Introduction to Jinan Lingyan Temple’s scenic spots

Pizhi Pagoda

It was built in the fifth year of Chunhua (994) of Song Dynasty and completed in the second year of Jiayou (1057). It took 63 years to complete. "Pageebuddha" comes from Buddhism, and is transliterated as "Pageeka Buddha", abbreviated as "Pageebuddha". The Pizhi Pagoda is an octagonal nine-story pavilion-style brick tower with a height of 55.7 meters. The base of the pagoda is an octagonal stone with reliefs engraved with stories about Ashoka's conversion to Buddhism in the Mauryan Dynasty of ancient India. The body of the tower is built of green bricks, with waist eaves on each floor. The lower three floors have double eaves, and the second to fourth floors have flat seats under the eaves. The tower eaves and tower diameter decrease layer by layer from bottom to top, and are divided appropriately. There are core pillars on the first to fourth floors of the tower, with a hole inside and steps that can be climbed up. It is built solid from the fifth floor onwards. To climb the tower, you must turn 90 degrees to the left along the outer eaves of the tower wall and enter the upper door opening. There is an iron pagoda brake on the body of the pagoda, which is composed of a bowl-covered dew plate, a phase wheel, a treasure cover, a round light, a Yangyue, and a treasure bead. Eight iron chains hang down from the treasure cover and are connected to the eight iron Vajras on the eaves of the ninth floor. , extending underground inside the tower, serving as lightning protection. The Pizhi Pagoda is majestic, beautiful in shape, complex in structure, and proportioned in a typical Song Dynasty style. It is the landmark building of Lingyan Temple. Zeng Gongyou, a writer in the Song Dynasty, praised in his poem that "the legal Buddhist temple faces the steep valley, and the pizhi pagoda has a canopy of mountains."

Thousand Buddha Hall

It is named after the many Buddha statues placed in the hall. This hall was first built during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty (627-649), and was rebuilt during the Jiayou years of the Song Dynasty and the Jiajing and Wanli years of the Ming Dynasty. The existing wooden structure is from the Ming Dynasty. The Thousand Buddha Hall is built on a tall platform near the mountain. It is seven rooms wide and four rooms deep. The top of the hall has a single eaves, with gentle folds and far-reaching eaves. Under the eaves, there are sparse and grand brackets, the wooden edges are gorgeously painted, and the corners of the eaves are long and towering, as if they are about to spread their wings and want to fly. There are eight stone pillars under the front eaves. The bases of the pillars are carved with patterns such as dragons, phoenixes, flowers, leaves, water ripples, lotus petals, and precious lotuses. The exquisite carvings highlight the style of the Tang and Song Dynasties.

In the middle of the hall, there is a "Three-Body Buddha" whose body is covered with gold. In the middle is "Dharmakaya", which refers to the Buddha's innate Dharma embodied in himself. It is called Vairochana Buddha. It is made of rattan and lacquered. It was transported from Qiantang to Lingyan in the second year of Song Zhiping (1065). On the east side is the "Sambhogakaya", named Lushena Buddha. It was cast with 2,500 kilograms of copper in the 13th year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty (1477). The west is "Ying Shen", named Sakyamuni Buddha, also made of copper, cast in the 23rd year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1544). There is a snail-shaped bun on the top of the head of the Buddha statue, with a graceful posture, high brow bones and solemn eyes. The three Buddha statues all sit in the lotus position, with dignified appearance, smooth clothing patterns, and simple costumes, which are highly artistically appealing.

The Thousand Buddha Hall is most praised by tourists and experts for its forty colored clay sculptures of Arhats. Thirty-two of them were sculpted in the third year of Song Zhiping (1066), and eight were re-sculpted in 1066. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1573-1620). These statues are all sitting on brick corsets 80 centimeters high. The height of the top of the Arhat statues from the seat surface is between 105 and 110 centimeters. When ancient artists created these Arhat statues, they broke the traditional Buddhist statue model and focused on realism, with a strong secular flavor and real life interest. They used shapes to describe gods, gods' expressions, and emotions to express their hearts, focusing on embodying each statue's unique characteristics. The personality and characteristics of Arhat focus on portraying the inner world of Arhat, making it real, vivid and closer to life. Observe their shapes, whether they are standing in a respectful position, holding a cane, folding their palms, or sitting on their backs, speaking with their fingers, or listening carefully, they are all accurate and vivid. Looking at their expressions, some are brave and sullen, some are kind and mature, some argue with reason, some have their eyes closed and meditate, some are smiling, some bow their heads and whisper, some are looking far away, all are meticulous. Looking at their temperaments, some are graceful and graceful, some are poor and impoverished, and some are graceful and luxurious. All of them are vivid and lifelike, ready to be moved. In addition, the relationship between the human body and clothing is also handled very appropriately. The curvature, solidity and ups and downs of the lines, the changes in pleats at the moment of movement, and the texture of the fabric are all expressed accurately and vividly, with a strong sense of rhythm. A person in the medical field said that through the Arhat's cassock, one can see the ancients' accurate grasp of human anatomy. In addition, during maintenance in 1982, it was also discovered that these painted Arhats also have an abdominal cavity like the human body, with internal organs made of silk. In addition, there are five baht coins, Kaiyuan Tongbao, copper coins from the first three dynasties of the Song Dynasty, bronze mirrors and ink books from the Song Dynasty. Inscriptions and other cultural relics. In 1912, Liang Qichao, a scholar from the late Qing Dynasty, visited here and praised the clay sculpture of Arhat in the Thousand Buddha Hall as "the first famous sculpture in the country" and wrote a tablet in his own hand. In 1987, He Jingzhi came to Lingyan to visit the Thousand Buddhas Hall and wrote a poem: "It is better to express the gods than to truly paint the gods. The pen of the gods is to write about people. The forty Arhat statues in Lingyan are all evocative and can be talked about." After the art master Liu Haisu came to Lingyan to visit, he wrote a compliment with a pen, "Lingyan clay sculptures are the best in the world, full of flesh and blood, and vivid".

