Fahua Temple

　　Fahua Temple was first established in the last century. In 1918, Venerable Xingci was invited by Madam Luo Jialing, wife of Silas Aaron Hardoon, to come from Tiantai Mountain in Zhejiang to Shanghai’s Aili Garden to lecture on the “Collected Annotations on the Tiantai Four Teachings.” The lectures attracted a large audience, and the Dharma teachings flourished. Lay follower Shen Yingquan, deeply moved by the teachings, was determined to persuade Venerable Xing to stay in Shanghai to continue his Dharma propagation. As a result, they established Chaoyao Hermitage for Venerable Xing in Xiaonanmen. However, the space was small and cramped, making it inconvenient for devotees to study. By 1923, lay followers including Wang Zhen, known as White Dragon Mountain Man, initiated the purchase of over five acres of land between Ji’an Road and Dongtai Road. After five years of construction, Fahua Temple was completed.

　　Among Shanghai’s other three major monasteries—Jade Buddha Temple, Jing’an Temple, and Longhua Temple—the first three had already been restored and opened to the public as early as the 1980s. Fahua Temple, however, was the last to be restored. Not until 1997 were the main structures of the temple recovered. Due to having been repurposed as a factory during the Cultural Revolution, the Mahavira Hall had been turned into an assembly workshop. It took over a year just to demolish unauthorized constructions and clear the accumulated debris after recovery. The current reconstruction, to be precise, involved rebuilding a brand-new Mahavira Hall on the ruins of the dilapidated original, maintaining its original scale. This effort was likely even more challenging than building from scratch. The original Mahavira Hall of Fahua Temple featured a Romanesque architectural style, standing out uniquely among Shanghai’s Buddhist monasteries. Unfortunately, during Venerable Xing’s lifetime, the roof had not been completed. It was not until sixty years later, during this renovation, that the roof was finally finished.

　　The newly built Mahavira Hall retains the original Western architectural design while being expanded to five stories. Its roof adopts a traditional Chinese hip-and-gable style, featuring upturned eaves, layered roofs, flying rafters, and bracket sets, clearly blending Chinese and Western elements. With painted beams and carved pillars, yellow walls, red columns, solemn Buddhas, and resplendent gold decorations, the hall exudes majesty. On both sides of the platform in front of the hall, newly constructed stone railings and corridors are adorned with small stone lions, extending all the way to the steps in front of the hall, forming a spectacular sight. Beneath the Mahavira Hall, the original thousand-person hall has been preserved. Though it appears as a semi-basement from the outside, it can actually function as a multipurpose hall. It is suitable for Dharma lectures, banquet setups, and large-scale Buddhist ceremonies. Under the leadership of Venerable Juehui and the dedication of all monastic and staff members who lived frugally through hardship, the magnificent Mahavira Hall was completed—a true historical landmark that I deeply admire.

　　Venerable Xingci taught the Tiantai doctrine and practiced Pure Land Buddhism. He declared the founding purpose of the temple as: upholding the Pure Land path, using the chanting of Amitabha’s name—a practice where “ten thousand people practice, ten thousand attain rebirth”—to guide both self-cultivation and teaching others. Hence, the renowned Buddhist scholar Venerable Fan Gunong wrote in his article “On the Merit of Fahua Temple as a Pure Land Practice Site”: “Venerable Xingci expounded the Pure Land teachings according to the sutras of Shakyamuni, grounded in the Buddha-field of Amitabha, and rooted in the vows of Dharmakara. To attain the splendid fruits of Amitabha, one must cultivate the meritorious causes as Dharmakara did. Thus, he established a monastery and named it Fahua.” This explains the origin of the temple’s name.

