Wenshu Monastery is located in the northwest corner of Chengdu. In 1983, it was designated by the State Council as a national key Buddhist temple in the Han area. Wenshu Monastery has a long history. It is said that during the Sui Dynasty, the beloved concubine of Shu King Yang Xiu, the son of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, was built by Xinxiang, a "holy nun" at that time, so it was called Xinxiang Temple. During the Five Dynasties, it was renamed Miaoyuantayuan. In the Song Dynasty, it was still called Xinxiang Temple. According to the "Chengdu County Chronicle", in the late Ming Dynasty, Xinxiang Temple was destroyed by war. All the buildings were burned, but only 10 iron statues of ring-protecting gods and two thousand-year-old fir trees survived. In the 20th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1681), Zen Master Cidu came to a deserted ancient temple, formed a bandit between two fir trees, and practiced asceticism. Within a few years, he traveled far and wide and became famous. Legend has it that when Zen Master Cidu passed away and was cremated, the red firelight condensed into a statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva in the air and remained there for a long time. The citizens believed that Cidu was the incarnation of Manjushri Bodhisattva, and from then on they changed the name of Xiang Temple to Wenshu Monastery.
From the thirty-sixth year of Kangxi to the forty-fifth year of Kangxi (1697; 1706), officials, gentry, soldiers and people donated money to rebuild the temple. During the Jiaqing and Daoguang years, Master Benyuan, the abbot of Wenshu Monastery, purchased another 82 pieces. Stone pillars, the main hall was renovated and expanded, forming the current scale. These 82 stone pillars have become a scene in the courtyard today.
In modern times, the incense of Wenshu Monastery flourished. Successive abbots have opened altars here to preach ordination, and also set up Buddhist learning gardens and training centers to cultivate monks and talents. During the Anti-Japanese War, eminent monks such as Foyuan, Taixu and Nenghai came here one after another to give lectures. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the People's Government allocated funds for many times to repair temples.
Wenshu Monastery is the most complete preserved Buddhist temple in Chengdu. There are more than 200 houses in the temple with a total construction area of ??11,600 square meters and more than 60 monks. It is now the seat of the Sichuan Buddhist Association.
As I approached the temple, I saw the ancient and thick walls surrounding the ancient temple. On the main entrance were inlaid the three characters "Wenshu Yuan", and on the wall were "Namo Amitabha", "Zhulan Land, Li Le" "Sentiment" and "World Peace, Human Happiness" contrast with each other, making Wenshu Monastery look very solemn and solemn. On the central axis of the temple, there are five-level palaces including the Tianwang Hall, Guanyin Hall, Mahavira Hall, Dharma Hall, and Buddhist Sutra Tower. The two verandas are equipped with bell and drum towers, Zen Hall, Guan Hall, Guest Hall, Zhai Hall, Ordination Hall, Buddha Chanting Hall and Each ministry building forms a closed four-in-one structure. The five major halls, together with the front and rear screen walls, are distributed on a 200-meter-long central axis. Each hall and pavilion is simple, grand and spacious, with cornices and horns. It is a typical Qing Dynasty building. Between the palaces, the priority is clear, well-proportioned, decent density, and the same size. There are gardens in the courtyards, courtyards in the gardens, and scenery in the courtyards. The environment is extremely quiet and elegant. It is adjacent to Wenshuyuan Street in the front and Wanfu Bridge in the back. It is known as "the temple is connected to the road, and the Zen room is far away from the hustle and bustle of the city".
Wenshu Monastery has a collection of cultural relics and many treasures. Take the Buddha statues enshrined as an example. There are more than 300 Buddha statues of various sizes enshrined in the temple. They are made of steel, cast from silk, wood carvings, stone carvings, and clay sculptures. They are very rich. In terms of age, there are unearthed stone carvings from the Liang Dynasty, iron-cast ring gods from the Tang and Song Dynasties, bronze statues from the Qing Dynasty, and the Burmese Jade Buddha. These statues have high cultural relic value and artistic value, and are of great value for our study. Ancient sculpture, casting and other crafts provide valuable information.
