Wutai Mountain is not only beautiful and charming in natural landscape, but also famous for its Buddhist temple architecture. Wutai Mountain, together with Mount Emei in Sichuan, Mount Jiuhua in Anhui and Mount Putuo in Zhejiang, is known as the four famous Buddhist mountains in China, ranking first among the four famous mountains because of its long history and large scale. As early as the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were temple buildings in Wutai Mountain. According to legend, when Emperor Hanming came to Liang Qingshan with photos of Morton and Zhu Falan spreading Buddhism in China, he saw five terraces around Taihuai Town in the hinterland, and the mountain landform was very similar to Lingjiu Mountain, the practice place of Sakyamuni Buddha in ancient India. So he invited Emperor Han Ming to build a Buddhist temple in Wutai Mountain, and after obtaining permission, he built the first temple in Wutai Mountain-Dafulingjiu Temple, which is now Xiantong Temple. Since then, with the spread of Buddhism, the worship of emperors, and the records in Buddhist scriptures that Wutai Mountain is the performance parish of Manjusri Bodhisattva, the status of Wutai Mountain has been raised higher and higher. From the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Northern Qi Dynasty, the Sui and Tang Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were more and more temple buildings, and their scale became larger and larger. Since the Qing Dynasty, Lamaism has been introduced into Wutai Mountain, and a new Huangmiao Temple has been built in Wutai Mountain, making Wutai Mountain the only Buddhist holy place where Han Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism coexist. At present, there are 39 temples in Taiwan Province and 8 temples outside Taiwan Province. The famous Zen relics in Taiwan Province include Xiantong Temple, Tayuan Temple, Bodhisattva Peak, Statue Temple and Luo Qi Temple. The most famous Zen relics outside Taiwan Province are nanzenji and Beiju. The temples built in these different periods are either simple and vigorous, or magnificent, or heavy buildings, or deep pavilions, or exquisite structures; Plastic murals with exquisite carvings, rich decorations and rich colors abound, which makes the scenic Wutai Mountain present a rich and colorful cultural landscape and become a place that thousands of tourists and pilgrims in Qian Qian yearn for. Wutai Mountain occupies an important position in the history of Buddhism in China.
Xiantong Temple, an ancient temple in Han Dynasty
According to the records of Liangshan in Qing Dynasty, Xiantong Temple was built in Yongping period of Eastern Han Dynasty (58-75). Because the top of the temple is very similar to the spirit jiusan in Sakyamuni's works, it is named "Dafuling Nine Temple". Together with Baima Temple, it is the earliest temple in China. Later, the temple was revived and abandoned, and its name was changed several times. Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty changed his name to "Garden Temple", and in the Tang Dynasty he changed his name to Dahuayan Temple because of the new translation of Huayan Jing in the temple. Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming emperor, rebuilt this temple and gave it the name "Daxiantong Temple". Why is it called "Daxiantong Temple"? Legend has it that after Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty pacified the world, the abbot of Dahuayan Temple wanted to rebuild the temple, so he traveled around and met people. People heard that it was a charity monk coming down from Wutai Mountain, and they all rushed to give money without spending a hundred miles, and their wealth was considerable. Seeing this, the monk planned to build another 500 arhats for the temple, so he continued to give alms along the way, earned enough money, and cast an arhat along the way, so the cast arhats were scattered in many places. When 500 arhats were thrown, the monk was worried. How can I transport all the arhats back to the temple? He thought to himself, "Buddha makes all beings wish, but the heart wears through the stone." So on his way back, he saw an iron arhat and prayed that he would come to Wutai Mountain on a certain day. He prayed all the way back to Wutai Mountain and rebuilt the Lohan Hall in Manjuji (Yuhuachi), ten miles north of Dahuayan Temple, waiting for the arrival of 500 Lohan. On the appointed day, the arhats arrived in high spirits and took their seats accordingly, causing a sensation in Wutai Mountain. Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was born as a monk. After learning this news, he immediately sent ministers to worship on Wutai Mountain and canonized Dahuayan Temple as "Daxiantong Temple". Since then, Dahuayan Temple has been renamed Daxiantong Temple.
