Nanhua Temple Travel Guide

Nanhua Temple is located in Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province, 7 kilometers southeast of Maba in Qujiang County and 22 kilometers south of Shaoguan City. Nanhua Temple is one of the famous Buddhist temples in China, and the birthplace of Huineng, the sixth ancestor of Zen, who popularized the "Southern Zen Method".

Nanhua Temple was built in the first year of Tian Jian, Liang Wudi in the Southern and Northern Dynasties (AD 502). After three years in prison, the temple was built, and Liang Wudi named it "Baolin Temple". Later, it was renamed Zhongxing Temple and Fashen Temple, and in the first year of Song Kaibao (AD 968), Song Taizong gave it the name of Nanhua Zen Temple, and the name of the temple has been used ever since. Because the six ancestors of Zen teach here, it is also called the six ancestors Dojo. The building area of Nanhua Temple is12,000 square meters, and it is composed of Caoximen, Fangshengchi, Baolinmen, Tianwang Hall, Daxiong Hall, Tibetan Classics Pavilion, Zhao Ling Pagoda and Liuzu Hall. Except for Zhaoling Pagoda and Liuzu Hall, all the buildings were rebuilt by the eminent monk Xu Yun after 1934.

1983, the first batch of Nanhua temples were designated as national key temples by the State Council. On June 25th, 20001year, Nanhua Temple, as an ancient building in Ming and Qing Dynasties, was approved by the State Council to be included in the fifth batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Cultural relics in the temple:

(1) Sixth ancestor?

The statue of the Six Ancestors is the most precious cultural relic of Nanhua Temple. The statue of the Six Ancestors is enshrined in the Hall of the Six Ancestors, with a height of 80 cm. According to the textual research and research of Guangdong archaeologist Xu Hengbin, Shaoguan Museum and Nanhua Temple monks, the statue of the Six Ancestors was modeled on the body of the Six Ancestors Hui Neng, and was shaped by cutting.

The treasure of the true mountain, the true body of the six ancestors

② Five hundred arhats.

The 500 arhats carved in the temple are the only existing 500 arhats carved in the Song Dynasty in China. In the Ming dynasty, it was decorated with gold, and in the Guangxu period of the Qing dynasty, it was carved with 133 arhats that had been burned. 1936, when virtual cloud mage presided over the restoration of the temple, most of the woodcarving arhats were hidden in the bellies of three giant buddhas with a height of15m in Daxiong Hall, and were not discovered until 1963. There are 360 existing statues, of which 133 was carved in Qing Dynasty. There are 154 arhats with inscriptions. It can be seen from the inscriptions that these 500 arhats were carved in the third to eighth year of the Northern Song Dynasty (1043- 1048). Yang, the "chief disciple", organized the fundraising and carving of these arhats. Donors include businessmen, craftsmen, monks and civilians, and craftsmen include Zhang Xu and others. Each statue is carved from a single piece of wood, with a height of 49.5 to 58 cm and a diameter of 23.5 to 28 cm. Wood is dominated by cypress, with a small amount of nanmu, camphor or sandalwood. Each statue consists of two parts: the base and the sitting statue. These arhats have high artistic research value and are very precious historical relics.

(3) A thousand Buddha cassock

A thousand Buddha cassock is a rare embroidery handed down from the Tang Dynasty. The bottom of the silk is apricot yellow and embroidered with 1000 Buddha statues. All Buddha statues are sitting, holding, receiving, speaking and crossing their hands. The mouth, nose, eyes and bun are clear and distinct. Embroider the image with gold thread, then set it off with blue, light blue, vermilion and yellow silk thread, and then embroider the blue backlight. Surrounded by twelve lifelike dragons. According to the research of Guangdong Museum experts, this cassock was presented by Tang Zhongzong to Master Huineng, the sixth ancestor.

(4) the imperial edict of Wu Zetian

Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty, in the first year of Tongzhi (AD 696), received an imperial edict from Master Huineng, the sixth ancestor of Nanhua Temple. It is 65,438+040 cm long and 42 cm wide. It is made of paper, and the beginning and end of regular script are framed with silk.

(5) Other cultural relics

Nanhua Temple also has the bronze Buddha statue in the first year of Zhao Di in the Northern Qi Dynasty (AD 560), satin socks in the Tang Dynasty, the waist-dropping stone of the sixth ancestor, the Tieguanyin Hall in the Tang Dynasty, the Buddha statue, the wood carvings of the four kings in the Ming Dynasty, the 500 arhat porcelain bottles in the Qing Dynasty, and the remnants of Hua Yan Jing, a golden book in the Ming Dynasty, all of which have certain historical value.