The gloomy Fukushoji Temple

Mondo Social Updated on 2024-02-01

In the north of Chaihudian Town, Tengzhou City, on the west side of Jizao Highway, there is a village called Damiao. In fact, the village was relocated here in 1986 from the Laoda Temple, a place 2 kilometers east of it, due to the influence of underground coal mining. Speaking of this big temple village, it contains a long and glorious historical story.

According to the records of the temple stele erected in the sixth year of Taiping Xingguo in the Northern Song Dynasty (981), it is known that the village was originally called Kuangwang Village because there were two surnames of Kuang and Wang living in this village; Later, due to the migration of the surname Kuang, only the Wang family lived in the village, and the name of the village was called Wang Village. In the Tang Dynasty, the magnificent Fusheng Temple was built in the east of the village, commonly known as the "Great Temple", the village once had the name of "the Great Temple of Wang Village", and then due to the migration of the surnames of Ji, Zhang, Zhu, etc., the population in the village increased, and the village was gradually connected with the "Great Temple", and the village was gradually referred to as the Great Temple.

After Buddhism was introduced to China from India during the Jin Dynasty, the feudal imperial power attached great importance to the popularization of Buddhism in order to consolidate its dominance. Especially in the Tang Dynasty, when it reached its heyday, the whole country, whether it was a high-ranking official or a common people, believed in feudal superstitions such as "Buddha" and "Tao". There is a situation of "one nunnery in five miles, one temple in ten miles, and Buddhist halls in (large) households" and "temples and temples". In this context, the magnificent Fusheng Temple was built in the east of the village and on the west bank of the Xue River Ancient Road at the foot of the Thousand Mountains. At that time, there were more than 30 buildings in the temple such as the main hall for worshipping and worshipping Buddha statues, as well as various Dharma halls, monks' halls, kitchens, good gates, etc., forming a temple that sits in the north and faces south, is symmetrical from east to west with the central axis, and integrates the Buddhist architectural style and traditional Chinese architectural culture. On the east and west sides of the door hall, there are two door gods of colored sculpture "hum", holding a vajra, majestic and majestic. The three colored Buddha statues in the main hall are called the past, present and future "three Buddhas". In the center is the present Buddha Shakyamuni, on the left is the Buddha who burned the lamp in the past life, and on the right is the Maitreya Buddha in the future life. High on the rosette, it is awe-inspiring. On the east and west sides, the four heavenly kings of discrete colored sculptures. On the left are the Heavenly King of the Eastern Holding Kingdom and the Southern Growth Heavenly King, and on the right are the Western Wide-eyed Heavenly King and the Northern Duowen Heavenly King. Because they all hold King Kong ** in their hands, they are commonly known as the "Four King Kongs".

Other statues in the hall include the King Bodhisattva of the Earth, who is "as immobile as the earth and as deep as the earth", Amitabha Buddha, the master of the Sect, and the Eighteen Arhats, who specialize in receiving sentient beings to the Western Elysium. In the Yuan Dynasty, more than 10 buildings such as the Baiyi Pavilion hall and the side hall were built here. The main hall enshrines the Guanyin Bodhisattva sitting in the lotus pot, the left front is molded with the statue of the boy who scatters wealth, the right front is molded with the statue of the dragon girl, and the right side is molded with the grandfather and the mother who sent the child. The back hall is dedicated to the Jade Emperor. In the Ming Dynasty, more than 10 rooms such as Tianqi Palace, Yanjun Palace, East and West Corridor Rooms were expanded, and there were statues of Tianqi King (Taishan God Dongyue Emperor), Guan Gong, Yan Jun and judges, little ghosts and various characters who went to hell to be punished. The statues are all kind-faced, smiling, and amiable; or angry eyes, or green fangs, creepy. There are also scenes such as getting into the oil pot, gouging out eyes, and cutting tongues, which are terrifying. As if after warning people to "do evil", even if you go to the Netherworld, Lord Yan will not let you go. Later, the land temple and the God of Wealth temple were added. So far, it has formed a deep and secluded, the hall corridor of the palace is majestic and magnificent, the scattered and scattered, and the temple of the integration of Buddhism and Taoism and Confucianism. Usually, the incense here is vigorous, and the good men and women from all over the neighborhood come here to pray to the gods and worship the Buddha, burn incense and make wishes, or eliminate disasters and avoid disasters. Especially to the temple fair on the eighth day of the first lunar month every year, it is really crowded and very lively. The surrounding "small temples" cannot be compared with this.

Fukushoji Temple has also experienced many wars, and some buildings and facilities have been damaged. But they have been repaired in time. It is recorded that in the Yuanfeng period of the Song Dynasty and the Ming and Qing dynasties, Fusheng Temple was overhauled. In the early days of the warlord melee and the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, Fusheng Temple was unable to escape again, and most of the buildings were destroyed. Since then, the monks in the temple have also been dismissed and returned to the laity. After the liberation, the buildings in the temple and the acres of land were collected by the collective. In the early 60s of the last century was converted into a school. Soon, "* began, and the monastery was completely demolished. Now only part of the temple cornerstone and an ancient acacia remains remain. In 2008, the site was listed as a key cultural relics protection unit in Tengzhou City. Here, the ancient meeting on the eighth day of the first lunar month continues every year.

Time passes, and the years are like songs. Fusheng Temple has been out of sight for many years, but for that thick history, it will always be integrated into the village of "Great Temple".

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