Dinghui Temple on Mount Lu

Dinghui Temple on Mount Lu

Dinghui Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Originally named Dinghui Hermitage and locally known as Chengqianggou, Dinghui Temple is located in the Lianhua Cave Scenic Area at the northern foot of Mount Lu. It lies against Shuangjian Peak and faces Chengnan Mountain, about 9 kilometers from downtown. It was first built during the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. According to old records from Jiujiang, during the transition between the Yuan and Ming dynasties, a barefoot monk named Mingxin Jiaoxian once practiced here in seclusion. He cured Emperor Hongwu’s illness with recommended medicine and, after his passing, was granted a burial site on Mount Lu. During the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Monk Wenshi raised funds to build the Grand Buddha Hall, when there were nine hundred monks and incense offerings were abundant. Under the leadership of Monk Longbo, the temple flourished greatly, attracting tens of thousands of worshippers. In the 17th year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing dynasty (1660), the Minister of Justice bestowed a plaque inscribed “Dinghui Chan Forest.” In the 16th year of the Qianlong reign (1752), Prince Xianqin, moved by the pine trees’ whispering winds in the valley, personally wrote the golden plaque “Pine Wind by the Water,” making the temple widely renowned at the time—its abbot, Monk Longbo, was also called “Pine-Listening Monk.” By the end of the Qing dynasty, the temple buildings and Buddha statues were destroyed in war, the golden plaques were lost, and the monks were dispersed. In the 5th year of the Republic of China (1916), Monk Fushan renovated the Buddha Hall and monastic quarters to maintain the incense offerings. After the founding of New China, with freedom of religious belief, monks resumed daily chanting and meditation. During the Cultural Revolution, the monks were driven out again, scriptures and ritual instruments were damaged, and the ancestral stupas were toppled. Starting in 1971, to ensure the continuation of Dinghui Temple’s Dharma lineage, Abbots Shi Guanxing and Shi Congyang gathered devotees to rebuild (expand) the temple structures including the Buddha Halls and living quarters, and restored the stupas of former abbots, reviving temple activities. By the year 2000, the temple complex included the Mountain Gate Hall, Heavenly King Hall, Mahavira Hall, Chanting Hall, living quarters, and other structures totaling 1,717 square meters, covering an area of 7,000 square meters.

Mountain Gate Hall: Also called the “Three Gates Hall” due to its three entrances, symbolizing the “Three Liberation Gates” of Buddhism: the Gate of Emptiness, the Gate of Formlessness, and the Gate of Non-Action. A pair of stone lions, 1.5 meters tall, stand guard outside the hall on carved stone pedestals, facing each other with a majestic appearance, known as the “Temple-Guarding Stone Lions.” Inside the hall are two large Vajra Guardians, holding vajra clubs to protect the temple entrance.

Heavenly King Hall: Also known as the Maitreya Hall, it is the first main hall of the temple, with two stories and a construction area of 490 square meters. The center of the hall houses a smiling, bare-chested, and navel-exposing statue of the Maitreya Buddha seated on a lotus throne, with the Four Heavenly Kings on either side, and behind Maitreya stands the guardian deity of the temple, Skanda (Weituo). Maitreya, also known as Ajita, was a disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha. To the west of Dinghui Temple lies Budaichong (Cloth Sack Valley), where the legendary Cloth Sack Monk is said to be an incarnation of Maitreya.

Mahavira Hall: Also called the Main Hall or Grand Hall, it is the principal structure of Dinghui Temple, grand and majestic with an impressive presence, covering a construction area of 216 square meters. The Mahavira Hall is built in the style of a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, imitating Song dynasty architecture, with upturned eaves, gray clay tiles, and an ancient, dignified charm. At the center of the hall sit the “Three Saints of the West,” enthroned on golden lotuses, with serene expressions, flanked by Manjushri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Inside the hall’s entrance, Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva is enshrined on the left, and Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara on the right. The array of Buddha statues features intricate and refined designs, bold and fluid carving techniques, distinctive shapes, varied expressions, and lifelike appearances.

Chanting Hall: A place for monks to preach, chant sutras, take refuge, and receive precepts. With a construction area of 600 square meters and two stories, the hall is spacious and grand. Enshrined within are statues of Shakyamuni Buddha, Bhaisajyaguru (Medicine Buddha), and Amitabha Buddha. These three golden Buddha statues radiate brilliance, have full, graceful forms, smooth and delicately carved robes, solemn and dignified expressions.

Ancient Stupa Cluster: Dinghui Temple still preserves eight ancient stupas with long histories, featuring clear inscriptions on stela. The stupas of Abbots Yueyuan, Fushan, Zhigao, Longbo, and Wenshi are well preserved. Especially notable is the stupa of Abbot Wenshi, the founding master who revitalized Dinghui Temple, located on the mountain to the right front of the temple. The stupa is delicate, tall, elegant, and beautifully quaint. Its base is a Qing dynasty structure, and the inscriptions on the memorial stela can still be faintly discerned in regular script.

Historic First Pass of the Dragon Gate: Behind Dinghui Temple, with Shuangjian Peak rising steeply on the left and the Nine Bends of the Dragon Gate on the right, the first bend is known as the “Historic First Pass of the Dragon Gate.” Majestic peaks tower, and bizarre rocks stand densely, competing in splendor and taking on countless shapes. Most of the scenery is related to legends about Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (Hongwu). For example, the Drum Rock on the right mountain is associated with the saying: “When the Zhu family becomes emperors, the drum will sound loud.”

Tea Garden and Herbal Nursery: The tea plantation and medicinal herb garden each cover two acres. The herbal nursery cultivates over 60 kinds of precious medicinal plants, including Panax notoginseng, red ginseng, chrysanthemum ginseng, scrophularia, white atractylodes, ginkgo, lingzhi mushrooms, giant knotweed, and water caltrop. In summer, flowers bloom profusely throughout the garden, filling the air with fragrance and vitality, refreshing both body and mind and making visitors linger without wanting to leave.

Branch Temple: The branch temple of Dinghui Temple is Guiyuan Temple. The name “Guiyuan” comes from the Buddhist scripture Shurangama Sutra: “There is no second path to return to the origin; there are many convenient methods.” By the end of the 19th century, to reflect its specialization in Pure Land practice and distinguish it from Guiyuan Temple in Hanyang, Hubei, the temple was renamed Guiyuan Mituo Temple. Located east of Dinghui Temple in the Longmen Gorge, it is embraced by green mountains and graced by flowing streams. It was initially built by Lazy Taoist in the early Ming dynasty and rebuilt by Monk Yuanwei in the early Shunzhi reign of the Qing dynasty. Most of it had collapsed long ago before being restored in 1994. Currently, there are three bridges, one each of the Mahavira Hall, Great Compassion Hall, Chanting Hall, and living quarters. The temple also retains a Qing dynasty stela titled “County Decree Forever Prohibiting the Sale or Mortgage of Guiyuan Temple Properties,” which records how temple monks secretly sold land near Taiyi Temple, leading to a lawsuit. The then magistrate of Dehua County ruled fairly, erected this stone to warn future generations.

Source: Lushan District Annals