Xiantong Temple is located in the north of Taihuai Town, covering an area of 80,000 square meters, with more than 400 buildings of various types. There are seven halls on the central axis, which are Guanyin Hall, Bodhisattva Hall, Giant Buddha Hall, Infinite Hall, Manjusri Hall, Bronze Hall and Jingtang in turn from the main entrance. Among them, the Infinite Hall is the most magnificent, with seven rooms wide and four rooms deep. It rests on the top of the double-eaved mountain, where the immortal Buddha is enshrined. It is a masterpiece of masonry art in China. The bronze hall in the temple is one of the four existing bronze halls in China. It is three rooms wide and less than 5 meters high. It's small and exquisite. Cast in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. It is said that it was built by Miao Feng, a monk from Wutai Mountain. According to legend, Miao Feng passed by Emei to visit Pu Xian. At that time, the main hall was burned and the statue of Pu Xian was exposed to the wind and rain. Miao Feng was very sad and vowed to build a permanent building for Puxian. He gave alms everywhere, accumulated enough gold and copper, recruited craftsmen and cast bronze temples. However, it is unfair for Guanyin and Manjusri to claim that Miao Feng only built a bronze temple for Pu Xian. Miao Feng vowed to rebuild two identical bronze temples, one dedicated to Huashan Guanyin and the other dedicated to Mount Wutai Manjushri. The latter is a bronze temple in Xiantong Temple, made of 100,000 Jin of copper. The temple has two floors, with 10,000 small bronze buddhas on the inner wall and a big bronze Buddha on the middle stage. According to legend, when Emperor Kangxi visited the bronze temple of Xiantong Temple, he drew his sword and cut it at the copper pillar in the left corner of the temple, only to find that the copper pillar was really pure copper. There is still a crack on the copper column so far. There are five copper towers in front of the copper temple, symbolizing the five tops of Wutai Mountain. Now there are only two, each 8 meters high. On the right, in the southwest corner of the first floor, there is a small bronze temple the size of a thumb, which contains a bronze earth god. This little land god also has anecdotes. It is said that when Emperor Kangxi came to visit Wutai Mountain, he saw that Wutai Mountain was very small and said humorously, "What a big place." Unexpectedly, this small land jumped up, knelt down and kowtowed, and even said, "Thank you." Since then, this small land god has been named as the big land god in Shanxi and has become a famous ornamental god in Wutai Mountain.
Some cultural relics of Xiantong Temple also have interesting legends. For example, the two octagonal stone pavilions in front of Manjusri Hall were built in the forty-sixth year of Kangxi, one of which has an inscription of Kangxi Imperial Pen, and the one on the right is a tablet without words. Why is there no word on the tablet? Legend has it that before the monument pavilion was built, there were two circular pools, and the water in the pools was as clear as a mirror. One year Kangxi cruised here and looked up and saw Bodhisattva Peak lying on Lingjiu Mountain with its head held high like a dragon. He couldn't help wondering, "Isn't there a real dragon here to take my country?" So he wanted to find some evidence to prove that the bodhisattva was not a dragon, so as to get rid of his heart disease. Just as he was chanting, the abbot of Xiantong Temple came forward and said, "Long live the opening of the light, then the Jiu Feng is a dragon, and the archway at the top of Bodhisattva is on the faucet." Kangxi pretended as if nothing had happened and said, "Ling Jiu Feng is a dragon, but not a living dragon. It has no eyes. " The abbot didn't understand the emperor's thoughts at this time, and immediately said, "The emperor speaks, and this dragon has eyes. Whenever the sun shines on these two pools, two circular rings will appear on both sides of the wooden archway on the top of Bodhisattva. " Now Kangxi couldn't help it any longer, and said angrily, "The dragon has eyes, won't it fly away?" Fill these two pools at once, and then set up two stone tablets to hold them down. "At this time, the abbot understood the meaning of the emperor and ordered all the monks to fill the pool and set up a stone tablet. Kangxi only wrote an inscription and returned to the DPRK, so Xiantong Temple had this wordless tablet.
There are many rare treasures in Xiantong Temple. For example, the Wutai Mountain Cultural Relics Exhibition Room located in the Tibetan Scripture Pavilion contains many cultural relics and treasures, and the Huayan Sutra Pagoda with pagoda pattern is composed of Xiao Zhuan Scriptures. Looking at the picturesque tower from a distance, there are 80 volumes of Hua Yan Jing, as well as bronze ox carts and human skin drums.
Lingfeng Shengjing Bodhisattva Peak
Bodhisattva Peak, located at the top of Jiu Feng, is resplendent and colorful, covering an area of 965,438+000 square meters, with more than 100 halls and pavilions. It is a scenic spot in Wutai Mountain, where Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty inscribed the plaque of "Lingfeng Scenic Area".
