Zhenshu Chan Temple

Zhenshu Chan Temple

Zhenshu Chan Temple is a cultural heritage site under the protection of Jiangxi Province.

Zhenshu Chan Temple on Yunju Mountain is a national scenic area, a national cultural heritage site, one of China’s three model monastic complexes, and a nationally key open temple. It is situated atop “Lotus City” on Yunju Mountain in the southwestern part of Yongxiu County, Jiangxi Province. The temple complex spans 12 square kilometers, located 76 kilometers from Nanchang and 58 kilometers from Changbei International Airport. The Beijing-Kowloon Railway, the Changjiu Expressway, as well as National Highways 105 and 316 all lead to Yongxiu County. It is a renowned Buddhist cultural and Tang Dynasty relic site within the Yunju Mountain–Zhanlin Lake Scenic Area. The temple was first built in the early Yuanhe era of Emperor Xianzong of Tang (806–810 AD), originally named “Yunju Chan Monastery.” In the third year of the Zhonghe era of Emperor Xizong of Tang (883 AD), Chan Master Dao Ying, known as the “Great Figure of the Southern School,” took charge of the monastery, which housed 1,500 monks. The imperial court bestowed upon it the name “Longchang Chan Monastery.” In the first year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era of the Song Dynasty (1008 AD), Emperor Zhenzong personally inscribed the plaque “Zhenshu Chan Temple” and granted it to Chan Master Qi Huai of Yunju. Over the following hundred years, the temple flourished with incense offerings, grew substantially in scale, and included 48 hermitages with nearly 2,000 monks. Since then, the name Zhenshu Chan Temple has been used to this day. Over the next thousand years, the temple experienced several rises and declines, being rebuilt and destroyed multiple times. In 1953, Venerable Xuyun, honorary president of the Buddhist Association of China, led his disciples in reconstructing the temple, which had been burned down by Japanese forces. A total of 24 large and small halls were built, along with 246 newly crafted Buddha and bodhisattva statues. The total construction area reached 15,000 square meters, and the current temple grounds cover 30,000 square meters. The buildings have been very well preserved.

From east to west, Zhenshu Chan Temple consists of the Mountain Gate, Venerable Xuyun Stupa Courtyard, Zhaozhou Pass, Mingyue Lake (a liberation pond), and the main temple complex (including the Heavenly King Hall, Skanda Hall, Sangharama Hall, Mahavira Hall, Xuhuai Tower, Yunhai Tower, Bell and Drum Towers, Scripture Depository, Gratitude Hall, Cloud and Water Hall, Meditation Hall, Dining Hall), Anle Hall, and the Xuyun Memorial Hall. Behind the temple lies an exquisitely designed, serene monastic garden. The temple faces east and follows architectural styles from the Tang Dynasty. Over 200 resident monks engage daily in seated meditation and practice according to the “Five Precepts,” “Ten Good Deeds,” “Four Methods of Guidance,” and “Six Perfections.” They uphold the Buddhist traditions of “combining farming with meditation” and “reviving self-reliance through cultivation,” practicing self-sufficient farming to “sustain the temple with the temple.” The monastery maintains strict discipline and an orderly atmosphere, attracting over 260,000 pilgrims annually. The current abbot is Venerable Yicheng, President of the Buddhist Association of China, who assumed leadership of Zhenshu Chan Temple in September 1985. Among the most famous sights are: a thousand-year-old ginkgo tree, a thousand-year-old osmanthus tree, a large Tang Dynasty bronze Buddha, the Hongjue Dojo, the largest jade Buddha in southern China, the Kangxi Thousand-Monk Cauldron, Mingyue Lake, Huquan Spring, Fotie Bridge, Talking Heart Rock, Buddha’s Hand Rock, Stone Drum, Stone Turtle, Fairy Bath Tub, as well as dozens of memorial stupas including those of Dao Rong, Dao Ying, Zhuan Yu, and General.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites