Where is Dengfeng Yongtai Temple located?

Dengfeng Yongtai Temple is a cultural tourist attraction.

Yongtai Temple is located at the western foot of Taishi Mountain, about 11 kilometers northwest of Dengfeng City, Henan Province. It faces east to west, facing Shaolin Temple, with the majestic Wangdu Peak at its back (because standing on the top of the peak can It was named after overlooking Luoyang, the ancient capital of the Nine Dynasties), to the north is the beautiful Zijin Peak (named because Prince Jin of Zhou Ling lived here to practice Taoism), to the south is Shaoshi Mountain with its cliffs and ravines, and the rippling blue Shaolin Reservoir. . It is surrounded by mountains, with verdant peaks, lush forests, lingering streams, dotted with pagodas, and a tranquil scenery. The Dengyan Tourist Highway in front of the temple is 1 km southbound and connected to National Highway 207, with convenient transportation. Yongtai Temple is the first temple for female monks built after Zen Buddhism was introduced to the Central Plains. It is also the oldest Buddhist temple for nuns in my country. It is one of the first batch of provincial key cultural relics protection units in Henan Province.

Yongtai Temple was built in the Northern Wei Dynasty and was originally named Minglian Temple. It was renamed Yongtai Temple in the Tang Dynasty and Yongchan Temple in the Jin Dynasty. After the Yuan Dynasty, it was renamed Yongtai Temple and changed its name to Yongtai Zen Temple. Some people also call Yongtai Temple Yongtai'an or Yongtaiyuan. So, how did the name Yongtai Temple evolve? What is the difference between a temple, an nunnery and a courtyard?

In the second year of Zhengguang in the Northern Wei Dynasty (521), Princess Yongtai, the daughter of Emperor Xuanwu of the Yuan Dynasty, was born. Zhongyue Songshan "comes out of the desire to enter the Tao and become a nun". In the history, Emperor Xiaoming and Yuanxu ordered the construction of a nun temple next to the Minglian Pagoda at the foot of Zijin Peak, where his sister Princess Yongtai served the Buddha and taught the Dharma. He also welcomed more than a hundred women from officials and ordinary people to become nuns. Because the temple was built next to the pagoda of Princess Youlian, the daughter of Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties and one of the four disciples of Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism in China, it was named Minglian Temple.

The name Yongtai Temple first appeared on July 25, the second year of Shenlong (706), the second year of Li Xian, Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty. Wei Nashengdaoying, the governor of Songyue Temple, reported to the court that the Lian Temple was "close to mountains and surrounded by water. The shape is superior to the secluded dwelling, and it is worthy of living without doing too much work." After the renovation was completed, because "Tian En was the former Princess Yongtai, a temple was built in Jialan. Please name it Yongtai, and I hope to save 27 monks." Since then, Minglian Temple has been renamed Yongtai Temple from its establishment. ***It took 185 years.

In the Jin Dynasty, Yongtai Temple was renamed Yongchan Temple, which was a manifestation of the temple monks' claim to be the true lineage of Zen Buddhism. Since the Northern Song Dynasty, people were deeply influenced by Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism and the social atmosphere of "men are superior to women" gradually formed. Among Buddhist monks, there is also a saying that female monks are "second monks" (which means inferior). This is the evil result of gender discrimination. The nuns of Yongtai Temple changed the name of the temple to Yongchan Temple as a way to fight against this bias. After the famous monk Jun'an of Yongtai Temple in the Jin Dynasty passed away, his disciples built a pagoda for him. The inscription on the pagoda is titled "The Pagoda of the Master of Jun'an of Yongtai Temple in Songshan".

After the Yuan and Ming dynasties, Yongchan Temple was renamed Yongtai Temple. During this period, the lineage of nuns and monks in Yongtai Temple was mostly ranked according to the order of the "70-character generation" in Shaolin Temple starting from Fuyu in the early Yuan Dynasty. Therefore, at this time, some nuns in Yongtai Temple claimed that Yongtai Temple was the lower courtyard of Shaolin Temple, and called Yongtai Temple Yongtai Yuan or Yongtai Nunnery. After the nun passed away, he was also buried and built a pagoda in the Shaolin Temple Pagoda Forest. For example, in the fourth year of the Yuan Dynasty (1344), after the death of Lord Yuan Gong of Yongtai Yuan, a pagoda was built in the pagoda forest of Shaolin Temple. The inscription on the pagoda was engraved with the words "the tower of Lord Yuan Gong of Yongtai Yuan". The tomb tower still exists today.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the names Yongtaiyuan or Yongtai'an no longer appeared on tablets or tomb pagodas. They are all still named Yongtai Temple or Yongtai Zen Temple to this day.

Folklore says that Buddhist monks "male monks live in temples and female monks live in nunneries." Affected by this, local people often call Yongtai Temple Yongtai Temple. In fact, it is wrong to say that "male monks live in temples and female monks live in nunneries." So what is the difference between them?

Temple and nunnery are both places where Buddhist monks teach and live. Historically, both male and female monks could live in temples and nunneries, and there were no strict boundaries. The so-called "nunnery" literally means a small temple where monks live. But in ancient times, it was a humble way for monks to describe the place where they lived. That is to say, no matter how luxurious or simple the house where the monk lived was called Mao'an or Hua'an to outsiders. Over time, the nunnery formed a fixed name. For example, the First Ancestral Temple, the Second Ancestor Temple, the Third Ancestor Temple, Guanghui Temple, etc. in the Songshan area were historically inhabited by male monks. Therefore, there is no fundamental saying that "male monks live in temples and female monks live in nunneries". It is just a common name among the people.

