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Disambiguation Note: There are a number of temples in China that go by this name.
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Quánzhōu Kāiyuán sì 泉州開元寺
Kāiyuán sì 開元寺
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Kāiyuán sì 開元寺 is a major temple in Fújiàn 福建.
History
In 736 (Kāiyuán 開元 26), Emperor Xuánzōng 玄宗 (r. 713-756) of the Táng 唐 Dynasty ordered that each province in the country name one temple after the current reign name, Kāiyuán 開元. Thus, there were originally a number of different temples that went by this name. In modern times, this temple in Quánzhōu 泉州 is one of the most famous. The temple had originally been established in 686 (Chuígǒng 垂拱 2) during the de facto reign of Empress Wǔzétiān 武則天. it was built in the mulberry garden of one Huáng Shǒugōng 黃守恭, whose trees began producing white lotus flowers after Huáng saw a monk in a dream. Because of this, the temple was originally called Liánhuá Temple 蓮花寺.
Over the years the temple was continually expanded. In 1285 (Zhìyuán 至元 22) the temple and adjoining branch temples were merged into the Dà kāiyuán wànshòu chán Temple 大開元萬壽禪寺, making it one of the four largest temples in China at the time. The temple currently occupies and estimated 78,000 square meters.
Personnel
Important Abbots
Notable Residents
Temple Institution
Important Buildings or Artifacts
- Dà xióngbǎo diàn 大雄寶殿
- 20 meters in height, nine bays wide, 1387.75 square meters in area
- Heavily decorated with images of Buddhist spirits and divinities
- The hall has two stone columns from a Hindu temple that were brought to China in the Hóngwǔ 洪武 Era (1368-1398) of the Míng 明 Dynasty
- Amṛta Precepts Platform 甘露戒台
- This is currently one of the three largest such ordination platforms in the country
- Divided into five levels
- 3.7 total meters in height
Associated Organizations and Groups
Notes
References
- Luó Zhéwén 羅哲文, et. al. Zhōngguó zhùmíng fójiào sìmiào 中國著名佛教寺廟 (Famous Buddhist Temples of China). Beijing: Zhongguo chengshi, 1995. Pp. 197-202.
- Sū Zhèshēng 蘇浙生. Shénzhōu fójìng 神州佛鏡 (Buddhist Regions of Shénzhōu). Shanghai: Shanghai guji, 2003. Pp. 183-185.
- 福建泉州開元寺志 (1927, reprint), from Dharma Drum's Temple Gazetteer Project. Fully digitized.
- Entry for 開元寺 from Chinese Wikipedia.
Cháozhōu Kāiyuán sì 潮州開元寺
Kāiyuán sì 開元寺
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Kāiyuán sì 開元寺 is a major temple in Cháozhōu 潮州.
History
In 736 (Kāiyuán 開元 26), Emperor Xuánzōng 玄宗 (r. 713-756) of the Táng 唐 Dynasty ordered that each province in the country name one temple after the current reign name, Kāiyuán 開元. Thus, there were originally a number of different temples that also went by this same name.
In the modern period, both the physical plant and the reputation of the temple were revitalized by Yíguāng 怡光, who became abbot shortly after 1908. Yíguāng had several notable students whom he taught at the temple. Among these were the Buddhist layman Wáng Hóngyuàn 王弘願, who studied with Yíguāng from 1915 or 1916 on. Wáng later became a controversial figure for his teaching of Japanese esoteric Buddhism 東密. Yíguāng seems to have allowed Wáng's activities and in May, 1924, the Japanese Shingon 真言 master Gonda Raifu 權田雷斧 and several of his colleagues came to Kāiyuán Temple to transmit their brand of Esoteric Buddhism through abiṣeka 灌頂.
Although Wáng moved to another temple by the end of the 1920s, Kāiyuán Temple's focus on esoteric Buddhism continued after 1942 under the abbacy of Chúnmì 純密, a disciple of Yíguāng and a student of Shingon esotericism 東密.
Personnel
Important Abbots
Notable Residents
- Wáng Hóngyuàn 王弘願
Temple Institution
Important Buildings or Artifacts
Associated Organizations and Groups
Notes