Fuqing Huangbo Cultural Promotion Association Visits Longquan Temple in Changle

On the afternoon of October 20, Zheng Songbo, Vice President of the Fuqing Huangbo Cultural Promotion Association, along with Tang Haoyun, a Taiwan compatriot of Fuqing origin, visited Longquan Chan Temple in Changle. The visit aimed to explore the lineage between Master Baizhang Huaihai and Master Huangbo Xiyun, as well as the historical legacy of Master Ingen。

Master Daosheng, representing Master Chuande, the abbot of Longquan Temple, warmly welcomed the delegation. He provided a detailed introduction to the temple’s significant influence in the history of Chan Buddhism and its recent revitalization. The group was also presented with precious materials, including the Chronicles of Longquan Temple。

"Master Mazu established monastic communities, and Master Baizhang set clear monastic rules." Longquan Temple in Changle is the place where Master Baizhang Huaihai, the creator of the Baizhang Monastic Regulations in Buddhist monastic discipline, took his vows. Due to its association with Master Baizhang, Longquan Temple is renowned both domestically and internationally。During his lifetime, Master Baizhang established a monastic system that integrated farming and Chan practice, advocating the principle of "A day without work is a day without food." This system had a profound impact on the development of Chinese Chan Buddhism. In the Yuan Dynasty, monks revised these regulations into the Imperially Revised Baizhang Monastic Regulations, which were promulgated nationwide by the imperial court and are still followed today。

Master Baizhang’s prominent disciples included Master Huangbo Xiyun and Master Weishan Lingyou. Master Huangbo Xiyun and his disciple Linji Yixuan founded the "Linji School," while Master Weishan Lingyou and his disciple Yangshan Huiji founded the "Weiyang School." These two schools are among the five branches of Chan Buddhism’s "Five Petals of a Single Flower。Before traveling to Japan, Master Ingen served as the abbot of Longquan Temple. During his time in Japan, Master Ingen founded the Huangbo School。

Longquan Temple boasts a rich history, originally built in the third year of the Chengsheng Era (554 CE) during the Liang Dynasty of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It was established by Patriarch Yuandao and initially named Xishan Temple. During the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Yizong granted the name Longquan Chan Temple, inspired by a legend of Master Huaihai seeing a dragon in a well. Along with Yongquan Temple on Drum Mountain in Fuzhou and Huangbo Temple in Fuqing, Longquan Temple is regarded as one of the "Three Great Temples of Fujian。

The temple, with its grand scale, is a significant religious architectural relic in Changle and holds high historical, scientific, and artistic value. The Mahavira Hall of Longquan Temple features 16 massive stone columns, each 6 meters tall, 3 meters in diameter, and weighing about 4.5 tons. These columns and their bases date back to the Tang Dynasty when Master Baizhang built the temple。Behind the Mahavira Hall lies a giant stone resembling a sycee (ancient Chinese silver or gold ingot), with a Buddha statue carved in its center, known as the "Rice-Flowing Buddha." Next to this statue are four characters, "Long Live the Emperor," said to be from the Tang Dynasty as well。