Bodhisattva Ding was founded when Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, formerly known as Dawenshu Academy. According to legend, in the fifth year of Emperor Taizong's Zhenguan, Fayun still wanted to carve a Manjusri Bodhisattva, and the sculptor An Sheng came to carve it. One night, Manjusri appeared in the blue light under the ever-burning lamp, so the temple was renamed Zhenrong Garden. When Yongle was rebuilt in the early Ming Dynasty, it was renamed the Great Manjusri Hall, commonly known as Bodhisattva Top.
The peak of Bodhisattva was in the Qing Dynasty. In the thirteenth year of Qing Shunzhi, it was changed to the Lama Temple. Emperor Kangxi once gave the Bodhisattva Lama the seal of Yin and ordered Shanxi Province to pay tribute here. The reason is said to be related to an anecdote of Emperor Kangxi. According to legend, Emperor Kangxi visited Wutai Mountain and passed Fang Ying Street. He saw a civilian named Mei Zhi milling rice. She was very beautiful. Kangxi spent the night in Wutai Mountain Imperial City and was deeply touched. He recited a poem: "Riding a good horse, crossing Huang Zhuang, I met a woman who ran across the pipe. Jade refers to the head support, and the bottom of Jinlian skirt is busy. Lift the shovel gently, lift it slowly, and look back at the plastic surgery. Sweat and powder, flowers and dew, dust and frost. Unfortunately, such a romantic girl, who will marry Tian Shelang? " The chamberlain eunuch guessed the meaning of Kangxi, visited Meizhi at night and called the imperial city. Later, Mei Zhi became pregnant and gave birth, and was taken to another place by Kangxi. When he grew up, he sent the Bodhisattva to become a monk, and he was named the Great Lama, calling it "the DPRK as a product". Mei Zhi was made a concubine and lived in a concubine temple under the roof of the Bodhisattva.
Perhaps because of this special historical background, the position of Bodhisattva Peak in the Yonghe Palace in Wutai Mountain was held high. On June 14 every year, the Lama Temple meeting held to commemorate the birth of Manjusri Bodhisattva is centered on Bodhisattva Peak, where all the lamas on the mountain gather. The building of Bodhisattva Peak is also full of royal style, which exceeds the scale of other Huangdi temples. There are 108 steps symbolizing the old 108 county in Shanxi, and there is also a wooden archway with four columns and three doors in front of the mountain. On the archway, you can have a panoramic view of the distant mountains and the near temples. On both sides of the archway crouched a pair of tongue-less stone lions. It is said that the pair of stone lions once went to the temple kitchen to steal food, but the monk found them and shoveled off their tongues with a spade. Since then, they have been honestly squatting under the archway.
Manjusri Bodhisattva Statue of Shuxiang Temple in Wutai Mountain, Shanxi Province
Bodhisattva Peak Gate is divided into three courtyards: front, middle and back, with compact and changeable layout. The main buildings are the Heavenly King Hall, Manjusri Hall and Ursa Hall. All the temples in the temple, Yu Dou, are covered with tricolor glass and look resplendent. There are three big copper pots in the temple, which are amazing to the Bodhisattva.
These copper pots are 5 feet in diameter and 4 feet in depth, and are used for temple fairs in June and lamas to cook vegetarian meals on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month every year. Because copper pots are rare, people will attach some interesting legends.
Legend has it that the day before Laba, when the old monks were discussing who to send to brush the big copper pot, they were heard by a young monk who had just become a monk. The young monk quietly came to the backyard and went down to the big copper pot to wash. In the evening, the monks all went to the temple to do their homework. The old monk found that the young monk was missing, and he was busy looking around. When he found the backyard, he heard the cry of the young monk from a big copper pot. It turns out that the young monk dragged the rope and pushed the ladder out of the pot, and it was freezing. When the young monk brushed the last pot, he was exhausted and had no strength to climb the rope ladder and climb out of the pot.
On the top of Bodhisattva, there is a stone tablet, 6 meters high, engraved in four languages of Han, Meng and Manchu, which is the first stone tablet in Wutai Mountain.
Buddha shows the true statue temple.
