Zhenhai Temple - China Travel

introduce

Located about 5 kilometers south of Taihuai Town in Wutai Mountain, Zhenhai Temple is surrounded by green pines and cypresses, and is an extremely quiet place. Zhangjia Living Buddha is a position that has been inherited in the Yellow Sect (Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism), and its status is second only to Panchen Living Buddha. Since Emperor Kangxi, he has been honored as "Emperor Master" by successive Qing emperors.

There is a small courtyard behind Zhenhai Temple, in which there is the tomb pagoda (relic pagoda) of the 15th Zhangjia Living Buddha built in the 51st year of Qianlong (AD 1786). The tomb tower is about 9 meters high and shaped like an algae bottle. The base of the tower is octagonal. There are sculptures of Hercules on each corner, and figures are carved on the eight sides of the base. Three sitting Buddhas are carved in the center of the tower belly, and there are eight standing statues around it. On the round belly, there are layers of indented spires.

Zhenhai Temple has a large scale in history, and now there are only four main halls, namely: Tianwang Hall, Daxiong Hall, Guanyin Hall and Guan Gong Hall. Among them, Guanyin Hall is also called Manjusri Hall. There are five Bodhisattvas enshrined in the hall, and eighteen arhats on both sides. What is more interesting is that the three Bodhisattvas, Guanyin, Manjusri and Samantabhadra enshrined in the Guanyin Hall (Manjusri Hall) are all male statues with beards, which is very rare in other temples.

There are many ancient trees beside Zhenhai Temple, the "husband and wife tree" and "longevity tree" are very characteristic. According to folklore, this is also the place where Emperor Shunzhi became a monk, but this has not been confirmed by historians.