Xinghua Temple in Yunlong Mountain is a cultural tourist attraction.
Xinghua Temple is a famous ancient temple in northern Jiangsu. It is located at the eastern foot of Yunlong Mountain in Xuzhou with pleasant scenery. The temple was built with a large stone Buddha in the Northern Wei Dynasty. The lamp has been burning for thousands of years and has lasted for a long time. It is now the largest forest in northern Jiangsu.
Yunlong Mountain is one of the fifty famous mountains in China, located three miles south of Xuzhou City. The mountain has nine sections, winding like a dragon for several miles. Su Dongpo, a scholar of the Song Dynasty, once described Yunlong Mountain in the "Stele Notes of Fanghe Pavilion": "At the turn of spring and autumn, the grass and trees are bounded by the sky, and the snow and moon in autumn and winter are all the same color."
Yunlong Mountain is also known as Yunlong Mountain. Shifo Mountain. Stone Buddha refers to the stone Buddha statue on the top of the mountain, that is, the big stone Buddha of the Northern Wei Dynasty. "The body is more than three feet high, and the small Buddha statues guarding him on the left and right are all made of stone."
About the Yunlong Mountain Stone Buddha. According to the "State Chronicles": "In the first year of Zhengping (AD 451), Tuoba Tao of the Northern Wei Dynasty led an army of 300,000 soldiers southward to invade the Song Dynasty. He stationed himself in the Yunlong Mountain and Ximatai areas and attacked Pengcheng for more than three months. His soldiers were free to use their troops to attack Pengcheng. The weapon was carved against the cliff. At that time, it only carved a Buddha head with big ears and a solemn appearance. People called it "Buddha Head Rock".
In the third year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1664), Zhizhou Wang Chengcheng carved two more stone Buddhas. The arms reach the chest, forming a bust of Amitabha. The statue is more than three feet and six feet high. There are nearly a thousand small stone Buddhas on the left and right and cliff stone carvings about Buddhist stories. They were all made in the Tang Dynasty and have a history of 1,500 years.
According to the Xinghua Temple inscription, there was a temple here during the Song and Liang Dynasties, but it later fell into disrepair and collapsed. In the Wuyin year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1398 AD), the eminent monk Sheng Jiyuan Mountain built a temple and built a main hall covered with stone Buddhas. In the late Xuande year of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1426), the main hall was burned by fire. The hall was incomplete except for the stone Buddha.
In the seventh year of Xuande in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1432), the abbot Wen'an expanded the hall to five rooms. The hall was built according to the cliff and along the mountain. The front wall is more than three feet high, while the back wall is only made of three bricks. It is about a foot tall; the overall design is unique, the architecture is ingenious, and it embodies the essence of classical architecture. Therefore, it is known as "the three-brick hall covering the three-foot-long Buddha" and has been praised by celebrities in the past dynasties.
Ding Weichun, the Chenghua Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1487), the eunuch Gao Gongying and others visited Xinghua Temple and saw that the temple was in ruins. They were very sorry to see it. Later, it was proposed by Gao Gongying and supported by all parties to resume the reform. The main hall is illuminated by the rosy glow, suddenly returning to its old look.
After Wen'an passed away, the Shifo Temple once again appeared in ruins. In the 23rd year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1606), Zen Master Miyun Wuzu of Tiantong Temple in Ningbo went to Wutai and visited the scenic spots in Yandu. He passed through Pengcheng and saw the neglect of the Shifo Temple. He decided to repair it and sent Fasun Gu'an to Pengcheng to beg for alms. Zhai Tian was purchased, Xinghua Zen Temple was renovated, and incense lamps were re-lit. Later, the eleven generation abbots of Tianchi, Kuizhang, Yuetian, Shezhu, Taiguang, Dengzhou, Shantang, Miaoyuan, Renshan, and Xiaozhou were used to burn incense lamps. continued into the early sixties.
In 1966, the "Cultural Revolution" began. Xinghua Zen Temple, which had gone through vicissitudes and had been lit for thousands of years, had its scriptures burned, its ritual objects robbed, the big stone Buddha smashed, and nearly a thousand small stone Buddhas on both sides were destroyed. As a result, the old monk Xiaozhou was condemned to death, and the temple was managed and used by the gardening department.
On January 20, 1986, the Xuzhou Buddhist Association Preparatory Committee took over Xinghua Temple again. With the efforts of the old monk Yangxi, Master Longqi, and Master Guoguang, the Dharma body was reshaped, additional ritual objects were installed, incense was burned and lamps were burned, and Xinghua Zen Temple was revived.
