Fayin Temple

Fayin Temple

Fayin Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

The great river flows eastward day and night, morning bells and evening drums echo through the three thousand realms; all sentient beings in the Dharma realm shall be saved, the pagoda’s Dharma sound draws near at dawn and dusk. The chanting of scriptures and Buddha’s name fills the void. May we all be reborn in the Western Pure Land. Nestled on the "dragon’s lip" where the mighty Yangtze River surges eastward lies a young temple — Fayin Temple, a cherished destination for local devotees and visitors alike. Fayin Temple is located in the eastern suburbs of Huilong Town, Qidong City, on the east side of Shijian Road. It was formerly the site of the old Pujisi Temple.

In May 1984, with approval from the Qidong Municipal People’s Government and under the leadership of Abbot Youzi, the new Fayin supervisor and four assemblies of disciples (monks, nuns, male and female lay followers) toiled tirelessly, moving bricks and soil to build three Buddha halls and seven living quarters, naming it “Huilong Buddhist Chanting Hall.” The temple now has a total of over a hundred halls and living quarters, covering nearly 10 acres. In July 1989, following the inscription “Fayin Xuanliu” (Dharma Sound Spreads Far and Wide) personally written by Zhao Puchu, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and President of the Buddhist Association of China, and with approval from the Nantong Municipal People’s Government, it was officially named Fayin Temple. The temple is now divided into northern and southern sections, featuring yellow walls and red tiles that blend traditional Chinese and modern architectural styles.

The mountain gate of Fayin Temple is a two-story pavilion structure. Above the gate, Zhao Puchu personally inscribed the three large characters “Fayin Temple,” flanked by the couplet: “From this gate, the true Dharma is proclaimed; by the Eastern Sea, the tide’s voice is heard.” Upon entering, the first sight is the golden statue of the ever-smiling, big-bellied “Maitreya Bodhisattva,” carved from camphor wood in the early Qing Dynasty and gifted by Suzhou Xiyuan Temple. On either side of Maitreya’s statue stand four towering Vajra guardians: on the east side are the Southern Vaishravana, who holds a sword, and the Eastern Dhritarashtra, who holds a pipa; on the west side are the Northern Virupaksha, who holds an umbrella, and the Western Virudhaka, whose arm is entwined with a dragon. The implements they hold represent the “wind,” “harmony,” “rain,” and “prosperity,” symbolizing “good fortune.” The “Four Great Kings” act as the temple’s guardians, overseeing the good and evil of sentient beings and protecting the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Behind Maitreya stands a fully golden statue of the “Skanda Bodhisattva,” who wields a vajra staff. Skanda’s duty is to protect the Dharma, suppress evil, dispel disasters, benefit all beings, and promote world peace and happiness. Passing through the mountain gate, one is greeted by the curling incense smoke and the towering temple cauldron and incense burners, signs of the temple’s flourishing worship. Further ahead lies the Mahavira Hall of Fayin Temple. Built in 1987, the hall features yellow walls and red tiles, upturned eaves adorned with carvings of dragons playing with pearls and various birds and beasts, with a precious gourd sculpture atop the roof. The hall is flanked by the couplet: “Patriotism and faith in the Dharma grow ever resolute; a pure land of solemn beauty takes root in the human realm.” Ascending the stone steps and stepping into the Mahavira Hall, one sees incense, flowers, oil lamps, banners, canopies, and umbrellas arranged in order. At the center are three purple-gold statues: in the middle is Sakyamuni Buddha, flanked by Ānanda and Mahākāśyapa, all serene and dignified. Above them hangs a plaque personally inscribed by Zhao Puchu, reading “Fayin Xuanliu.” On either side are enshrined Guanyin Bodhisattva, whose “Buddha-light shines universally,” and Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, who “rescues from the ten sufferings.” The Kṣitigarbha statue, carved in the Ming Dynasty, was also gifted by Suzhou Xiyuan Temple. The hall’s sides feature eighteen arhat sculptures, each vivid and lifelike, donated by Jinshan Jiangtian Chan Temple in Zhenjiang. The right wall is inlaid with a stone stele of the Eighteen Arhats: “The abbot of Jinshan Jiangtian Chan Temple in Zhenjiang, Master Cizhou, and patrons sponsored the Eighteen Arhats statues for Fayin Temple. On April 11, 1989, they visited for worship, and the four assemblies bowed in reverence, gazing upon the revered ones with hearts full of Dharma joy…” Exiting the main hall, there are two-story east and west side rooms. The east side houses the Great Sage Hall and Guanyin Hall. The outer walls bear verses such as: “The sun is vast, parental kindness is vast, a noble person’s capacity is vast, but petty people’s tempers are vast,” and “When impermanence arrives in a single day, you realize you were but a dreamer; nothing is taken along, only karma remains.”

As you step into the Thousand-Armed Guanyin Hall, the resplendent four-faced Thousand-Armed Guanyin seems infinite under the overlay and refraction of modern lighting, as if entering the jeweled realm of the Dharma. On the west side are the temple offices and the “Chanting Hall,” which also serve as the nuns’ living quarters. After visiting the northern courtyard, a wall away lies the Zhongtian Pagoda in the southern courtyard. Originally named the Duobao Pagoda, in 1987, Fayin Temple initiated the construction of a stupa. At that time, because the “Lotus Sutra” refers to a “Duobao Pagoda” in the chapter on the “Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra,” it was named “Duobao Pagoda.” After ten years, upon completion in 1997, it was renamed “Zhongtian Pagoda” since Sakyamuni Buddha is the teaching master of the Zhongtian realm. The Yangtze River… stretches to the East Sea. In the distance, where sea meets sky, it feels boundless and ethereal, as if witnessing the flow of timeless years. A gentle breeze brings the soft tinkling of bells around the pagoda, echoing like the Dharma sound of the Pure Land. Gazing into the distance, the boundless treasures of the Tathagata unfold before your eyes. For a moment, all manner of reverie dissolves into this exquisite poetic beauty. As the saying goes: “In this human realm of purity, the Duobao emerges; in the jade towers of the stupa grove, the Zhongtian is revered.”