Haicheng Dabei Temple

Haicheng Dabei Temple

Haicheng Dabei Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Dabei Temple is located in Caojiapuzi Village, Maoqi Town, Haicheng City, Liaoning Province (Postal Code: 114200). Established in 1668, it consists of the Heavenly King Hall, Mahavira Hall, Scripture Depository, Thousand Buddha Hall, and East and West Side Halls. It enshrines the Three Saints of the West and Sixteen Arhats, engaging with worldly life while safeguarding the peace of all people. All monks at Dabei Temple in Haicheng, Liaoning observe the precept of not handling money and eat only one meal a day. The monks wake up at 2 a.m. every day to recite the Shurangama Mantra ten times, spend two hours studying precepts in the afternoon, and rest for only four hours each day. They maintain the Buddhist monastic system, and begin their alms pilgrimage on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month every year. During the pilgrimage, they beg for food with alms bowls. The temple enforces strict precepts, and the monks’ dignified conduct fully embodies the Buddha’s teachings. There are no donation boxes in Dabei Temple. Two Buddhist services are held each month (on the 14th for universal salvation and the 15th for general blessings, both free of charge). Twice a year, on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month and the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, people can take refuge in the Triple Gem. Those who wish to become lay followers must memorize the Heart Sutra and the Great Compassion Mantra before receiving a refuge certificate. At Dabei Temple in Haicheng, Liaoning, all monks adhere to the no-money precept and eat only one meal a day. There are no donation boxes in the temple, and two Buddhist services are held monthly (on the 14th for universal salvation and the 15th for general blessings, both free of charge). Refuge ceremonies are held twice a year, on April 8 and July 15. Lay followers must memorize the Heart Sutra and the Great Compassion Mantra before being granted a refuge certificate. The monks wake up at 2 a.m. daily to recite the Shurangama Mantra ten times, spend two hours studying precepts in the afternoon, and rest just four hours per day. They maintain the Buddha’s monastic system and begin their alms pilgrimage on August 15 each year. During the journey, they beg for food with alms bowls. The temple enforces strict precepts, and the monks maintain exemplary deportment. The Buddha’s precepts are fully exemplified here.

The monks here adhere to the “no-money precept.” There are no donation boxes anywhere in the temple. Incense is placed at the temple gate for visitors to take freely, and a large sign nearby reads: “No Money Kept.” The monks are prohibited from touching money for life. Their daily necessities come entirely from vegetables they grow themselves and rice and flour donated by villagers. Dabei Temple also observes the “one meal a day” and “no food after noon” practices—monks eat only one meal at noon and refrain from eating for the rest of the day. Even more remarkably, to enlighten others, they embark on an alms pilgrimage once a year, walking thousands of miles while carrying scriptures and belongings. They sleep under trees each night, never staying in inns, and rely on begging for food. The Buddha begged for alms to give people the opportunity to do good and accumulate merit. Without going out to those most in need, and instead staying behind to collect gold and silver for building temples or paving grounds, cannot be called true almsgiving. In the villages they pass through, they gather in the evenings to give teachings to the people. Any animals they encounter that have died—whether large like cattle and sheep or small like insects—are respectfully buried. Another unusual aspect of Dabei Temple is that those who become monks here generally possess a relatively high level of education. There are journalists and magazine editors from Shanghai, as well as children as young as nine years old who came with their mothers to Dabei Temple and chose to stay permanently. Whenever they return from the alms pilgrimage, they hold gatherings where they share their experiences and insights about the suffering in the world, often writing articles and giving reports. A 14-year-old young monk wrote: “Children my age mostly sit in classrooms, but I get to walk out into this world...” Their higher level of education enables them to better comprehend the Dharma and spread its teachings. On the walls of the Dabei Temple office hang two powerful poems, accompanied by bold and vigorous calligraphy.