Which one is the first temple, White Horse Temple or Putong Pagoda?
Category: Life >> Transportation
Analysis:
Putong Tower is located in the north of Beijiucheng Village, Nangong City.
Where is the first pagoda of Chinese Buddhism? In the past, people mostly believed that the White Horse Temple was in Luoyang, Henan. In recent years, with the research, textual research and disclosure of relevant media by many knowledgeable people, more and more people have realized that the No. 1 pagoda in China is the Putong Pagoda in Putong Temple in Nangong City, Hebei Province.
Putong Temple is located in the northeast of Beijiucheng Village, about 1.5 kilometers northwest of Nangong City, covering an area of 25,000 square meters. On March 19, 2005, the author came to Putong Temple to look for this extremely precious historical relic. Accompanied and guided by Gong Xiushan, member of the Standing Committee of the Nangong Municipal People’s Political Consultative Conference, and Master Guoqing, abbot of Putong Temple, the author took a detailed look at this famous Buddhist pagoda that has been standing majestically for more than 1,930 years, as well as the Main Hall, Guanyin Hall, and Tianwang Hall in the temple. , Baoen Hall, Zutang and other buildings.
China's earliest pagoda
According to historical records, Putong Temple was built in the 10th year of Yongping in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 67), one year earlier than the famous White Horse Temple in Luoyang, Henan. Putong Pagoda was built in the 12th year of Yongping (69 AD) of Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It was completed on the 15th day of the first lunar month in the 15th year of Yongping. It was built two years earlier than the White Horse Pagoda in Luoyang. It can be called "the first pagoda in China". . In 1982, Putong Pagoda was designated as a key cultural relic protection unit in Hebei Province. In recent years, many well-known figures in my country's Buddhist academic research community regard Nangong as a historical Buddhist holy place. This is largely due to Putong Temple and the ancient pagoda in the temple.
The Putong Pagoda was built under the leadership of the Indian Tripitaka master Shemo Teng and the Indian Indian scholar Zhu Falan. According to the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty": "It is said that Emperor Ming slept in the Nangong at night and dreamed of a golden man growing up with a light on his head, so he asked his officials. Or he said: 'There is a god in the west, named Buddha. His shape is six feet long, and "Golden". The emperor then sent Tianzhu to inquire about Buddhism and Taoism, and then he wrote in the "Biography of Eminent Monks" Volume 1: "Emperor Liu Zhuang Yongping sent his doctor Cai Min and his doctor disciple Qin Jing to Tianzhu in the Western Regions. Seeking Buddhism, I met Mo Teng and Zhu Falan in Yuezhi (today's Afghanistan - author's note) and invited them to come to China..." According to legend, the location of the pagoda in Nangong City was chosen because Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty Liu Zhuang followed his father Guang. Emperor Wu Liu Xiu was chased by Wang Mang. Fortunately, he was able to escape the strong wind and stayed in Nangong. At the base of the pavilion (Cun Pavilion), he burned his clothes on the stove, ate, and rested. Liu Xiuyan said that this place is a geomantic treasure. This is recorded in various versions of "Nangong County Chronicles" of the Ming, Qing and Republic of China. When Mo Teng and Zhu Falan were on their way back to Luoyang, Emperor Ming Liu Zhuang ordered them to build a pagoda near Dafeng Pavilion in Nangong.
This tower is an octagonal solid brick tower with 9 levels. The tower is 33 meters high and the bottom floor is 5 meters in diameter. The tower body has eaves at each level, and brackets are placed under the eaves. Directly south of the Xumizuo of the pagoda, there is a doorway that reaches to the center of the pagoda. There is a brick well under the center of the pagoda, and three stone Buddhas sit on the east, west and north sides of the well. This kind of Buddhist niche construction method is really rare. The pagoda has many unique features in its architectural style, which provides valuable information for the study of Chinese Buddhist architectural art. The name of the pagoda is derived from the word "Putong", which is derived from the Buddhist scripture "Miaofa Lotus Sutra ● Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva's Universal Door Edition": "Putong means universal." "Pudu" in Buddhism refers to the great kindness and compassion to save all living beings, that is, to widely apply Dharma power to enable all living beings to be liberated. "Tong" means vermilion. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the palace where the empress lived was painted in red and was called "Tongting". Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is enshrined in the temple behind this pagoda. The pagoda body and temple are both in vermilion color, hence the word "tong". Therefore, the pagoda was named "Putong Pagoda" and the temple behind the pagoda was called "Putong Temple". Putong Temple was later destroyed in the war, and the current temple was rebuilt in September 1996.