Shuxiang Temple is one of the five Zen relics in Wutai Mountain. The temple was built in Tang Dynasty, rebuilt in Yuan Dynasty, destroyed by fire, and rebuilt in the 23rd year of Ming Chenghua (1487). There are Manjusri Pavilion and the second floor of the bell and drum in the center of the temple. Manjusri Pavilion is five rooms wide and four rooms deep, with double eaves and nine ridges, a dense arch under the eaves, and glazed edges on the eaves. It is the largest temple in the central area of Wutai Mountain. Manjusri Pavilion has a statue of Manjusri Bodhisattva riding a lion, about 9 meters high. The lion stamped his feet on the ground with his eyes wide open. Manjusri Bodhisattva rides on the back of a lion, with eyes looking up and hands slightly raised. Behind him, there is a Huang Liang, just like the aura of a bodhisattva. It is said that among all Manjusri lion-riding statues in Wutai Mountain, this statue is the most vivid, hence its name.
There is a legend about this statue. According to legend, its head is made of buckwheat noodles. Originally, the sculptor didn't know what to shape the face of the bodhisattva when he was shaping this statue. While arguing endlessly, the cook said loudly, "The appearance of Manjusri Bodhisattva can't be pinched casually" and went back to the kitchen. Suddenly, the cook saw the golden light shining in the courtyard, and Manjusri Bodhisattva showed its true colors. The cook used his quick wits to pick up the buckwheat noodles on the panel and knead them according to the true face of the Bodhisattva. As soon as he squeezed his head, Manjushri disappeared into the air. Later, the plastic worker put the buckwheat head on the idol and covered it with gold. Therefore, people call this bodhisattva statue "buckwheat head bodhisattva". This story is widely circulated in Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Tibet and other regions. The "uniqueness" of Shuxiang Temple refers to this special statue.
In the northwest corner behind Shuxiang Temple, there is a living room called "Mountain View Room". There is also a historical story about this room. During the reign of Shunzhi in Qing Dynasty, Princess Sancui, the emperor shunzhi's sister and aunt of Emperor Kangxi, became a monk and came to live in Wutai Mountain, named "Quiet Room". At that time, there was a young monk who unfortunately became a monk because of his marriage. He is handsome and elegant, and is familiar with books and manners. Yincui gorge often discusses Zen with him in a quiet room. Over time, the outside world has a lot of gossip. When Emperor Kangxi heard about it, Yan Long was furious and sent people to Wutai Mountain to set fire to the temple. Surprisingly, however, the temple was burned to pieces, only the quiet room was not burned, and Yincui gorge and the young monk were safe indoors. Kangxi learned that he thought it was the Buddha's asylum. The Buddha told people that Yincui gorge and the monk are selfless and true Buddhists. So Emperor Kangxi allocated huge sums of money to rebuild the statue temple. The imperial inscriptions of the Kangxi period in the temple recorded the reconstruction of the temple. Today, when people visit the statue temple, they can still see this quiet room sheltered by the Buddha.
"Buddha in full bloom" Luozhe Temple
Luo Qi Temple, located in the east of Taihuai District of Wutai Mountain, is one of the five Zen relics in Wutai Mountain. The name of the temple comes from Buddhist scriptures. According to Buddhist scriptures, Sakyamuni was married and had children before he became a monk, and his son was named Luo Qiluo. Later Luo Qiluo became a monk and became one of the top ten disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha. According to legend, on June 14 of the lunar calendar every year, Luo Luo, the son of the Buddha, will come to celebrate the birthday of Manjusri Bodhisattva in order to entertain the ghosts. Therefore, on this day every year, there will be ghost jumping activities in Luobian Temple. The monks in the temple are all wearing ghost faces and different clothes, jumping with the drums, which is very lively.
Luobian Temple was founded in the Tang Dynasty, rebuilt in the fifth year of Hongzhi in the Ming Dynasty (1492), and rebuilt by Empress Li in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. According to legend, when the father of Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty died, Emperor Wanli was still young, so Queen Li gave the land to her royal family, and put Queen Li and her young master in limbo and locked them in Zhaoyang Court. Queen Li regretted it and made a wish in front of the Buddha. If the Buddha can bless the young master to ascend to the throne, she will spend a huge sum of money to rebuild the Luo Qi Temple in Wutai Mountain. Later, when and others supported the young master to become an emperor, Queen Li returned to her old wish to rebuild the temple. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, the temple was presided over by Lama, commonly known as Huangmiao.
