Dangkou Yuantong Temple

Dangkou Yuantong Temple

Yuantong Chan Temple was originally built in the second year of the Qianyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (759), located on the northern outskirts of Dangkou Town. It was initially named “Qianyuan Temple.” Legend has it that the site was once the residence of General Zhang Zhao, Marquis of Lou from the Wu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period, which was donated to build a Zen temple during the Chiwu years (239–240). The temple was abolished during the Huichang era of the Tang Dynasty (841–846) and was rebuilt in the eighth year of the Xiantong era (867). During the Jingyou years of the Song Dynasty (1034–1038), it was bestowed the plaque “Yuantong Chan Temple.” In the eighth year of the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty (1410), the monk Xijin rebuilt the temple. During the Zhengde era (1506–1521), the monk Nengjing reconstructed it again. In the mid-Wanli era, the monk Zhiyi added a meditation hall, and in the 43rd year of Wanli (1615), the monk Mingshun rebuilt the main hall. The temple complex includes the Incense Flower Bridge, the Mahavira Hall, the Left Meditation Hall, and the Abbot’s Scripture Tower. During the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, Hua Cha wrote the poem “Passing Yuantong Temple Late in the Year”: “A light boat, borne by whim, visits the Zen grove at year’s end; / Sunset falls on the distant temple gate, ancient pines shade the old hall. / The stream rushes in the evening wind, wild colors deepen in the cold clouds; / Sitting in the realm of non-being, I glimpse the heart of the serene.”

The original Yuantong Temple was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. At the beginning of this century, it was rebuilt in a new location on the east side of the Sanguang Ancestral Hall by the edge of Lake Ehu.