Suining, Sichuan, the hometown of Guanyin

In folklore, the most famous one is Nanhai Guanyin. Her origin is very simple: According to legend, in the 12th year of Dazhong in the Tang Dynasty (858), the Japanese monk Hui E brought the Guanyin statue back to the sun from Mount Wutai. He ran into rocks on the way to Mount Putuo. The next few times he tried to travel, he was blocked by the wind, so he had to stay in Chaoyin Cave. He lowered the statue and built the "Don't Go to Guanyin Temple" to worship Guanyin. It later became the most popular Guanyin temple among the four Buddhist temples in China, and became a hotspot for international worship and international tourism.

Guanyin, a native of Suining, Sichuan, is in Guangde Temple, Suining, Sichuan. On page 351 of "Guangde Temple Chronicles", there is a clear record of this passage: According to legend, there was a country of robbery in the Western Regions long ago, and the king of robbery was called Solemnly, my wife’s name is Baoying. They lived a nomadic life and later moved south to settle in Suining, Liangzhou. King Jie has three daughters, named Miaoyu, Miaoshan and Miaoyin. This is the legendary "Guanyin Bodhisattva".

Most of the four great monasteries of Chinese Buddhism have legends about personal gods. For example, the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva monastery in Jiuhua Mountain, Anhui Province says that his original body was the body of monk Jin Qiaojue in the Tang Dynasty. Jin Qiaojue crossed the sea from Silla to China during the Kaiyuan period of Tang Dynasty and entered Jiuhua Mountain to practice. He died without illness in the tenth year of Zhenyuan (794) and was considered to be the reincarnation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. In the west side hall of Luohu Temple in Wutai Mountain, Shanxi Province, there is an evil statue of a cow robbing a woman, which is said to be the incarnation of Manjushri Bodhisattva. The Wannian Temple in Mount Emei was first built in the Jin Dynasty. The name Puxian Temple should be related to the legend of the temple monks. There are only no historical records to verify. However, in the Ming Dynasty, there were bronze seals of "Edict to Ashan" and "Puxian King's Treasure" to Wannian Temple. The Guanyin Dojo in Putuo Mountain in the South China Sea also has the legend of a personality god. It comes from Zen Master Keyou of Guangde Temple in Suining City, Sichuan, who was 100 years earlier than Hui E.

Guangde Temple in Suining was first built in the Han Dynasty and flourished in the Tang Dynasty. It was founded by Zen Master Keyou to teach. Keyou passed away in the third year of Zhenyuan of the Tang Dynasty (787). Zhao Siye, the governor of Anyue County in the Song Dynasty, wrote in the "Records of Zen Master Keyou" that the physical pagoda caused "five-color round lights to appear in the valley, and people thought that Guanyin was the incarnation." The Flesh Body Pagoda "was destroyed by Huichang, and the tower collapsed into a pool, and the white lotus was transformed... Between the valleys, the light surrounded... The statue of Guanyin seemed to be in it. Prime Minister Lang Yagong dug for traces of the spirit, and found the hooked collarbone like purple gold. These are all Guanyin. The great scholar transformed himself into a pagoda and built a temple beside it. The officials of Sichuan County, monks, Taoists and women, young and old, all worshiped him with all his heart. "It became the oldest Guanyin dojo in China.

Seng Yuanxing of the Qing Temple said in the existing "Jade Buddha from the West" stele in Guangde Temple: "This temple was built by imperial decree in the past dynasties as the dojo of Guanyin. It is worshiped by the four people and worshiped by the dragon and heaven for its merits. "Collection of Monks"

