Yudu Futian Chan Temple

Yudu Futian Chan Temple

Yudu Futian Chan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Yudu Futian Chan Temple

Originally built during the Tianjian era of the Liang Dynasty, it was initially named Dafo Temple and also known as Miaojing Temple. During the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, the eminent monk Master Wenyu resided here, using his extraordinary spiritual powers to uphold the Dharma and spread Buddhism in the region. In the second year of the Xiangfu era of the Song Dynasty, the master passed away peacefully after fulfilling his spiritual mission. After his nirvana, his body remained intact for many years, and it still remains so to this day.

Futian Chan Temple, originally named Miaojing Temple and also called Dafo Temple, was first built during the Tianjian era of the Liang Dynasty. Its original site was in Dachang Village, Yudu. By the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty, it was relocated to the west of the city. The temple’s construction and renovations throughout the dynasties were recorded on steles. Among these, the most notable are the “Yang Zhixin Stele” handwritten by the famous Tang scholar Li Shaohong and the record by the Ming Dynasty Confucian scholar Xie Jin.

From the late Tang and Five Dynasties to the early Song Dynasty, the eminent monk Master Wenyu resided here. Due to the many miraculous and legendary stories associated with him, he was widely revered as the “Living Buddha.” After Master Wenyu’s nirvana, his body has been preserved to this day and is currently enshrined in the Ciyu Pavilion of the newly rebuilt Futian Chan Temple. For thousands of years, Futian Chan Temple has been regarded as the foremost among Yudu’s many temples, producing numerous eminent monks and flourishing with the widespread teaching of Dharma and distinguished Buddhist traditions, presenting a scene of great prosperity. Unfortunately, in more recent times, due to the ravages of war and the passage of time with no successors, this thousand-year-old sacred site turned into ruins. The former glory has become but a fleeting memory, now completely vanished.

As time changes and the world moves forward, the nation strives for harmony. The Yudu County Party Committee and County Government, in respect of history and in response to public sentiment, decided after extensive consultation and repeated research, to select a new site of over 200 acres within Baota Park in Yudu, to relocate and rebuild Futian Chan Temple.

In November 2004, the county government and the county Buddhist association jointly invited a distinguished disciple of the contemporary patriarch of Buddhism, the 45th-generation lineage holder of the Linji school — a venerable master — to serve as the founding abbot of the reborn Futian Chan Temple, overseeing the comprehensive revival of the temple.