Shayang Jishan Temple

　　　　   Temple Introduction

　　　　   Jishan Temple is located in Jishan Town, Shayang County, Hubei Province. It was first built during the Sui Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Qing Dynasties, and has enjoyed continuous incense offerings with uninterrupted popularity. Miraculous signs have often appeared, making it a place of profound spiritual significance and mystery. Many scholars, monks, and refined individuals have been enchanted and reluctant to leave. Three emperors once visited, attesting to its long history. Ancient relics and stone tablets still remain in the temple, and its Buddhist culture has a long and enduring legacy.

　　 Temple Layout

　　　　   Jishan Temple is three kilometers east of National Highway 207, thirty kilometers south of the ancient city of Jingzhou, adjacent to the tomb of King Zhuang of Chu to the west, and backed by hundreds of acres of green forest to the north. The area is lush and flower-filled all year round, with four lakes in view. The temple is serene, with birds singing, roosters crowing at dawn, egrets circling, wild ducks playing in the water, and a sacred pond on the mountaintop within the temple that remains unfazed by drought or heavy rain. Auspicious clouds hover above, incense smoke curls, bells and drums chime, and the chanting of Buddha resonates — all creating a serene and uplifting atmosphere. This place is far from the noise and clamor of the city, yet avoids the hardship of a long, arduous journey, making it a truly mystical sanctuary for spiritual cultivation. The surrounding area contains the world’s best-preserved ancient Chu tombs, where world-shocking relics such as the Guodian bamboo slips, China’s earliest female wet mummy, and the Sword of Goujian, King of Yue, have been unearthed. It is the birthplace of Jingchu culture. It is the ideal destination for purification of the mind, cultivation of blessings, investment, and spiritual fulfillment.

　　　　   Currently, the temple buildings are dilapidated and no longer meet modern needs. With the gradual implementation of the Party’s religious policies, and the support of leaders at all levels as well as the devotion of lay practitioners, Master Jingxin is leading the effort to renovate the temple buildings and regild the statues of the Buddha. While preserving cultural relics, the reconstruction is centered on the original site. The estimated funding required is 24.31 million yuan. Your single word, penny, vegetable, grain of rice, bottle of water, shovel of soil, tile, brick, tree, or even a single bow or prayer to the Buddha — Master will offer with a sincere heart prayers and merits on behalf of you and your family. The temple warmly welcomes devotees from home and abroad, as well as kind-hearted individuals from all walks of life, to plant extensive blessings. We also earnestly encourage relatives, friends, and colleagues to contribute with open hearts, donate to support this cause, and together gain boundless merit and wisdom. Your virtuous deeds will be remembered for thousands of years and celebrated throughout history.

　　　　   A single good opportunity benefits both self and others. A single act of kindness brings inexhaustible wealth. A single wise move leads to everlasting glory.

　　　　   Even children playing, building sand stupas, such people as these, have all attained Buddhahood.