Baizhang Mountain Scenic Area

Baizhang Mountain Scenic Area

Baizhang Mountain Scenic Area is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

Baizhang Chan Temple is located in the Baizhang Mountain Scenic Area in the northwest of the county town, about 120 kilometers from the provincial capital Nanchang. It is the birthplace of the "Chanlin Qinggui" (Monastic Regulations) of Chinese Buddhism’s Chan (Zen) sect, one of China’s top ten ancient temples, and has a history of over 1,200 years, enjoying a high reputation in both Chinese and international Buddhist communities.

In 784 AD, Master Huaihai came here to take charge, establishing the monastery and formulating the "Chanmen Guishi" (Monastic Rules), later known as the "Baizhang Qinggui," which set regulations for monastic positions, rituals, and practices in Chan temples. Hence the saying in the Buddhist world: “Mazu opened the practice ground, Huaihai established the rules.” He also advocated the "one day no work, one day no food" principle, emphasizing the integration of farming and meditation, enabling monks to support themselves. His second major contribution to Buddhism was mentorship. During the peak of Chan Buddhism’s development, there emerged the phenomenon of "one flower with five leaves" — the one flower representing Chan Buddhism, and the five leaves representing the five major schools: Weiyang, Linji, Caodong, Yunmen, and Fayan. Among Huaihai’s many disciples were two highly influential ones: one was Lingyou of Weishan, who later founded the Weiyang School; the other was Huangbo Xiyun, whose disciple Linji Yixuan founded the Linji School. This illustrates Master Huaihai’s immense contribution to Chinese Buddhism. After the Song Dynasty, the Linji School spread widely across Southeast Asia and remains one of the main sects of Japanese Buddhism today.

Baizhang Temple has long been a popular destination for exploring nature and culture. Emperor Xuānzong of Tang, the Neo-Confucian scholar Zhou Dunyi, and the Ming Dynasty Minister of Personnel Cai Guozhen all visited here, leaving behind numerous poems and stone inscriptions. When Emperor Xuānzong ascended the throne, he bestowed upon the temple the plaque inscribed with "Dasheng Shousheng Chan Temple." The great calligrapher Liu Gongquan wrote the four characters "Tianxia Qinggui" (Monastic Rules of the World), which were engraved on a stone tablet and placed on the western cliff of Baizhang Mountain. Having endured destruction through wars over the dynasties, the temple today retains only two structures: the Mahavira Hall and the monks’ dormitories. The Mahavira Hall is the main building, with the current structure dating back to the sixth year of the Tongzhi era (1868 AD). It measures 10 meters in length, 12 meters in width, and 4 meters in height, serving as the principal hall of the temple. "Dasheng" means the Buddha possesses great power and can subdue the "four maras," and is another honorific title for Shakyamuni Buddha among Buddhists, meaning the heroic hero of the great world, supreme and peerless.

In 2004, through investment attraction, Master Benhuan, Chairman of the Chinese Buddhist Consultative Conference and abbot of Hongfa Temple in Shenzhen, raised 150 million RMB to restore Baizhang Temple. On August 31, 2011, a grand consecration ceremony was held, restoring the thousand-year-old temple to its former glory. The temple now covers an area of more than 1,100 acres, with a construction area of nearly 50,000 square meters. It boasts a magnificent presence and is reputed to be the largest in East China, celebrated as a "world apart, a hidden paradise, first-class in China, and world-renowned" Chan Buddhist ancestral court.