The statue of Wei Tuo, the protector, was sculpted in 1829 by Master Benyuan. The entire statue is made of sanded bronze. Wei Tuo stands majestic and dignified, with helmets, armors, boots and pestle chains, and relief flower decorations. , all carved with exquisite craftsmanship, it is a rare art treasure. There is also a statue of Guanyin, also cast in bronze in 1829. Avalokitesvara sits kindly and peacefully on a water beast. The image is vivid, and the tassels and clothes are detailed and smooth. The water animal he rides looks like a lion but not a lion, and looks like a dog but not a dog. It has a unique shape, is docile and cute. This statue reflects the higher level of sculpture and casting in the Qing Dynasty.
There is also a Burmese Jade Buddha, which was collected by monk Xinglin of Wenshu Monastery in 1922. He went through many hardships and walked to Burma to bring it back. It is also very precious.
In the Sutra Collection Building, there are tens of thousands of Buddhist scriptures collected, including the "Pharmacist" and "Diamond Sutra" given by Emperor Kangxi, which are very precious. The temple also houses treasures of calligraphy and painting since the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The most famous ones are the "Empty Forest" ink that Emperor Kangxi gave to Wenshu Monastery in 1702, and the banner "Hai Yue" written by Mi Fu, a calligrapher from the Song Dynasty, when Kangxi came to the temple. In this world, who can do it? There are great men in this world. They are neither turbid nor pure, nor lawful nor Zen. They are the common people in the world. I dream of the West Lake Heavenly Palace transforming into a city. , Seeing two days in Zhu, it is like a lifetime, with clouds covering the moon. Who can praise the portrait here, but Dongpozi? "Prince Guo's calligraphy was a gift from Prince Guo to Wenshu Monastery during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty. The banner read, "On the surface of the sun and the moon, foreigners and Chinese people appear. Sometimes they are released, sometimes they are cut off. The laws of the world and Buddhism are integrated into one. If you work hard to do one thing, you will be humble when you meet the nobles. If you don't do one thing, there will be flour in the wheat." There is another one. The couplet written by Yu Youren reads "The moon fills the Dharma Realm, and the cool pool of merit". In addition, there are also the Indian Bay Leaf Sutra, the parietal bone of the eminent monk Xuanzang in the Tang Dynasty, the Japanese gilded scripture slips in the Tang Dynasty, the cassocks of Thousand Buddhas, the embroidered Guanyin, Buddhist cultural relics such as Manjusri and Tongue Blood Containing Treasures. The Indian Bay Leaf Sutra is a Buddhist sutra brought back from India by monk Mingkuan in 1887. It is very precious. The Thousand Buddhas cassock was embroidered by the concubine of Emperor Cou Zhen of the Ming Dynasty. The embroidery is exquisite. It has a history of more than 300 years and is still well preserved. The Hair Embroidered Avalokitesvara is an image of the Water Moon Avalokitesvara embroidered with her own hair by the daughter of Yang Yuchun, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu during the Jiaqing and Daoguang years of the Qing Dynasty. The clothing pattern and hairline are all composed of scriptures. It is a rare piece of art. The yarn-picking Manjusri was made by Wu Zhennv, a female believer in the Qing Dynasty, using the yarn-picking method. From a distance, the misty water looks like a painting, and it is very beautiful.
The Diamond Sutra Pagoda was built in the eighth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1882). Years), Yang Guangbi copied the "Diamond Sutra" in small regular script with rope heads. All the scriptures form a pagoda, which looks like a picture from a distance and a sutra when seen up close. The treasure contained in tongue blood refers to the Huayan Sutra, Shurangama Sutra and Lotus Sutra written by three monks in the Qing Dynasty with tongue blood.
The Sutra Library also collects the ink dragons of the Song Dynasty, the calligraphy of Poshan and Zhangxue of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the paintings of Biyan and Bamboo Zen, as well as the calligraphers He Shaoji, Zheng Banqiao, Zhang Daqian, Feng Zikai and others. Calligraphy and painting works.
Wenshu Monastery has attracted a large number of Chinese and foreign visitors with its beautiful gardens, solemn halls and numerous cultural relics. Wenshu Monastery's original works are also well-known for their beauty. Guests from home and abroad rush to taste them, and the house is full of distinguished guests and friends.