The Ancient Temple History of Renxin Temple

In the 12th year of Zhenguan in Tang Dynasty (AD 638), Feng Ang built the first Xianfuren Temple in Hainan on the west side of Cannongji, a treasure house of Lotus. Tang Dazhong three years (849). A monk from Shaolin Temple came to Qiong with Li Deyu, the prime minister of the dynasty who was demoted as the secretariat of Yazhou. Before the ship landed, he took a fancy to the lotus land and decided to stay and expand the temple. In the 5th year of Tang Dynasty (AD 85 1), the newly expanded Kannonji was opened.

There used to be a small Luban Temple next to the Lotus Treasure Land.

In the 4th year of Song Huizong Xuanhe (1 122), the emperor named the first Mazu Tempel in Putian, Fujian as "Shunji Temple" for the first time. During this period, the first Mazu Tempel in Hainan was built next to Kannonji.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, an old monk came to the Lotus Land in Haidian and lived in two dilapidated houses left by the destroyed Kannonji. The old monk is old and thin, with white hair and beard, but his face is ruddy, charitable and serene. Every day, he visits the poor to ask questions and treat the people.

Send medicine. In Haidian, countless patients and poor people were cured by him, and the rumors of the old monk spread like wildfire and became a household gossip topic. Especially among the poor, this unknown elder became a legend. It is said that when elders treat people, they can explain the ins and outs of the disease clearly without opening their mouths, and the medication is also very simple. Generally, he only uses herbs collected by himself, which can cure diseases, strengthen the body and save countless people immediately. The common people regard him as a good boy sent by Guanyin Bodhisattva to help the poor, so everyone respects him as a kind elder. While doing good things for all beings, the benevolent elders do not forget to persuade others to respect Buddha. However, in order to respect Buddha, there must be temples. As a result, under the leadership of the elders, Haidian locals began to raise funds to build temples. After a long time, they saved enough money to build a temple in less than half a year. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, a group of skilled craftsmen were invited to choose an auspicious day to break ground at the former site of Kannonji. Just when the project reached its climax, it was the tumultuous autumn when Daming replaced the Yuan Dynasty, and the project stopped. In the second year of Hongwu in the early Ming Dynasty (1369), under the care of Emperor Ming Taizu, skilled craftsmen were selected to step up the construction (Three Records of Zhixiang in Qiongzhou Prefecture), and the Hall of Benevolence was finally built. In order to show respect for Ming Taizu's great achievements, after public discussion, it was considered that Master Guanyin's compassion for helping the poor was benevolence, and the benevolent elders took the lead in raising funds to build the temple, so they unanimously agreed to name the temple the Hall of Benevolence. Later generations enshrined the icon of Ming Taizu in the Hall of Mercy. So far, the Hall of Benevolence has become a good omen for Hainan's social development and economic prosperity. Haikou has also rapidly developed into a commercial city based on ports. According to Volume III of Records of Qiongzhou in Wanli of Ming Dynasty, the harbor is "full of sails and forests like bamboo". In the Ming Dynasty, Hainan entered a period of stable development, and Renxin Temple became a Buddhist resort and a symbol of Hainan's local prosperity.

On the morning of May 28th in the thirty-third year of the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (according to the records of Qiongzhou Prefecture), that is, around 0: 00 in July 65438+65438+65438+65438, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 occurred in Qiongbei, with the epicenter in Qiongshan. This is the only earthquake that caused a large area of Lu Chen in the history of China. The coastal Lu Chen at the junction of Qiongshan and Wenchang covers an area of 65.438 million square kilometers. In the northern part of Qionglai, the sky is falling, the mountains are shaking and the sea is sighing, the trees are falling down, and people and animals are killed and injured. Then a miracle happened. The lotus treasure house is still safe and sound in the stormy waves, the Hall of Benevolence stands proudly in the stormy waves, and many people gather in the lotus treasure house to take refuge. What is even more amazing is that the ancient well water in Renxin Temple is still as sweet as ever, inexhaustible and refreshing, which has played a huge role in disaster relief. This examination spread the reputation of the Hall of Benevolence to Hainan and Southeast Asia, and the Hall of Benevolence entered the heyday of incense, which lasted for more than 200 years until the end of the Ming Dynasty. Until the peasant uprising overthrew the Ming Dynasty at the end of the Ming Dynasty, coupled with the looting of coastal pirates, the Hall of Benevolence was destroyed by the war in the turmoil and temporarily lost its former glory. Renxin Temple was revived after the reunification of the Qing Dynasty.

