Yangshan Chaoyang Chan Temple

Yangshan Chaoyang Chan Temple

Yangshan Chaoyang Chan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Chaoyang Chan Temple is located on the eastern side of Yangshan Mountain in Huishan District, Wuxi City. Originally a retreat lodge of the historically renowned Cuimei Temple, it was called Chaoyang Nunnery. Due to a cave behind the temple, locals commonly referred to it as Chaoyang Cave. Over time, Yangshan’s Chaoyang Cave became widely known. The site boasts majestic scenery and breathtaking views. As such, the Song Dynasty poet Tang... wrote in his seven-character poem “Inscription on Cuimei Temple at Anyang Mountain”: “The peaks tower high and the valleys run deep, making the mountain renowned far and wide.”

Chaoyang Chan Temple is also situated within Dayang Mountain in Yangshan Town. In front of the temple is the Peach Blossom Spring Square of the town government and a large, tranquil lake. Nestled against the mountain and beside the water, upon entering the mountain gate, visitors are greeted by lush greenery as if stepping into a primeval forest. Following a winding mountain path, another scene unfolds: a grand and rustic Mahavira Hall. In front of the hall stands a 150-year-old ginkgo tree. The temple complex includes the Heavenly King Hall, Guanyin Hall, Ksitigarbha Hall, Sangharama Hall, a library, the guest hall, the scripture depository, the Patriarch Hall, and houses two jade Buddha statues from Myanmar.

Among the temple’s eminent monks throughout history, the most illustrious and internationally revered was Master Lanxi Daolong, a Dharma heir of Master Wuwei Xinggang. A native of Ran family from Fuling, Sichuan, he was born in 1213 (the Year of Guiyou during the Jiading reign of the Southern Song Dynasty). In his youth, he shaved his head at Chengdu’s Daci Temple. Later, he visited various masters including Zhunshi Fan, Chijue Daochong, and Beijian Jujian at Ashoka Temple in Siming (now Ningbo, Zhejiang), but found no spiritual affinity. He then turned to Master Wuwei Xinggang in Yangshan, Wuxi, Jiangsu for Chan practice. One day, upon hearing the phrase “a water buffalo passing through a window lattice,” he attained enlightenment and received Dharma transmission. In 1246 (the Chunyou era), at the invitation of Japanese monk Chijing, he set sail for Japan with his disciples Yiweng and Longjiang to propagate the Linji (Rinzai) school of Zen. Initially residing at Enkaku-ji in Dazaifu (present-day Fukuoka), he moved to Kyoto’s Jōraku-ji the following year. His teachings gained widespread acclaim, attracting many visitors. The Kamakura shogunate thus specially commissioned the construction of the vast Kofuku-san Kennin-ji (later known as Kenchō-ji) in Fujisawa, appointing him as its founding abbot. He is honored as the patriarch of the Kenchō-ji branch of the Japanese Rinzai school. Master Daolong preached in Japan for 33 years, earning great respect from both the court and commoners. Twenty-four of his Japanese disciples attained Dharma transmission, among whom nearly half traveled back to China for further studies. He passed away in 1278 (the Xiangxing era of the Southern Song Dynasty) and was posthumously given the title Great Enlightenment Chan Master.

In July 1978, to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Great Enlightenment Master’s parinirvana, a Japanese Buddhist delegation visited the former site of Cuimei Temple in Yangshan, Wuxi, China, to honor the founding patriarch of the Kenchō-ji branch of the Rinzai school. They erected the Great Enlightenment Master Memorial Stupa at Chaoyang Cave in Chaoyang Chan Temple, the former retreat lodge of Cuimei Temple, thereby recognizing it as the ancestral temple of the Kenchō-ji sect. From the Southern Song Dynasty to the present, the Great Enlightenment Master has made profound contributions to the development of Buddhism in Japan. He established the Japanese Rinzai Kenchō-ji school, which now encompasses over 400 temples and nearly 30,000 followers. Japanese monks and devotees continue to visit China annually in search of their spiritual roots, playing a significant role in fostering friendly exchanges between Chinese and Japanese Buddhism.

Scenic Area Address: Hujing Road, Yangshan Town, Huishan District, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province

Transportation: Take bus routes 608, 611, or 627 within Wuxi City and get off at Yangshan Martyrs' Cemetery Station. Walk south along Taoyuan Road to reach the temple.