The Dajue Temple () is a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temple located in the

Haidian District Haidian District () is a district of the municipality of Beijing. It is mostly situated in northwestern Beijing, but also to a lesser extent in the west, where it has borders with Xicheng District and Fengtai District. It is 431 square km in a ...

of western

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. It was founded in the 11th century, and the current temple dates to a reconstruction in the 15th century during the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

. It contains three main halls, a gate, a pagoda and various side halls.

History

According to a stele at the temple, Dajue Temple was first built in 1068 during the

Liao Dynasty The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü ...

and called Qingshui (''Clear Water'') Temple, after a stream that ran through the temple grounds.Dajue Temple. China Discover
/ref> It was later renamed Lingquan Temple, and after being rebuilt in 1428 during the

, was given its present name, "Dajue Temple." The temple went through renovations in 1720 and 1747.

Layout

The temple is arranged on an east–west axis, and contains five main buildings. Beginning at the east is the main gate followed by the Mahavira hall, the Amitabha Hall, the Sarira

pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

and finally the Longwang Hall, a building originally used to store

sutras ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aph ...

Mahavira Hall

The Mahavira hall contains three large statues dating from the Ming Dynasty. The central one is 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 ...

, the left one is the Buddha of Medicine and right is Amitabha. Behind these three statues, facing the back exit of the hall, is a statue of Samatabhadra. On each side of the hall are statues of twenty devas. On the wall behind these devas is a mural that dates from the Qing Dynasty. There is a large dragon carved into the ceiling. Image:2009.12.01 暘臺山大覺寺 44.JPG, Chiguotian Image:2009.12.01 暘臺山大覺寺 41.JPG, Zengzhangtian Image:2009.12.01 暘臺山大覺寺 42.JPG, GUangmutian Image:2009.12.01 暘臺山大覺寺 43.JPG, Duowentian

Amitabha Hall

The Amitabha hall contains a large statue of

Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...

which is flanked by two

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

statues. Behind the statues, facing the back entrance, there is a Qing-era flying statue.

Sarira Pagoda

The Sarira

contains the relics of the monk Jialing, who was abbot of the temple for a few years in the 1720s. It was built shortly after his death in 1728. The bottom part of the pagoda is an octagon, while the middle part is white and circular. The pagoda tapers out into a slender spire.Li, 9.

Notes

References

*Pillsbury, Adam. ''Beijing Excursion Guide''. Beijing: China Population Publishing, 2007. *Li Jianbo. ''Dajue Si''. Beijing: Beijing Yanshan Publishers, 2001. *Liao Pin and Wu Wen. ''The Temples of Beijing''. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 2006. {{coord, 40, 03, 05, N, 116, 05, 58, E, region:CN-11_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Beijing Buddhist temples in Beijing