In the scuffle of peasant uprising in the late Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty seized the political power of China and made great efforts to reform and innovate. After the prosperous times of Kang and Gan, China once again experienced a prosperous time of peace, and temples all over the country mushroomed, which once again ushered in the glorious period of the Hall of Benevolence. According to historical records, Haikou was designated as one of the four major shipbuilding centers in Guangdong Province in the fifth year of Yongzheng (1727) and the eighteenth year of Jiaqing (18 13). At that time, there were rows of docks on the north bank of Haidian River, which were thriving. It is in this context that the reconstruction of the Hall of Benevolence meets the best historical opportunity.

In the first year of Jiaqing (1796), a mage named Master Ci traveled around the world in Jiuhuashan, Anhui Province, and came to Hainan before the birth of the Buddha. His ferry arrived in Haikou from Haiding, and landed on the other side of Renxin Temple (now near Chang Di Road Customs). After he went ashore, he looked around and saw the trees on the other side of Haidian River, singing birds and flowers. From a distance, he looks like a utpala floating on the sea. He said to the young monk who accompanied him, this is one of the best feng shui treasures I have ever seen. So, they crossed the river and boarded the site of Renxin Temple in Haidian Island, but they couldn't help crying when they saw a dilapidated small temple among the towering trees. Inquire about the surrounding residents, and people try to tell the benevolent master their long-cherished wish, hoping that a monk and great virtue will preside over the reconstruction work. He was unanimously asked to stay and lead the local people to complete the achievements of this generation. The Tzu Kung Master readily agreed, so he stayed with the young monk to prepare. It is said that Master Ci Gong inherited the legacy of the benevolent elders and devoted himself to the sufferings of the people. He not only won the support of ordinary people, but also received the cooperation and help of the government and rich households, as well as donations from overseas Chinese. In less than a month, the amount raised was enough to build a big temple. Among the donors is a rich man named Chen, whose ancestral home is Xiamen, Fujian. He has lived in Hainan for three generations and is a famous rich man. He used his own money to buy a large area of land for the construction of Renxin Temple, determined to build a first-class temple in Hainan, and realized his wish of respecting Buddhism and spreading Dharma.

According to legend, although the rich Chen Man is very rich, there is one fly in the ointment. There is no boy to carry on the family line, so he has to adopt a boy, hoping that he will inherit the family business in the future and carry on the family line for the Chen family. Strangely, this boy has grown to 12 years old, and he never eats meat, but is a vegetarian. What's even more strange is that the child usually only likes to go to the temple to watch the monks recite the scriptures. After listening to it, he remembers it and can sing. He also likes to imitate practice, meditation and other activities, claiming to be a monk and never leaving Amitabha. /kloc-After the age of 0/2, the teenager built a small hut in the Chenjiayuan, separated from his adoptive parents and recited the scriptures alone. Later, he went to Renxin Temple to find Master Ci Gong and asked to become a monk. Seeing the boy's extraordinary appearance, the mage knew that he was sent by Guanyin Bodhisattva to preach dharma and save suffering. However, because the Chen family raised him, he had not completed the task of carrying on the family line for the Chen family, so he was asked to go home and become a monk ten years later. After the boy returned to China, he married his wife and gave birth to four boys. He left his wife and children at the age of 24 and became a monk in Renxin Temple.

In the third year of Jiaqing (1798), on the occasion of the Buddha's birthday, the rebuilt Renxin Temple was completed and opened at the same time as the Buddha's birthday, and Master Ci Gong presided over a grand ceremony as the abbot. Local officials, prominent families and the public all rejoiced and celebrated this important Buddhist event in Haikou. Since then, the history of Buddhism in Hainan has also opened a new chapter.

Master Cigong received disciples at Renxin Temple and sowed seeds for Buddhism in Hainan. His disciples are not only locals, but also mainland and overseas Chinese, as far away as Southeast Asian countries. It is said that there were as many as a thousand monks in Renxin Temple at that time, which was the highest in Hainan. There are many Buddhist scriptures in the temple, and they are also in Qiongdao. Under the auspices of Master Cigong, the Hall of Benevolence is full of vitality and prosperity, and its reputation has spread far and wide overseas, reaching the imperial court directly. Legend has it that Emperor Jiaqing had a royal elder sister, who was taciturn since childhood, disliked wealth and splendor, was full of compassion and loved to read Buddhist scriptures. At the age of sixteen, she was beautiful, but her heart was as cold as ice, and she just wanted to be an outsider as soon as possible. One day, after she went to visit Guanyin, she dreamed that Guanyin was a saint that night and said to her, "If you want to convert to Buddhism, you will always be kind." She immediately asked the emperor to become a monk in the Hall of Mercy, but the emperor could not dissuade her and had to quietly let her go to the south. From then on, she became a nun in Renxin Temple, and the people all said that she was sent by Guanyin Bodhisattva to revive the reputation of Renxin Temple. In Qing Dynasty, Renzong wrote the names of the Hall of Benevolence and the Hall of Daxiong in order to praise the Germans for promoting Buddhism and for the sake of the royal sister, and gave them an imperial edict in recognition. Up to now, this imperial edict is still preserved as the treasure of the town temple, which is also an unprecedented record in the history of Buddhism in Hainan.