　　Fahua Temple, being called a “lecture temple,” takes Dharma teaching as its daily duty and benefiting sentient beings as its mission. It holds annual Dharma assemblies to propagate the teachings of the Tiantai school, reform malpractices, and does not engage in ritualistic services for profit. Venerable Xing himself formulated four monastic rules: First, governance—permanently adopting a system of selecting virtuous monks from all directions. Even Venerable Xing’s own lineage of ordained and tonsured disciples could not inherit the abbacy. Second, the abbot—must be morally and scholastically outstanding, proficient in both practice and teaching, committed to Pure Land practice, skilled in guiding sentient beings, adept at expounding scriptures, and capable of teaching newcomers, before being qualified to lead the Sangha. Third, co-residents—the monastery is divided into two sections: the Pure Practice Hall and the Study Society. Those in the Pure Practice Hall must dedicate themselves to chanting Amitabha’s name around the clock. Those without such aspiration are not allowed to reside there. Members of the Study Society focus mainly on Tiantai studies, while also exploring other schools. Those distracted by worldly affairs or becoming lazy and self-neglecting are not allowed to stay. Fourth, Buddhist services—apart from chanting for patrons and conducting Ullambana offerings, no other ritual services should be performed. These four rules ensured that Fahua Temple maintained pure Dharma conduct, earning widespread fame and being praised as the “Lingyan of Shanghai,” with Pure Land teachings flourishing for a time.

　　Venerable Xingci was a great Buddhist educator. In my childhood, every time I went to listen to his Dharma talks, I received his personal teachings. In addition to lecturing on many scriptures and treatises such as the Vajra Sutra, Lotus Sutra, Surangama Sutra, Avatamsaka Sutra, and Amitabha Sutra Commentary, he also founded the Fahua Academy, inviting eminent Dharma masters such as Venerables Jingquan, Chisong, Zhifeng, Mochan, Yihuan, Xueliang, as well as lay scholars Xia Mianzun and Ruan Bokang to serve as faculty. He established the Ciguang Supplementary School on Ji’an Road, offering both general and elective courses to provide free secondary education to underprivileged children. His disciple Venerable Weiyun transformed his “Yixin Hermitage” near Songjiang’s Zhabei Park into Xingci Middle School to serve society through education, which also included a monastic class where over thirty young monks received basic education. The original Fahua Temple had a scripture depository that housed precious Buddhist artifacts, such as an ancient bronze standing statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva, the relic stupa of Master Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty, the complete Ming Dynasty edition of the Southern Canon, the complete Qing Dynasty Qianlong edition of the Long Canon, and the entire Pingjia Scripture printed by the Pinjia Retreat in the Republican era. Sadly, these treasures were lost in disasters. Fortunately, the inscribed plaques and couplets written by eminent masters such as Yinshun, Yuanying, Chisong, and Xingci, as well as lay patrons Wang Yiting, Dai Jitao, and Li Liejun, have survived. During the reconstruction of the Mahavira Hall, these were restored to their original positions. The restoration of Shanghai Fahua Temple has only just begun. Full recovery remains a long and arduous journey. But I firmly believe that with the nation’s prosperity and the Dharma’s radiance growing ever brighter, the aspirations of Venerable Xingci will surely be inherited and furthered in the new century, and Shanghai’s only Tiantai Buddhist monastery will regain its vitality.

　　Editor’s Note: In early March, the Shanghai Buddhist Association passed a resolution to appoint Venerable Guanghui as the temple’s “Director of Temple Affairs,” planning to promote monastic education, propagate the Tiantai teachings, and fulfill the late Venerable Xingci’s legacy. Venerable Juehui has repeatedly requested to “yield to the virtuous” due to his advanced age, encouraging younger monks to shoulder the responsibility of propagating the Dharma—an act of great selflessness that has earned immense admiration from elder monastics at home and abroad. During his tenure leading the restoration, he devoted great effort and, under extremely difficult conditions, accomplished such a momentous task—transforming decay into wonder. The majestic temple now shines brilliantly in Shanghai, an immeasurable merit that illuminates the world.

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　　Address: No. 271 Ji’an Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai

　　Transportation: Bus routes 24, 864, 17, 932, 109; Metro Line 8