The world's only statue of the Kusanagi Mani Light Buddha
The best in China
The only surviving stone statue of Manichae Buddha
location
It is located in the eastern foothills of Huabiao Mountain in Jinjiang
peculiarity
The stone statue is scurrying on a lotus pedestal, with a plump face and a serene demeanor, with eighteen rays of light carved on its back, in line with Manichaeism's doctrine of advocating light
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Watch the video and admire the style of the Statue of the Mani Light Buddha in The Grass Temple.
The statue of Mani Guang Buddha is 1.54 meters high and 0.83 meters wide, with a plump face and a serene demeanor, with a back carved with 18 milli-rays of light.
Located in the eastern foothills of Huabiao Mountain, 15 kilometers south of Quanzhou City, Cao'an is built on a mountain and was a Manichaean (also known as Mingjiao) monastery on the outskirts of Quanzhou City during the Song and Yuan Dynasties. According to Mu Liangtu's "Study of the Grass Temple of Jinjiang", around the 6th and 7th centuries AD, Manichaeism was introduced to Xinjiang by land and from Xinjiang to the Central Plains. During the Tang Dynasty, monasteries were officially established in Chang'an and Luoyang, and the "Great Cloud Guangming Temple" was given. During the Huichang period (841-846), Tang Wuzong destroyed Buddhism, Manichaeism was banned, and Some Manichaean masters fled south to Fujian, and Manichaeism spread to Jinjiang.
Built on a mountain, the Cao'an temple was a Manichaean monastery on the outskirts of Quanzhou during the Song and Yuan dynasties.
Manichaean creeds carved on the stone walls of the Grass Temple (file image)
Aerial photography of Kusanagi
Cao'an was built in the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty (1131-1162), initially as a grass structure, and was changed to a stone structure from the Fifth Year of the Yuan Dynasty to the fifth year of the Yuan Dynasty (1339), and carved a statue of Mani Guang Buddha on the rock wall inside the stone room. The statue of Mani Guang Buddha is 1.54 meters high and 0.83 meters wide, dressed in a wide-sleeved monk's robe, standing on a lotus seat, with a plump face, a serene look, and eighteen rays of light on his back. What is even more amazing is that the statue is made of different colors of stone, the face is grass green, the hands are pink, the body is gray, the color is appropriate, and the craftsmanship is ingenious. This is the only preserved stone carving of a Manichaean master in the world. The Temple also preserves a series of physical evidence that embody the more complete Manichaean teachings and rituals, such as the Stone Of Narrative and the Stone of Exhortation. "Pure light, great wisdom." Supreme Truth, Manichaeism Buddha. "The specific content of the Manichaean doctrine of creed, "Persuasion", is carved on the stone wall of the grass temple. In 1979, the Dahuayan Temple was built in front of the Cao'an Temple, and an ancient well was found when digging the foundation, and a brown glazed bowl of the "Ming Church" and dozens of fragments were excavated. The bowl is open and shallow abdomen, low circle foot, brown glaze with sauce inside, half glaze on the outside, and the inner wall of the bowl is engraved with the words "Ming Church", with a caliber of 18.5 cm, a height of 6.5 cm, and a bottom height of 0.8 cm. Of these dozens of fragments, 13 have the words "Ming", "Teaching" and "Hui" inscribed in the shadows. The shape of the "Ming Church" brown glazed bowl is consistent with the utensils of the Northern Song Dynasty of the magnetic stove kiln, and the firing time of the bowl should be no later than that of the Northern Song Dynasty. The "Ming Church" bowl corroborates the activities of Manichaeism in the foothills of Huabiao Mountain during the Northern Song Dynasty. The discovery of these historical relics of Manichaeism is of great value for the study of Manichaean doctrine, church organization, liturgical practices, and even for the evolution of Manichaeism after its introduction to China.
The shape of the brown glazed bowl of the "Ming Church" matches the artifacts of the Northern Song Dynasty of the magnetic stove kiln (file photo)
In modern times, the high monk Master Hongyi lived in the Tin Cao Nunnery three times, each time drowning for many months, or passing the age, or recuperating from illness, or promoting the Dharma. During this period, he wrote 4 couplets for the gate of the stone chamber of Chongxing' Cao'an and the Golden Pillar, and left behind a party "Records of Chongxing Cao'an". Over the past few decades, the Statues of The Grass Temple and manichae Buddha have also attracted world-class attention. In 1987, at the first International Manichaean Symposium held at Lund University in Sweden, the statue of the Mani Light Buddha in Cao'an was selected as the emblem; in 1991, after visiting Cao'an, the members of the UNESCO "Maritime Silk Road" delegation could not suppress their inner joy after visiting Cao'an, praising the Statue of Manichae Buddha in Cao'an as "the only one in the world" and regarding it as "the biggest discovery and greatest achievement of the Maritime Silk Road expedition"; in 2004, after the visit of mr. Jin Yong, a literary giant, called the existence certificate of Cao'an" Mingjiao was not invented by me"; in 2015, after the Nobel Laureate in Literature Mo Yan visited the Cao'an, he also showed great interest in Manichaean sites.
In 2004, Mr. Jin Yong visited Cao'an.
In 2015, Nobel Laureate mo Yan visited Cao'an. (Photo by Pan Deng)
The Statue of the Manichaean Buddha in Cao'an is an important historical site for the spread of Manichaeism in Quanzhou, Song and Yuan Dynasties, showing the strong cultural tolerance of Quanzhou as the world's marine trade center at that time. The cultural integration features it contains also opened a "door of knowledge" for the study of the wide range of values among the world's diverse communities in Quanzhou, Song and Yuan dynasties.
□ Reporter Wu Shuyun/Wen Chen Yingjie/Figure (except for the signature)