Yuanjue Temple is located on the north terrace of the ancient city of Hancheng and was founded in the Tang Dynasty. In the first year (998) of Emperor Zhenzong of Song's Xianping Dynasty, it was rebuilt and given the Yuanjue Zen Temple. In the thirteenth year of Jin Dading (1173), tanfa pagoda was built. In the fourth year of Jin Cheng'an (1199), the iron bell of Yuanjue Temple was cast. Qing Shunzhi built high-rise buildings, east and west buildings and Maitreya Cave. During the Qing Dynasty, three arches were built in front of the gate. Climbing from the mountain gate, there are three halls of the Great Buddha, three halls on the left and right of the Yama King's Hall, and the north hall and the apse. There are a number of trees on each side. The temple is destroyed, but the pagoda and bell still exist. Although yuanjue temple has long ceased to exist, the influence of yuanjue temple in Hancheng has not disappeared, especially the symbolic significance of the remaining pagoda and bell in Hancheng culture is very obvious, although yuanjue temple disappeared, but did not leave, but integrated into Hancheng culture. The Yuanjue Morning Bell is one of the eight scenic spots of ancient Hancheng, and Tanfa Pagoda has become a landmark building of Hancheng and the symbol of the ancient city of Hancheng. Yuanjue-ji Temple continues the cultural context through integration with local cultures.
1. Tanfa Pagoda of Yuanjue Temple
The original name was Tan Fata, Tan Tong tan, taking the meaning of preaching. Also known as Zhao Zhao Zhai Pagoda, Yuanjue Temple Pagoda, Golden Pagoda. It is the only existing pagoda in Hancheng, which was built in the thirteenth year of Jin Dading (1173): after the death of the Zen master Wukong of the Yuanjue Zen Temple, the monks would build this pagoda for his Zen master. The Ming Dynasty collapsed due to an earthquake, and in the forty-first year of the Qing Kangxi Dynasty (1702), the county ordered Kang Xing to donate money and raise funds for reconstruction. The tower is an eight-sided six-level pavilion-style hollow brick tower with a height of 28 meters, and the tower is standing on the base of the cube tower, also known as the seven-level floating map. The base of the tower is square, there are vertical belt treadways on the east and west sides, the east, west and north sides are expected to be windows, and the second floor can be climbed by the south gate. There are 24 open ticket windows on each floor, and the tower body has stacked eaves, decorated with buckets, made of diamond horn teeth, eaves and corners decorated with wind chimes, and spires. In the east wall of the tower, the stone stele is embedded in two ways, and the south side of the horizontal stele, the inscription: "Wukong Zi Fa Hao told the superior to go to the one who does not rely on the damage to the thirteen years of self-blessing Dading" and other 24 characters; The inscription on the northern side of the vertical stele reads: "When the great golden dading thirteen years old and the fifth day of may to build the pagoda city ..."
Later, to the east of Tanfa Pagoda, there was a Zhao Zhao Zhai, which is a very important ancient village among the many ancient villages on the Taiyuan around the ancient city of Hancheng. The name of the village is taken from the poem "Zhou Nan Rabbit" (周南 Rabbit 罝) which means "赳赳武夫, Gonghou Gancheng". "Hancheng County Continuation", "Zhao Zhao Zhai, north of the city, overlooking the county seat, here is not guarded, defending the city is useless." "Because the Yuanjue Temple was destroyed, but the pagoda is still there, it may be that later people have forgotten the Yuanjue Temple, so it is customary to call the Tanfa Pagoda the ZhaoZhai Pagoda because of the place name, And zhang guan Li Dai will eventually be wrong, and the official adopted the customary name of the ZhaoZhai Pagoda when announcing the pagoda as a cultural relics protection unit, which is consistent with the title of many local feng shui pagodas in Hancheng, making the Buddhist function of the Tanfa Pagoda more diluted. After the religious function was diluted, the tower was given a new function, that is, an ancient city component.
Formerly known as Tanfa Pagoda, because it was built in Yuanjue Zen Temple, also known as Yuanjue Temple Pagoda, the official name was named Zhao Zhao Zhai Pagoda, and the most commonly used folk name is the Golden Pagoda, which echoes the ancient city of Hancheng called Jincheng.
Due to its geographical location, the Golden Pagoda is located at the north end of Jincheng Avenue, the main street of the ancient city, and the terrain is tens of meters higher than the ancient city, which echoes with the Yuxiu Bridge in the ancient city of Nanguan, and has become the dragon head part of the overall dragon-shaped skeleton of the ancient city of Hancheng and the landmark building of the ancient city of Hancheng, and the Jincheng Street as the body of the dragon and the Yuxiu Bridge as the tail of the dragon together constitute the cultural totem of the ancient city of Hancheng. At this time, the function of the Golden Pagoda as a former stupa has been melted into the architectural structure of the ancient city, integrated into the ancient city dragon culture totem, people pay more attention to its symbolic significance as the symbol of the ancient city, that is, the role of the dragon head, and few people will pay attention to its Buddhist role. It also echoes the five-star pagoda on the eastern plains of the ancient city, forming an important node building of the feng shui culture of the ancient city of Hancheng.
