Xiangji Temple () is a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...

located in Chang'an District of

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

. The temple is regarded as the cradle of

Pure Land Buddhism Pure Land Buddhism (; ja, 浄土仏教, translit=Jōdo bukkyō; , also referred to as Amidism in English,) is a broad branch of Mahayana Buddhism focused on achieving rebirth in a Buddha's Buddha-field or Pure Land. It is one of the most wid ...

Name

The name of the temple is cited from the ''

Vimalakirti Sutra The ''Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa'' (Devanagari: विमलकीर्तिनिर्देश) (sometimes referred to as the ''Vimalakīrti Sūtra'' or ''Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra'') is a Buddhist text which centers on a lay Buddhist meditat ...

''.

History

Tang dynasty

In 681, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang dynasty (618–907), master

Shandao Shandao (; ja, Zendō; 613–681) was an influential writer for the Pure Land Buddhism, prominent in China, Korea, Vietnam and Japan. His writings had a strong influence on later Pure Land masters including Hōnen and Shinran in Japan. The Samg ...

, the founder of

, died. To commemorate Shandao, his disciple Huaiyun () established the temple, which became the first temple of Pure Land Buddhism. At that time, the emperor gave thousands of Sariras to the temple. When the poet Wang Wei visited the temple, he wrote a poem ''Visiting Xiangji Temple'' () to eulogize the beautiful scenery. Xiangji Temple was badly damaged in the

An Lushan Rebellion The An Lushan Rebellion was an uprising against the Tang dynasty of China towards the mid-point of the dynasty (from 755 to 763), with an attempt to replace it with the Yan dynasty. The rebellion was originally led by An Lushan, a general office ...

. In 840, when Taoist believer Emperor Wuzong ascended the throne, he presided over the destruction of tens of thousands of temples, and confiscate temple lands and force monks to return to secular life. Xiangji Temple was devastated in the

Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution The Huichang Persecution of Buddhism () was initiated by Emperor Wuzong (Li Chan) of the Tang dynasty during the Huichang era (841–845). Among its purposes were to appropriate war funds and to cleanse Tang China of foreign influences. As such ...

Song dynasty

In the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

(960–1279), Pure Land Buddhism continued to prevail in China. In 978, in the 3rd year of Taiping Xingguo period of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127), the temple was renamed "Kaili Temple" (). But it restored the original name soon.

Ming dynasty

Xiangji Temple was renovated and refurbished in the

Jiajing era Jiajing () (28 January 1522 – 8 February 1567) was the era name of the Jiajing Emperor, the 12th emperor of the Ming dynasty of China. Comparison table Other eras contemporaneous with Jiajing * China ** ''Tianyuan'' (天淵, 1546): Ming peri ...

of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).

Qing dynasty

In 1768, in the 32rd year of

Qianlong period The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...

of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

(1644–1911), monks repaired the temple. In the

Tongzhi period Tongzhi (Wade-Giles: ''T'ung-chih'') can refer to: * Tongzhi Emperor (1856–1875, reigned 1861–1875) of the Qing dynasty **Tongzhi Restoration (c. 1860–1874), an attempt to strengthen the late Qing dynasty ** Tongzhi porcelain, a Chinese porcel ...

(1862–1874), the temple was completely destroyed in the

Taiping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a massive rebellion and civil war that was waged in China between the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the Han, Hakka-led Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It lasted fr ...

People's Republic of China

1956, it was listed among the first batch of provincial level key cultural heritage by the Shaanxi Provincial Government. After the 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, With the support of the Chinese government, local authorities began to reconstruct the temple. It has been designated as a National Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Area by the

State Council of China The State Council, constitutionally synonymous with the Central People's Government since 1954 (particularly in relation to local governments), is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the p ...

in 1984. On June 25, 2001, it was classified as a "

Major National Historical and Cultural Sites A Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National LevelEnglish translation for "全国重点文物保护单位" varies, it includes Major Site (to Be) Protected for Its Historical and Cultural Value at the National Level, Major Histo ...

" by the State Council of China.

Architecture

The temple complex is located in the north and faces the south. Along the central axis of the temple stand five buildings including the Paifang , Shanmen, Four Heavenly Kings Hall,

Mahavira Hall A Mahavira Hall, usually simply known as a Main Hall, is the main hall or building in a traditional Chinese Buddhist temple, enshrining representations of Gautama Buddha and various other buddhas and bodhisattvas. It is encountered throughout ...

Dharma Hall The Dharma Hall, also known as Lecture Hall, is an important building in Chinese Buddhism, Han Chinese Chan Buddhism, Buddhist temples. The Dharma Hall is the place for senior monks to preach and generally ranks right after the Mahavira Hall. Wit ...

Shanmen

Under the eaves is a plaque with the Chinese characters "Xiangji Temple" written by the former Venerable Master of the Buddhist Association of China Zhao Puchu.

Mahavira Hall

The Mahavira Hall is the main hall in the temple. The statue of

Maitreya Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed at ...

is enshrined in the center. On both sides of the hall there are two stone lamps.

Dharma Hall

In the middle of the hall placed the statue of

Sakyamuni Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

, with Ananda and Kassapa Buddha on the left and right sides.

Pagoda of Shandao

The pagoda was built in 681 during the early

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

(618–907). The pagoda has the brick structure with eleven stories and four sides. Curved bars and cornices are set on each story, which are magnificent and become the symbol of Xiangji Temple.

Cultural relics

The

(618–907) reliefs of

Four Heavenly Kings The Four Heavenly Kings are four Buddhist gods, each of whom is believed to watch over one cardinal direction of the world. In Chinese mythology, they are known collectively as the "Fēng Tiáo Yǔ Shùn" () or "Sìdà Tiānwáng" (). In the a ...

was lost to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1920 and is now in the

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Xiangji Temple Buddhist temples in Xi'an Buildings and structures in Xi'an Tourist attractions in Xi'an 20th-century establishments in China 20th-century Buddhist temples