Huizhuan Temple

Huizhuan Temple

Huizhuan Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Huizhuan Temple is located in Huilan Town, about five kilometers from Shifang in Deyang City, Sichuan Province. The temple covers an area of 76 mu, faces south with its back to the north, and has a rectangular layout. It adopts the traditional ancient Chinese architectural style of courtyard complexes arranged in a balanced and symmetrical manner. The temple structures are all made from a combination of wood, stone, and earth, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship. The doors, windows, beams, pillars, upturned eaves, lintels, brackets, caisson ceilings, and wall surfaces are all painted with colorful designs. The soaring eaves and rooftops are adorned with carvings of dragons, snakes, mythical beasts, flowers, birds, fish, and insects, set against the backdrop of towering nanmu trees, creating a truly magnificent sight.

"In the eleventh month of the sixteenth year of the Chunxi era of the Song Dynasty (1156), a local man named Chunyu Zhen dreamed of a monk in purple robes who came to solicit alms. The next day, he accompanied his father to the temple and saw Monk Zhenchang. The robe the monk wore, the ledger he carried, the purpose of his fundraising, and the verses he chanted all matched the details of the dream. The father and son were astonished and considered it a miraculous event. Consequently, they donated several acres of rice fields to help the monk build a pavilion on the bridge and even recorded the story themselves." This is the origin of the Yingmeng Pavilion (Dream-Responsive Pavilion). It is also said that within a few years, Monk Zhenchang passed away, while Chunyu Zhen rose to a prominent official position as a transport commissioner, fulfilling the prophecy of the dream. The story became widely circulated and was regarded as almost supernatural. As a result, people traveled hundreds of miles to seek divine dreams here, and some even chose to stay at the Yingmeng Pavilion. The intricately carved wooden kang bed indeed inspired many more vivid dreams.

Huizhuan Temple adopts the traditional ancient Chinese architectural style of courtyard complexes arranged in a balanced and symmetrical manner. The temple structures are all made from a combination of wood, stone, and earth, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship. The doors, windows, beams, pillars, upturned eaves, lintels, brackets, caisson ceilings, and wall surfaces are all painted with colorful designs. The soaring eaves and rooftops are adorned with carvings of dragons, snakes, mythical beasts, flowers, birds, fish, and insects, set against the backdrop of towering nanmu trees, creating a truly magnificent sight.

The temple covers an area of 76 mu, faces south with its back to the north, and has a rectangular layout. It adopts the traditional ancient Chinese architectural style of courtyard complexes arranged in a balanced and symmetrical manner.

Another attractive and distinctive feature that sets Huizhuan Temple apart from other temples is its small bridges, flowing streams, pavilions, towers, and the ambiance of everyday human life.

In front of the temple, lush ancient trees provide a tranquil setting, with a screen wall standing at the entrance. The main gate is inscribed with three golden characters: "Huizhuan Temple." Entering the temple, there is a shaded stone-paved path leading to the Flower-Appreciation Pavilion. Below the pavilion lies the Golden Duck Pond, and the four walls of the pavilion are adorned with inscriptions by famous individuals. A stream runs in front of the pavilion, crossed by a large stone bridge called the Tiger Stream Bridge, atop which stands the Yingmeng Pavilion.

The ancient and spacious Hall of Heavenly Kings, the soaring-eaved Juehuang Hall, the Guanyin Hall featuring the Thirty-Three Manifestations of Guanyin, the solemn Grand Buddha Hall, the resplendent Ancestral Master Hall with its glazed tiles, and the renowned Scripture Depository housing over 500 volumes of scriptures and paintings by notable artists. Adjacent to the main halls, the Arhat Hall, known as the "Gallery of Art," features 518 vividly crafted arhats with lifelike expressions, rivaling those of the Arhat Temple.

Huizhuan Temple is located in a subtropical humid climate zone, characterized by rainy summers, overcast winters, frequent cloud cover, limited sunlight, and relatively mild annual temperature variations, with average temperatures ranging between 13°C and 17°C. Situated at the foot of the Longmen Mountains, the region experiences two distinct climate types in the plains and mountainous areas. The plains fall under the western Sichuan basin climate type, featuring mild weather, abundant rainfall, less sunshine, and distinct seasons, with an average annual temperature of 15.9°C and a temperature range of approximately 15°C to 16°C. The mountainous areas have a warm and humid forest climate, marked by long winters and short summers. The annual average temperature is below 14.9°C, with temperatures below 10°C occurring for about 140 days of the year. Summers are cool, with temperatures exceeding 22°C for only around 10 days annually, and the overall average temperature remains below 14.9°C.

Protected Area: Eastward to 15 meters beyond the eastern edge of the eastern wing-room platform; southward to 25 meters beyond the southern edge of the Juehuang Hall platform; westward to 15 meters beyond the western edge of the western wing-room platform; northward to 23 meters beyond the northern edge of the Scripture Depository platform.

Construction Control Zone: Extending 20 meters beyond the protected area.

Praise Poem

Towering pines and emerald bamboos lean against the clouds, the ancient temple stands serene, apart from the mundane world.

