, Jiangsu) and seized the throne. Emperor Jianwen was forced to flee. It is said that after Emperor Jianwen fled, he traveled south and north, traveling around various places, and finally hung up his tin at the desolate and remote Wufo Cliff in Tongjiang River, where he lived a secluded life. In the third year of Xuanzong's reign in the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Jianwen and his entourage traveled to Ping'an Field outside Pingle Temple (then known as Huachengyuan). The sun set over the western mountains and people were hungry and horses were exhausted, so they stayed at Huachengyuan that night. When I left the hospital the next day, I left behind: "The jade flowers are like the mountains, the fine gold liquid is like this, the water is like the little clouds, it's auspicious, the soil is finally hidden, the only thing is the jade, the crane comes to invite me, it's healthy and happy, the heart mirror It is immortal, and its fragrance and emblems are bright and eternal."
During the Shun period of the Ming Dynasty (1547-1565), Huachengyuan was expanded with the approval of the imperial court. Because there were no wars or chaos in Guangyuan during the hundreds of years since the temple was built, it was renamed Pingle Temple based on the words of "Chu Ci·Nine Chapters·Ai Ying": "I am sad for the peace and joy of the land of Zhou, but sad for Jiang Jie's legacy". At this time, the temple has also reached its peak development, with hundreds of monks, hundreds of thousands of believers, eminent monks emerging in large numbers, and the incense has been flourishing for a long time.
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the society was stable, the economy was prosperous, and the people were wealthy. In the seventh year of Qianlong's reign, Pingle Temple was renovated again. At this time, Pingle Temple had developed into one of the five major sects of Zen in my country---- -The holy place of the Rinzai Sect. The existing inscriptions of the 36th and 37th generation Rinzai sect founders in the temple show the world the prominent position of Pingle Temple in the Buddhist world.
In the 1930s, it became the temporary residence of the First Division of the Fourth Red Army. By preserving the Red Army's food and grass and protecting injured Red Army soldiers, Pingle Temple made special contributions to the birth of New China.
During the Cultural Revolution, the halls of Pingle Temple were destroyed, the monks were deported, and the land was nationalized and assigned to local village communities for management.
In May 1993, in order to meet the religious life needs of religious believers, with the consent of the Yuanba District People's Government and approval by the Guangyuan Municipal Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, the temple was reopened and Cheli was hired. The master was appointed abbot and took on the important task of revitalizing Pingle Temple.
In the following ten years or so, with the close care of the party and the government, Master Cheli worked hard together with his disciples, both monks and laymen, and worked hard to establish Buddhist relationships, increase old institutions, build new temples, and establish extensive friendships. , reopen Buddhist activities. The Temple of the Heavenly King, the Hall of Guanyin, the Main Hall, the Luohan Hall, and the Ten Netherworld Halls were completed successively. The Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Lay Tower, and Five View Halls are distributed from east to west. The Seven Buddha Hall, the Three Holy Temples, and the Sutra Library are beginning to take shape. Jade was invited back from Myanmar. More than 20 Buddha statues have been enthroned one after another. Among them, the three Buddhas of Sakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha and Medicine Master Buddha who eliminate disasters and extend life are 5 meters high and weigh more than 20 tons. They are extremely precious and have long become holy images in the hearts of Buddhist disciples and tourists. .
Unforeseen circumstances, on May 12, 2008, a thrilling earthquake once again disrupted this sacred land. Many buildings in the temple were damaged: the eaves of the bell and drum towers collapsed, forming Dangerous buildings; the roof of the Arhat Hall collapsed, the tower tilted severely, and most of the clay Arhat statues were destroyed; the roofs of the Seven Buddha Hall, the Three Holy Temples, and the Sutra Library fell off and collapsed; the pillars of the Main Hall were torn... The huge temple suddenly Lost the charm of the past. Post-disaster reconstruction is urgent.
With the concern of the party and the government, based on the principles of safety, practicality, solemnity, beauty, economy and appropriate advancement, the relevant departments of Yuanba District, based on extensive solicitation of opinions from monks inside and outside the temple, In 2009, the "Guangyuan Pingle Temple Planning and Architectural Scheme Design" was formulated. The plan not only pays attention to "being based on history", but also follows the principle of "advancing with the times", and strives to perfectly integrate the religious culture and tourism functions of the temple. The entire temple building will be reinforced, repaired, demolished, reconstructed and built according to its different conditions. Expand and add a number of leisure, sightseeing landscapes and supporting facilities.
On June 20, 2010, with the help of enthusiastic enterprises, the reconstruction work officially started. At present, the main hall, the Seven Buddha Hall, the Three Holy Temples, the Sutra Building, the Five Views Hall, and the Lay Buddhist Building have been completed. After restoration and reinforcement, the first open-air bronze statue of Guanyin in northern Sichuan was raised on March 1, 2011. The reconstruction projects of Guanyin Hall, Tianwang Hall, and Luohan Hall are nearing completion. The main project of the Bliss Pagoda is to meet the needs of monks and converted disciples to enshrine their souls after death. The first floor has been completed, and the decoration of the living space has begun...the main project will be fully completed in 2011.
By then, a Pingle Temple with a unified style, solemnity, and complete functions that integrates Guanyin worship, Buddhist exchanges, spiritual practice, tourism, and Buddha burial will be presented to the believers. It has become an eternal Buddhist holy place in Guangyuan and even the junction of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu.