Cixiang Temple is located in Jiguo Village, 8 kilometers east of Pingyao City, originally built during the Tang Kaiyuan period, originally named "Shengju Temple", and later because the temple has always been held by buddhist Monks of the Ci'en Sect, it was given by the Imperial Court in the third year of the Northern Song Dynasty (1051) and renamed "Cixiang Temple".
One of the sects of Chinese Buddhism, ci'en buddhism originated from the ancient Indian Buddhist yoga sect, whose founder was the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang (602-664) and his disciple Peep Ki. In order to further explore the true meaning of the Indian Mahayana teachings, Tang Xuanzang went to India in the first year of Zhenguan (627), did not avoid difficulties and obstacles, and traveled back and forth for seventeen years, where he sought the monks of the major monasteries and studied assiduously, during which he was particularly deeply influenced by the Yoga Sect. After returning to China, he lived in Chang'an Ci'en Monastery for eight years, immersed himself in translating and studying Buddhist scriptures, gained a new and unique insight into Buddhist philosophy and cultivation concepts, and founded the Buddhist sect, which was called "Ci'en Sect" by posterity because of its residence. The Ci'en Sect advocates "the wisdom of all things", taking the "Profound Tantric Sutra", "Yoga Master's Land Theory", "Thirty Odes of Wisdom", "Yuanjue Sutra" and other sutras as doctrinal classics, and uses the "three phases" (according to his phase, counting the phases of the whole, and the circle into reality) to explain the nature of all things in the universe, so the Ci'en Sect is also called "Fa Xiang Sect" and "Wisdom Sect". Xuanzang believed that by using the method of the concept of consciousness, it was possible to gain insight into the "three phases" and achieve transfection (consciousness) into purity (wisdom) to become a Buddha. After Xuanzang's death, his disciple Pei Ji continued to expound the "Dharma Wisdom" at Ci'en Temple, and his attainments were even deeper, and he was known as the "Master of Ci'en". In the fourth year (653) of Emperor Gaozong's reign, the Japanese monk Dao Zhaolaihua was taught by his teacher Xuanzang, who introduced the Ci'en Sect into Japan.
Because of the profound meaning of the religion of mercy and the widowhood of the people, it began to decline after only three generations. However, cixiang temple in Pingyao County, Shanxi, has been carried forward and passed down for a long time, from Tang to Song, from Song to Jin, lasting for hundreds of years.
According to the Pingyao County Chronicle of the Eighth Year of Qing Guangxu (1882), Cixiang Temple "ancient name Shengju Temple, Tang Wuming ancestors came from the western pole to live in Lutai Mountain for forty years, Suzong summoned to Beijing to ask questions and answers, Shangyuan Chu edict returned to the old mountain, Song Qing calendar built pagoda Hidden, three hundred feet high, also known as Lujingtai." According to the "Inscription of the Monks of The Cixiang Temple in Jiguo Village, Pingyao County" in the sixth month of the first month of April (1201), "The Cixiang Temple in Jiguo Village, Jiguo County, has set up a temple since Tang Suzong, and its real name is Shengju Temple, but the person who presided over the indoctrination at that time, that is, the ancestor of the unknown master, changed the amount of Cixiang to the Song Emperor. Jin Mingchang's Fifth Year (1194) "Records of the Construction of Cixiang Temple in Pingyao County, Fenzhou" also states: "The Cixiang Temple in Pingyao County, Fenzhou is also the ancient Shengju Temple." The temple was in Jiguoli, Taiping Township, East County, and there was a great master who came to the west of the county, known as the nameless teacher, who sat on The Lutai Mountain for forty years, and Tang Suzong summoned the Jingshi to wait for RuoYou, and the shangyuan dynasty showed the immortals in the temple residence of Miyagi, and returned the old mountain. In the Song Dynasty, the monk Daojing built a pagoda and a temple, and the temple was xingye, and the emperor changed it to the present in the third year (1051). ”
The nameless Zen master's "nameless" is his legal name, not "anonymity", according to the Thirty-sixth Year of the Qianlong Dynasty (1771) "Fenzhou FuZhi Vol. 24":
"Cixiang Temple, in Pingyao County's East Fifteen Li JiGuo Village, formerly known as Shengju Temple, Tang Wuming Zen Master Lived in Lutai Mountain for forty years, Suzong summoned to Beijing, knocked on the nameless purpose, and replied: 'Generous creation, always holding on to all changes, walking for the sun and the moon, driving for the clouds and thunder, four hours of travel, a hundred things are born.'" The credit is given to the invisible, and so is the heart of heaven and earth. The adults rule the world, do not bother and rule, drum up the too peaceful, do not know and the world returns to the heart, to the magic of the people. Therefore, the saints do nothing, and the others say nothing, or why □□ the name of the detail? 'Be kind to him, and treat him like a friend.' Shangyuan Chuhua, Zhao also buried the old mountain. ”
The "West Pole" mentioned in various documents has ancient interpretations of "The West Pole is west of Chang'an", so the author thinks that the "Nameless Master" should be the descendant of Xuanzang and Peugeot. After the decline of the Ci'en Sect of Chang'an, the unknown master went into exile in Pingyao, Shanxi, a simple place with diverse religious beliefs, to expound his study of The Wisdom of the Fa. Because of his profound Buddhist attainments and excellent exposition, Tang Suzong, who lived in the temple, heard his name, and ordered the beijing master to treat ruohe friends, and also let him set up a lecture at the imperial temple residence, which was a glorious one. However, the Ci'en Sect had little influence on the Buddhist circles in Beijing at that time, and other sects such as Zen Buddhism were the mainstream of Buddhism at that time, so although the unknown ancestor had the support of the emperor, there was no believer to support him, so he had to "return the old mountain" after his death. Among the descendants of the sect of Pingyao Cixiang Temple, there were many "people who passed on the Fa", "followed by heels", "talents and virtues are superb, and those who are born out of the Dharma" were very numerous, which made the Ci'en Sect create many glories in the Song and Jin dynasties. The "Sectarian Map of Cixiang Temple" engraved in the temple in early May of the first year of the first year of the first year (1201) dates back to the two ancestors of Cong'an and Congyou in the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, the two ancestors, the two ancestors and their eleven disciples Daoxuan, Daoyu, Daohong, Daocong, Daoqing, Daochen, Daoye, Daohe, Daolong, and Daojing (abbots of the Qing Dynasty and advocates the construction of the Lutai Pagoda), and all two generations of monks enjoyed the honor of "giving purple". "Giving purple" was the etiquette system of the Tang and Song dynasties, when it was stipulated that purple was allowed to be used for public opinion uniforms of more than three pins, and it was not allowed to exceed the system, but those who had great merits in official quality, or those who were "favored" by the emperor, were allowed to use purple. During the Tang and Song dynasties, senior monks who were "favored" were given purple robes, and the Song Dynasty also had an example of "giving purple" to Taoists. It can be seen that the monks of the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty of Cixiang Temple were also famous throughout the country for their theoretical level in the buddhist theory of "Dharma-phase only knowledge", which made ci'en Sect receive due respect in the entire Buddhist community. Later generations have also received the grace of those who have been "given purple", such as the third generation of Guangqian, Guangli, Guangzhan and Guangya, and Guangya, who is also revered as the "Master of Puming"; the fourth generation of Zhonglai, the sixth generation of Wenxi and Wenqing, Wenxi also served as the "Fenzhou Guannei Monk" during the Jin Cheng'an to Taihe period (1196-1208), that is, the chief monk of Buddhist affairs in Fenzhou and the counties under its jurisdiction, managing the affairs of local monasteries and monks and nuns, and making a name for himself in the Buddhist circles, which is also the glory of the Ci'en Sect. The seventh generation of ZhenKui was not only honored with "giving purple", but was also honored as the "Master of Enlightenment". Outstanding talents have made outstanding contributions to the promotion, prosperity and continuation of the Ci'en Sect, and if the "Master of the Three Treasures" and the "Master of Ci'en" had the spirit of the Buddha, he should have laughed for nine days.