The main halls of Luobian Temple are Tianwang Hall, Manjusri Hall, Giant Buddha Hall and Tibetan Scripture Pavilion. The statues in the temple have obvious Lamaism style. For example, the statue of Manjusri Bodhisattva in Manjusri Hall is obviously different from other temples. Manjushri's face is not golden, but white; There are also shoulder flowers on both sides of the shoulders. On the shoulder flower, there is a wisdom sword on one side and a scripture on the other, which embodies the characteristics of manjusri statues in the Lama Temple. The most peculiar thing in the temple is a "Buddha in full bloom". Located in the center of the temple's back hall, a wooden wheel is carved with water waves and eighteen arhats, and the center of the lotus seat is carved with scarlet lotus petals, in which the Quartet Buddha sits. Usually, the lotus petals are closed and show lotus bud shape. When the lotus platform rotates, the petals of the lotus slowly open, and the four-sided Buddha statues slowly appear, showing the wonder of "bloom displaying Buddha". Mongolian and Tibetan Buddhists who come to Wutai Mountain thousands of miles away to worship take seeing the flowering Buddha statues as their lifelong happiness.
Zong Kaba, founder of Tibetan Yellow Sect, is also enshrined in Luobian Temple. According to historical records, Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty invited Zong Kaba, the founder of the Yellow Sect, to Beijing, but Zong Kaba could not go, and sent his disciples to surrender the whole Song Dynasty. First I went to Beijing, and then I went to Wutai Mountain to worship the holy land of Manjusri Bodhisattva. Local Han monks exchanged ideas with him about Sino-Tibetan Buddhism. Since then, the lamas have made pilgrimages to Wutai Mountain many times, making Wutai Mountain have both Chinese and Tibetan monks. By the time of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty, the ten green temples in Wutai Mountain had been changed into yellow temples and the Lama Temple had been built. Luozi Temple is the representative of the rise of Lamaism in Wutai Mountain.
Manjusri Bodhisattva Town Hailong
On the mountainside 5 kilometers south of Taihuai Town, Wutai Mountain, there is a mountain temple hidden in the lush Gu Song, named Zhenhai Temple. Zhenhai Temple stands on the stone pass where two mountains embrace each other, just like a cornucopia where two dragons are playing. There is a clear spring near the temple, called "undersea spring". It is said that this spring is related to the construction of Zhenhai Temple.
According to legend, the undersea spring was originally a sea eye, communicating with the distant East China Sea. People nearby often bathe and drink water by the spring. There is a beautiful girl who goes to the spring to wash her face and dress every day after picking mushrooms. The girl's name is Xiaomei, and she lives alone with her mother. One day, she freshened up by the spring. Suddenly, a torrent came from the spring and Xiaomei was caught in the water. Xiaomei opened her eyes and was taken to the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea. It turned out that when Xiaomei washed her face by the spring, her beautiful face entered the Dragon Palace. Nine princes of the Dragon King took a fancy to Xiaomei and snatched her into the sea. Prince Nine of the Dragon King forced Xiaomei to marry him. Xiaomei had a plan and said, "I am a Buddhist. I have to go home and fast for three days before I get married. " Nine princes of the Dragon King believed it and agreed to Xiaomei's request. Xiaomei was sent home and told her mother what had happened to her. Mother took Xiaomei to the top of Bodhisattva and prayed for the blessing of Manjusri Bodhisattva. In the evening, both mother and daughter dreamed that an old monk said to them, "Go to Bodhisattva Peak to make pilgrimages in three days, and you can avoid disaster." On the third day, the nine princes of the Dragon King greeted the bride with sedan chairs. Unexpectedly, Xiaomei and her mother have disappeared. Prince Nine of the Dragon King flew into a rage, set off violent winds and waves, and immediately flooded and flooded countless villages. At this time, a colorful auspicious cloud appeared in the sky, a big copper pot fell from the sky and was buckled on the flowing flood spring, and a green lion fell to the ground to suck up the flood on the ground. Manjusri Bodhisattva also cast a spell to capture the nine princes of the Dragon King alive, and the people of Wutai Mountain were freed from the flood. Later, people built a tower on this big copper pot, called "Zhenhai Tower"; A temple named Zhenhai Temple was built on the mountainside.
