The Temple History of Xinzheng Kannonji

As the saying goes, "Law is not alone, but born of war."

Buddhism was introduced into the Central Plains of China in the late Western Han Dynasty. Since the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Buddhism has entered a stage of prosperity and development in China and spread all over the country. According to the damaged statue of Buddha in Kannonji, there should be two or three layers of niches carved on the front and back of this monument, including one Buddha and two bodhisattvas or one Buddha and two disciples and two bodhisattvas, and the niche lintel is engraved with flying geisha music and canopy. The inscription was recorded in the third year of the Qing Dynasty in the Northern Qi Dynasty. The Buddha statue tablet was a popular and unique religious Buddhist culture and art variety from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, and it no longer existed after the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, according to the inscription, Kannonji was probably built in the Northern Qi Dynasty during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. There is also a record of Xinzheng people joining the army in Baishuifu, Yuzhou, Northern Qi Dynasty, and Mao Yi was not driven away "at the cost of thousands of dollars". More than 40 local believers, led by monks and Taoist priests in the temple, came to "Yuan Jian Temple" and voluntarily built a statue forest garden. In Lin Yuan, there are many trees. "The fruits are strange, with different colors and the same brilliance. The leaves are shaded and little is known about the stars and the moon." Famous monks from all over the world came from thousands of miles away, and many believers came from far away from home. "I don't want to come back with a humble apology." Kannonji must be named after Guanyin Bodhisattva, so there are rumors among the people. In ancient times, Liu Shanren, a wealthy family in Xinzheng, was seriously ill and was treated by famous doctors many times. Because of his devout belief in Buddhism, he learned that Guanyin Bodhisattva was merciful to the world, so he made a wish to Guanyin Bodhisattva. "If the devout worship of Guanyin can cure his illness, I am willing to build a Kannonji for the whole world to worship and support Guanyin Bodhisattva!" Since then, Liu Shanren sincerely prayed that Guanyin was added. After Liu Shanren recovered from his illness, he was willing to build Kannonji for the world to worship and support. Later, monks and nuns were gradually welcomed and gradually developed into temples. Although this is a rumor, the place name of Kannonji town is indeed named after the temple and has not been changed. It's been more than a thousand years, and the specific cases can't be verified. However, the great wish of Guanyin Bodhisattva to save all sentient beings has since entered this land, and there are still believers from all over the country who worship Guanyin Bodhisattva and show its magical charm.

Buddhism was introduced into the Central Plains in the Northern and Southern Dynasties and flourished for a while. Many people sought Buddhist scriptures from the West, enriching Buddhist classics, making the teachings of Buddhism in the Central Plains complete from the beginning and moving towards the road of independent development. After the Tang dynasty, the emperors of the Tang dynasty devoted themselves to Buddhism, and there were good and bad in the world. For example, Emperor Taizong Xuanzang translated classics in Hongfu Temple, and Buddhism flourished in Gao Zongwu. Wuhou, the only female emperor in China, was born in a Buddhist family and regarded Buddhism as the theoretical basis for claiming the throne. She strongly advocated Buddhism, presented the Great Cloud Sutra to the world, and often invited Master Cheng Guan of Huayan Temple to enter the palace, saying that Buddhism flourished. During this period, Kannonji was in its heyday, with large-scale buildings and increasingly magnificent development. In the north of the present site, there are more than 100 monks in the temple, and there are more than 200 houses covering hundreds of acres. It is divided into front east yard and back east yard. Monks in the Fourth Hospital abide by the rules of "balance of power up and down" and "no work for one day, no food for one day". Monks should eat and drink as needed, and be thrifty and housekeeping. Monks in each courtyard have 125 mu of land, and all monks work on the slopes.

