Features of Lingyang Temple
Lingyang Temple is not far from Mashan County. Walk about 19 kilometers along the Shangma (Shanglin to Mashan) secondary road and enter Danrutun, Guling Town. Looking out from the car, you can see a majestic building complex inlaid on the steep mountain on the roadside in the distance. It shines in the sunlight and is particularly eye-catching. This green stone mountain is Gandeng Mountain, and the building built on the cliff halfway up the mountain is the majestic building of Lingyang Temple. On the cliff, two bright red characters "Buddha's Heart" are vigorous and powerful.
In fact, if you only look at it from a distance, what people can see is just a corner of Lingyang Temple. Lingyang Temple is different from other temples. In addition to being built on a cliff halfway up the mountain, the most attractive thing is that it is a large-scale lava cave temple. The main hall of the temple is located in a cave on Qiandeng Mountain. It is known as the largest lava cave temple in Guangxi. The cave is called "Lichiyan". You can climb up the steep stairs from the foot of the mountain, climb halfway up the mountain, bypass the dormitories and guest rooms, and then enter the cave. Mashan County belongs to the karst landform and has unique and magical stalactite resources. These stalactites construct a rich karst landscape. There are also strange-shaped stalactites in the Lizhiyan Cave, which are very ornamental.
As of 2012, Lingyang Temple covers a total area of about 6,000 square meters. The main hall in the cave covers an area of about 600 square meters. It houses the Three Treasures, Guanyin, Reclining Buddha, Maitreya, Wei Tuo, and Dharma Protector. There are 7 halls including Nirvana, Nirvana, etc., enshrining 15 Buddha statues. These Buddha statues are all made of white marble. They were transported from Myanmar, the hometown of Buddhism, and were consecrated by eminent monks in famous temples such as Mount Wutai and Mount Emei. They are very precious. In addition to the main hall inside the cave, there are also other buildings such as guest halls, sutra towers, dining halls and pavilions built outside the cave. These buildings seem to be riding on the cliffs of the mountain, with extraordinary momentum. In fact, Lingyang Temple was not originally built on Qiandeng Mountain, but at the foot of Bamao Mountain, which is far away from Qiandeng Mountain, within the campus of Guling Middle School. So, how did Lingyang Temple "climb" Qiandeng Mountain? There is a historical story here.
According to historical records, Lingyang Temple was first built during the Yuanfeng period in the mid-Song Dynasty. It has gone through several dynasties including Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing, and has a history of nearly a thousand years. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the temple was destroyed by lightning. It was rebuilt in the early years of Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1664), but by the middle of the Qing Dynasty, a fire broke out on Guling Street, which affected Lingyang Temple and caused most of the temples to be burned down. In the fifteenth year of Daoguang's reign (1836), Lingyang Temple was restored again. Since then, it has been expanded many times, making the temple even larger than before. At that time, Lingyang Temple once had the Main Hall and the Guanyin, Ksitigarbha, Heavenly King, Maitreya, and Weituo halls. Each hall had front, main, middle, back, and side halls, as well as a Sutra Tower, a Bell Tower, and a Drum Tower. There are more than 20 dormitories, guest halls, dining halls, etc. The halls are connected by green brick and green tile corridors, and are equipped with a stage, which is very grand.
The 73-year-old Lu Jian still has fresh memories of the luxurious style of Lingyang Temple. The old man is from Guling Street. He said that he often went to Lingyang Temple to play when he was a child. The big bell in the bell tower of Lingyang Temple was the favorite of him and his friends. They often ran into the temple when the adults were not paying attention. Ring the bell. If you can't reach it, pick up the stones on the ground and throw them at the big bell to make the big bell ring loudly for fun. He said that Lingyang Temple also covered a large area at that time. The main building was divided into the main hall and two rows of wing rooms. The main hall was divided into three entrances and the wing rooms were divided into two floors. The gate was rectangular. After entering from the gate, you had to pass through a round door. Go to the main hall.
As time passes, things change. Due to lack of due protection, Lingyang Temple suffered devastating damage due to various reasons. The temple was demolished, most of the cultural relics were lost, and all the Buddha statues were destroyed. It was not until 1983 that the party and government implemented religious policies and Lingyang Temple was restored and rebuilt. However, the old site had been used for school construction, so Lingyang Temple was moved to "Lichiyan" in Qandeng Mountain. After more than 20 years of continuous renovation and expansion, the temple has continuously extended from the inside of the cave to the outside, forming a large scale.
So, as early as the Song Dynasty, who built Lingyang Temple and why? There is a local saying: During the Yuanfeng period of the Song Dynasty, there were often water monsters in the Guling area. Floods occurred year after year, and the water filled the sky. Disasters occurred year after year. The countryside was deserted, nine out of ten houses were empty, and the people suffered like water and fire. . Therefore, the heavenly immortal family Lingyang Zhenren obeyed the Jade Emperor's decree to subdue the demons and control the water, eliminated the water demons, and saved all living creatures. From then on, the people of Li were able to live and work in peace and contentment. In order to express their gratitude to Lingyang Zhenren for his kindness, later generations built temples to worship him and pray for good weather and good harvests.
In addition, there is another saying circulating in the temple: In ancient times, Zen Master Nanhua Huiyuan, a descendant of the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, traveled to the Guling area and saw that the Feng Shui here was very good, so he meditated and chanted here. After reading the scriptures and recruiting disciples to preach, it gradually developed into a temple. It is said that when Zen Master Huiyuan came to Guling to build Lingyang Temple, it was large in scale and had more than 1,000 resident monks.
The above two statements are legends. As for the origin of Lingyang Temple, it is impossible to investigate now. But in any case, in recent years, Lingyang Temple has become an important place for religious activities, and its power and destiny are not what they used to be. In addition, the temple is built on a mountain and a cliff. It is very majestic. Looking around, you can see small bridges, flowing water, and criss-crossing roads at the foot of the mountain. The scenery is charming and makes you forget to leave, and you will never miss Sichuan!
Everything is silent, except for the sound of chimes.
This is a poem written by Chang Jian, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, for the Broken Mountain Temple. Nowadays, it is no exaggeration to use it to describe the scenery of Lingyang Temple in Mashan County.