Zhao Zhaozhai has always played an important role in the military defense of the ancient city of Hancheng in modern times, and together with other ancient villages around the ancient city, it has formed the outer defense line of the ancient city. During the Liberation War, the Kuomintang defenders relied on this defensive line to cause difficulties in the PLA siege of the city, especially the firepower of the enemy defending The Zhaozhai Village caused heavy casualties to the PLA's liberation of Hancheng. The Golden Pagoda was placed under the management of the Martyrs' Cemetery and became a landmark building of the Martyrs' Cemetery. After the establishment of the city in Hancheng County, the city rule moved north to the original, and built the Golden Pagoda Park on the original side near the Golden Pagoda, and built a stone bridge in the north of the Golden Pagoda, connecting the Golden Pagoda Park with the Martyrs' Cemetery, and the Golden Pagoda has become a transitional node for the natural connection between the ancient city and the new city.
Jinta Pagoda base is the best place for sightseeing in the ancient city, standing under the Golden Pagoda and looking south at the ancient city, an ancient painting frozen in time and space, overlooking the Lianshui River Valley, a ribbon floating on the yellow ground, looking down at the fragrant wine, looking up at the heart.
By integrating into the ancient city, with the dragon-shaped skeleton of the ancient city, the landmark building of the ancient city, the node building connecting the new city and the ancient city, the ancient city sightseeing platform and other new functions, after the disappearance of the Yuanjue Temple, it was preserved, indicating that the integration process of Buddhist culture and local culture is constantly changing, and the function is constantly changing, and the Golden Pagoda has finally created a living environment for itself.
2. The Iron Bell of Yuanjue Temple
The iron bell of Yuanjue Temple was cast in the fourth year of Jin Cheng'an (1199). Pass height 241 cm, caliber 160 cm, circumference 480 cm, thickness along the mouth wall 10 cm. Sharp up and down, casting a total of seven sections of 49 molds. The overall curve of the cast clock is soft and generous, the design is reasonable, the concept is Kit Qiao, the stencil seam is tight, the surface is smooth, and the floral ornament is stretched smoothly. The inscription is 887 words, which lasted for 800 years and is still clearly recognizable today, fully embodying the superb smelting and casting technology of the Jin Dynasty. The iron bell and the bell pavilion are another important relics left by the Yuanjue Temple, because of the protective effect of the bell pavilion on the bell, the overall protection of the bell is very complete, its time-telling function, landscape function can be played, and its research value is also more and more valued.
As one of the most important ritual instruments in Buddhist monasteries, the bell is mainly used to gather monks and announce the time, and the bell also has the meaning of awakening the world. In the "Hundred Zhangs Qing Rules and Dharma Instruments", it is said: "The bell that rings and the bell in front of the monk's hall gathers in a crowd, and the hall is lined up to the Buddha." "Big bell, jungle order capital also." Dawn strikes break the long night, alert sleep, twilight strikes feel faint, sparse. "Yuanjue Temple destroyed the monks and scattered, but its bell still chimes the time for the ancient city of Hancheng and continues to play a role." The huge iron bell and the large number of monks recorded in the inscription on the bell indicate that the scale of Yuanjue Temple in history is very large. Later, the Yuanjue Morning Bell became one of the eight ancient scenes of Hancheng, and the Yuanjue Temple Bell was also preserved by integrating into the life of the ancient city of Hancheng and became an integral part of the ancient city of Hancheng.
The inscription on the iron bell of YuanjueJi Temple is an important historical material for the study of the history of Hancheng. The first is the inscription "Former Jinshi He Zi, Baoyi Deputy Lieutenant Yinjiu Tongjian Liu Zhongren, Zhongwu Colonel Wei Yinjiu DuJian Gao Old Monk, Zhaoxin School Weixing County Lieutenant Yan Guoxiang, Wei Shi Lang Xing Master Shi Zhi, Zhaoyong General Xing Tongzhou Hancheng County Ling Nahan Aizhi", supplementing the gaps in the list of Hancheng County's Zhiwen officials. Second, there are seven monasteries mentioned in the casting text, more than 40 abbots, abbots, monks, and as many as 241 people cast bells and givers, which shows that Buddhism had a deep influence at that time. Third, the "Yuanjue Zen Monastery Practitioners" built the Tanfa Pagoda after the death of Zen Master Wukong, filling the gap in the study of Tanfa Pagoda and giving us a clear answer to the cause of the construction of Tanfa Pagoda. The fourth is to provide first-hand information for the study of the administrative divisions and village development of Hancheng in the Jin Dynasty. For example, the administrative divisions of the Jin Dynasty, the establishment of squares in the city, the structure of village communities outside the city, and the inscriptions involve 55 place names, and there are 32 villages such as Zhangzhuang and Wangfeng that have been used since now, and their founding dates back to at least 800 years ago. This provides reliable information on the history of the development and change of Hancheng villages, population changes and migration.