The existing Jin Dynasty stele of Cixiang Temple provides rare written materials for China's historians and religious circles to study the Buddhist culture of the Song and Jin dynasties. During the Song and Jin dynasties, Cixiang Temple was not only unique in Pingyao with the Buddhist teachings of the Ci'en Sect, but also the scale and appearance of the temple also covered the whole county. The abbot of the Qing Dynasty, Shamen Daojing, initiated the construction of a nine-story brick nameless master's spiritual pagoda behind the temple, octagonal shape, more than ten meters high, and each floor contains an iron Buddha. Taben is red, but the beautiful sun looks out from the city walls of Pingyao, shining brightly and white, becoming a major spectacle of Pingyao in that year. The tower is on the verge of extinction, and air pollution has led to low visibility, and this scene has long ceased to exist. At the same time, there is a huge stele of about 6 meters high next to the tower, called "Monument of the Shengju Temple of Lutai Mountain in Xihe County, Great Song Dynasty", which was built on May 22, the sixth year of the Song Qing calendar (1046), inscribed with the "Inscription and Preface of the Lutai Shengju Temple in Xihe County, Great Song Dynasty", and the inscription is also engraved with the text signed by the secretary of the song emperor on July 15, 1050, which was written by Zhang Moushu, the judge of Hezhou. Due to years of wind and rain erosion, the handwriting has become difficult to recognize and cannot be written. However, the calligraphy is beautiful and dignified, and when Mr. Fu Shan, a famous scholar in Shanxi in the early Qing Dynasty, came to Yousi Temple, he had many words of praise for the calligraphy of the stele.
In the first year of the Northern Song Dynasty, that is, on September 21, the fourth year of the Jin Tianhui (1126), the Jin general Zong Han's army of The Sand Tiger attacked Pingyao in a bloody battle for half a month. During this period, the Temple of Jinbing and Cixiang Temple were almost all burned to ashes, and only the mountain gate and the main hall survived. After the establishment of the Jin Dynasty, because the ethnic minority Jurchens, as rulers, soberly saw that the consolidation of the rule over the Han ethnic region with a large population and a vast territory could not be solved by force alone, they paid special attention to strategies such as "respecting Kong and revering Confucianism" and "protecting the original religious beliefs" in order to win the cooperation of the Han nationality landlord class and reduce the people's resistance and resistance. In the last year of the Golden Heavenly Society, cixiang temple was rebuilt, and the main people were the monks Baoliang and Zhongying, of which the treasure was commonly known as Ji, a native of Houji Village in this county, who became a monk at the age of 21, studied under Master Huiqing, studied intensively, and became proficient in the Lotus Sutra; later, he traveled in all directions and consulted in many ways, "deeply understanding the Buddha's will, returning to his hometown for several years, and the monks of his own monastery invited teachers to be born, performed teachings, admired by all the sects, and their reputation was used in Hedong" (Records of the Monks' Pagodas). Zhongying and Baoliang were of the same generation, and they studied under the Puming master Guangya, and the second monk gladly served as the master of the monastery. "Don't be afraid of hardships, encourage and persuade people, dove workers gather soil, and the temple pavilion is renewed, ten times more than before." The Foothill Tower was also rebuilt, but unfortunately the construction was not completed, and Baoliang and Zhongying died one after another, and the project was suspended.
In the early years of Jin Mingchang, abbot Fu Cheng, a disciple of Baoliang, inherited the master's will and worked together with all the monks to continue the monastery. Behind the pagoda was built puguang hall, "set up Vilujana Buddha, the wall painted three Buddhas, eight vajrayogini, four bodhisattvas, emperor Shiva king, the right wing of the hall placed Shakya six ancestors, painted twenty-eight ancestors, in order to manifest the heart of the seal of the self-also." The left wing placed the statue of the ten kings of the bodhisattva to show that good deeds will be repaid, and the kindness of people will also be made. Before the church, his friend Fu Xun raised two more, the sculpture of Buddha and Bodhisattva fifty, and the arhat five hundred. Loutai Trick Music, Baoshan Qi Tree, Rare Birds and Exotic Animals, Strange Flowers and Yao Grasses, Seven Treasures Strict Decoration, Colorful Manifestation, Rotten And Magnificent People Look at it." "Set up icons on the inner floor of the tower, thinking that they are solemn. In front of the tower, there are two pavilions opposite, the land god statue in the east, the holy well in the west, and the five dragon kings are still sculpted on the well. The statue of General Guan in the east of the Dharma Hall is also based on the protector of Yuquan Mountain. The temple used to have an iron statue of the Bodhisattva twenty, the public supplement was a hundred, and the hall was placed on the left from the big house. In between, the ten great commentators of the Ci clan and Manjushri, the rest of the porch halls, the kitchens and stables, the monks and monks, the servants and cattle, or the old innovations, or the support to make up for the bad, all twelve hundred or so." [Jin Mingchang Five Years (1194) "Fenzhou Pingyao County Cixiang Temple Repair Record"]
These historical materials record the grand scale of Cixiang Temple in the Jin Dynasty, the rich connotation of Buddhist culture, and the unremitting efforts made by successive generations of monks to "expound the wisdom of the Dharma.". In particular, the abbot monk Fu Cheng during the Ming Dynasty was even more outstanding. Fu Cheng, commonly known as Hu, was a native of Qinxian Village, Pingyao County, who became a monk at the age of 13 due to his family's poverty, and studied under Master Baoliang. Since childhood, he has been strict and prudent, and good at planning. During his tenure as abbot of Cixiang Temple, he also made great achievements in other aspects. The temple is adjacent to the banks of the Lutai River, and every summer and autumn the river rises and falls, which is a great threat to the temple, and the monks are worried about protecting the temple every year. After Fu Cheng succeeded him as abbot, he made up his mind to raise 2,000 taels of silver, dig up and change the river channel, and go far away, years of peace, once and for all. Deep in the southeast of the temple, there are hundreds of acres of land where Cixiang Temple permanently resides, and it is very inconvenient to operate and cultivate, fu cheng built dozens of houses there and hired people to live there to cultivate. In the temple, there were eye medicines left by unknown teachers for pilgrims to use at will, and Fu Cheng first set up rules for charging, and set up a doctor and monk to sit in the hall for consultation, so that the resources could be used rationally. Dozens of acres of land production is also due to Fucheng's good management, the harvest has increased several times, the construction of monasteries, the transfer of rivers and other projects are huge, in the huge expenditure, 60% or 70% of the income from eye medicine and field harvest. Through the prosperity and development process of the Ci'en Sect of Buddhism in the Song and Jin Dynasties in cixiang temple, we have realized that any culture, including Buddhist culture and all ideological fields, without the backing of a strong economic foundation and the support of a group of outstanding talents, no matter how outstanding and noble you flaunt, it is difficult to exist.
After several generations of monks' efforts, Cixiang Temple "so that the monks have the peace of sitting through feasts, and the people are suitable for the wish to travel and worship, and then do the great Buddha for three days and nights, and the rice and vegetarian (referring to the disciples of the monks and laymen) are celebrated by ten thousand people to celebrate their success." As if he had not yet attained the age of three, he resumed the Great Master's feast. There is no vain day, zhong Fan has no sound, those who see it are respectful, those who hear it sigh, and they are close to the countryside, most of them are Buddhas! A scene of peace, prosperity, and civilization is extremely conducive to the stability of the feudal ruling order, which is precisely the strategic purpose and gratifying result of the Liao, Jin, Yuan, and Qing dynasty ethnic minority dynasties in advocating Buddhism and respecting Confucianism; at the same time, the reunification of the country and the peaceful residence of the people are also the necessary social conditions for the development of religion and culture in history.
After the Song and Jin Dynasties, the Yuan Dynasty also overhauled the Cixiang Temple, but with the decline of the Ci'en Sect, the former prosperity has long gone, and the wind and rain erosion for hundreds of years have gradually disintegrated. In particular, in the sixth year of Shunzhi (1649), Liu Sanyuan and others in Pingyao responded to the call of Jiang Ou, the general of Datong, to oppose the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty, gathered a crowd to raise a righteous uprising, and occupied Pingyao. The Qing army was surrounded and annihilated, a military disaster spread throughout Pingyao, and the Cixiang Temple was greatly damaged. "In the sixth year of Shunzhi (1649), it was also plagued by war and fire, and the previous system was exhausted. The golden face is dark, and the disciples of the treasure raft are hanging; the purple hall is buried in the dust, and the misty is the crossing." [Qianlong Forty-eighth Year (1783) "Reconstruction of cixiang Temple Stele"] In the sixth year of Yongzheng (1728), the three trees of the middle hall were added, and the statue of Guan Yu in the Guandi Temple in the village was moved to the hall. In the forty-sixth year of Qianlong (1781), the abbot monk and his disciples "will stir up tea and stir up the masses, and want to make the abolitionist rise up and make a new one." Five halls were repaired, five were in the east and west kilns, and in the following year three in the Middle Temple Guandi Temple were reorganized, three main rooms in the monk's house in the East Courtyard were rebuilt, and three rooms in the east and west rooms were reconstructed. "Those who have fallen to rubble are still impressive." A total of more than 700 taels of silver were spent, of which 330 were more than 330 taels, and more than half of the remaining was saved by the monks of the monastery who saved money and thrift. The house renovated this time has become the main temple of Cixiang Temple.
Today's Cixiang Temple, most of the temples have been destroyed into rubble, but the huge nine-story foot platform tower still stands in the remnant sun and the cold northwest wind, and the Song Qing calendar stele, which is more than 6 meters high in front of the tower, is still accompanied by the wind and rain of this tower. The Puguang Hall and the East and West Pavilions built by the Fucheng monks behind the pagoda were all swept away by the natural diversion of the Lutai River, and the tower was only 14 meters away from the riverbank, and the tower began to tilt northeast due to the loose foundation. The temple in front of the pagoda still exists, but the east and west temples are in dilapidated condition, and only the tall "three-body Buddha" in the main hall still sits on the lotus platform of Meru. During the Cultural Revolution, the three Sumire seats were cut down by the "rebels," leaving the lining bricks bare and some scattered. An elderly villager said that if two large snakes had not sprung up from the base at that time, the three Buddha avatars with "boundless mana" would have been sent back to the "Elysium" by the "revolutionaries" long ago. The skin of the lower corner of the east wall of the hall has fallen off, revealing the ancient wall skin, and the painting art of water and land paintings seems to be the works of the Jin Dynasty, which needs to be examined.
The icon in the nave has long since been destroyed and has been converted into an aisle hall, with one house separating each of the two rooms. It was once changed to the "People's Commune" Jiguo Brigade Office. The bell and drum tower pavilion has nearly collapsed, but the exquisite wood carving ornaments on the purlin forehead are still in the same year. Huge iron bells and dozens of iron-cast bodhisattvas were searched to contribute to the completion of the exaggerated target of "10.7 million tons of steel" during the "great steel smelting" in 1958. The mountain gate is precarious, the east side is supported by wooden pillars, and the original standing statues of King Kong on both sides (commonly known as "Hum Ha Second General" by the common people) were also destroyed during the "Cultural Revolution", leaving only the shape of the niche gate.
The existing Foothill Tower and The Monument of the Celebration Calendar have long been listed as key protected cultural relics in Shanxi Province and have recently been approved as national key protected cultural relics.
The original stone carvings of the layout of the Temple of Cixiang Temple in the Jin Dynasty in front of the main hall of the temple have been taken back to the collection by the County Cultural Relics Bureau. Under the eaves of the front eaves of the nave, there is a "Monument to the Pagoda of the Monks" in the first year of Jin Taihe (1201), and the inscription has the "Sect Map of Cixiang Temple" engraved in the first month of May of that year, which is the sectarian inheritance map of the Buddhist Ci'en Sect in the Cixiang Temple during the Song and Jin Dynasties, of which the Dharma numbers, titles and teacher-slave relationship lines of nine generations of monks are recorded, which is of great research value.