Maoshan Jingde Zen Temple in Maoshan

Jingde Zen Temple is located in Maoshan Town, Xinghua, Jiangsu Province. The Maoshan Sanmao Taoist Temple has a temple in front of the mountain dedicated to Sanmao Zhenjun. It is presided over by a Taoist and has endless incense all year round. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, wars continued, there were few Taoists, and the Maoshan Taoist Temple was in decline. In the fourth year of Jingde reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 1007), Zen Master Dejing, the founder of the mountain, hung a tin here and transformed it into a temple. It was named "Jingde Zen Temple" after the emperor's reign. Zen Master Dejing became the abbot and repaired the ruined temple. After repairs, the statue of the Three Mao Lords was moved to the top of the mountain, and the Mahavira Palace was built in the center of the mountain. In the following year, a lot of construction work was carried out, Buddhist halls, Dharma halls, and monks' rooms were built, more Buddha statues were built, and monks were recruited. Devoted men and women came to the temple to offer incense. There was an endless stream, and Maoshan turned around again. Decline becomes prosperity. At that time, Maoshan was covered with lemongrass and had a delicate fragrance, so it was also known as Xiangshan. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, wars broke out frequently, and the main hall, which had been in disrepair for a long time, collapsed for a time. In the 23rd year of Hongwu's reign in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1390), Zen Master Deju came to be the abbot of the temple, rebuilt the main hall, and sculpted three giant Buddhas and eighteen statues. In the fifth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1407), he was entrusted with the title of National Master Xianxun and was ordered to travel around the world. He passed through Maoshan, so he hung a tin on it and changed it to "Jingde Zhihuachan Temple". As time went by, the temple declined, so Zhong fell and the temple was renamed "Beimaoshan Ancient Jingde Zen Temple". In the third year of Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1724), Yangzhou Zen Master Yuandu came to the temple to be the abbot on the order of the national teacher Muchen. He tried his best to restore the temple's appearance, promote the holy religion, and open a Taoist temple. In the 23rd year of Qianlong's reign (AD 1758), Master Wenfang Jijisheng and monk Jisheng abboted the ancient temple. He vowed to maintain it alone and worked hard for seven or eight years. The lotus flowers were full of beauty, the Buddha statues were solemn, and the temple had a completely new appearance. In the twenty-eighth year of Guangxu (AD 1902), the main hall of Sanmao Zhenjun was destroyed by fire. Abbot Xiangzhou persuaded many people to raise funds and slightly repaired it. After Tongzhi, the eminent monk Lang Yue initiated the Huayan Sect in Maoshan, and Jingde Zen Temple became the ancestral home of Huayan Zongxing in modern times and a holy place for Buddhism. In the second year of Xuantong (AD 1910), the Sanmentou Hall was destroyed by fire again. Abbot Tianqian went around to solicit donations, and believers from all walks of life donated materials to build the original Four Yingtou Hall into six Yingtou halls, divided into three semicircles on the left, middle and right. Xingshan Gate has the inscription "Ancient Jingde Zen Temple" and a stone carving embedded in the main gate. In the eleventh year of the Republic of China (AD 1922), the famous eminent monk Mihai was appointed abbot of Shanshan Temple. He presided over temple affairs, guided Buddhist affairs, promoted Buddhism, established a Buddhist academy, and collected a large number of Buddhist classics and Three Treasures instruments from other places. There is a Zen hall and guest house in the temple to receive monks from all over the world, opening the door to facilitate the study of Buddhism and the promotion of Dharma. For a time, Buddhism in the Maoshan area was full of vitality, and a large number of Buddhist talents came to the fore. For example, Master Mihai’s disciple Wei Fang served as abbot of Zhenjiang Jinshan Temple, Jiangxi Lushan Dalin Temple, Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple, and after liberation served as vice president of the National Buddhist Association; Master Cizhou successively served as Zhenjiang Jinshan Temple and Jurong Baohua Temple. Abbot and president of the Zhenjiang Buddhist Association; Master Sun Dayun, a disciple of Mihai, served as deputy secretary-general of the Jiangsu Buddhist Association and a teacher at Nanjing Qixia Temple Buddhist College; Youcheng, a disciple of Mihai, is the abbot of Xingfu Temple in Changshu and the abbot of Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou; Dharma Master of Mihai Tu Weizong once served as the abbot of Guangxiao Temple in Taizhou. Maoshan Jingde Zen Temple has become a Buddhist holy place in the eastern part of the Yangtze River and Huaihe River.

The temple is large in scale, with five and ten chambers. It was later destroyed by war, rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty, overhauled in the Qing Dynasty, and finally destroyed during the domestic revolutionary war and the "Ten Years of Troubles". Now the temple and the mountain have disappeared, leaving only a Tangjing and a stone tablet of "Ancient Jingde Zen Temple". Because the ancient Jingde Zen Temple in Maoshan is full of incense, pilgrims and tourists from all over the country come to burn incense and worship the gods on March 18 of the lunar calendar every year. Traders from all walks of life also come one after another, and Maoshan has become a famous market town.

In the early morning of August 16, 2008 (the sixteenth day of the seventh lunar month), Maoshan Town was filled with loud gongs and drums, dancing dragons, and bustling crowds. The thousand-year-old ancient temple - Maoshan Jingde Zen Temple held a memorial ceremony. The foundation laying ceremony of the Buddhist Hall, Sutra Building, Abbot's Chamber, Main Hall, and Shanmen Hall was held. The town's main leaders and some business owners participated in the celebrations, and invited the executive director of the National Buddhist Association and the first vice president of the Jiangsu Buddhist Association. Monk Songchun, the abbot of Changzhou Tianning Temple, came to preside over the sermon and lay the foundation stone.

First of all, the beam-laying ceremony of the Reclining Buddha Hall, Sutra Tower and Abbot’s Chamber was held. Mr. Hou Zhaoming, the initiator of the reconstruction of the ancient temple and the chairman of Guangzhou Asia International Hotel, gave a passionate speech. Song Chunda The monk gave a sermon.

After the beam-laying ceremony, Monk Songchun, Mr. Hou Zhaoming, Secretary Tan Shiguo and business owners laid the foundation stones and soil for the Main Hall and Sanmen Hall.

Finally, Monk Songchun and other eminent monks conducted cleaning activities for the Reclining Buddha Hall, the Main Hall and the Sanmen Hall.

The entire celebration was hosted by Zhang Qiuhong, director of the Jingde Zen Temple Preparatory Committee.