Tomb Tower Forest

The cemetery of the eminent monks of Lingyan Temple. There are 167 stone tomb towers and 81 epitaphs and stone tablets from the Northern Wei, Tang, Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties in the pagoda forest. Tomb towers generally consist of a tower base, a tower body, and a tower brake. The tower base is square, round, or octagonal, with reliefs and plutonium. The pagoda is tall and has the name and year of the monk engraved on it. The pagoda has patterns such as a phase wheel, a raspberry, a rising moon, orbs, flowers, and dragon pictures. There are usually tombstones next to the tomb towers, recording the experiences of eminent monks. They bear witness to the historical evolution of Lingyan Temple and are precious historical materials for studying the development history of Buddhism.

The middle part of the tomb pagoda forest is a north-south corridor. At the north end is a masonry structure, single-story double eaves style Northern Wei Patriarch Pagoda (legal tomb tower). On both sides of the corridor are a group of all-stone structure towers. The body shape system is divided into six types: obelisk-shaped tower, bell-shaped tower, drum-shaped tower, Chuandupo tower (Lama tower), sutra-shaped tower and pavilion-shaped tower.

The Tomb Tower Forest is a museum of ancient stone carving art with rich accumulation. The tomb towers have different shapes, delicate structures, and reasonable layouts; the carvings are rich in content, with diverse techniques, and are exquisite. For example, the waist is girded on a tower base, carved with various artistic images, including a load-bearing strongman. Under heavy pressure, his mouth is wide open, his face is distorted, his limbs and back are bent, and his muscles are protruding, giving people an exaggerated sense of strength and load-bearing. Difficulties; some carvings depict scenes of knights astride lions, playing polo with hockey sticks in hand; some carvings depict lion cubs playing and playing, naive enough to be bowed; and some carvings depict entertainment scenes with elegant clothing belts and long silk dancing, etc. , one relief after another, all showing the wisdom and superb carving skills of the ancient working people.

Zhuoxi Spring, Baihe Spring and Shuanghe Spring

Located under the cliff on the east side of Thousand Buddha Hall, the three springs are adjacent to each other and are commonly known as "five steps and three springs". The spring water emerges from the stone stream. The spring water is sweet and inexhaustible all year round. It pours into a stone pool, just like a bright mirror. This is where the "Spring Dawn in the Mirror Pool" comes from. Zhuoxiquan, also known as Xizhangquan, is named after the official Zen master struck the rocks with a tin rod, and the water flew out with the tin rod. White Crane Spring is also called Shuanghe Spring. It is said that when the Zen Master was looking for water, he was pointed out by a woodcutter in the mountain and saw the spring at the place where the two cranes were singing, hence the name. Zhuoxi Spring is one of the 72 famous springs in Jinan.

Ganlu Spring

Located in the northeast corner of the temple, it is known as "the first spring in Lingyan". There is a stone sinus on a cliff with thick trees. The spring water leaks out like dewdrops, making a tinkling sound. It is clear and sweet, so it is called "Ganlu Spring". Monks often draw water to make tea here for cooking. At night, they often preach and discuss sutras here. The "cool realm" is one of the eight scenic spots in Lingyan.

Kasaya Spring

It is located under the cliff on the east side of the Zhuanlunzang ruins and is listed in the Golden "Famous Spring Monument". It is named after a cast iron block that looks like a cassock standing next to the spring. The spring source is strong and the spring water is continuous all year round. It is the main drinking water of the temple. The place has steep cliffs, cassocks accompanied by springs, fish swimming in the pond, and winding corridors surrounding it, making it uniquely interesting. Kasaya Spring is one of the 72 famous springs in Jinan.

Tanbao Spring

It is located a few miles southwest of the temple. It is named after the thousand-year-old green sandalwood tree growing beside the spring. It is surrounded by mountains to the south and villages to the north. It is moistened by sandalwood springs, and the springs are named because of sandalwood. The spring water flows unceasingly all year round and is the main water source for the production and life of Lingyan villagers. Tanbao Spring is one of the 72 famous springs in Jinan.

Feiquan

It is located in the south of Chongxing Bridge in Lingyan Temple. It is named because the spring water leaks from the cracks in the cliff. Because the spring water slides down the wall and the rocks are moistened with water drops, the cliff here is also called "Drip Water Cliff". Because every time the rays of light came, the water droplets shone brightly. Emperor Qianlong named it "Yuhua Rock" and wrote the poem "I haven't seen the flying goddesses scattered, but when they fall on the rock, the ceiling is full of flowers." Due to its magnificent scenery, it was listed as one of the eight scenic spots in Lingyan in ancient times.

The Lingyan Temple Scenic Area contains orifices in the rocks, secrets hidden underground, and numerous springs and waterfalls. In addition to Zhuoxi Spring, Kasaya Spring and Tanbao Spring being listed among the 72 famous springs in Jinan, Shuanghe Spring, Baihe Spring, Ganlu Spring, Yinhu Spring, Shangfang Spring, Feiquan, Huanglong Spring and Langgong Spring are also listed in Jinan Among the famous springs.