Is there a Medicine Buddha in Qixia Temple?

Nanjing Qixia Temple

——The birthplace of Sanlunzong

Qixia Temple is located on Qixia Mountain, 22 kilometers northeast of Nanjing. In 1983, it was designated by the State Council as a It is a national key Buddhist temple in the Han area.

Qixia Temple was built in the seventh year of Yongming in the Southern Qi Dynasty (489). Liang Senglang greatly promoted the Three Treatises doctrine here, and is known as the founder of the Jiangnan Three Treatises Sect.

The Sanlun Sect is one of the sects of Chinese Buddhism. It originated from the Madhyamika sect of Mahayana Buddhism in ancient India. The main texts were translated by Kumarajiva and spread in China. The great person who actually completed the Three Treatises and One Sect in China was Ji Zang in the Sui Dynasty. This sect focuses on the theory that all dharma-natures are empty, and is also called the dharma-nature sect. This sect established theories such as the "Two True and Conventional Truths" and the "Eight No-Middle Ways". It believed that everything in the world was born from the combination of many causes and conditions (dependent origination). Without many factors and conditions, there would be no independent and unchanging entity (empty nature). . All sentient beings have the wisdom to become Buddhas only because of confusion and are blinded by ignorance and delusion. Therefore, the key to becoming a Buddha or not lies in confusion and enlightenment.

Qixia Temple has changed its name several times in history. It was originally called Qixia Jingshe. It was renamed Gongde Temple in the Tang Dynasty, Miaoyin Temple during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, and Puyun Temple, Qixia Temple, Chongbao Temple, and Huxue Temple in the Song Dynasty. In the fifth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1372), it was renamed Qixia Temple. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, when the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom fought with the Qing soldiers, Qixia Temple was destroyed in the war. Rebuilt in 1919.

It was restored in 1979 and opened to the public as a Buddhist activity venue. Chairman Zhao Puchu of the Buddhist Association of China personally wrote the "Reconstruction of the Qixia Temple Inscription", which summarized and introduced the 1,500-year history of Qixia Temple. The full text is as follows:

Qixia Temple in Sheshan is an ancient temple in the Southern Dynasties. It is named Sheshan because of the many medicinal herbs in the mountain. In the early Qi Dynasty, Ming Sengshao, a lay scholar, lived here in seclusion and practiced Zen. The master came from Huanglong and taught the Sutra of Infinite Life in the mountain house. The monks deeply respected him and worshiped him as a temple. It was the seventh year of Qi Yongming. Master Hou Seng Lang came from Liaodong and promoted the Three Treatises. He is known to the world as the ancestor of the Three Treatises in Jiangnan. Masters such as Seng Quan and Fa Lang followed him, and his studies flourished. First, monk Shao wanted to build a Buddha statue on this mountain but failed. His son Zhongwei continued his ambition and together with Zen Master Du built the Amitayus Buddha and two Bodhisattvas on the stone wall of the west peak, both of which were more than three feet high. In Datong, Liang Dynasty, Prince Wenhui of Qi and other kings also built various Buddha statues, large and small, at Thousand Buddha Rock. In the first year of Renshou, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty built a stupa in the Eighty-three Prefectures. His edict for erecting a stupa was headed by Qixia Temple in Jiangzhou. The fortune of the temple in the Tang Dynasty was prosperous, and it was called the Four Wonders of the World together with Guoqing Temple in Taizhou, Yuquan Temple in Jingzhou, and Yanling Temple in Jeju.

Monk Jianzhen’s fifth eastward journey failed, and he stayed here in Xi on his way back. After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the rise and fall varied. At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the two divisions of Yungu Juelang were repaired together. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty set up a palace in Qixia during his five southern tours, which made it even more special. After the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, it became depressed. In the early years of the Republic of China, Zong Yang, a poet monk, came from Jinshan to try to revive his work, but he died before he could achieve full success. Later, the monks of the temple repaired the Thousand Buddha Rock with cement, and the Buddha's head was painted and distorted, and those who knew it were stunned. Since liberation, the government has paid great attention to this famous temple. In 1963, people from all walks of life in China and Japan jointly held a grand event to commemorate the 1,200th anniversary of the death of Monk Jianzhen. The Japanese Buddhist community donated a statue of Monk Jianzhen to China and enshrined the temple. In 1666, during the Four Evils Rebellion, many sutras, statues, and instruments were destroyed, and the monks were scattered in all directions. The Buddha's head at Thousand Buddha Rock was also destroyed. The palace was protected by the army from destruction. Fortunately, the Jianzhen Statue was also intact. This year, the Chinese Buddhist Church enshrines the statue of Jian Zhen as a commemoration of the ever-lasting friendship between China and Japan. As for how to protect such a thousand-year-old temple in the future, I will give a brief account of the rise and fall of Qixia Temple to give an idea of ??the future.

Qixia Temple covers an area of ??more than 40 acres. It has three main courtyards: the Mahavira Hall, the Pilu Hall, and the Sutra Collection Building. They rise layer by layer according to the mountainous terrain, and the layout is strict and beautiful.

In front of Qixia Temple is an open green lawn, with Mingjing Lake as flat as a mirror and White Lotus Pond shaped like a crescent moon. It is surrounded by lush trees and flowers, with winding mountain peaks in the distance, and the air is fresh , the scenery is quiet and beautiful. The main buildings in the temple include the mountain gate, Maitreya Buddha Hall, Pilu Hall, Dharma Hall, Buddha Chanting Hall, Sutra Collection Building, Master Guohai Memorial Hall, and Relic Stone Pagoda. There is the Monument of Ming Huijun in front of the temple, and there are many scenic spots such as Thousand Buddha Rock behind the temple.

There is a stele of Ming Huijun on the left side in front of the temple. It was erected in the early Tang Dynasty to commemorate Ming monk Shao. The inscription on the stele was written by Tang Gaozong Li Zhi and written by Gao Zhengchen, a calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. Inscribed by Li Zhi himself. This is one of the ancient steles in Jiangnan and a precious cultural relic.

Entering the mountain gate is the Maitreya Buddha Hall, which houses the bare-breasted and smiling Maitreya Buddha. Behind him, King Wei Tuo stands with his head held high. Going up the stairs out of the temple, you will find the Zao Daxiong Hall, the main hall of the temple. The 10-meter-high Sakyamuni Buddha is enshrined in the hall. Behind it is the Vairocana Hall, which is majestic and solemn. In the center, the golden Vairocana Buddha, about 5 meters high, is enshrined. His disciples, King Brahma and Emperor Sakyamuni, stand on the left and right, and twenty gods are arranged on both sides of the hall. Behind the Buddha is the statue of Avalokitesvara on the island. Avalokitesvara stands at the top of the statue, surrounded by Shancai, the Dragon Girl and the maid. The thirty-two incarnations of Avalokitesvara are spread across the island. The statues in the hall are exquisite in craftsmanship and lifelike, which is amazing.

After passing the Pilu Hall, built against the mountain are the Dharma Hall, the Buddha Chanting Hall and the Sutra Collection Building. There are 7,168 volumes of the Tripitaka in Chinese in the Sutra Collection Building, as well as more than 14,000 volumes of various scriptures. A jade statue of Sakyamuni is enshrined in the Buddhist niche. On the left side of the Buddhist scripture building is the "Memorial Hall of Master Guohai". In the hall, a statue of Monk Jianzhen without veil is enshrined, and cultural relics such as pictures of Monk Jianzhen's sixth eastward journey and Monk Jianzhen's commemorative collection are displayed. These are Japanese Buddhism It is a gift from the Buddhist community and is a historical witness of the friendly exchanges between the Buddhist communities in China and Japan.

The Jade Buddha Tower was also built in the temple. In the center is a 1.5-meter-tall and 390-kilogram jade Buddha statue. The jade Buddha is finely carved and decorated with gold and color. It was donated by Taiwanese monk Hsing Yun. There are colorful pictures of Sakyamuni Buddha's enlightenment hanging on the two walls of the Jade Buddha Tower.

On the right side of the temple is the relic pagoda, which was built in the first year of Renshou (601), the reign of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty. It has seven levels and eight sides, made of white stone, and is about 15 meters high. There are stone railings on all sides of the base of the pagoda. There is a Xumizuo on top of the base. The eight sides of the base are engraved with the "Eight Phases of Enlightenment" of Sakyamuni Buddha, including the reincarnation of a white elephant, the birth under a tree, the prince bathing in nine dragons, traveling to the west gate, and the city. Penance, bathing, meditation, enlightenment, subjugation of demons and nirvana. Above the eight-phase diagram is the first-level pagoda. The first-level pagoda is particularly tall and octagonal, with pillars at each corner. The pagoda is engraved with reliefs such as Manjusri, Samantabhadra and the Four Heavenly Kings. The distance between the upper and lower eaves of the above floors is short, and the eaves of the five floors are retracted layer by layer from bottom to top, and the tower body is also retracted. On each side, there are two rocks competing on the beach, and a Buddha sits in a niche. The slopes under the eaves are also carved with images of Feitian, Lotte, and people supporting heaven, which are similar to the Feitian of the Five Dynasties Grottoes in Dunhuang. The brake lever on the top of the tower is in the shape of a lotus. The entire stupa is exquisitely shaped. It is not only a representative work of Jiangnan stone carving art during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, but also a precious object for studying ancient Buddhism, art, and culture.

The rescue and maintenance project of the Nanjing Qixia Temple Stupa, the largest stupa in my country, was completed at the end of 1993. This national key cultural relic protection attraction has reopened to Chinese and foreign tourists. This repair, chaired by Cai Run, an associate researcher at the China Institute of Cultural Relics, is the largest and most technically advanced repair ever. It mainly involves the bonding of eight stone components that fell due to natural weathering, lightning strikes and fires hundreds of years ago. The original fracture point.

In the rock behind the stupa, there is also a group of grottoes excavated during the Southern Dynasties, with more than 500 Buddha statues carved inside, called Ganfo Cliff. Among them, the largest Buddha statue is Amitayus, which is 10 meters high. On the left and right are the standing statues of Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, forming the Three Saints of the West. The surrounding rock walls are covered with Buddha statues and statues. In the last grotto, a stone statue holding a hammer and an iron cone appeared. It is said that the digger of the Buddha statue carved his own image into the Buddha's head. The Buddha statues on Ganfo Cliff are beautiful and magnificent, reflecting the wisdom and strength of the ancient working people.

Qixia Temple is also the seat of the Jiangsu Buddhist Association. In November 1982, the Buddhist Association of China held a Sangha training class here. This is the first and largest training class held by the Chinese Buddhist community since the founding of the People's Republic of China. 184 monks participated, aged between 18 and 40, and all of them have middle school education. They come from 17 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions including Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Fujian. The training course lasts for one year, and its main courses include general knowledge of Buddhism, a brief history of Buddhism, precepts, jungle regulations, homework and chanting, and cultural classes.

President Zhao Puchu came to attend the opening ceremony and encouraged the student monks to "achieve excellent results in their studies, further inherit and carry forward the fine traditions of Chinese Buddhism, solemnize the country, benefit people, safeguard the honor of the motherland, enhance international friendship, and strive for world peace." Contribution."

In November 1983, the Chinese Buddhist Association decided to establish the Qixiashan Branch of the Chinese Buddhist Academy at Qixia Temple in Nanjing. In September 1984, Qixiashan Buddhist College recruited 56 student monks from 43 temples in 19 provinces. They studied here for two years and systematically studied the history of Buddhism, the Three Buddhist Sutras, the Hundred Dharma Mingmen Theory, There are more than a dozen courses including the Five Aggregates Theory, the Essential Explanations of the Thirty Theory of Consciousness Only, Precepts, Chinese, History, Geography, Current Affairs and Policies, and Foreign Languages. In July 1986, the first class of graduates graduated. Some of them applied for further studies at the China Buddhist Academy, and some returned to their original temples to engage in temple teaching and management.