In September 1998, Master Guoguang was promoted to the 13th abbot of Xinghua Zen Temple. In order to revive his ancestral business, he proposed the overall planning and reconstruction and expansion ideas for Xinghua Zen Temple. In August 2001, the Xuzhou Municipal Development and Planning Commission approved the project; in December 2002, the foundation stone for the reconstruction and expansion project of Xinghua Zen Temple was laid, and the construction of the mountain gate, Tianwang Hall, overpass, Jade Buddha Hall, and thirteen-story pagoda officially started.
Enter from the west gate and visit Xinghua Temple. There is a moon-shaped mountain gate. There are eight characters "Xinghua Zen Temple" and "Yunlong Ancient Temple" inscribed in marble inside and outside the mountain gate. There is a stele corridor in the north of Xishan Gate, which was built in the late Qing Dynasty. The walls of the corridor are covered with steles, totaling more than 30 square meters. Among them, the stele of the "Preface to the Holy Religion" written by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty for Master Xuanzang is a treasure.
Besides the two gables of the main hall, on each side, is the second floor of bells and drums, both of which were built during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty (1420-1435 AD). To the north is the bell tower, which first hung a bronze bell but was smashed during the Cultural Revolution. The iron bell hanging today is from the third year of Xuande in the Ming Dynasty (1428 AD). It weighs about three tons and is one of the existing ancient cultural relics of Xinghua Temple; in the south It was the Drum Tower. The big drum that was built was also destroyed during the "Cultural Revolution". Now a new drum has been built. The monks go to the temple every day to do their homework and the bells and drums are ringing. Sanskrit chants Buddhist songs, which is intoxicating.
To the east of the second floor of the bell and drum are the North and South Arhat Halls.
It was originally built by the eminent monk Wen'an and his disciples during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty to worship the Eighteen Arhats. During the "Cultural Revolution", it was burned down and later rebuilt. Today, the North Arhat Hall enshrines the statues of the Three Saints of the West; the South Arhat Hall has been converted into a place for the circulation of dharma relics, and the eighteen Arhats are now enshrined in the Mahavira Hall.
In the first year of Zhengtong in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1436), monk Wen'an built three Maitreya halls in front of the main hall to form a temple courtyard. According to the ruined stele of Xinghua Temple, there are the words "On October 1, the Bingchen year of Kangxi, the Sanhan ancestor civilization rebuilt the Maitreya Hall." It is known that this hall was once repaired. According to the "Stele Record of Rebuilding the Front Room of the Great Buddha Temple": During the Tongzhi Period of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1862-1874), the temple was destroyed by war, fire, wind and rain, and the statue fell down. In the seventh year of Tongzhi (1869 AD), Sun Wenli of Zhongying Youfu in Xuzhou Town donated his money to help and rebuilt it. Later, after experiencing wars and turmoil, the Maitreya Hall no longer exists.
The Guan Holy Temple (i.e. Jialan Hall) was once built at the north end of the Maitreya Hall. According to the inscription on the Xinghua Temple: "It was rebuilt from the Furong Pavilion. It has been around for a long time. From the Jin Dynasty to the present day, the eaves It was decadent and the buildings were in disrepair. The people were relieved that they wanted to change the old into the new and built it lavishly. So in Xinchou, Shunzhi (1661 AD), it was rebuilt by the presiding monk Haiji and his disciples. It no longer exists.
At the north end of Jialan Hall is the Pavilion of White-robed Masters. There is a stone record in the "Records of the Construction of White-robed Masters Pavilion in Yunlong Mountain" during the Wanli Period (1573-1620 AD): the presiding monk Xinggui built it into three rooms at that time. "Now there is nothing left.
During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the Yongning Library, known as the "Yantong Baojing Transformation Center", was built at the right end of the Xinghua Zen Temple. According to records, there are two buildings in the north and south. Before the "Cultural Revolution", the left end was destroyed, and the right end was demolished when the Tianwang Palace was built. According to the "Records of the Construction of the Yongning Treasury" in the "Records of the Construction of the Yongning Treasury" in the fourth month of Renshu, Kangxi: famous mountains and temples in the past dynasties have enshrined Buddhist statues, all of which are dedicated to the foundation of sandalwood blessings. install. "Obviously, the incense was very prosperous at that time, and the monks built the Yongning Library to protect themselves from the fires during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty.
