Guanhai Temple

Guanhai Temple

Guanhai Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Guide:

This temple was first built during the Northern Wei Dynasty. The temple faces south with its back to the north and currently consists of two main halls: the Mahavira Hall and the Vajra Bodhisattva Hall. The Vajra Bodhisattva Hall has three bays on the front and originally displayed a wooden plaque inscribed with Emperor Kangxi’s calligraphy “Laughing at the Moon over the Pool,” which hung high above the entrance. The Vajra Bodhisattva inside the hall features a unique design and is the only black-bodied bodhisattva on Mount Wutai. He has a dark face and body, a resolute expression, a tall and imposing figure, his right foot planted on the ground and left leg bent upward, stepping on a wind-fire wheel. Long snakes are coiled around his arms, and he holds ritual implements in his hands. Therefore, this statue is also known as the “Nine-Headed, Eighteen-Armed Black Vajra Bodhisattva.” This is also one of the “Thirty-Two Forms” of Manjushri Bodhisattva.

　 Highlights: There is a small rectangular pool in Guanhai Temple with crystal-clear, transparent water. The pool is round-shaped at the edges, with a small hole in the center from which spring water seeps out. Legend has it that people once saw the moon reflected in the pool even on pitch-black nights. Believing it to be a divine manifestation of the bodhisattva, the temple gradually came to be called the Moonlight Pool. During the annual June 0 Festival, devout Buddhists visit the pool to drink the “Buddha water” and often take some home to ward off disasters. Symbolism of the implements held by the Vajra: the sun and moon represent the boundless Dharma that governs the universe; the bow and arrow symbolize subduing demons; the dragon signifies good fortune; the alms bowl represents devotion to the Buddha. Introduction: Located 1.5 kilometers southeast of Zhenhai Temple, it is also known as the Moonlight Pool.

Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province