Zizhong Dechun Temple

Zizhong Dechun Temple

Zizhong Dechun Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Also known as Ningguo Temple, Dechun Temple is located at the foot of Qishen Mountain, ten li north of Zizhong city. It was first built in the fifth year of the Jian’an era (200) during the reign of Emperor Xian of Han. During the rule of Empress Wu Zetian, the eminent Chan (Zen) Buddhist Master Zhishen resided here and authored numerous Buddhist works, including *The View of Emptiness and Harmony*, *On Origination*, and *Commentary on the Heart Sutra*. “For over thirty years, he spread the Dharma among the people,” becoming the founding patriarch of the Jian’nan Chan School, which was neither of the Southern nor Northern schools of Chan. In the second year of the Wansuitongtian era (697) under the Zhou Dynasty (Wu Zetian's reign), the Empress dispatched Tian Guan Langzhong Zhang Changqi to invite him to Chang’an, bestowing upon him the title “Great National Chan Master” and renaming Dechun Temple as the “Bodhi Bodhimanda.” When Zhishen wished to retire to his hometown, Wu Zetian further “graciously bestowed a newly translated version of the *Avatamsaka Sutra*, an embroidered image of Maitreya, banners, flowers, and also the kasaya robe of Patriarch Bodhidharma,” making Dechun Temple in Zizhong a sacred site where the legendary cotton kasaya robe is enshrined. In the sixteenth year of the Kaiyuan era (728) during the Tang Dynasty, the crown prince of the Silla Kingdom came to Dechun Temple, became a disciple of Zhishen’s Dharma heir, Chuzhi, studied for two years, then established his own school and went to meditate under the cliff of Jingu Mountain (currently named Yuhedao), just over ten li from Dechun Temple, becoming yet another great patriarch of the Zen tradition.

The Silla Kingdom refers to what is now Korea. The prince who came to Zizhong was the third son of King Seondeok of Silla, Kim Heung-gwang, commonly known as the “Third Prince.” He had a younger sister who refused to marry and instead cut her own face with a knife before entering monastic life as a bhikkhuni. Seeing his sister’s resolve, the Third Prince sighed and said, “If such a delicate woman possesses such virtue, how can I, a man, lack such aspiration?” He thus renounced the throne, shaved his head at Junan Temple, and became known as Monk Kim. During the Tang Dynasty, many Korean monks came to China to study scriptures, establish lineages, and found schools—Monk Kim also wished to make his mark. He “crossed the sea westward” to Chang’an, where he was summoned by Emperor Xuanzong and registered at the Chan Ding Temple. Eager to see the legendary cotton kasaya robe, the Emperor told him it had been taken to Shu (Sichuan) by Master Zhishen. He then went to Ningguo Temple in Zizhong, but by then Zhishen had passed away and was succeeded by his disciple Chuzhi. Chuzhi was also a highly accomplished monk, hailing from Mianzhou, lay surname Tang, who had become a monk at age ten and studied under Zhishen, earning the nickname Tang Monk. When Zhishen was summoned to the capital, Chuzhi accompanied him and cared for his teacher along the journey. Upon returning to Zizhong, Wu Zetian bestowed upon him a “monastic robe with nine stripes.” After Zhishen’s passing, Chuzhi inherited his Dharma teachings, vigorously propagated Buddhism, and accepted many disciples, including eminent masters such as Mazu Daoyi, Chengyuan, Zhao Fashi of Zizhou, Wang Lushi of Lingzhou, and Biao Fashi of Bashu. When the Silla Prince Monk Kim arrived at Dechun Temple, Chuzhi was slightly unwell and did not immediately receive him. In demonstration of his sincerity, Monk Kim set one of his fingers on fire. Deeply moved, Chuzhi accepted him as a disciple, gave him the Dharma name Muju (literally “Formless”), and taught him the doctrines of Zhishen. After two years, Muju went to meditate alone in Yuhedao, sitting in meditation for five-day intervals regardless of harsh winter or summer heat. One winter, despite heavy snowfall, he persisted in meditation. Suddenly, two fierce beasts approached him hungrily. He lay naked on the snow, attempting to emulate the prince of the Gandharas Kingdom who offered himself to tigers. Instead of harming him, the beasts sniffed him from head to toe and every night thereafter guarded him like loyal dogs. Over time, his clothing wore out, his hair grew wild, and he looked so beast-like that hunters nearly shot him. Eventually, he moved closer to the edge of Zizhong city, dwelling in ruins by day and sitting in meditation under trees by night, practicing the ascetic "Dhuta" path. Gradually, he gained widespread reverence, and local people built him a refined meditation hut amid the burial mounds. In the fourth month of the 20th year of the Kaiyuan era, Chuzhi secretly sent his attendant Wang Huang to summon Muju to Dechun Temple, where he handed him the cotton kasaya robe, saying, “This robe belonged to Patriarch Bodhidharma, was bestowed by Empress Wu to Master Zhishen, passed to me, and now I give it to you. Keep it safe, find a good mountain, and reside there.”