The location of the ancient Maitreya Hall and Yongning Library has now been replaced by the majestic In 1985, the great monk Yangxi lived in Xixinghua Temple and discovered that the big stone Buddha enshrined in the Great Buddha Hall was not Sakyamuni Buddha, but Amitabha Buddha, the leader of the Western Paradise. Therefore, he vowed to rebuild the Mahavira Hall to enshrine his master, Sakyamuni. The construction of the Mahavira Hall started in June 1993. During the construction process, it was discovered that there were statues of Buddhist figures such as Sakyamuni, Bodhisattvas, heavenly kings, powerful men, Feitian, eminent monks, and donors carved on the stone cliff 10 meters underground. The statues were carved from the cliff, layered up and down, and arranged in groups. The carvings have smooth lines, rich figures, and are elegant and artistically charming. Archaeologists later confirmed that the stone carvings were made in 1995. The provincial government has designated it as a provincial protected cultural relic; Mr. Zhao Puchu, former vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of the Buddhist Association of China, wrote the eight characters "Tang and Song Dynasty Cliff Stone Statues" on the stone carving, which is now inlaid on the door of the cliff stone statue protection room. .
There is a stone tablet on the north side of the door of the cliff carvings of the Tang and Song Dynasties, which reads "Namo Amitabha" in six characters. It was written in Bingshen, Wanli of the Ming Dynasty (1596 AD). The stone was erected on the eighth day of April, the auspicious day of the Buddha's birthday. Eight meters in front of the cliff stone statue in the Tang and Song Dynasties is the former site of the Tianwang Hall. There are stone steps to the south of the old site. Along the stone steps, there are four characters "River and Mountain Belt", which are vigorous and powerful. It was written by Zhou Tao in the eighth month of the Lunar Calendar during the reign of Emperor Daoguang. He described the distant scenery of climbing Yunlong Mountain as "the Yellow River is like a belt, and Mount Tai is like a stone". What comes into view are the overpass, Tianwang Hall and the mountain gate of Xinghua Temple.
Xinghua Temple also has a south courtyard where the abbot and monks stay for meditation. Entering the third courtyard, there are still 42 rooms, which are divided into the Buddhist scripture building, the ancestral hall, the Dharma hall, the abbot's room, the board hall, the tea room, the dining hall, the storehouse and the monk's dormitory.
The beginning of the Zen Yuan. It was built during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty and was funded by eminent monk Wen An and his followers. The design is exquisite, elegant and unique. It has been repaired by monks in the past generations, and it still maintains its rich style and winding corridors, with a "deer garden" embedded in the aisle door. , "Guangming", "Langzhao" and "Jiufeng" are written with strong force, free and easy, giving people a sense of elegance and comfort.
In front of the Buddhist temple, there is a red lacquered pillar with a famous couplet on it. "Sitting on a broken futon, looking into the Zen pond and reflecting the moon, taking up the tin staff to wash away the lotus flowers in the sea of ??desire." The couplet depicts the wonderful scene where the monks practice devoutly and gain wisdom.
There is a wonderful place in the west of the Zen courtyard. The small scene of "Don't have a cave" consists of a "bamboo forest", a "cave", a "small house", a "garden" and a "pool".
It is a place where monks take a walk after meditating. On the stone wall at the north end of the "Bamboo Forest", there is an inscription of "Dongtian" written by Yang Sizhi of Pengcheng during the Jixia period of the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1753); there is also the word "Dongtian" written by Yu Gengshen (AD 1980) by the famous Chinese calligrapher Li Yimeng, embedded in it. On the bamboo forest aisle. On the east cliff of "Dongtian" there is Yang Sizhi of the Qing Dynasty who wrote a poem for Master Dezhen during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty: "Dongtian was originally the old congenital sky, and here it is the true immortal. Where is the opportunity for heaven to create Zen?" Looking for flowers, the fragrance of birds is endless." This also illustrates the unique charm of the small scene in the cave.
In front of the bamboo forest is the "Dongtian Xiaolu". During the "Cultural Revolution", Xuzhou Municipal Party Committee Secretary Wang Bingshi took refuge here. It is now the seat of the Xuzhou Buddhist Association.
Since the establishment of the temple, Xinghua Zen Temple has been renovated several times and has now formed a six-entry courtyard, including the Main Hall, the Great Buddha Hall, the Heavenly King Hall, the Mountain Gate, the Three Holy Temples, the Sutra Library, the Ancestral Hall, and the Dharma Hall. , abbot's room, guest hall, dining hall, warehouse and monk's residence, etc. Since entering the new century, under the leadership of the abbot Master Guoguang, the monks of Xinghua Zen Temple have united together, held high the banner of patriotism and love of religion, implemented the purpose of "Humanistic Buddhism", and continuously strengthened the construction of the temple. At present, Xinghua Zen Temple has a completely new look, with winding paths and corridors, lush flowers and trees; every step of the way, it is elegant and pure; with bells in the morning and drums in the evening, incense is flourishing; it has not only been designated as a key Buddhist temple in Jiangsu Province, but has also been rated as one of the "Five Best" in Xuzhou City many times. "A place for religious activities.
Address: Yunlong Mountain, Heping Road, Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province