In the well's depths, a three-foot shadow lies still, in the pavilion's heights, who divines sleep at the fifth watch?

Leisurely strolling through the sacred grounds, the heart grows tranquil; drunkenly seated in the meditation niche, words flow without discord.

Just as the bell's chime fades into silence, where indeed lies the ultimate truth, so naturally serene.

Ingenious Couplet

Composed by Chongyi for Huizhuan Temple in Shifang. The Ten Precepts: Refraining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, frivolous talk, greed, anger, and wrong views.

Huizhuan Temple in Shifang. The Eightfold Path: Also known as the Noble Eightfold Path, it refers to the eight correct practices in Buddhism that lead to enlightenment and nirvana. These are Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. The Six Supernatural Powers: These are the six types of supernatural abilities attained by noble beings. They include various forms of psychic powers, such as divine ear, divine eye, telepathy, recollection of past lives, supernatural locomotion, and the eradication of outflows. Buddhist texts vary slightly in the names and order of these powers. "The Dharma protects the dragon gods, drawing all directions to the central land; the lineage inherits Yu the Great, sipping the entire Western River in one gulp." "The moon resides in the heart, its light embracing the relics; the dragon lurks beneath the sea, quietly nurturing the wish-fulfilling jewel." "The Eightfold Path opens its gates, revealing the Śūraṅgama Sutra, already transmitted thirty-five times; the Six Supernatural Powers are taught, thanks to Nāgārjuna, extending beyond twelve thousand."

Medicine King Festival: The Medicine King generally refers to Shennong, the legendary figure said to have tasted hundreds of herbs and pioneered medicine. Some also revere the famous physician Bian Que as the Medicine King, while the medical community honors Sun Simiao as the Medicine King, each with their own legends. The Xiashenmiao Temple in Yingxi Town, Shifang, houses a statue of Shennong, depicted bare-chested with a lower body covered in leaves, holding ganoderma and herbs. During the festival, a red-robed wooden effigy is used for the procession. On the left side of the shrine is a bedroom with a statue of the Medicine King’s wife, lifelike as if alive. On April 28th each year at noon, colorful banners and loud drums herald the procession of the Medicine King’s statue through the streets on a decorated float. On this day, various trade guilds from counties in western Sichuan and Chengdu, including gold, jade, textiles, and general merchandise, gather for the fair. Yingxi, known for its flue-cured tobacco production, sees particularly bustling local trade. Yinghua Mountain Incense Festival: Yinghua Mountain is divided into Old and New peaks, both part of the Jiuding Mountain Range of the Minshan Mountains. The mountains are majestic, with beautiful peaks. The character "蓥" (Ying) refers to the constant accumulation of auspicious snow on the mountaintops, shimmering brilliantly in the sky like blooming jade flowers, hence the name Yinghua Mountain. Legend says that Yu the Great was born at Kuerping and encountered obstacles while crossing the Luo River, but was aided by Lady Yinghua, hence the name. Another tale claims that the Ming Dynasty eminent monk Mingben attained enlightenment and entered nirvana on this mountain, earning the title of Patriarch Yinghua. The festival is held annually on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, attracting numerous pilgrims from both the county and beyond.

Legends and Historical Incidents

Regarding Huizhuan Temple, there is another legend. It is said that during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (713 AD), a farmer’s wife in Guanghan gave birth to a child who clenched both fists tightly upon birth. A wandering monk, seeing this, offered guidance, and the infant then opened his hands, revealing a character on each palm—one "Bo" (波) on the left and one "Lun" (仑) on the right. Thus, the child was named Bolun.

Later, he became a monk and attained profound spiritual insight, earning the title of Monk Bolun. When Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, heard of this, he summoned Bolun to Chang’an and bestowed upon him a golden sword and precious alms bowl. Displaying his supernatural powers, Monk Bolun tossed the golden sword into the air. The sword circled Chang’an once and then flew back to Shifang ahead of him, landing in the well of the temple’s second hall. "Huizhuan" (慧剑), meaning "Wisdom Sword," is a Buddhist term. With the emperor having truly gifted a precious sword and Bolun demonstrating such supernatural abilities, naming the temple after the Wisdom Sword was most fitting. Thus, Huizhuan Temple gained fame and attracted throngs of worshippers and visitors. The Song Dynasty murals and the Ming Dynasty masterpieces depicting the Five Hundred Arhats inside the temple were unfortunately defaced and completely destroyed with plaster during the "Red August" period.

During the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Huizhuan Temple, as a provincial-level protected site, remained largely intact with only minor damage.

On August 1 of the same year, the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau organized a technical assistance meeting, inviting 11 qualified organizations from within and outside the province to discuss the second batch of post-disaster cultural relics rescue and protection efforts. All projects under this second batch were successfully implemented, with 45 damaged cultural relic sites in Sichuan being assigned for restoration. The repair plans for the Qingcheng Mountain Ancient Architectural Complex, Huizhuan Temple in Shifang, and Longju Temple in Shifang were undertaken with support from Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units