The Historical Evolution of Guanghua Temple in Fujian

Founded in the second year of Chen Yongding in the Southern Dynasty (AD 558), it was named Jinxian Temple. Later, it was expanded into a temple.

In the ninth year of Sui Dynasty (589), Infinite Zen Master from Tiantai Mountain raised funds to expand and renamed it "Jin Xian Temple".

In the second year of Tang Jingyun (7 1 1), Master Zhiyan, the abbot of Jin Xian Temple, was called into the palace to explain the four-part method, and Zong Rui was named the wise Zen master. Because Zen Master Zhiyan reported to Zong Rui that when Master Wuliang recited the Goblet of Fire in Jin Xian Temple, there was a difference between "Bai Quan went up to the stone". Zong Rui gave the temple the name "Lingyan Temple" and ordered the calligrapher Liu Gongquan to hang the book "Lingyan Temple" at the temple gate. At this point, Lingyan Temple is famous all over the world and is known as the jungle in eastern Fujian.

During the Song Dynasty, the Buddhist temples in Phoenix Mountain (also known as Nanshan) flourished. With the support of local bureaucrats, two temples were built, 10 courtyards and 120 temples. In the first year of Xingguo in Song Taiping (976), Song Guangzong awarded Guanghua Temple and repaired it, making it "colorful and colorful". In 979, the Song government set up the local government "Xinghua Army" in Putian, so there is a saying among the people that "Xinghua has not come out, but it will pass first". In the Song Dynasty, Guanghua Temple was resplendent and magnificent, with many Antang temples and more than a thousand monks and nuns.

From the Yuan Dynasty to the first year of Zheng Zheng (134 1), Guanghua Temple was destroyed by war. It was not until the period from Hongwu to Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1368- 1424) that it was rebuilt one after another and gradually recovered its grand occasion. Huang, a scholar of Chenghua in Ming Dynasty, recited Lingyan Temple and said, "There are 120 Lingyan Temple, many of which have tower locks." . In the forty-first year of Jiajing of Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty (1562), Guanghua Temple was invaded by the Japanese and turned into scorched earth again. Later abbots such as Hui Guang, Ji Zhong and Yuan Che were restored one after another. By the eighth year of Wanli (1580), Hui Guang and others raised funds to build the Dharma Hall. In the sixteenth year (1588), Master Zhang Yun, Master Yuan Cai and others restored the Xisheng Pavilion and the Daxiong Hall. In the thirty-ninth year (16 1 1), French masters raised funds to build the mountain gate. The following year, Yizhen and France built the Sutra Pavilion, the Nest Cloud Building and the Ji Xiang Kitchen.

In the 31st year of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty (1692), Wang Wanxiang, the general commander guarding Xingquan and other places in Fujian, saw that Guanghua Temple was in disrepair and donated money to repair it. fahai temple and Xiaonanshan Temple were merged into Guanghua Temple, which expanded the scale of the temple. And carved stone to record, the monument is still preserved in the temple. Later, it was in disrepair all the year round and declined day by day. In the 12th year of Guangxu (1886), only Guanyin Pavilion was kept, and only two monks lived in it.

In the 16th year of Guangxu (1890), the abbot of Master He Shan decided to rebuild this ancient temple. Through donations from all directions, Daxiong Hall, Guest Hall, Zen Hall, Abbot and Jingxing Hall were rebuilt one after another, forming the pattern of today's temples.

19 10, Emperor Xuan Tong gave more than 7,000 volumes of Longzang to Guanghua Temple, and our master built a Buddhist scripture building on the top of the Dharma Hall.

1933 Rebuild Guanyin Pavilion and Tianwang Hall, making the main hall of Guanghua Temple more complete.

After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), the people's government implemented the policy of freedom of religious belief, and Guanghua Temple was managed by monks. 1949, there were about 60 monks living in the temple. At 1965, there are still 57 monks living in the temple. While chanting and practicing, they cultivated fields and protected forests, and lived a life of "paying equal attention to agriculture and Zen". During the "Cultural Revolution", Guanghua Temple was forced to close, monks dispersed, Buddha statues were smashed, and the temple was converted into a factory building.

