One of the eight great temples of Fanchuan

How many Buddhist ancestral temples are there near Chang'an?|||Buddhism began to spread to China during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Initially, it conflicted significantly with traditional Chinese culture, resulting in slow development when it first arrived in the Eastern Han. However, after the Wei and Jin periods, China entered the era of the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Five Barbarians, where the unified Han dynasty was replaced by foreign military regimes. Social order fell into unprecedented chaos, and people's traditional worldview collapsed, necessitating a process of ideological reconstruction.

During this historical process, Buddhist thought, which provided spiritual solace to the majority, began to shine. Its concepts of equality among all beings, karma, and reincarnation resonated with many who were dissatisfied and disillusioned with reality, offering them hope for the future.

Thus, during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Buddhism experienced explosive growth in both the Northern and Southern Dynasties, reaching its first peak of development. After accumulating during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and with increasingly close ties between the Western Regions and the Central Plains since the Han Dynasty, the Western Region civilization, heavily influenced by Buddhism, was introduced to the Central Plains on a large scale. By the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Buddhism flourished unprecedentedly, reaching its second peak after the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

At this time, the trend of establishing sects was strong, with monks diligently studying Buddhist teachings and dedicating themselves to writing and theorizing. Buddhism at this time was by no means superstition but rather a philosophy, an exploration, and contemplation of the nature of the world and the principles of all things. The center of Buddhist development and prosperity at that time was the capital cities of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Chang'an, which housed hundreds of Buddhist temples. Almost every ward had a Buddhist temple, with famous ones such as Daci'en Temple, Daxingshan Temple, Dajianfu Temple, Dazhuangyan Temple, Qinglong Temple, Ximing Temple, and Wangji Temple.

On both sides of Fanchuan (Shaolingyuan and Shenheyuan) south of Chang'an, there were also many Buddhist temples collectively known as the "Eight Great Temples of Fanchuan," such as Xingjiao Temple, Huayan Temple, Xiangji Temple, Niutou Temple, Chan Jing Temple, and Guanyin Temple. Another area densely populated with Buddhist temples in the Chang'an region was the northern foothills of Zhongnan Mountain. Almost every valley and peak bore Buddhist marks, such as Jingye Temple and Fengde Temple in Fengyu Valley and the hundreds of temples in Nanwutai. To this day, temples are scattered along the northern foothills of the Qinling Mountains from Lantian to Zhouzhi, with incense burning continuously.

It is precisely because Buddhism flourished in Chang'an during the Sui and Tang Dynasties that six sects of Chinese Buddhism have their ancestral temples in today's Xi'an.

Esoteric Buddhism Ancestral Temple｜Xingshan Temple｜Qinglong Temple｜Bukong
Sanlun School Ancestral Temple｜Caotang Temple｜Kumarajiva｜Jizang
Faxiang School Ancestral Temple｜Ci'en Temple｜Xingjiao Temple｜Xuanzang
Pure Land School Ancestral Temple｜Xiangji Temple｜Wuzhen Temple｜Shandao
Huayan School Ancestral Temple｜Huayan Temple｜Qingliang Temple｜Fazang
Vinaya School Ancestral Temple｜Jingye Temple｜Fengde Temple｜Daoxuan

Post by Simmons_49~Lucas | Aug 3, 2024