The Historical Evolution of Jade Buddha Temple

In 1882, that is, in the eighth year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty, Master Huigen of Putuo Mountain went to Wutai Mountain after worshipping Buddha, passing through Emei, entering Tibet, going to India and passing through Myanmar. Under the sponsorship of local overseas Chinese, he carved five jade buddhas from the mountain. Please go back to Putuo Mountain. When we passed Shanghai, we left a sitting Buddha and a sleeping Buddha, that is, a temple called Jade Buddha Temple was built in jiangwan town. 19 18, the Buddhist temple was destroyed by fire, so it was rebuilt at its current site and the new temple was renamed "Jade Buddha Temple".

Stepping into the first entrance hall-Tianwang Hall, you can see three scarlet doors, which means "three doors are liberated". In the past, because most temples were built on mountains, the temple gate was also called "mountain gate". "Mountain" and "three" were homophonic, and "three gates" became the name of the temple. A famous Maitreya Buddha is enshrined in front of the temple. In fact, this smiling Buddha with a square face and big ears and red chest originated from this monk in Fenghua, Zhejiang Province in the Five Dynasties. Because he often begs everywhere with a cloth bag, he is also called a "cloth bag monk". In 9 16, the monk in the cloth bag died in the dense forest temple in Fenghua, Zhejiang. Because of his last words: "Maitreya is really Maitreya, with thousands of members;" Often show the world, the world does not know ",only as the embodiment of Maitreya, and later generations make statues to serve Maitreya."

Second, the main hall is the Hall of Heroes. There are three golden Buddha statues in it, with Sakyamuni Buddha in the middle; To the east is the pharmacist Buddha in the oriental glass world; On the west is Amitabha in the western paradise.

There is a wall sculpture of "Island Guanyin" at the back of the hall. In the middle is a clean water bottle, and at the foot is a fish, looking at the world with bright eyes. It is "a bodhisattva who saves the world with great compassion." She stood on the head of the octopus and crossed the ocean to save the suffering beings. On both sides of Guanyin stood Dragon Lady and Shancai, both disciples of Guanyin. On the outside of the wall sculpture, on the left is the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra riding a white elephant, and on the right is the Manjusri Bodhisattva riding a green lion. The Guanyin statue with his hands clasped in his knees and his tired face is the shape of Sakyamuni Buddha after he became a monk for six years.

The third entrance is the abbot room. This plaque is called "Prajna Zhang Shi", which means wisdom. Zhang Shi, known as the abbot in the world, means one square foot and unlimited ability. There is a portrait of Dharma, the ancestor of Zen Buddhism, on the front wall, and the Jade Buddha Building is above the abbot's room. In the center of the main hall is the jade Buddha statue invited back by Master Huigen. The statue is1.92m high and weighs one ton. Carved from a whole piece of white jade, the jade is delicate and beautiful in shape. It's the method of Sakyamuni. The gold foil and inlaid gems on the Buddha's body are dazzling and donated by believers. Visitors here admire the jade Buddha's carving, exquisite craftsmanship and unparalleled beauty. In the cabinets on both sides of the Jade Buddha, there are more than 7,000 copies of the Qing Dynasty Tripitaka.

198 1 to resume various Buddhist ceremonies.

The west side of the temple is located in the Buddhist temple, dedicated to a white jade reclining Buddha. This is another jade Buddha invited by Master Huigen, which is 96 cm long. In the red niche, the Buddha lay on his side, supported by his right hand, serene and serene. This is an 80-year-old statue of Sakyamuni. 1989, Singaporeans presented another giant reclining Buddha opposite, about 4 meters long.

In the bustling downtown area at the east entrance of Anyuan Road in Putuo District, Shanghai, there is a quiet and quaint Buddhist temple-Jade Buddha Temple. 1983 was identified by the State Council as the national key Buddhist temple in the Han area.

Jade Buddha Temple is famous for its two jade buddhas in the temple. One is the statue of Sakyamuni, which is called "the treasure of the town temple". It is 1.95 meters high and is carved from a whole piece of jade. The Buddha put the palm of his left hand on his left leg and made a meditation seal, indicating that Sakyamuni had meditated under the bodhi tree. Finally, he realized that the Buddha's right hand naturally drooped and his fingers touched the ground, which was called "touching the ground", indicating that the Buddha had made various sacrifices for all beings and repaired various bodhisattvas before his death. All this is only witnessed by the earth. The Buddha's face is full, his eyebrows are crescent-shaped, his eyes are half open, his lips are tight, and his smile is serene and gentle. Surprisingly, no matter which angle you stand at, the Jade Buddha is always watching you peacefully. This Buddha statue is exquisitely carved. The edge of the cassock and the armband of the Buddha's right arm are decorated with jade, agate and other gems 100. The whole Buddha statue exudes a glittering and translucent luster, which makes the Buddha statue appear serene, kind and loving. This Buddha statue is now enshrined in the Jade Buddha Building of the Jade Buddha Temple.

