Shangfeng Temple

Shangfeng Temple
Shangfeng Temple
	上封寺
	A frontal view of Shangfeng Temple on February 23, 2018.
	Shown within Hunan
Basic information
Geographic coordinates	27°17′52″N112°42′20″E / 27.297732°N 112.705685°E Coordinates: 27°17′52″N112°42′20″E / 27.297732°N 112.705685°E
Affiliation	Buddhism
Deity	Chan Buddhism
District	Nanyue District
Prefecture	Hengyang
Province	Hunan
Country	China
Architectural description
Architectural style	Chinese architecture
Date established	605-618

Last updated February 21, 2019

Shangfeng Temple (Chinese :上封寺; pinyin :Shàngfēng Sì) is a Buddhist temple located on the top of Mount Heng, in Nanyue District of Hengyang, Hunan, China. It was inscribed to the National Key Buddhist Temples in Han Chinese Area's list in 1983.

Chinese is a group of related, but in many cases not mutually intelligible, language varieties, forming the Sinitic branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. Chinese is spoken by the Han majority and many minority ethnic groups in China. About 1.2 billion people speak some form of Chinese as their first language.

Hanyu Pinyin, often abbreviated to pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese in mainland China and to some extent in Taiwan. It is often used to teach Standard Mandarin Chinese, which is normally written using Chinese characters. The system includes four diacritics denoting tones. Pinyin without tone marks is used to spell Chinese names and words in languages written with the Latin alphabet, and also in certain computer input methods to enter Chinese characters.

A Buddhist temple is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represent the pure land or pure environment of a Buddha. Traditional Buddhist temples are designed to inspire inner and outer peace. Its structure and architecture varies from region to region. Usually, the temple consists not only of its buildings, but also the surrounding environment. The Buddhist temples are designed to symbolize 5 elements: Fire, Air, Earth, Water, and Wisdom.

History

During the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220), the temple was a Taoist temple and formerly known as "Guangtian Taoist Temple" (光天道观).^[1]^[2]^[3]

In the Daye period of Sui dynasty (581-618), Emperor Yang of Sui toured the temple and ordered the temple to convert to Buddhism, and inscribed and honored the name "Shangfeng Temple" (上封寺).^[1]^[2]^[3]

The Sui dynasty was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China of pivotal significance. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties and reinstalled the rule of ethnic Chinese in the entirety of China proper, along with sinicization of former nomadic ethnic minorities within its territory. It was succeeded by the Tang dynasty, which largely inherited its foundation.

Emperor Yang of Sui, personal name Yang Guang (楊廣), alternative name Ying (英), nickname Amo (阿摩), Sui Yang Di or Yang Di (炀帝) known as Emperor Ming (明帝) during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong), was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, and the second emperor of China's Sui dynasty.

In the Jiajing period of Ming dynasty (1368-1644), the Hall of Four Heavenly Kings was added to the temple. Luo Zhan (罗枬), a Buddhist believer, presented iron statues of the Four Heavenly Kings to the temple.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Jiajing Emperor emperor of the Ming Dynasty

The Jiajing Emperor was the 12th emperor of the Ming dynasty who ruled from 1521 to 1567. Born Zhu Houcong, he was the former Zhengde Emperor's cousin. His father, Zhu Youyuan (1476–1519), the Prince of Xing, was the fourth son of the Chenghua Emperor and the eldest son of three sons born to the emperor's concubine, Lady Shao. The Jiajing Emperor's regnal name, "Jiajing", means "admirable tranquility".

The Ming dynasty was the ruling dynasty of China – then known as the Great Ming Empire – for 276 years (1368–1644) following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last imperial dynasty in China ruled by ethnic Han Chinese. Although the primary capital of Beijing fell in 1644 to a rebellion led by Li Zicheng, regimes loyal to the Ming throne – collectively called the Southern Ming – survived until 1683.

The Hall of Four Heavenly Kings or Four Heavenly Kings Hall, referred to as Hall of Heavenly Kings, is the first important hall inside shanmen in Chinese Pure Land Buddhist temples and Chan Buddhist temples and is named due to the Four Heavenly Kings statues enshrined in the hall.

In the Kangxi period of Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Hunan Governor Zhou Zhaonan (周召南) put master Yimu forward as abbot. Under his leadership, the temple had reached unprecedented heyday. In the Tongzhi period, Zeng Guoquan, donated property to renovate the temple.^[1]^[2]^[3]

The Kangxi Emperor, personal name Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from 1661 to 1722.

