Berlin Chan Temple

Berlin Chan Temple

Berlin Chan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Berlin Chan Temple is located at the southeastern corner of Zhao County (formerly known as Zhaozhou), Hebei Province, overlooking the world-famous Zhaozhou Bridge from afar. It was first built during the Jian’an era (196–220) of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and was originally called Guanyin Temple. During the Southern Song Dynasty, it was known as Yong’an Temple; in the Jin Dynasty, it was named Berlin Chan Monastery, and from the Yuan Dynasty onward, it has been called Berlin Chan Temple. Throughout the long course of history, although this ancient temple has experienced several rises and declines, its incense has never ceased, and it has produced many eminent monks. According to monastic records, the famous sutra translator Master Xuanzang studied the *Satyasiddhi Śāstra* under Master Daoshen here before embarking on his journey to India to retrieve Buddhist scriptures. In the late Tang Dynasty, the great Chan master Congshen (also known as Master Zhaozhou) resided here for forty years, promulgating the Dharma and establishing the far-reaching "Zhaozhou tradition." As a result, Berlin Chan Temple became an important ancestral temple in the history of Chinese Chan Buddhism.

During the Jin Dynasty, the site was briefly converted into a Vinaya school practice center, where five generations of eminent Vinaya masters propagated monastic discipline for fifty years. The most renowned among them was Vinaya Master Quanzong. In the late Jin Dynasty, Chan Master Guiyun Zhixuan, who upheld the orthodox Linji lineage, took charge of the temple’s teachings, leading Berlin Chan Temple to shift from the Vinaya to the Chan tradition and ushering in a flourishing period of Chan practice. Master Guiyun presided over seven major temples in his lifetime and was highly respected at the time. His stupa still stands at Tanzhe Temple in the western suburbs of Beijing. In the Yuan Dynasty, Chan masters such as Yuanyue Mingxi and Lu Yun Xingxing carried out Dharma activities here, and Berlin Chan Temple grew in grandeur, becoming a Buddhist center in the Yan-Zhao region. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the local government office managing Buddhist affairs in Zhaozhou, known as the Sengzheng Si (Monk Administration Office), was located at Berlin Chan Temple. At that time, the abbot of the temple often also served as the head of the Sengzheng Si. Over the past hundred years, however, Berlin Chan Temple suffered repeated disasters. By 1988, when monks returned to the temple, its halls and Buddha statues had all vanished, leaving only the stupa of Master Zhaozhou and over twenty ancient cypress trees from the Tang Dynasty, which still stood tall, silently testifying to the site’s former status as a sacred Buddhist monastery.

In 1988, Berlin Chan Temple was reopened as a Buddhist activity site. Venerable Jinghui, President of the Hebei Buddhist Association, personally oversaw the restoration work. With strong support from all sectors of society: in 1992, the Puguangming Hall was completed; subsequently, the Bell and Drum Towers, Guanyin Hall, Scripture Depository, Chan Hall, Huaiyun Tower, Kaishan Tower, Huijian Tower, Zhiyue Tower, Yunshui Tower, Xiangji Tower, Ancient Buddha Nunnery, meditation huts, Buddhist College, Tea Fragrance Tower, Manjushri Pavilion, and Samantabhadra Pavilion were successively built. On September 6, 2002, the magnificent Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall was inaugurated with a grand Dharma assembly and consecration ceremony, marking a major milestone in the revival of the Zhaozhou ancestral temple. A thousand-year-old temple covering over 100 acres, with majestic and solemn halls standing in close succession, has been revitalized.