3. The contribution of Yuanjue Temple to hancheng culture
Yuanjue Temple is only one of the many temples in the Tang Dynasty in Hancheng, and it disappeared as a Buddhist temple very early, but it played a new role by integrating into the life of Hancheng, especially the pagodas and bells that it remained, and later played a new role, so we should fully affirm its role in the development of Hancheng culture.
1. Yuanjue Temple has made important contributions to the improvement of the architectural pattern of the ancient city.
After the introduction of Buddhism to China, it was highly integrated with Chinese culture and became an important part of Chinese culture. As the main part of China's famous historical and cultural city, Hancheng Ancient City is gradually improving in the process of continuous development, including the landscape environment, architectural pattern, street texture, cultural totem, etc. of the ancient city are constantly improving, especially jumping out of the scope of the ancient city wall, constantly absorbing different cultural elements, through borrowing, melting, connecting, building and other techniques, to achieve environmental coordination, the pattern is scientific and reasonable. In this process, the Tanfa Pagoda of Yuanjue Temple, by integrating into the culture of the ancient city, made it find a new value of existence after the destruction of Yuanjue Temple, and it is precisely in this way that it will be rebuilt after it is destroyed by the earthquake. It is its new function and new positioning in the overall pattern of the ancient city, that is, it assumes the leading role of the dragon-shaped structure of the ancient city, it rises from a Buddhist building to a symbol of the image of the ancient city, a symbol of the ancient city culture, and its original Buddhist function has not disappeared, its role in guarding important nodes in an important position has not disappeared, in a certain sense, it assumes the responsibility of the guardian of the ancient city.
2. Yuanjue Temple provides valuable cultural relics for the study of local culture in Hancheng
As an immovable cultural relic, the tower condenses rich historical information. It is an important cultural symbol, it is a direct witness to history, and the iron bell, which is also a symbol of Yuanjue Temple, has also left us with precious written materials, through which we can understand the level of architectural development in Hancheng in different periods, the level of development of the foundry industry, etc., so that we can make a more scientific assessment of the level of development of the productive forces at that time. It provides us with the development status of religion, especially Buddhism in Hancheng, during the Tang and Song Dynasties, Hancheng built a large number of Buddhist buildings, indicating that the prosperity of Buddhist culture at that time and the level of economic development was relatively high, the monastic architecture had higher requirements for economic strength and construction technology than residential buildings, and Buddhism was still developed during the Jin dynasty in Hancheng. In the same period, the Jin Dynasty of the Tang Dynasty carried out large-scale maintenance and construction of the ancient city of Hancheng, which can clearly reflect the high level of economic development of Hancheng at that time. Pagoda as a foreign form of architecture, with the sinicization of Buddhism is also constantly sinicizing, through the shape of the golden pagoda, the position in the temple, etc. We can see the process of sinicization and localization of Buddhism, the golden pagoda obviously carries the characteristics of the local culture of Hancheng, and a six-story tower is built on a square platform foundation, and there are similarities with the pavilions in traditional Chinese buildings, such as many Wenxing Pavilions in the history of Hancheng, the existing Dangjia Village Wenxing Pavilion, Jingyi Village Wenxing Pavilion, etc. The data in Zhong Zhuwen is our study of the cultural development of Hancheng. Town structure, village development etc were very helpful. Therefore, in terms of retaining historical information, it provides valuable materials for the study of local culture.
3. Provide us with specific cases for studying the development of Buddhism
Yuanjue Temple has long disappeared as a temple, but as a cultural carrier, it has not actually disappeared. Its existing towers, bells, etc. still play an important role in the cultural development of Hancheng. This is also a clear difference from other completely disappeared and abandoned monasteries. We can see the development of Buddhism in its context, and we can see the relationship between economy and culture. Any cultural form must first find its own position, so as to better survive and develop. It is precisely because the Yuanjue Temple found its location during the construction period that in the case of the destruction of the temple and the scattering of monks, the pagodas and bells it left behind can be preserved in other forms and have more vitality than other monasteries. The Second Yuanjue Temple also makes us realize that the development of religion must also keep pace with the times. If religion cannot adapt to social development and embody its own existence value in social development, it will only disappear into the long river of history. Today, we see that QQ, WeChat, Douyin and other cultural forms can lead the way, the main reason is that it is closely related to social needs, and the rise and fall of Buddhism is actually the same.
Religion is a cultural phenomenon produced by the development of society to a certain period of time, which is related to a specific stage of development, a specific social environment, a specific person, and a specific social need. Religious culture is also a resource, and how we can make good use of it is still very helpful for social development and cultural prosperity. Of course, like other cultural formations, the negative effects of religion cannot be ignored.