Pingquan Xiangguang Temple

Pingquan Xiangguang Temple

Pingquan Xiangguang Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Xiangguang Temple is located on the southern side of Taihe Tower in Zezhou Garden (West Hill Park) on Fuyou Road in the county town of Pingquan. It is a main structure within the park. The name “Xiangguang” (literally “Fragrance and Light”) is derived from the phrase “Fragrance and Light Adornment” in the *Śūraṅgama Sūtra* (*Surangama Sutra*), specifically from the chapter “The Perfect Penetration Through Mindfulness of the Buddha” by Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva—one of the Three Saints of the West. This passage is an important section where Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva stands up during the Śūraṅgama assembly to report to Shakyamuni Buddha about the practice of mindfulness of the Buddha. Though brief, it is highly significant and was designated by the 13th Patriarch of the Chinese Pure Land School, Master Yinguang, as one of the Five Pure Land Scriptures.

The full text is as follows: “Mahāsthāmaprāpta, the Dharma Prince, together with his retinue of fifty-two bodhisattvas, rose from their seats, bowed their heads at the Buddha’s feet, and addressed the Buddha: ‘I recall that in the past, across measureless kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, there appeared a Buddha named Boundless Light. Twelve Buddhas successively appeared in that one kalpa. The last of them was named Surpassing Sun and Moon. That Buddha taught me the Samādhi of Mindfulness of the Buddha. It is like this: Suppose there are two people, one constantly mindful of the other, while the other is constantly forgetful. In such a case, whether they meet or not, see each other or not, if only the one who remembers does so deeply, then even life after life, the two will be as close as form and shadow, never apart. The Buddhas of the ten directions take pity on sentient beings just as a mother pities her child. But if the child runs away, what use is the mother’s longing? If the child remembers the mother as the mother remembers the child, then mother and child will not be far apart life after life. Likewise, if sentient beings keep the Buddha in mind and remember Him, they will surely see the Buddha—both now and in the future—not far from them. Without resorting to any other method, their minds will naturally open. Just as someone wearing fragrant flowers soon carries their scent, this is what is meant by “Fragrance and Light Adornment.” In my own practice, through the power of mindfulness of the Buddha, I attained the Patience of Non-Birth. Now in this world, I gather in all who remember the Buddha and guide them to the Pure Land. The Buddha asks about the perfect penetration. I have no other choice but to rely on gathering in the six sense faculties and maintaining continuous pure mindfulness, thereby attaining samādhi. This is the foremost method.’”