After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Producers' Party of China, the policy of freedom of religious belief was fully implemented, and this ancient temple with a thousand-year history was once again brilliant. 1980 In February, the Fujian provincial government approved the opening of Guanghua Temple as a venue for religious activities, and successively established the "Putian County Guanghua Temple Construction Committee" to fully restore the ancient temple according to the old concept. With the support of relevant government departments and the enthusiastic support of overseas monks, the main restoration project of Guanghua Temple was completed in1984 65438+February. A grand opening ceremony was held on February 7, 65438 (October 15 of the lunar leap), and more than 400 people from Chinese and foreign Buddhist circles/kloc-0 attended the celebration.

The restored Guanghua Temple covers an area of 32,000 square meters, with a construction area of 6,543.8+7,000 square meters. The whole temple rises naturally along the mountain, with distinct layers and patchwork. The central axis faces east, including Zhaobi, Paifang, Shanmen, Release Pond, Tianwang Hall (Maitreya Hall), Daxiong Hall, Dharma Hall (the upper part is the Sutra Pavilion) and Lying Buddha Hall (the lower part is the Ancestral Hall), with a total length of 385 meters, with prominent main body and magnificent momentum. On the east side are Dongluo Hantang, Bell Tower, Wuguantang, Jialan Temple, Zunke Zun, Yunshui Town, Tongyuanmen and Xisheng Pavilion. There are West Luohan Hall, Drum Tower, Xuejie Hall, Zushi Hall, Jingxing Hall (Buddha Hall), Xia Yandong, Abbot Room and Kanshan Building on the west side. In the depths of the dense forest with the highest east and west corners of the temple, Guanyin Pavilion stands opposite Xiaonan Mountain, with unique ingenuity. During the stroll, you can enjoy the scenery of the whole temple and listen to the sounds of streams and springs. At present, the halls are densely packed, and the bamboo forests and cypresses behind them are quiet and distant, which is refreshing.

This maintenance cost tens of millions. The scale of the temple has also expanded, and the zhaobi, the mountain gate and the archway have all moved forward for reconstruction. The East-West Lohan Hall and Mountain View Building were also built on both sides. Five hundred arhats are newly built in Luohan Hall. Each sitting statue is 1.5 meters high, printed with facial makeup, with different costumes and lifelike appearance. Tianwang Temple is dedicated to Maitreya Buddha, Wei Tuo, Longtianhe and four statues of the heavenly king more than 5 meters high. There is a secret diamond more than 4 meters high on the left and right sides of the mountain gate, and there is an 8-meter-high Guanyin statue in Guanyin Pavilion. These statues were all shaped during the restoration, with solemn shapes and exquisite carvings.

Daxiong Hall was built in Guangxu period of Qing Dynasty. Built on a platform more than 2.7 meters high, it is 5 rooms wide, 4 rooms deep and 22 meters high, with a building area of 837 square meters.

Double eaves rest on the top of the mountain, and the roof tiles each weigh 3.2 kilograms. Four corrugated stones of the Song Dynasty are still preserved under the eaves behind the temple. In the center of the Ursa Major Hall, there are three 5-meter-high golden Buddha statues. Eighteen arhats, also made of clay and gold, sit on both sides, each 2.5 meters high. The hall is resplendent and magnificent, with solemn Buddha statues and complete utensils.

Guanghua Temple has also carefully protected some historic sites with historical and cultural value. The Sakyamuni stupa on the east side of the temple was built before the first year of Song Avenue (1 165). Now the government has repaired it and listed it as a key cultural relic in the province. The Fumeng Temple next to the tower is the former site of the "Dongfeng Bookstore" built by Huang Tao, an imperial adviser in the late Tang Dynasty. There is also a pair of classic buildings in the temple, which are engraved with the cultural relic "Buddha Peak Wins Dalagni" built in the second year of Song Zhiping (1065), and now it is moved to the square in front of Maitreya Temple.

Zheng Sanxian Temple in the temple is a place to commemorate three famous Confucian brothers Lu Zheng, who built this temple on the ground. There is a plaque of "Xuepu" and another stone tablet of "Nanshan Germination" in the temple, which is the original work of Wen Tianxiang, a national hero in the late Song Dynasty, and is very precious.

