Rushan Puzhao Temple

Rushan Puzhao Temple

Rushan Puzhao Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Rushan was originally called Gaizhai. In ancient times, there was a nunnery at the top of the mountain. Legend has it that there was a jade stele in the nunnery that could rotate with the sun, so Gaizhai was renamed Rushan.

The temple was first built during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty and has experienced periods of prosperity and decline. Puzhao Temple is one of the largest temples in Jiangxi, featuring a terraced overall structure. The temple houses over 100 Buddhist statues of various sizes. The temple has hosted two events with more than a thousand participants. One was the Triple Platform Ordination in October 1984, and the other was the Buddha Statue Consecration Ceremony in December 1988. Zhao Puchu, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and President of the Buddhist Association of China, personally inscribed the name of the temple’s “Mahavira Hall.”

During the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, Monk Xingqi came here to build the temple. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, the temple has produced four eminent Buddhist masters: Master Huixian, Master Liaofan Xishou, Master Deqin Liangru, and Master Yinci. Later, renowned monks such as Zhengjing, Cihui, Fadeng, Nengliang, and Renshan successively served as abbots at the temple, spreading Buddhist teachings. During the Cultural Revolution, the temple was abandoned and the monks scattered. After 1979, Monk Renshan and his disciple Fuxian returned to the mountain. With their influence and connections in the Buddhist community, they attracted substantial funding from both domestic and overseas sources to rebuild the ancient temple. The rebuilt complex covers a construction area of over 6,000 square meters, and at its peak, the resident monastic community numbered more than 50 monks and nuns. In September 1984, the People’s Government of Jiangxi Province approved the temple as one of the 14 key open temples in the province.

At the very front of the temple is the Heavenly King Hall. The main hall is a single-story structure, with two side wings that are two stories high, matching the height of the central hall. The Four Heavenly Kings in the central hall are over ten feet tall, with majestic and fierce expressions. In the middle of the hall stands the Vajra Guardian Deity, clad in golden armor, looking exceptionally heroic.

Behind the “Heavenly King Hall” is the main hall, the “Mahavira Hall.” The hall is over 15 meters high, with massive pillars that give it a grand and magnificent appearance. In front of the hall is an iron treasure tripod over four meters tall. Inside the hall, three large Buddha statues, each over six meters tall, are vividly sculpted with serene and dignified expressions. Sakyamuni is in the center, flanked by Bhaisajyaguru (Medicine Buddha) and Amitabha Buddha. On both sides of the hall are the Eighteen Arhats and murals of the Twenty-Four Devas, all imposing and awe-inspiring. Behind the three large Buddha statues is a sculptural group of Guanyin Crossing the Sea, featuring 43 bodhisattvas with distinct expressions, all exquisitely carved. To the right of the Mahavira Hall is the “Kṣitigarbha Hall,” housing a kind and amiable statue of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva. To the left is the three-story “Guest Hall,” where the ground floor enshrines a statue of the “Thousand-Armed Guanyin,” with each arm holding a sacred implement, symbolizing immense spiritual power. Behind the Guest Hall is the three-story “Sutra Depository,” which houses two editions of the Buddhist canon — an old and a new version of the “Great Treasury of Scriptures.” These are among the most precious scriptures in Jiangxi’s temples, serving as comprehensive collections of Buddhist texts. Each edition contains over 420 volumes, with multiple books per volume. The old edition of the “Great Treasury of Scriptures” was purchased at great expense by Master Yinci, Executive Director of the Buddhist Association of China. The new edition was donated by Master Mingyang, Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China, in 1991. The second floor houses the “Chanting Hall,” where a glass shrine about three meters high contains a meditating Buddha statue with a serene expression. In the center is Amitabha Buddha, flanked by Guanyin Bodhisattva on the left and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva on the right.

At the back of the temple are the “Vairocana Hall,” the “Bell Tower,” and the “Drum Tower,” all situated at the highest elevation, close to the mountaintop. In front of the Vairocana Hall is a four-meter-high iron tripod. This two-story building features a six-meter-long reclining Buddha statue with a golden body that shines brilliantly on the ground floor. The seated Vairocana Buddha upstairs is also over five meters tall. The dragon bed and dragon table of the reclining Buddha, as well as the lotus pedestal and dragon table around the Vairocana Buddha, are adorned with colorful carvings of characters from *Journey to the West*, all exquisitely crafted and lifelike. To the left and right of the Vairocana Hall are the Bell Tower and Drum Tower. Below these towers, the Eighteen Arhats are stationed on both sides, guarding the sacred halls. Standing on the top floor of the highest Vairocana Hall and looking out from the railing, you can see a panoramic view of towering peaks and verdant cliffs — a truly spectacular sight.

The entire Puzhao Temple is enveloped in the fragrance of incense, with the sounds of bells, chimes, and sutra chanting never ceasing. The temple conducts Buddhist rituals daily, and during peak times, up to a thousand devotees visit each day. Nationwide, over 100,000 people come here each year for sightseeing and worship, with visitors also coming from as far as the United States, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, and other parts of Southeast Asia. Renowned overseas monks such as Master Guangming Shan, President of the Singapore Buddhist Federation and Abbot of Pu Jue Temple; Master Hongchuan; Master Yoshii Jakuhō, Abbot of Baoji Temple in Daishomachi, Himeji City, Japan; Master Liao Zhi from Los Angeles, USA; as well as Master Shengyi from Hong Kong’s Po Lin Monastery, Masters Miaofa Xiuweng and Daxing from Hong Kong, have all sent offerings for dharma assemblies or visited the temple multiple times to teach and pay homage. Prominent Hong Kong lay practitioners such as Leung Sin Yuk, Wu Juekuan, Tsang Kok Wai, Tsang Sing Fung, Chan Man Bing, and Lo Tung Kuon have frequently led dozens of lay followers to the temple for worship, making generous donations. In September 1984, the temple held the Triple Platform Ordination. Masters from Singapore’s Guangming Shan and Pu Jue Temple, along with abbots and monks from China’s Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains, were invited to jointly confer the precepts. Word spread quickly, and within just 17 days, over 1,000 people traveled from 19 provinces and cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu to seek ordination.