The Qing dynasty, officially the Great Qing, was the last imperial dynasty of China. It was established in 1636, and ruled China proper from 1644 to 1912. It was preceded by the Ming dynasty and succeeded by the Republic of China. The Qing multi-cultural empire lasted for almost three centuries and formed the territorial base for modern China. It was the fifth largest empire in world history.

Zeng Guoquan Chinese general of the Qing dynasty

Zeng Guoquan, courtesy name Yuanfu, art name Shuchun, was a Chinese official and military leader of the late Qing dynasty. He was the ninth brother of Zeng Guofan, a prominent statesman and general, and a descendant of the philosopher Zengzi. He served in the Xiang Army, a standing military force organised by his brother to counter the Taiping rebels, and was nicknamed "Ninth Marshal" (九帥). He was known for his expertise in siege warfare, particularly the use of trenches, hence he was also nicknamed "Zeng the Iron Container" (曾鐵桶). During the conquest of Tianjing (Nanjing), the capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Zeng was notorious for condoning massacres of the city populace, which resulted in him being called "Zeng the Butcher" (曾屠戶).

In 1927, abbot Suchan (素禅) was killed by the Nationalist government. Then the temple have been desolated and the buildings and halls have been torn down. In 1932, master Baosheng (宝生) was proposed as the abbot of Shangfeng Temple. Under his leadership, the Hall of Four Heavenly Kings and Mahavira Hall was rebuilt, the Hall of Guru, Meditation Hall and Monk's Bedroom were added to the temple. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Mount Heng was occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army, most of the temple buildings were destroyed in the battle of Hunan.^[1]^[2]^[3]

The Nationalist government, officially the National Government of the Republic of China, refers to the government of the Republic of China between 1 July 1925 to 20 May 1948, led by the Kuomintang. The name derives from the Kuomintang's translated name "Nationalist Party". The government was in place until it was replaced by the current Government of the Republic of China in the newly promulgated Constitution of the Republic of China was established in its place.

A Mahavira Hall, usually simply known as a Main Hall, is the main hall or building in a traditional Chinese Buddhist temple, enshrining representations of Gautama Buddha and various other buddhas and bodhisattvas. It is encountered throughout East Asia, including in some Japanese Buddhist Main Halls.

The Hall of Guru or Guru Hall, also known as the Founder's Hall, is the most important annex halls in Chinese Buddhist temples for enshrining masters of various Buddhism schools. It is encountered throughout East Asia, including in some Japanese Buddhist Kaisandos (開山堂). The Hall of Guru is generally situated to the west of the Mahavira Hall. Chan Buddhist temples usually have the Hall of Guru, which is followed by other schools' temples. Therefore three statues are always enshrined in the Guru Hall, namely the founder of the school, the senior monk who make significant contributions to the establishment of the school and the builder of the temple. Generally the Guru Hall in Chan Buddhism temples has Bodhidharma enshrined in the middle, the 6th Master Huineng's (638-713) statue on the left and Master Baizhang Huaihai's (720-814) statue on the right. Patriarch Bodhidharma and Damo for short, from south of ancient India, was the original ancestor of Chan Buddhism. The 6th Master Dajian Huineng was the actual founder of Chan Buddhism. After him, the Chan Buddhism in ancient China was almost changed and had far-reaching influence on Chinese traditional culture. Baizhang Huaihai was the third generation disciple of Huineng and his main achievements included: applying Chan Buddhism into practice, creating a set of regulations for Chan Buddhist temples and contributing to the steady development of Chan Buddhism.

In 1983, Shangfeng Temple was authorized as a National Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Area. In 1987, a large-scale reconstruction project began.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Gallery

The Bell Tower.

The Drum Tower.

The Hall of the God of Wealth.

Statue of Gautama Buddha at Shangfeng Temple.

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References

1 2 3 4 5 6 湖南衡阳上封寺(组图). sina (in Chinese). 2012-08-23.
1 2 3 4 5 6 南岳上封寺简介. sina (in Chinese). 2015-10-26.
1 2 3 4 5 6 上封寺与光天坛福地. nanyue.net.cn (in Chinese). 2014-04-30.

External links

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[sheep-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 湖南衡阳上封寺(组图). sina (in Chinese). 2012-08-23.

[past-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 南岳上封寺简介. sina (in Chinese). 2015-10-26.

[bore-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 上封寺与光天坛福地. nanyue.net.cn (in Chinese). 2014-04-30.