During the Tang Dynasty, there were many famous monks in China, and the study of Buddhism far exceeded that of the previous generation, and the belief in Buddhism also penetrated into the people. During this period, a large number of foreign monks and scholars came to China to promote Buddhism and translate Buddhist scriptures. Therefore, Emperor Taizong wrote to build temples and monasteries all over the country, and set up a translation institute in Jionji, inviting famous monks at home and abroad to translate Buddhist scriptures and publicize Buddhism, and trained a large number of eminent monks and scholars. After Tang Gaozong succeeded to the throne, he opened official temples in the imperial capital and the States to pray for the national Antai; Wu Zetian even ordered the establishment of Dayun Temple in various states. In the late Tang dynasty, Buddhist monks were also treated with courtesy, and the emperor rewarded them all. Buddhism has developed into a powerful social force, and the number of temples and monks and nuns has soared. It is quite common for monks and nuns to engage in economic management and participate in social affairs, and the false abuse and illegal activities of monks and nuns are becoming more and more serious. In view of this situation, the Tang Dynasty continued to use the previous monk official system to manage monks and nuns in monasteries, and Guannong Temple began to "replace monk officials with hereditary ones". According to legend, Xinzheng has a scholar with both ability and political integrity, who is the top scholar in high school. The emperor of the dynasty made him a monk official. Nong Ji, the garrison official, was in charge of all temples and monks and nuns that violated the national law, and sent Shaolin Temple monks and Suoguo Temple monks to assist the new champion in joint governance. "Repeated offenders are punished in Xihong", and Xinzheng still has the place name of "Wansangbang and Sengpo". Buddhism flourished again in the early Song Dynasty. At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, Buddhism was slightly impacted by Hui Zongchong's suppression of Buddhism. In the Yuan Dynasty, Lamaism was a branch of Buddhism and a state religion. In these two periods, there was only one Zen school, and other schools declined slightly. And because the Central Plains has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times, under this historical background, has the history of Kan Nong's family in these two dynasties disappeared or been eliminated? Or does it exist silently? Leave endless imagination for future generations. ...

Until the revival of Buddhism in the Ming Dynasty, Ming Taizu was born as a monk, so he revived Buddhism after he ascended the throne and tried his best to protect it. Taizu personally wrote "Yu Bao Ji", which clearly defined the way to protect the law, and specially appointed monk officials to manage the temples and monks and nuns in the world. Although Buddhism was advocated and protected by the state power throughout the Ming Dynasty, it was not developed, and Zen was still the main Sect, and Tiantai Sect, Pure Land Sect and Huayan Sect also had followers. In the 14th year of Hongzhi in the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 15 10), when we learned the reasons for the reconstruction of Kannonji in the Ming Dynasty and presided over the monks' meeting, Kannonji's inscription (which still stood in front of the temple, one on the left and one on the right) was still the name of the original temple in China. Inscription: There were 26 Buddhist temples in Xinzheng County in Yuan Dynasty, among which Kannonji was the famous "south of Du Yi and north of Langshan". During the Hongwu period in the early Ming Dynasty, Jin Songen and his wife from Xinzheng believed in Buddhism and were charitable. They rebuilt three Guanyin halls on the ruins of the old temple. They were worshipped at dusk and gave birth to a son. "And this young man, with extraordinary appearance and superior intelligence, was sent to the Shaolin Temple, the ancestral hall of the Buddhist temple, for shaving and practicing, and he became famous and had great use." It is widely used to revitalize Shaolin in Shaolin Temple. "It is our duty to learn from others". Inspirational hard work, summer goes cold, "unwilling to be lazy", "excellent discussion, surpassing the monk group", and the monk forest "staying in the old place, all amazed", and loneliness is more important than Yongle period. He moved to guangde temple, Xiangyang and Huguang successively, served as abbot, and founded more than 200 Cenge temples, such as temples and Fatang temples. In the past 20 years, it has attracted 50 monks. Later, guangde temple was renamed Dachengen Temple and became a world-famous temple. At this time, he made good use of his old age. In order to repay the kindness of raising his hometown, he ordered his big disciple Hou Qi to "return to Xinzheng and rebuild Kannonji". The abbot of Houqi, Kanongji, built a Buddhist temple and set up an abbot. During the Tianshun period, he was old, and later he was told that his disciples were celebrating the name of Ryan, inheriting the legacy of Daiyong and rebuilding the Five Halls and Five Fathers Hall. There are three ancestral halls, three Galand halls, as well as the Tibetan Scripture Building, Bell Tower, Ji Xiang Kitchen and Seven Zen Halls. Statues of Guanyin, Bodhisattva and the gods were rebuilt in the temple, taking on a new look. Yuan Qing's painstaking masterpiece "More than 30 Monks" has saved the world and all living beings, making it famous all over the world. During the Chenghua period, Yuan Qing celebrated his old age. Some people said that his disciples were valuable and could treasure the abbot's temple, which made the abbot's monk's room twice as big as before. On the left side of the temple, he built a seven-level pagoda for his teacher Yuan Qing to plant pines and cypresses. At that time, Kannonji and his garden were "very different in appearance", and celebrities from far and near flocked to them, and celebrities "all enjoyed their activities".

