Stone Carvings of the Śūraṅgama Sutra

Stone Carvings of the Śūraṅgama Sutra

The Stone Carvings of the Śūraṅgama Sutra are a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

The Stone Carvings of the Śūraṅgama Sutra are located at Situ Temple in Guanguang Town, Wuzhong District.

Shilin Temple is located at the western foot of Phoenix Mountain in Xiajiao Village, Guanguang. It is said to have been built during the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, the temple enjoyed great popularity and was grand in scale. When Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty visited Jiangnan and passed by Xuanmu Mountain, he stopped briefly at Shilin Temple and personally inscribed its imperial plaque. During the Guangxu era, under the tenure of Abbot Dingyuan, the temple experienced a period of revival, but later gradually declined. During the Republican era, there still remained three halls of the Vajra Hall, five halls of the Mahavira Hall, five halls of the Guanyin Hall, three halls of the Feixi Hall, as well as over twenty other rooms including the kitchen.

In the early years of the Cultural Revolution, the temple buildings were demolished, but two sets of stone carvings remained completely intact: one is the *Mahāvaipulya Sūtra of the Buddha’s Crown Tathāgata’s Secret Cause for Attaining Supreme Enlightenment and the Practices and Vows of All Bodhisattvas*, commonly known as the *Śūraṅgama Sutra*. The other is the *Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra*, commonly known as the *Diamond Sutra*. The full text of the *Śūraṅgama Sutra* contains over 67,000 characters, engraved on 84 bluestone slabs. Each slab is 0.95 meters long and 0.33 meters wide, with an average of about 800 characters per slab. -- Engraved during the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty (1628–1637), it was granted an imperial plaque during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty. -- It is divided into 10 volumes. In the first month of the 15th year of the Chongzhen era (1642), Wei Zhaolu from Kunshan wrote a postscript for the *Śūraṅgama Sutra* stone carvings, explaining their origin. The *Śūraṅgama Sutra* was engraved by Zhang Maode of Wumen, with neat handwriting and powerful carving, remaining very clear to this day. These stone carvings were originally intended to be housed at Fangshan in Fangshan County, Zhuozhou, but due to the Manchu invasion and the drying up of rivers blocking the route, they had to be stored in Shilin Temple. The *Diamond Sutra* is entirely engraved on a single bluestone stele. The stele is 1.92 meters high and 0.69 meters wide. Starting from the center of the pagoda at the beginning of the scroll, the entire *Diamond Sutra* can be read in sequence. Additionally, a “Buddha” character is carved on each bell under the eaves of the pagoda’s tiers and on the lotus pillars under the eaves. There is not a single superfluous character on the entire pagoda, which is arranged in a complete and symmetrical fashion. -- It is written in neat, tiny regular script and intricately carved. In 1977, Shilin Temple completely collapsed, and the stone carvings were relocated to the stele corridor of Situ Temple for preservation.

The stele corridor of Situ Temple also houses the imperial stele “Pine, Wind, Water, and Moon,” inscribed by Emperor Kangxi during his visit to Dengwei Mountain in Guanguang in the 28th year of the Kangxi era (1689). There is also the stone stele “Prajna Boat,” calligraphed by Lin Sen, who once served as the Chairman of the National Government. The strokes of the inscription are vigorous, and the font is round and rich, making it a fine piece as well.

Guanguang Town: Located in the western suburbs of Suzhou City and on the shore of Taihu Lake, Guanguang Town is 21.5 kilometers from the city center. The town covers a land area of 62 square kilometers, with approximately 160 square kilometers of Taihu water area and about 32 kilometers of lakeshore, governing 10 villages (communities) with a permanent population of 63,000.

Guanguang has long been known for its reputation as a “land of lake and mountain views and a blessed paradise.” It boasts superior ecological resources, beautiful natural scenery, and rich cultural heritage. Emperor Qianlong visited here during all six of his southern tours. The town is home to more than twenty large and small mountains such as Dengwei Mountain, Xuanmu Mountain, and Xiqi Mountain, as well as lakes such as Dongyan and Xiyuan. It features attractions such as Xiangxuehai, Situ Temple, … Guanguang Town detailed information++

Further Reading:

· First and Second Batches of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units