The Zhongnan Mountains (i.e. Qinling Mountains) in a broad sense cover the vast Guanzhong area from Taibai Mountain in the west to Lantian in the east. In this sense, it includes Famen Temple, Daci'en Temple, Louguantai and many other religious sites. Including holy places, they all have an indissoluble bond with Zhongnan culture.
Zhongnan Mountain is the birthplace and birthplace of Chinese Buddhism:
Zhongnan Mountain is one of the ten famous mountains of Chinese Buddhism, and it can also be considered the cradle of Chinese Buddhism. There are six reasons:
First, Zhongnan Mountain is the birthplace of various sects of Buddhism. Soon after Buddhism was introduced to Chang'an in the first year of Yuanshou of Emperor Ai of the Western Han Dynasty (2 BC), Zhongnan Mountain began to establish a stronghold. This is the Luohan Temple in Pang Village in Luhu County in the north.
Second, there are more Buddhist temples than any other famous mountain. According to the "Guanzhong Tongzhi" records, Zhongnan Mountain is not only magnificent in scenery, but also a Buddhist holy place with a prosperous incense. It is said that "there are three thousand gold worlds in Chang'an and millions of jade towers in Zhongnan". In addition, according to chronicles, by the Ming Dynasty, there were more than a thousand Buddhist temples in Hu County alone.
Third, there are many ancestral houses of Buddhist sects and they are quite concentrated. If the third-level sects of Chinese Buddhism are included, there will be 9 sects. Among them, the ancestral halls of the Three-Level Sect, the Sanlun Sect, the Consciousness-only Sect, the Pure Land Sect, the Vinaya Sect, the Huayan Sect, and the Esoteric Sect are all in Chang'an; among the 7 sects, 6 of them have their ancestral courts or central temples in the Zhongnan Mountain area. Daci'en Temple, Caotang Temple, Baita Temple, Xiangji Temple, Zhixiang Temple, and Jingye Temple, the ancestral halls of Weishi Sect, Sanlun Sect, Sanjie Sect, Pure Land Sect, Huayan Sect, and Vinaya Sect, are all located in Zhongnan Mountain. Zhongnan Mountain is their birthplace, among which Famen Temple, represented by the relic worship culture, and Daci'en Temple, represented by the Chang'an Buddhist culture, are the most representative.
Fourth, the eminent monks who live in the mountain and the founders of various sects are also ranked first. According to incomplete statistics, the Zhongnan monks found in "Biography of Eminent Monks", "Extended Biography of Eminent Monks" and "Biography of Eminent Monks of the Song Dynasty" include Kumarajiva, Tamoliuzhi, and Nahuduo from the Western Regions, and the middle monks Sengzhao, Daosheng, and Dao Rong, Sengrui, Huiguan, Tan (Seng)ying, Shandao and so on. In addition, there are countless monks who never set foot in Zhongnan during their lifetimes but ended up resting here after their deaths.
Fifth, it is famous both at home and abroad. Zhongnan Mountain’s role and contribution in the history of Chinese Buddhism are greater than those of other famous mountains. Zhongnan Mountain is not only a famous mountain in Chinese Buddhism, but also closely related to Korean and Japanese Buddhism. The above-mentioned Buddhist sects in Zhongnan Mountain not only spread and developed in China, but also spread to Japan, North Korea, South Korea and some countries in South Asia.
Sixth, Buddhist culture is rich and colorful, and the ancient stone carvings, sculptures, calligraphy, paintings, and architecture in its temples are famous for a long time.