After the Qing Dynasty, Buddhism was not valued as much as in the Ming Dynasty. Although Buddhism flourished, most monks were superstitious about eating, and there was little research on Buddhist classics, so orthodox Buddhism declined in the Qing Dynasty. According to the records of Xinzheng County in the forty-first year of Qianlong (A.D. 1776), there are 16 Buddhist temples in Xinzheng, of which Kannonji is the earliest and most famous. However, the Qing emperor believed in Buddhism to a certain extent and treated monks with courtesy, but he restricted the large-scale construction of Buddhist temples and the wind of shaving. While advocating and cleaning up, the Qing Dynasty began to strictly inspect the monasteries in the world from Shunzhi, and then the state gave orders to monks, who were not allowed to become monks without orders. Without the permission of the government, people are not allowed to build temples privately at will, and they are not allowed to raise money for alms privately. Although there were various restrictions at first, the incense and folk belief in folk temples became stronger and stronger. According to the inscription "Kannonji Rebuilds the Hall of Great Heroes" in the 15th year of Kangxi, Kannonji at that time was rebuilt after the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty due to the war and the destruction of wind and rain during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Later, it was recorded in detail that Daxiong Hall, King Kong Hall and Galatai Hall were rebuilt in Qianlong and Xianfeng years. According to the records of stone tablets, during the Xianfeng period, the abbot Taihe and Zhang Buyun, who were stationed in Haimen, Xinzheng at that time, served as the prison, built the Houdong Courtyard in the temple, and founded Suiyang School to teach sage education and Buddhism for free. During the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, China society changed from primitive feudal system to harmonious system. The whole society has experienced a turbulent period of social thought, behavior concept and even people's family life, but people's beliefs in Buddhism and Bodhisattva have never changed.

There are dozens of stone tablets in Kannonji, and the inscriptions in the Ming and Qing Dynasties all have the words "Monk Society Division". According to historical records, although the monk official system in Ming Dynasty continued through the ages, it was more rigorous and systematic. The monks' divisions in the central government, prefecture and county are called the monks' records division, the monks' outline division, the monks' integrity division and the monks' association division respectively. The central monk officials are good at the world, explaining, lecturing and realizing righteousness; Monk officials in prefecture, prefecture and county are the Governor, Zheng Zheng Monks and Monk Association. The monk official system in Qing dynasty generally followed the Ming system, with some gains and losses. It can be seen that Kannonji has been following the system of "monk officials" since the Tang Dynasty. Although more than a thousand years have passed, this system has not been abolished because of historical changes, which shows the important position of Kannonji in the history of Buddhism in the Central Plains. In short, the monk official system, as a special official system in the history of China, existed for more than 1500 years, and was not abolished until 1923, when the last monk official died in Kannonji. 1930 or so, after the warlord government dispersed the monks, all the temple land was returned to the government. Later, believers from far and near became interested. Although the temple was repaired and destroyed, the number of monks and nuns increased and the incense never stopped. At this point, the glory experienced by Shennong in past dynasties has become history.

In the long river of history, Kannonji has experienced ups and downs for thousands of years. Whether it is glory or decline, only the spirit of Guanyin Bodhisattva's salvation has been passed down through the ages with the unchanging name "Kannonji". "Today, people don't see Gu Yue. This month, they took photos of the ancients!" Today's Kannonji, under the leadership of the abbot, Master Heng Chuan, and under the protection of ten good people, will surely open a new century! Let's pursue the great love of Guanyin Bodhisattva, be six degrees of prajnaparamita, be a bodhisattva, be self-interested and altruistic, and benefit all beings!