Xuanzhong Temple

Xuanzhong Temple is located about 10 kilometers northwest of Jiaocheng County, and you can see a winding but flat mountain road that leads directly to the distant mountains. Following the mountain road through layers of mountains, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way.

When we reached a certain place, we saw a tall stone tablet standing by the roadside, with six characters written on it: Namo Amitabha. At this moment, it was as if a strong scent of sandalwood was blowing in our faces. Even if you had never been to this place, you would still guess that there must be an ancient temple in the mountains not far ahead. That's right, Xuanzhong Temple is at the end of the mountain road.

Xuanzhong Temple is hidden in the green bushes of Shibi Mountain. If you are lucky, you will happen to see one or several brown pheasants taking a leisurely walk. Don't be surprised that brown pheasants don't hide when they see people, because for many years, they often come to the temple to find food and have long lived in harmony with the monks. This is also a unique scenery of Xuanzhong Temple. The mountain gate of Xuanzhong Temple is just under the cliff. Both ends of the gate are inscribed with "World Pure Land Ancestor Temple, Shenzhou Mahayana Holy Land". Going up a slope, you will see the temple's archway, which reads: Pure Land Ancient Temple. From this, the antiquity and important status of Xuanzhong Temple are clear at a glance.

Who built this temple on the mountain? How did Xuanzhong Temple become the ancestral temple of the Pure Land Sect? In fact, the answer is not complicated. Xuanzhong Temple, also known as Shibi Xuanzhong Temple and Yongning Temple, was founded in the second year of Yanxing in the Northern Wei Dynasty (472 AD). The founder was Master Tanluan, the first ancestor of the Pure Land Sect who chanted the name of Buddha.

Regarding Tanluan's founding of Xuanzhong Temple, some people have raised questions, believing that Tanluan's birth time does not match the founding time of Xuanzhong Temple. In the existing records, most people believe that Tanluan was born in the first year of Chengming of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, that is, in 476 AD, while Xuanzhong Temple was founded in 472 AD. Judging from this time, it is indeed contradictory to say that Tanluan founded Xuanzhong Temple. So the question is, was Xuanzhong Temple founded by Tanluan? The Northern Wei Dynasty is more than a thousand years away from today, and the history is long and ancient. All historical materials and historical records have survived endless ups and downs in the vastness of the smoke and waves to this day. Various inaccuracies, mistakes or losses are inevitable. For example, there are historical materials that Tanluan once wrote two volumes of "Anle Collection" and passed them on to the world. In fact, "Anle Collection" was written by his later disciple Daochuo, and Tanluan wrote "Notes on the Theory of Rebirth". Therefore, what we, the descendants, have to do is to find more detailed, more reasonable, and more rigorous evidence among the many complicated clues to restore the historical truth as much as possible. The "Maitreya Statue Ode Stele" currently preserved in Xuanzhong Temple was carved in the 26th year of the Kaiyuan Period of the Tang Dynasty (738 AD). The inscription on the stele records in detail that the founder of Xuanzhong Temple was Tanluan. Other historical records say that in the second year of the Yanxing Period of the Northern Wei Dynasty, that is, in 472 AD, Tanluan was already in charge of the initial construction of Xuanzhong Temple, which coincides with the inscription on the "Maitreya Statue Ode Stele". Therefore, it can be seen that Tanluan's birth year could not have been during the Chengming period, and should have been at least before the second year of the Yanxing Period of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

There is also a more direct evidence, which is the "Record of the Four Boundaries of the Specially Granted Temple Farm, Mountains, Forests and Land" currently preserved in Xuanzhong Temple. The inscription reads: "In the second year of Yanxing of the sixth emperor Xiaowen of the Wei Dynasty, the founder Tanluan of Shibiyu first built the temple, and it was not completed until the first year of Chengming". The "Record of the Four Boundaries of the Specially Granted Temple Farm, Mountains, Forests and Land" was established by the monks Hui Miao and Hui Zhi of the temple and engraved on May 23, the third year of Changqing in the Tang Dynasty (823 AD). It records the whole process of the construction of Xuanzhong Temple by Tang Muzong's special grant of land and land. In summary, although Tanluan's exact birth year needs further verification, there is no need to doubt that Tanluan is the founder of Xuanzhong Temple.

We already know that Master Tanluan met the Northern Indian Tripitaka Master Bodhiruci at the age of 51, and received from him the true Buddhist method of liberation from life and death, namely the fundamental doctrine of the Pure Land Sect, the "Amitābha Sutra", and decided to be a devout believer in the Pure Land and specialize in promoting the Pure Land. In fact, at that time, Tanluan was already a high monk. He called himself Wei Xuanjian Dazhu and was respected by the emperors of the Southern and Northern Dynasties and monks and laymen. Emperor Wu of Liang called him "Bodhisattva in the Flesh", and Emperor Xiaojing of Wei called him "Shenluan" and ordered him to live in the Bingzhou Grand Temple.

Tanluan did not go to Shibi Mountain after leaving Bodhiruci. Instead, he left Bingzhou Temple after conducting in-depth research on Pure Land doctrines and ideas. His purpose was to promote Pure Land Buddhism and persuade sentient beings to believe in Pure Land Buddhism. At this time, it was natural for Master Tanluan to build a temple to realize his ambition. Therefore, Xuanzhong Temple, as a fundamental temple dedicated to promoting Pure Land Buddhism, came into being.

Bingzhou is relatively close to Shibi Mountain in Jiaocheng, which is probably one of the main reasons why Tanluan chose Shibi Mountain to build the temple. In ancient times, Shibi Mountain was densely forested, with springs flowing all year round, deep valleys and steep cliffs, and towering mountains. A deep ditch of Emperor Wen was about 10 miles long, running from northwest to southeast. Master Tanluan chose to build the temple in the middle of the ditch, with the mountain behind and the ravine in front. The environment was very quiet and pleasant, which was very consistent with the artistic conception of "Pure Land".