Zhenhai Temple covers an area of 1.6 million square meters, with 100 halls and buildings. The main buildings are Triple Hall, Heavenly King Hall, Middle Hall and Back Hall, all made of transparent plastic. To the south of the temple is Yongle Temple, which is the residence of the fifteenth living Buddha of the Zhang family. At present, there is a tomb tower of living Buddha built by Qianlong in 51 years. The tower is 9 meters high, and the story of Buddha is carved around it. The sculpture is exquisite and beautiful, and the upper part is a square Buddha statue. The Zhang family living Buddha is the Buddhist position followed by the Yellow Sect throughout the ages. Since the Qing Emperor Kangxi, he has been honored as a national teacher by successive emperors. The fifteenth living Buddha of the Zhang family was named Rao Daierji. He used to sit in Zhenhai Temple in Wutai Mountain in summer and changed it from a green temple to a yellow temple. After death, the spirit bone was transported to Zhenhai Temple to build a tomb tower. Monks and Tibetans worship Buddha in the mountains and often come to this party to worship Buddha.
Five-piece Shuang Bao
Nanzenji and Beichan Temple, the most famous Buddhist temples outside Wutai Mountain, are known as the "Shuang Bao" of Wutai Mountain in history. After visiting Wutai Mountain, the poet Zhao Puchu wrote five miscellaneous poems and praised Ertang Temple: "Ertang Temple has no treasures in the world, and there is no reason for it. If the Ming Dynasty did not lose Zhu Xuan, it would sink to the bottom of the sea and celebrate Zhaosu. "
Nanzenji, located on the north bank of Little Galaxy in Baigou, southwest of Wutai Mountain County, is the smallest Buddhist temple in Wutai Mountain. It covers an area of only 4 100 square meters, including 30 halls and temples. Although the temple is small, it has its preciousness.
Nanzenji was built in the third year of Tang Jianzhong (782). The main hall in the temple was sewn under a flat beam in the west, and Mo Bao wrote an inscription when it was rebuilt. Tang Wuzong Huichang destroyed Buddha in five years, and temples all over the country were demolished. Wutai Mountain Temple suffered the same fate. Only nanzenji survived because of its small scale, remote location and no records of state, government and county records, so it lived alone in Wutai Mountain.
The main building of nanzenji, the Buddhist Temple, is the oldest existing wooden structure building in Tang Dynasty in China. The Great Buddha Hall faces south, with three square rooms, a single eaves tile resting on the top of the mountain, and a spacious platform in front of the hall; Panel doors and straight lattice windows are set on the front, and eaves walls are set on the other three sides. The overall beam structure of the main hall is simple, and twelve eaves columns are equipped with hero arches. There are no columns in the temple, and the weight of the roof is mainly supported by eaves columns through beam frames. 1974 ——1976, during the overhaul of the main hall, it was found that the two largest wooden members in the hall had cracked and bent. After removing the mud from the roof tiles during construction, the wooden members on the west side automatically rebound, and then rotate in the opposite direction to flatten out. The girder is as straight as ever, but the wooden members on the east side are still bent after being flattened by reverse rotation. After 1200 years, the wooden components can still maintain such good elasticity, which is a miracle of world construction technology. In addition, the roof of the main hall is lifted slightly, and the surrounding columns are inclined inward, forming an oblique angle with the beam, and the four-corner columns are slightly higher, forming an inclination with the protruding bucket arch, which not only makes the combination of beams, columns and purlins compact, but also increases the stability of the building, and makes the eaves of the main hall deep but not low and dark. The whole hall has a beautiful outline, simple and majestic, and has a simple, solid and solemn style of large-scale wooden buildings in the middle Tang Dynasty.
There are 17 colorful sculptures of the Tang Dynasty in the main hall, which are distributed on the giant Buddhist altar with a length of 8.4m, a width of 6.3m and a height of 0.7m.. The whole statue has clear priorities, clear movements and expressions. The shape, costumes and techniques are exactly the same as those of the Tang Dynasty painted sculptures in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. The main statue, Sakyamuni Buddha, sat on the waist-girded Sumeru Mountain, shining kindly, as if preaching. On both sides and in front are disciples, bodhisattvas, heavenly kings, boys looking up, etc. All the images are plump and beautiful, and they are masterpieces of China's sculptures in the Tang Dynasty. In addition, three stone lions and a stone pagoda in the temple are also precious cultural relics of the Tang Dynasty.
Buddhist architectural art museum
At the foot of Foguang Mountain, 30 kilometers northeast of Wutai County, a magnificent ancient temple stands in the east-west direction, which is the world-famous Wuke Temple.