In the first year of the Tianbao era (742), Zhang Qiuqiong, the military governor of Jiannan, having heard of Muju’s virtuous conduct, invited him to Chengdu to teach the Dharma. From the 16th year of Kaiyuan to the first year of Tianbao, Muju resided in Zizhong for a total of 14 years. Upon first arriving in Chengdu, the county magistrate Yang Yi, accusing him of spreading “heresy,” attempted to arrest him. Suddenly, a sandstorm arose, scaring off the officers, prompting Yang Yi to kneel and apologize. He switched from opposition to faith and even recruited followers to help Muju build the Jingzhong Temple, Daci Temple, Bodhi Temple, and Ningguo Temple in Chengdu. Based at Jingzhong Temple, Muju propagated the Dharma for 20 years. His Chan teachings were centered around the three principles of “no remembrance, no thought, no delusion,” and he held mass initiations for lay and monastic followers in the first and twelfth months of every year. Attendance numbered in the thousands each time, and “the influence of his Chan teachings spread throughout Yizhou.” His foremost disciple, Wuzhu, further promoted his teachings and officially established the Bao’tang School, which became one of the most influential sects in early Tang Dynasty Buddhism. The saying in Buddhist scholarship, “Those who speak of Shu must know of Chan; those who speak of Chan must know of Shu,” refers precisely to the enduring legacy of this lineage through Zhishen, Chuzhi, Muju, and Wuzhu—the Bao’tang Chan.

According to the *Song Gaoseng Zhuan* (Song Dynasty Biographies of Eminent Monks): shortly after arriving in Chengdu, Muju’s younger brother ascended the throne of Silla. Fearful that Muju’s return might threaten his reign, the king sent assassins to Chengdu. One night, just as they were about to strike, they were subdued by a woodcutter volunteering at the temple. Thus, Muju narrowly escaped harm. This incident reveals that Muju’s prolonged seclusion in the remote mountains of Zizhong had political undertones. He passed away in the first year of the Baoying era (762) at the age of 79. More than 70 years later, the famous poet Li Shangyin wrote the *Zizhou Four Proofs stele*, ranking Muju as the foremost of the four. In mid-August 1991, Professors Min Yonggyu and Zhao Xing from Yonsei University in South Korea visited Sichuan to research the evolution of Chan Buddhism. They searched for Dechun Temple in Zizhou but returned empty-handed. Upon their return to Korea, Min Yonggyu wrote an article titled *Several Issues Regarding Chan Buddhism*, published in the third issue of *Sichuan Cultural Relics* in 1993. He wrote: “After arriving in Sichuan, starting from the next day, I searched old local chronicles in the provincial library. In the documents related to Zizhong County, I found names of over 40 temples and traced their histories, but I never found any leads to the location of Dechun Temple or the Dayi Bao’tang Temple.” Min’s goal was “to find Muju’s Jingzhong Temple, the Huizi Temple mentioned in the Four Proofs stele, Dechun Temple in Zizhou, the Dayi Bao’tang Temple, and the Buddhist sites in Shifang County, the hometown of Mazu, such as Changsong Mountain.” He found the remains of Jingzhong Temple in Chengdu and those of Huizi Temple in Santai County—but not Dechun Temple in Zizhou. Why? Because he hadn’t gathered all relevant materials or come to Zizhong, and was unaware that Dechun Temple is also called Ningguo Temple. Moreover, the temple’s Heavenly King Hall still survives (rebuilt in the seventh year of the Tianshun era of the Ming Dynasty, 1463). Classic texts such as the *Lidai Fabao Ji* (Record of the Dharma-Jewel Through the Ages), *Yudi Jisheng* (Geographical Chronicles) by Wang Xiangzhi of the Southern Song, *Song Gaoseng Zhuan*, *Jingde Chuandeng Lu* (Jingde Era Transmission of the Lamp Record), *Wudeng Huiyuan* (Collection of the Five Lamps), *Sichuan Tongzhi* (Sichuan General Annals), *Zizhou Zhili Zhouzhi* (Direct-controlled Prefecture Annals of Zizhou), *Zizhong Xian Xuuxiu Zizhou Zhi* (Supplementary Annals of Zizhou County, early Republican era), *Bashu Chan Denglu* (Chan Lantern Records of Bashu), *Tangdai Jingzhong–Bao'tang Chanpai Gailan* (An Overview of the Tang Dynasty Jingzhong–Bao’tang Chan School), and *Tang-Wudai Chan Zhi* (History of Chan in the Tang and Five Dynasties) all contain extensive records about Muju and Dechun Temple (also directly referred to as Ningguo Temple) located at Qishen Mountain in Zizhou. Aside from the main hall, the Yuhedao cliffs from the Tang and Song dynasties, where Muju practiced the “Dhuta” path, still preserve 97 caves and 1,011 Buddha, Samantabhadra, Guanyin, and Heavenly King sculptures in excellent condition. Recently, Mr. Yu Zhongjue, nephew of the revolutionary martyr General Yu Peilun, wrote to the CPPCC Cultural History Committee of Zizhong County, suggesting that local authorities share the long-buried story and remains of the Korean prince’s legendary time in Zizhong with religious and academic circles in Korea, to further strengthen and eternalize the traditional friendship between our two peoples. The main leaders of Zizhong County have taken this suggestion seriously and are actively organizing the sorting of related relics and historical data. Oh great and compassionate Master Muju, Amitabha, may your spirit return.