1983, Guanghua Temple was listed as a national key Buddhist temple in Han area by the state. Now it is one of the top ten scenic spots in Fujian Province. 1979 to 1986 Master Yuan Qian, Vice President of the Chinese Buddhist Association, was appointed as the abbot of Guanghua Temple. He asked Guanghua Temple not to sell tickets or engage in Buddhist scriptures, and asked monks to pay equal attention to agriculture and Zen. There are 100 mu of forest behind the temple, with fruit trees and bananas. 1986, Guanghua temple elected 36-year-old resolute master as abbot. In the general election of 1990, Master Xuecheng was elected as the abbot.

Master Xuecheng, a graduate student of China Buddhist College, was only 24 years old when he took over as the abbot, and he was the youngest abbot among the key temples in China. There are male preparatory classes in Fujian Buddhist College, monk training classes in Guanghua Temple in Nanshan, Futian, Fujian, and Buddhist scriptures circulation office. There are 200 monks in the whole temple. Guanghua Temple has a strict system for monk practice and temple management. The abbot and the master set an example and implemented the system. There are rich books here, and monks pay attention to studying Buddhist scriptures, improving their cultural level and developing Buddhist cultural undertakings. 1990, Guanghua Temple was listed as the first of the three model temples in China by the Chinese Buddhist Association.

Guanghua Temple has extensive contacts with Buddhist circles in Southeast Asian countries. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, more than 20 monks from Guanghua Temple went to Southeast Asian countries to spread Buddhism and built temples there. Now Guanghua Temple has been in Nanyang for 7 years. Since 1979, Buddhists from Southeast Asia, Japan and other countries often come to pay homage. 1989, Master Yuan Qian led the monks of Guanghua Temple in the opening ceremony of Guanghua Temple in Singapore.

On the zhaobi of Guanghua Temple, Mr. Zhao Puchu's inscription reads: "A solemn place, a feeling of interest." This is the requirement of the times for the Buddhist community in China, and it is also the wish of the monks in Guanghua Temple.

1983, Guanghua Temple was listed as a national key Buddhist temple in Han area by the state. Now it is one of the top ten scenic spots in Fujian Province. 1979 to 1986 Master Yuan Qian, Vice President of the Chinese Buddhist Association, was appointed as the abbot of Guanghua Temple. He asked Guanghua Temple not to sell tickets or engage in Buddhist scriptures, and asked monks to pay equal attention to agriculture and Zen. There are 100 mu of forest behind the temple, with fruit trees and bananas. 1986, Guanghua temple elected 36-year-old resolute master as abbot. In the general election of 1990, Master Xuecheng was elected as the abbot.

Master Xuecheng, a graduate student of China Buddhist College, was only 24 years old when he took over as the abbot, and he was the youngest abbot among the key temples in China. There are male preparatory classes in Fujian Buddhist College, monk training classes in Guanghua Temple in Nanshan, Futian, Fujian, and Buddhist scriptures circulation office. There are 200 monks in the whole temple. Guanghua Temple has a strict system for monk practice and temple management. The abbot and the master set an example and implemented the system. There are rich books here, and monks pay attention to studying Buddhist scriptures, improving their cultural level and developing Buddhist cultural undertakings. 1990, Guanghua Temple was listed as the first of the three model temples in China by the Chinese Buddhist Association.

Guanghua Temple has extensive contacts with Buddhist circles in Southeast Asian countries. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, more than 20 monks from Guanghua Temple went to Southeast Asian countries to spread Buddhism and built temples there. Now Guanghua Temple has been in Nanyang for 7 years. Since 1979, Buddhists from Southeast Asia, Japan and other countries often come to pay homage. 1989, Master Yuan Qian led the monks of Guanghua Temple in the opening ceremony of Guanghua Temple in Singapore.

On the zhaobi of Guanghua Temple, Mr. Zhao Puchu's inscription reads: "A solemn place, a feeling of interest." This is the requirement of the times for the Buddhist community in China, and it is also the wish of the monks in Guanghua Temple.