Bukoji is surrounded by mountains on three sides, surrounded by pines and cypresses, and built by mountains. There are more than 120 halls, pavilions and pavilions. According to Gu Chuan, Wuke Temple was founded in the period of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty (47 1-499), and flourished in Sui and Tang Dynasties, reaching as far away as Japan and Chang 'an and Dunhuang. Later, Tang Wuzong destroyed the Buddha and the temple in the fifth year of Huichang (845). After Xuanzong succeeded to the throne, he resumed Buddhism and rebuilt Beixing in the 11th year of Dazhong (857). Later, it was built in Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. The existing hexagonal ancestral tower, with simple shape, is a relic of the Northern Wei Dynasty; The East Hall halfway up the mountain is magnificent and was built in the Tang Dynasty. The Manjusri Hall in the front yard is a A Jin dynasty building; Other buildings, such as Shanmen, Jialan Temple, Wanshan Hall and Xiangfeng Huayu Building, were rebuilt in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Because this ancient temple has preserved the architecture from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it has an important position in the architectural history of China and even the world. Liang Sicheng, a famous expert in ancient architecture, published a paper on Bukoji in 1937, saying that Bukoji had four isolated cases of Wei, Qi, Tang and Song, and there were four kinds of arts in Tang Dynasty.
The East Hall, the main hall of Bei Gong Temple, is the representative work of the existing wooden structures in the Tang Dynasty in China. The main hall is built on the rock, and the rear column foundation is reserved when the mountain is cut, so the foundation is very stable and has strong earthquake resistance. The temple is seven rooms wide and four rooms deep, with a single eaves hanging from the top of the mountain. Two wooden doors were installed between the five pillars on the front eaves, and two straight lattice windows were installed behind the two outermost gables to facilitate the lighting in the hall. The eaves of the main hall are far-reaching, and the outer columns under the eaves are supported by simple bucket arches. The bucket arch is large in volume and complex in structure, and its height is about two-fifths of the height of the column. The cornice is 3.64 meters long, but the corner is not built according to the general building practice, but the back end of the corner beam is lengthened. The use of this cantilever member ensures that the front end of the eaves will not sink downwards, and the design is very scientific, which is rare in domestic wooden structures. The wooden frame on the roof of the main hall is relatively flat, the upper and lower beams are separated by a small square ceiling, and the bottom beam is exposed after fine processing; The upper beam Fang is slightly processed and is a hidden beam Fang with a triangular herringbone frame at the top. The pillars in the temple are arranged in rows. In ancient times, this kind of plane was called "the bottom groove of the golden box bucket". Two tall and powerful glass kisses stand at both ends of the main ridge at the top of the hall, which makes the whole hall more magnificent.
The buildings, statues, murals and ink paintings in the East Hall are called the Four Wonders of the North Pavilion, among which the artistic value of colored sculptures is particularly high. There are 35 colorful sculptures in the main hall, including 33 Buddha statues, a statue of Ning Gong, a female benefactor who contributed to the renovation of the main hall, and a statue of a monk, the project leader. These statues are distributed on the 0.74-meter-high Buddhist altar. The main statue of Sakyamuni Buddha is in the center, and Manjusri Bodhisattva is on the right of Pu Xian, which is different from Manjusri Bodhisattva on the left of Pu Xian. The statue is well-proportioned and plump, which reflects the sculpture style of the Tang Dynasty. In front of the altar is a statue of the patron saint kneeling on the lotus, with one foot squatting and one foot kneeling. This kind of image is rare in China. Except for Dunhuang Grottoes, only Huayan Temple in Datong has it. One of them is a vivid portrait of a maid, with fruits and vegetables in her hands, but her eyes are always looking outside the temple. There is another touching story about this maid statue. According to legend, there is a cowherd named Yushan in a village near Beixing, who goes to Beixing every day when he returns from herding cattle. Over time, he had a special affection for the maid statue in the East Hall, and often dedicated the land lotus collected from the mountain to this statue. Yushan's affection moved the maid, who quietly came to Yushan's house to wash and cook for him, and was finally discovered by Yushan. The two hit it off, ready to become sworn brothers. Unexpectedly, Guanyin Bodhisattva learned about this and hurriedly took the maid away. Yushan came back from going out and couldn't find the maid. He only heard the call of Brother Yushan in his ear. He followed the sound all the way to the East Hall of Beigao Temple. I saw the servant girl squatting and kneeling under the bodhisattva's lotus seat. Only her face turned outward, as if eagerly looking forward to Yushan. The touching legend makes this colorful sculpture more vivid and full of human touch. Look at other colored sculptures in the East Hall of Beixing Temple. The statue of Buddha is dignified, the bodhisattva is demure, the provider is devout, and King Kong is mighty and vigorous, which can be described as superb and superb, showing the superb level of sculpture art in the Tang Dynasty in China.
