My annual travelogue
Qinglong Temple, a Buddhist holy place located in the southeast of Xinchangfang in the ancient capital of Chang'an, carries a heavy history and rich cultural connotation. Its predecessor, the Temple of Inspiration, dates back to 582 A.D. and experienced the prosperity and prosperity of the Sui and Tang dynasties. During the Tang Dynasty, Qinglong Temple experienced a tortuous history, but eventually reverted to its original name and became one of the important centers of Tantra.
Qinglong Temple reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty, especially in 775, when the Tang Dynasty Emperor Zong Te Yu set up the East Pagoda Courtyard in Qinglong Temple and approved the establishment of the Virujana Empowerment Monastery. This makes Qinglong Temple one of the important centers of Tantra and is well-known at home and abroad.
The Japanese monk Kukai arrived in China in 804 A.D. and worshipped Master Huiguo, the great virtue of Chinese Tantric Buddhism, as his teacher at Qinglong Temple in Chang'an, and obtained the true transmission of Tantric Buddhism in Han Buddhism. After returning to Japan, he founded the Buddhist Shingon sect (also known as the "Eastern Secret"), which spread the tantric teachings of Seiryuji Temple to Japan.
However, in 845, during the Huichang Martyrdom, Qinglong Temple was abandoned again and turned into a royal garden. However, after restoration the following year, it was reopened to the public under the name of Huguoji Temple. In 855, eight new monasteries were added to the left and right streets of Chang'an City, and Qinglong Temple also resumed its original name.
In 1973, Chinese archaeologists excavated the ruins of Qinglong Temple, unveiling its dusty history. In 1982, China and Japan agreed to jointly build the Kukai Monument on the site of Seiryuji Temple to commemorate the Japanese monk who once studied Tantra here.
In 1984, the Huiguo and Kukai Memorial Halls were successfully completed on the site of the East Pagoda of Qinglong Temple, which was donated and advocated by the Honyama Association of the various factions of the Shingon sect in Japan, and the Buddhist Association of China and Xi'an City cooperated to build the Huiguo and Kukai Memorial Halls.
In 1986, Seiryuji Temple introduced more than 1,000 cherry blossom trees from Japan and planted them in the temple. Every April, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom and become a beautiful sight. Today's Qinglong Temple is not only a place of pilgrimage for Buddhist believers, but also an important place for tourists to learn about ancient Buddhist culture and cultural exchanges between China and Japan.