Qianxi Putuo Chan Temple

Qianxi Putuo Chan Temple

Qianxi Putuo Chan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Qianxi Putuo Chan Temple is located on Phoenix Mountain in Xinji Town, Qianxi County. It is a sacred site where the Bodhisattva Guanyin made her divine presence known. During the Tang Dynasty, when Emperor Taizong was campaigning to the east, the Bodhisattva Guanyin manifested her compassion and mercy to rescue him from peril. Deeply grateful for the Buddha’s grace, the emperor built the Nanhai Purple Bamboo Monastery at the mountain’s summit. On the 19th day of the second lunar month, the birthday of Guanyin, a grand temple fair is held here—its scale magnificent, its dharma rain nourishing all beings. The temple has been renovated in later generations. During the Qing Dynasty’s Daoguang era, the monk Shi Zhenfa served as abbot. At that time, monastic discipline was strict and incense offerings were abundant, gaining fame across the land. However, it was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.

In the early 21st century, with the local economy developing and many things being revived, people turned their hearts toward kindness and Buddhism began to flourish again. On the first day of the tenth lunar month in 2005, Venerable Master Sheng Hang (the 13th-generation Chan master of the Weiyang lineage), at the invitation of the two village committees of Xinji, took up residence on Phoenix Mountain. On his first night there, he dreamed that the Bodhisattva Guanyin bestowed upon him a kasaya to cover his body. Thus, the next day before the Buddha, he made a vow: for as long as he lived in this human form, he would build Putuo Chan Temple at the foot of the mountain to propagate the true Dharma and benefit all sentient beings. Though in the beginning he often sustained himself with coarse food and wild fruits, his resolve remained firm, and he never wavered. His grand vow and austere practice moved many kind-hearted people. With strong support from the local government, major patrons, and monastic and lay disciples who sincerely assisted and upheld the Way, everyone did their utmost—donating money and grain. Over the course of four years, they successively completed the Mahavira Hall, double-story monastic quarters, and more. The temple covers an area of over 20 acres, with a rational layout, complete functions, convenience for both monastics and laypeople, and blessings for all beings.

During the construction period, the lay Bodhisattva Precepts practitioner and benefactor Nengxiang (secular name Zhang Xiang) from Qianxi passed away due to overwork and dedication, and attained rebirth in the Pure Land. The newly built Phoenix Mountain Putuo Chan Temple shines with the full moon and golden radiance, with the Buddha’s light shining eternally. When people’s hearts are kind, many will take refuge in Buddhism. All evils cease, all virtues are upheld, the Dharma flourishes, ensuring peace and prosperity under heaven, and the well-being of the multitude. This is engraved on stone to be remembered for generations to come.