The other is the reclining Buddha statue in the reclining Buddha Hall. This statue is carved from a whole piece of white marble, 96 cm long, wearing a cassock, leaning to the right shoulder, and lying on the side of the mahogany couch with the No.1 right hand, which is the same as the reclining Buddha in Beijing Xiangshan Reclining Buddha Temple. The reclining Buddha statue, also known as the nirvana statue of Sakyamuni, shows the nirvana of Sakyamuni at the age of 80 under the twin trees in the suburbs where he was detained (the highest state pursued by Buddhism). The face looks peaceful and quiet, serene and natural, with a smile. The stripes on the body are smooth and smooth, showing the exquisite carving level.

The earliest Jade Buddha Temple was built at 1900 Wusong Jiangwan Station, and was presided over by Master Zhao Ben, a disciple of Master Huigen. After the Revolution of 1911, the temple was destroyed by fire, and only the Jade Buddha survived. The villa on Shetinggen Road (now Wei 'an Road) in Sheng Xuanhuai was once used as a temple dedicated to jade buddhas. From 19 18, Lin Jizong, a branch of Zen, became a master and built a new temple on this site. After ten years of hard work, Buddhist temples, pavilions, kitchens and other imitation temple buildings have been built one after another, making the Jade Buddha Temple "magnificent and magnificent, a giant temple at sea."

After the founding of China, the Jade Buddha Temple was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit, and the state allocated funds for maintenance for many times. 1963 65438+1On October 8th, Premier Zhou Enlai personally accompanied Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mrs. bandaranaike to the Jade Buddha Temple to attend the memorial service to commemorate the 64th birthday of former Sri Lankan Prime Minister bandaranaike. Premier Zhou had a cordial conversation with the monks and listened to the briefing. "This temple is very good and must be managed and protected."

During the Cultural Revolution, under the protection of the Municipal Party Committee, governments at all levels, relevant units, cadres and monks in the temple worked together to make the whole temple building well preserved, the rolled Buddha statues and utensils intact, the two jade buddhas intact, and all Buddhist activities stopped. However, several monks live in the temple by pasting paper boxes every day.

After 1976 10, in order to implement the policy of freedom of religious belief, the Jade Buddha Temple was reopened as a place for Buddhist activities, and the "Jade Buddha Temple Management Committee" was established, and exiled monks returned to the temple one after another. It also allocated funds to repair temples that were in disrepair. Since the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Producers' Party of China, the Jade Buddha Temple has been put under its own management, and people in Shanghai Buddhist circles have promoted monks such as abbots and prison houses according to the temple system. From 65438 to 0979, the true Zen master was appointed as the abbot of the Jade Buddha Temple, and the Buddhist ten-square jungle system was restored. In order to manage the temple well, the monks of the Jade Buddha Temple also set up a temple Council to manage the affairs in the temple and gradually carry out Buddhist activities. 198 1 to resume various Buddhist ceremonies. Since 1984, the Seven Dharmas of Huayan Buddhism have been held every spring, which is very popular among Buddhists. 1985, the abbot Master Zhenchan presided over the ceremony, and the Jade Buddha Temple held a grand preaching ceremony. There are more than 100 monks in the Jade Buddha Temple, distributed at the four entrances of the living room, meditation hall, warehouse and Yibaoliao, and the temple is managed according to the jungle regulations.

After the Jade Buddha Temple resumed its Buddhist activities, many young believers demanded to become monks. Since 1982, young believers in the Jade Buddha Temple have become monks and held Buddhist retreats to learn Buddhist knowledge and etiquette from young monks. 1983, the Shanghai Buddhist Association restored the Shanghai Buddhist College in the Jade Buddha Temple. 1942, Master Chen Yuan, abbot of the Jade Buddha Temple, founded the Shanghai Buddhist College in the temple. Master Zhenhua of Chikulin Temple in Zhenjiang was invited as dean and provost, and 30 monks were recruited. Later, for various reasons. 1In September, 983, the Shanghai Buddhist College, which was closed for 40 years, resumed its development and enrolled more than 50 students. The aim of Shanghai Buddhist College is to cultivate a group of young monks who love the motherland, support the socialist system, have considerable Buddhist knowledge and can keep close contact with religious believers. The college is divided into three levels: preparatory class, ordinary class and research class, with a two-year academic system. Here, students will systematically study the introduction of Buddhism, the three Buddhist classics, the history of Buddhism in China, the precepts of Misha, the history of Indian Buddhism, Chinese, history, political economy, foreign languages, ancient Chinese, the history of China philosophy, Zhouyi, Laozi and Zhuangzi, China theory, Bai Ren, Mahayana theory, China's theory of present view, Jue Yuan Sutra and Vimalakīrti Sutra. By 1989, more than 70 students had graduated and worked as deacons in Gua Yu Buddha, Longhua and Jing 'an temples, which enriched the new strength for temple management. Some young monks stayed in the Buddhist College to teach after graduating from the seminar, which enriched the team of Buddhist teachers.