The fifteen Tang Dynasty murals in the East Hall are also excellent works of art in the Tang Dynasty, and they are the only original works of the Tang Dynasty except Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in China. These murals are painted on the arch wall of the temple and the back of the Buddha's seat, and are divided into three groups, the middle group is centered on the Buddha, and the left and right groups are centered on the Bodhisattva. The color is dark iron blue except stone green. The clothes have smooth lines and are rich in tang style.
Manjusri Hall, another famous building of Beike Temple, was built in the 15th year of Jintianhui (1 137), with seven rooms wide and four rooms deep. Roof truss structure is special, which is quite rare in ancient buildings before Jin Dynasty in China. There is a large space in the temple. The front and rear grooves of the roof truss adopt large internal forehead (square column wood) spanning three rooms, and the rear groove adopts inclined materials to transfer loads between the internal forehead and the internal forehead, forming a roof truss similar to a herringbone truss. The roof is a single-eave hanging mountain type, and the bucket arches under the eaves overlap each other, with many overhangs and wide inclined arches, just like blooming flowers, which embodies the characteristics of Liao and Jin architecture.
The Great White Pagoda hides the spirit for a long time.
When you climb Wutai Mountain, the first thing you see is the Jinding White Pagoda standing in Tayuan Temple. The White Pagoda is located between the temples in the temple, painted with chalk, as white as jade; The tower foundation is square, about 50 meters high, majestic and straight, pointing to the blue sky. The shape of the tower is like an algae bottle, and the thickness is matched with Fiona Fang, which is beautiful in shape; Eight copper plates on the top cover of the tower are arranged in a circle according to gossip. There are 252 wind chimes hanging around the waist of the tower and the canopy, and the wind blows the bell, which is leisurely. The ancients said this tower: "The sky is high and the lights are on at night, which is the first cool place."
The Buddhist name of Baita is "stupa". It is said that in 486 BC, when Sakyamuni Buddha died, his bones were refined into 84,000 relics. King Ashoka of India cast 84,000 iron towers with seven treasures of hardware, which are distributed in the vast world, and each tower has a relic. The original Cishou Tower in Wutai Mountain is one of them. When the Great White Pagoda was built in the tenth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, the Cishou Pagoda of the Buddhist relics was hidden in the belly of the Great White Pagoda. Therefore, Master Zhencheng in Ming Dynasty called the Great White Pagoda: "The spirit is hidden for a long time, and the gods worship the ages." It is said that when Buddhists from Mongolia and Tibet came to Wutai Mountain, the first place to worship was the Great White Pagoda, and the Tayuan Temple was also named after the White Pagoda.
In addition to the Great White Pagoda, there is also a hidden place in the Tayuan Temple, which is a brick pagoda more than two feet high on the east side of the Great White Pagoda, called Manjusri Pagoda. It is said that the blonde hair left by Manjusri Bodhisattva is hidden in the stupa. "Liang Qingshan Zhi" contains: "On the east side of the Great Tower, the old Manjusri turned into a poor woman, leaving it here. During the Wanli period, Yuanguang passers-by were rebuilt, which was different from people. " In ancient times, Tayuan Temple held a "big meeting fast" every spring and March. At this time, no matter monks and monks, poor and rich, old and young, everyone who comes has the same meal. Legend has it that at the beginning of one year's naked lent, a unkempt and ragged woman held a child in her arms, followed by a dog, and flooded into the temple with the crowd. When it was a woman's turn, the deacon monk gave the poor woman three meals. The poor woman said, "A dog should have food if it has a life." The monk reluctantly added a portion to her. Unexpectedly, the poor woman added, "I have a son in my belly and I need to share it." The deacon and monk said angrily, "It's insatiable to share food before the child is born!" The poor woman argued that "all beings are equal, and the child in the belly is alive." Then I took scissors out of my sleeve, cut off a handful of hair, put it on the desk, and blurted out four sentences: "The bitter fruit is bitter, but the melon is sweet. I am outside the three realms, but I am suspected by the teacher. " After singing, he jumped into the air and became a manjusri bodhisattva, a dog became a lion, and a child became a fairy boy. At this time, the deacon knew that he had eyes but didn't know the Holy Spirit, so he gouged out his eyes with scissors. Later, Manjusri Bodhisattva Tower was built where Manjusri Bodhisattva appeared, and the hair left by Manjusri Bodhisattva was hidden in it for support.