Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple

　　   Destination Introduction
　　   Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple, also known as the Reclining Buddha Temple, is situated on the southern foothills of Shou’an Mountain in the northern part of the Western Hills, about 20 kilometers from downtown Beijing. It was originally built during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty (627–649). Its original name was Doushuai Temple. “Doushuai” is a transliteration from Sanskrit, meaning “exquisite abundance” or “contentment.”

　　　　   First built during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, the temple has a history of over 1,300 years. Initially named Doushuai Temple, it housed a sandalwood-carved reclining Buddha statue. It was later rebuilt during the Yuan Dynasty, when a bronze reclining statue of Sakyamuni was cast and placed inside the temple, and the temple was renamed Shou’an Mountain Temple. In the 12th year of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1734 AD), it was renamed Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple. Because the reclining Buddha statue became widely famous, it is commonly referred to as the Reclining Buddha Temple.

　　　　   The temple faces south and consists of three parallel courtyard complexes. At the front of the temple stands a wooden memorial archway inscribed with “Wisdom Light Shines Again,” featuring four pillars and three stories topped with gray tubular tiles. Beyond the archway is a slope over 100 meters long, descending 12 meters, lined on both sides with four rows of ancient cypresses. Major structures include a glazed memorial archway, the mountain gate hall, the Heavenly King Hall, the Hall of the Three Ages of Buddha, the Reclining Buddha Hall, and the Scripture Depository. Behind the depository is a hillside accessed by stone steps leading to the top, where pavilions offer a panoramic view of the entire temple. On both sides are corridors, side halls, guest rooms, and the abbot’s quarters, linking the three courtyards into a cohesive complex—a layout typical of early Chinese Buddhist temples, which is relatively rare in the Beijing area. The temple also has two sala trees planted within. Nearby is the Cherry Valley scenic spot.

　　　　   Tel: 62591283

　　　　   Location: Located on the southern foothills of Shou’an Mountain in the northern part of the Western Hills, about 20 kilometers from downtown.

　　　　   The glazed memorial archway stands before the mountain gate hall, a seven-bay, four-pillar structure. The front is inscribed with “Together Exploring the Secret Treasury,” and the back reads “Perfectly Refined and Solemn,” both calligraphy by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. Behind the archway is a semicircular pool, flanked by bell and drum towers, with a stone bridge leading to the mountain gate hall.

　　　　   The Hall of the Three Ages of Buddha is the main hall of the Reclining Buddha Temple, named for enshrining the Buddhas of the Three Ages (namely, Bhaisajyaguru of the Pure Lapis Lazuli World in the East, Sakyamuni of the Saha World, and Amitabha of the Western Paradise). On a lotus throne atop a roughly one-meter-high Sumeru pedestal sit three 2.5-meter-high gilded clay Buddha statues. On either side of the hall are painted sculptures of the Eighteen Arhats. The Hall of the Three Ages of Buddha has east and west side halls; the east hall houses statues of Prince Siddhartha and King Prasenajit, while the west hall enshrines the images of Patriarch Bodhidharma and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

　　　　   The Reclining Buddha Hall is three bays wide, with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with green-glazed tiles trimmed with yellow, and features a couplet written by Empress Dowager Cixi on its pillars. The hall houses China's largest existing bronze reclining Buddha statue. Cast in the first year of the Zhi era of the Yuan Dynasty (1321), the Buddha is 5.3 meters long, weighs 25,000 kilograms (25 tons), and required 7,000 kilograms of copper in casting. The statue lies in a sleeping posture, facing south with its head to the west, its left hand naturally resting on its leg, and its right arm bent to support its head. Behind the Buddha sit twelve Great Enlightened Bodhisattvas, their solemn and sorrowful expressions depicting the scene of Sakyamuni’s nirvana under the sala tree, imparting his final teachings to his twelve disciples. A horizontal plaque inscribed with “Attaining Supreme Freedom” hangs on the front wall of the hall. Outside the hall, there is one stele on the left and one on the right; the one on the right was erected in 1734, and the one on the left in 1749, both inscribed with a brief history of the Reclining Buddha Temple.

　　　　   The side halls originally had dozens of large cabinets, all containing scrolls of scriptures, usually sealed and locked, and only opened for sunning the scriptures on June 24th each year. The scriptures were destroyed in 1966.

　　　　   The Hall of the Four Heavenly Kings houses statues of the Four Heavenly Kings. Each king has an attendant and ninety-one sons who assist them in guarding the four directions. The hall also enshrines Skanda (one of the guardian deities of Buddhism and the foremost of the Thirty-Two Heavenly Generals under the Four Heavenly Kings). Since the early Tang Dynasty, he has been placed within temple grounds.

　　　　     Transportation Information
　　  Take bus 818 from Qianmen or bus 332 from the Beijing Zoo.

　　   Beijing Shijingshan