In the long years of wind and rain, Putong Pagoda has undergone eight major repairs. They were in the fourth year of Taihe (AD 230) in the Wei (Three Kingdoms), the fourth year of Zhenguan (AD 630) in the Tang Dynasty, the first year of Daguan in the Song Dynasty (AD 1107), the fifteenth year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1536), and the tenth year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty. (1884 AD), the 22nd year of the Republic of China (1933 AD), and 1984 and 1992 after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
In the 1966 Xingtai earthquake, the body of Putong Pagoda was damaged, and three bronze Buddha statues were knocked off the top of the tower. They were all red copper Bodhisattva statues. The largest one was Guanyin Bodhisattva, 41 cm high and heavy. 8.25 kg, it was cast during the construction of the pagoda in the 15th year of Jiajing's reign in the Ming Dynasty.
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva sits peacefully on the coast of the "Haitian Buddha Kingdom" (Putuo Mountain in the East China Sea), holding Buddhist scriptures in his hands, chanting scriptures, hanging Buddhist beads on his body, one foot on the shore, one foot stretching into the sea, with lotus growing in the water, and the feet, lotus, and water are ingenious. The earth is combined into one, and the image of Guanyin Bodhisattva is vividly portrayed as kind, tranquil, compassionate, and able to save all sentient beings. The inscription on the back of the Buddha statue reads: "On the 15th day of the first lunar month in the 15th year of Yongping in the Han Dynasty, it was built in Fangzhou, Tengzhu. On the 5th day of the first lunar month in the fourth year of Taihe, Monk Hai rebuilt it. On the 15th day of the seventh month in the 15th year of Jiajing, Qingjiang and Qinghai Presided over the reconstruction..." The inscription provides precious historical information on the construction and reconstruction years of the tower. In 1992, during the reconstruction of Putong Temple, Master Hongchuan discovered the "Inscription on the Reconstruction of Putong Pagoda Temple" in the 11th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign in the Qing Dynasty. In the fourth year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty, Zen Master Dayer rebuilt it, with a base of three twelve martial arts and a height of ten Ren. It is one of the ten scenic spots in the city and has an old origin..."
The relationship between Master Hongchuan and Putong Temple Restoration
Speaking of the restoration and prosperity of Putong Temple, we must mention a person who is well-known in the Chinese Buddhist community - Master Hongchuan.
Master Hongchuan, commonly known as Wang Jincheng, was born on the ninth day of the sixth lunar month in 1927 to a poor family in Houdi Village, Yuetan Township, Yanshi City, Henan Province. His parents died early when he was young. Due to the pressure of life, he moved to Taiwan in early 1949. Later, he converted to Buddhism and was given the name Shengsong and his courtesy name Hongchuan. In August 1984, Master Hongchuan overcame all obstacles and resolutely flew back to the motherland from Taiwan via Hong Kong. He was praised as "China's first patriotic monk" by Zhao Puchu, former vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of the Chinese Buddhist Association. In 1992, with the approval of the Nangong City Government, it was agreed to repair Putong Temple in accordance with the opinions of the Provincial Buddhist Association. The Provincial Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs recommended Master Hongchuan to be the abbot of Putong Temple. Master Hongchuan and three disciples lived in two simple sheds left behind when repairing the pagoda, and began the difficult preparation activities. In order to raise funds, Master Hongchuan traveled around to raise funds and built while raising funds. He successively invested RMB 1 million. During the intense construction of the Putong Temple restoration, he dragged his sick body and worked day and night, often sleeping only three or four hours a day. After several years of hard work, Putong Temple was basically completed in September 1996, and the completion and consecration ceremony of the Buddha statue was held on September 26. Wang Shusen, Vice Chairman of the Hebei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Han Ruigai, Vice Minister of the Provincial United Front Work Department, Ju Zhiqiang, Director of the Provincial Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China, President of the Hebei Buddhist Association, Master Jinghui, Abbot of Berlin Temple, and Xingtai City and Nangong City Party and government leaders attended the opening ceremony. Master Jinghui specifically pointed out in his speech at the celebration: "I would like to emphasize that this temple should be said to be the first temple where Buddhism came to the East, because this temple is one year earlier than the White Horse Temple. We have not publicized this historical fact for so many years, because It has not yet grown in scale. Now that the place has reached a certain scale, with crowds gathered and normal management, we can solemnly announce to all walks of life that the real No. 1 temple in China is in Nangong City, Hebei Province, which is our Putong Temple. ”
Master Hongchuan is knowledgeable and has written many Buddhist works. He often donates money to help those in need. He served as executive director of the Chinese Buddhist Association, vice president of the Hebei Buddhist Association, president of the Xingtai Buddhist Association, and member of the Standing Committee of the Hebei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He passed away in Nangong Putong Temple on November 13, 2004.
Today's Putong Temple is well managed and tidy. There are more than 30 resident monks. The hall is filled with incense and there are pine trees and cypress trees in the courtyard. When the author was there, I deeply felt the solemnity, tranquility and sacredness of the Buddhist holy land.
A member of the CPPCC's "Pagoda Complex"
On August 14, 2004, "People's Daily·Overseas Edition" published "China's Earliest Pagoda-Putong Pagoda" An article with a photo of Putong Pagoda immediately aroused strong repercussions in Buddhist circles at home and abroad. The author of this article, Gong Xiushan, is currently a member of the Nangong CPPCC Standing Committee and a member of the CPPCC Proposal Committee. He is an insightful man who has devoted his spare time to Buddhist research and Putong Pagoda inspection, textual research and publicity work for many years.
Putong Pagoda was built in the 15th year of Yongping reign of Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty, two years earlier than the White Horse Pagoda in Luoyang. It is truly the first pagoda in China. However, due to the remote location of this tower and insufficient publicity in the past, this historical fact is rarely known. In order to research the origins of Putong Temple and Putong Pagoda, and to rectify the cultural and historical resources of his hometown, Gong Xiushan squeezed out limited funds under the difficult circumstances of his family's financial constraints and purchased thousands of books and materials on history and Buddhism.
At his own expense, he made a special trip to the cultural relics departments in Changsha, Hunan, Wuhan, Hubei and other places to look for Putong Pagoda as the key physical evidence of Han Dynasty architecture. His articles such as "Putong Pagoda—The First Buddhist Pagoda in China" and "The First Buddhist Temple in China Should Be the Putong Temple in Nangong, our Province" have been published by "People's Daily·Overseas Edition", "Xiangyin", "Ethnicity and Religion" ", "Elder World", "Hebei Daily" and other central, provincial and municipal media published it, and was reprinted by more than 30 domestic newspapers and periodicals, arousing strong repercussions. "Putong Pagoda - China's No. 1 Buddhist Pagoda" has been translated into seven languages including English, Japanese, French and German and is included in the database of the American Oriental Culture and Art Center. His research results have received attention and attention from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Chinese Buddhist Association and the American Oriental Culture and Art Center. Gong Xiushan had a special liking for Putong Pagoda, to the point of almost obsession. Once, he went to Xinhua Bookstore to buy books and found that the 1999 edition of "Cihai" mentioned in the annotation of the "Nangong" entry that "the historic site includes Putong Pagoda and Temple", but he could not find the single mention of "Putong Pagoda" in the entire book. entry. After returning home, he immediately wrote to Shanghai Dictionary Publishing House, proposing Putong Pagoda as the first Buddhist pagoda in China, and suggested that its separate entry be added to the new edition of "Cihai". His letter attracted the attention of the Shanghai Dictionary Publishing House, which quickly responded and invited him to Shanghai to discuss the inclusion of the "Putong Pagoda" entry in "Cihai".
If a place's historical and cultural resources are well developed, its significance and influence will not only be in the cultural field, but also drive the development of the local tourism industry and economy. As a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Gong Xiushan, together with celebrities in the Buddhist community, actively made suggestions and suggestions to party and government leaders on the development and utilization of Putong Pagoda, a historical and cultural resource. In October 2001, he wrote and jointly proposed with Master Hongchuan the "Recommendations on the Application of the Putong Pagoda of Putong Temple as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit", which received the approval of Zhao Shiju, deputy secretary of the Hebei Provincial Party Committee and the approval of the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau. Pay attention to. In 2004, the proposal "Attach Attention to the Development of Tourism Investment Resources of Putong Pagoda, China's No. 1 Pagoda" written by him and people in the Buddhist community was adopted at the second session of the Ninth Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and was forwarded to the organizer as an important proposal.
When the author wanted to bid farewell to this thousand-year-old temple, it was already dusk, and the bloody setting sun reflected the Putong Pagoda even more antique. The author secretly prays in his heart: I hope this eternally famous pagoda can be approved as a national key cultural relic protection unit as soon as possible.