As for the title of female monks, it is commonly said that female monks are nuns. Huajiao calls female monks who have become monks bhikshunis; they call female disciples who believe in the Buddha but have not become monks and have Dharma names as Youyi. "The Monument of Yongtai Temple in Zhongyue of the Tang Dynasty" says that Princess Yongtai "left the secular world and became a nun", and said that Yongtai Temple is a "nunnery temple".

This shows that Yongtai Temple was already a relatively famous nun temple in the Tang Dynasty.

In history, Yongtai Temple has two princesses, Minglian and Yongtai, who became monks here. Its high standards are second to none in the history of Chinese Buddhism. In feudal society, it was not uncommon for members of the royal family to become monks and serve the Buddha. For example, there were 10 queens in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, all of whom believed in Buddhism. There are 6 secular nuns among them, including Empress Li Ezi of Emperor Wu Yuwenyong, Empress Zhu Manyue of Emperor Xuan Yuwen, the biological mother of Emperor Jing Yuwenyan, and Empress Chen Yueyi, Empress Yuanleshang, and Empress Yuchi Chifan of Emperor Xuan, also became nuns one after another. . Because the two princesses Minglian and Yongtai are "royal children" who are above ten thousand people, they do not need to humbly call the temple where they grew up as Cao'an Mao'an in front of others. Yongtai Temple has a history of more than 1,480 years since it was first built. It calls itself a "temple" and the monks who have lived here for generations are all bhikkhunis. This is clearly written in the historical documents about Yongtai Temple.

Every visitor who visits Yongtai Temple in Songshan Mountain must ask this question: Why did Princess Yongtai give up her palace life and become a nun?

The author synthesized the historical data about Yongtai, There are three main reasons for analysis: one is that in order to avoid the intrigues and intrigues within the court, he chose to become a nun to protect himself. According to the "Book of Wei: Chronicles of Emperor Ming": "Emperor Ming came to the throne in the first month of the fourth year of Yanchang (515). In February, he honored Gao as the empress dowager, and in the same month he honored Hu Chonghua as the empress dowager. In March, the empress dowager left the secular world. As a nun, she only served as emperor of Jintang. "I wonder if Princess Yongtai was born to the Queen Mother?" In August, the Crown Princess became the Queen Mother. As she was getting older, she stayed in the other palace. "Wang Chang of the Qing Dynasty said in "Jin Shi Cui Bian": "Princess Yongtai became a nun, but there is no historical record. The Empress Dowager's departure from secular life and Princess Yongtai's becoming a nun were both unsatisfactory with her government." According to this, the local people interpreted that Princess Yongtai's mother, the Empress of the West Palace, framed the Empress of the East Palace. Princess Yongtai could not stand her mother's sycophantic behavior, but there was nothing she could do about it. , a folk tale about resolutely becoming a monk.

The second is that Buddhism was prevalent during the Northern Wei Dynasty. Princess Yongtai was deeply influenced by Buddhist teachings and voluntarily became a nun. In December of the 35th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1607), Fei Bixing wrote "Rebuilding Songshan" "The Stele of Yongtai Temple" records: "Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty heard that Apan, a woman from Luoyang, and others became a monk, which was the beginning of female monks in China." Princess Yongtai imitated the ancients and "came out as a nun" in the second year of Xiaguang (521).

Thirdly, Princess Yongtai was ordered to become a monk. Princess Yongtai's father, Emperor Xuanwu, Yuan Ke, and her brother, Emperor Xiaoming, Yuan Xu, both had palaces in Songshan. They often traveled from Luoyang, Kyoto, to Songshan for recreation. Princess Yongtai accompanied her father and Shi to Mount Song many times. She was attracted by the beautiful environment and peaceful monastic life of Mount Song, and requested to become a monk in Mount Song many times. In order to satisfy her sister's request, Emperor Xiaoming Yuanxu issued a special edict to build a Ming Lian for her sister. The temple also houses concubines and other concubines. Therefore, there is a popular rumor among the people that after Princess Yongtai became a monk, she was served by maids day and night, and her living expenses were completely provided by the court. Even the powder and rouge used by the princess were sent by the court. Princess Yongfeng also often donated her endless money and food to the people around her. Therefore, the majority of monks and laypeople in the Songshan area respect and love Princess Tai very much.

Yongtai Temple became famous because Princess Yongtai became a monk. The "Inscription on the Reconstruction of Yongtai Temple in Songshan Mountain" written by Fei Bixing in the Ming Dynasty stated that "Princess Yongtai became a nun after Bodhidharma faced the wall and obtained the Dharma with a broken arm under the divine light." The three major events in Zen Buddhism can be compared with "Five leaves are blooming and thousands of flowers compete." The beauty is in harmony with the trees of three flowers and the crops of five rivers." Therefore, many famous scholars in the past dynasties came here to explore the ancient times.

Address: The western foot of Taishi Mountain, about 11 kilometers northwest of Dengfeng City, Zhengzhou City

Type: Temple

Tour time: 1-2 days recommended Hours

Tel: 0371-62749087;0371-62748757

Opening hours:

8:00-17:00