Among many disciples of Master Ci Gong, Chen Caizhu's adopted son is a brilliant and thorough disciple. He officially became a monk at the age of 24, but within half a year, he learned the Buddhist scriptures in the temple by heart, got the message and stood out, making his disciples second to none and becoming a natural descendant of the master of benevolence. To this end, the elders of Cigong took the dharma number for him and refined it into truth, and encouraged him to cultivate his true meaning and practice it. This well-trained monk lived up to Master's painstaking efforts and won high praise from monks and local people. Chen Caizhu's family is also lucky, and both people and money are empty.

Jiaqing 1 1 year (1806), Cigong 108. That year, he consciously called Bodhisattva, and it was time for him to inherit the mantle. Once, he seemed to see Guanyin appear in meditation, dressed in bright gold and smiling. Knowing that it was time, Ci called all the monks in the temple and gave them the mantle. Lian Zhen bowed to his knees and became the abbot of Renxin Temple. That night, Master Cigong passed away, and the local people saw Xiangyun gathered over the Hall of Mercy where Master had sat. Soon, Xiangyun Ran Ran drifted to the northeast, and Cigong Master drifted to Jiuhua Mountain.

Since then, Renxin Temple, under the auspices of Master Lian Zhen, has enjoyed a prosperous incense and a great reputation. After being refined into a true mage, after ten generations of descendants, they were all presided over by the native monk Dade. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, during the period of warlord scuffle, major large-scale buildings such as Daxiong Hall and Pharmacist Hall were destroyed one after another. War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression fell further, and the temple was stormy again and again, and the Hall of Benevolence was once in trouble. However, the lotus land geomantic omen in Renxin Temple still maintains its original quality and will not change because of vicissitudes.

1September, 1949, another catastrophic flood occurred in Haikou. The flood reached the second floor, but the Benevolence Hall was safe and sound, and all the people in Haikou took refuge in the Benevolence Hall. During 1996, there was a typhoon in Haikou, which caused floods. Haidian Island is full of water. It is said that only the location of the Hall of Mercy has no flood. No wonder/kloc-More than 0/00 years ago, the French also took a fancy to the geomantic omen in this area, and built a French consulate less than 200 meters away from the Hall of Benevolence. The owner of the Hall of Mercy was killed by the Japanese army.

Historical changes, vicissitudes and great changes, and the thousand-year history of the Hall of Benevolence are deeply branded with the times. In the past, Hainan Island was isolated overseas and far from the mainland. Only the believers in the Hall of Mercy are all over the world. Now there are more than 4,000 overseas Chinese in Hainan, all of whom are believers in the Hall of Mercy in Southeast Asia. In the 1930s, Japanese devils invaded Hainan Island, burning and looting everywhere, and the Hall of Mercy was not spared. In order to protect Renxin Temple, the monks and local people struggled to resist, and Renxin Temple was saved, but the owner of Renxin Temple was killed by the Japanese.

During the land reform in New China, all members of the temple were classified as poor peasants, and more than 8 mu of paddy fields and 3 mu of dry land were allocated according to the policy (Renxin Temple covers an area of 14.3 mu). 1956, 1958 When agricultural cooperation and commune are implemented, paddy fields are collectively managed. From 1962 to 1964, the temple was occupied by a fishing boat factory. To this end, Haikou Buddhist Association wrote to China Buddhist Association to reflect this matter, and the reply was that "this matter has been transferred back to the local authorities". During the extraordinary period of the "Cultural Revolution", no one asked about this matter and it became a long-term hidden case. Now all kinds of buildings in the old Buddhist temple have been demolished. The plaque of Emperor Jiaqing's imperial book "Daxiong Hall" was smashed, and the bronze Buddha, bronze bell, bronze incense burner, bronze deer, calligraphy and painting couplets, ceramic utensils, utensils and scriptures were all stolen.

On September 8th, 1994, Hainan Provincial Committee of Religious Affairs (now the Religious Affairs Office) issued a document agreeing to reopen Renxin Temple. The Hall of Benevolence was officially named the Hall of Benevolence. This temple, together with seven temples, such as Sanya Nanshan Temple, Ding 'an Fusaiji Temple, Wanning Guangshan Temple, Lingshui Samadhi Temple, Tunchang Fuqing Temple and Xiren Temple, became the first open temples in Hainan. After Renxin Temple was reopened, the statues of Sakyamuni, Guanyin, Zhu Wen and Bodhisattva were newly molded, and a calligraphy logistics counter was set up.