The more authoritative and historical evidence is that in the first month of the fourth year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1011) of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty, Guangde Temple was named "Guangli Zen Temple". , and a "Guanyin Jewelry Seal" was "given to Guangli Zen Temple", which is now in the temple. It was 600 years earlier than Mount Emei being awarded the bronze seal of Samantabhadra. People's pilgrimage to Guanyin is even more popular, forming a traditional festival of economic activities, cultural activities, and folk Buddhist activities in history. An article in the 2nd issue of "Guangde Chaoyin" in 1993 wrote: "Grandfather Cihai is the leader of the village's annual pilgrimage to Mount Emei... Although my mother Luo Yongming is an illiterate and rural woman... she most admires great kindness and compassion, and rescues people in need. She knows many legends about Guanyin Bodhisattva, such as: "The three sisters of Guanyin Bodhisattva eat together and practice separately. The eldest sister practices at Lingquan Temple, the second sister practices at Guangde Temple, and only the third sister practices far away." "To Mount Putuo in the South China Sea" (Note: This folk song is like a children's song, and a three-year-old child can sing it. There is also a saying at the end of the sentence: "Only the third sister can't practice, practice to the Mount Putuo in the South China Sea")... Suining Guanyin is "on the 19th day of the second lunar month" She was born on the 19th day of the sixth lunar month and attained enlightenment, and she ascended the lotus platform on the 19th day of the ninth lunar month. She knew these jingles by heart. Since Guanyin is not a foreign god, but a deity from a neighboring county only 40 kilometers away from her hometown of Tianfu Township, Pengxi County, then, to It is a great pleasure in life to go to the two famous mountains of Suining, Lingquan and Guangde, to worship Guanyin and see the true face of the Bodhisattva." “What I will never forget is that in the spring of 1940, my 32-year-old mother, after staying up all night spinning and weaving and saving up a meager amount of money for the pilgrimage, gathered a group of Buddhist grandmothers and took the 9-year-old me there. On the way to the mountains in Suining, she would not eat meat, because eating meat would inevitably kill animals, which was against Buddhist teachings; the conversation could not involve the relationship between men and women, because it was disrespectful to Guanyin. In order to defend herself against the attacks of evil forces, she secretly recited: 'Vajra' at all times. Sutra, go out and lead the way in front of the eight kings. If the evil demons and monsters come here, they will cut off the dust. There are Guanyin and the faithful men and women of Jingfuyuan in Santai County, forming a group of about 300 people. The procession carrying the banner of offering incense to the mountain and beating gongs and drums was very lively and spectacular. Buddhists from Xichong County and other places also gathered in groups and beat the gongs and drums with unique local characteristics: "Please be crazy, please be crazy, please be crazy, please be crazy." Please be crazy...'Since there are people who go to the mountains to offer incense, no gangsters come to make trouble."

This oral historical and cultural heritage has been passed down from generation to generation. Ming Xi wrote "Guangli". "Temple Records" says: "The Keyou Pagoda is behind the Guanyin Hall, and there is a statue of Guanyin in the hall, which is the image of Keyou." "His disciples, the Monk Hui Jingben... take charge of more than 300 mountains" (self-edited edition of "Guangde Temple Records" ). According to the "Historical Evolution of Guangde Temple" written by Interpretation View: "Since the Tang Dynasty, Guangde Temple has gone through several ups and downs for more than a thousand years. It has been enlarged and renovated by monks, and has become a good friend of its East Asian neighbors. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, cigarettes have been flourishing, and every year In spring, during the incense festival, people from all over the country, overseas Chinese and friendly countries come to worship Buddha and offer incense in an endless stream, with no less than 10,000 people attending the temple every day.

There is a saying in Suining County: "If the business is done during the February Incense Festival, it can last for a year even if the door is closed." ”

The contents of the incense fair are held. Business groups inside and outside the county all participate in the court meeting. There are bright dragons tied with light bulbs, colorful dragons tied with silk, and pavilions, known as "platforms" to decorate various performances. Young people wear Silk costumes, riding a tall horse, called "horse swing", and highly skilled stilt performances. At night, various lanterns and colorful dragons are gorgeous and brilliant. It is really "the sky is full of fire and silver flowers". Day and night, the thoroughfare streets are full of spectators. , directly in front of the temple. Sculpture exhibitions are sometimes held, and dragon lantern and lion lantern dance arts and martial arts competitions are also unprecedented.

A variety of folk music arts, including playing, playing, singing and playing. The competition in the Xianghui Festival is truly a cultural and economic activity with a long history. From the current point of view, it is in line with the definition of "myths, legends, rituals and customs" of "Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" announced by UNESCO in 1997; it is also in line with my country's recently proposed China Tourism Resource System It falls into the definition of "Abstract Humanistic Scenery Category" (including "Folklore Scenery Type", "Historical Tracing Scenery Type"...) of "Humanese Scenery Meeting"

Guanyin Lake. Located between the old town of Suining City and the new town of Hedong City, the lake covers an area of ??about 14,000 acres. It is said that it is named after the Guanyin Bodhisattva appeared here. It has abundant rainfall, pleasant climate, winding mountains, and clear lake water. , the scenery is beautiful, it is a good place for tourism, summer vacation and leisure, and it is a key scenic spot in Suining City. It has rich natural and cultural landscapes. The huge "Guanyin Lake" which is twice the size of the West Lake and several river islands show that there is water in the city. There is a city in the water, "the falling clouds and solitary swans fly together, the autumn water lasts for the longest time and the sky is the same color" is the unique landscape of the western water city.