Fengguo Temple: The tranquility and solemnity of a thousand-year-old temple

From the moment I saw the Main Hall, all my worries and troubles were swept away by its overwhelming momentum; looking up at the Seven Buddhas, it seemed as if I could see the entire universe, and the thousand-year-old dust gave people an illusion of eternity. There are no incense sticks, no chanting, no bells. Nature constitutes the temple sound that is peaceful, detached, and all-inclusive. No matter how time passes and how the world changes, the Main Hall is here, and the Seven Buddhas are here, neither far nor near, neither close nor distant. 🌿🕉️ History and positioning of Fengguo Temple: Fengguo Temple has a history of more than 1,000 years. It was built in the ninth year of Kaitai in Liao Dynasty (1020) and was originally named Xianxi Temple. It is one of the only three remaining Liao Dynasty temples in China. Fengguo Temple has the oldest and largest single-eaved, five-ridged Main Hall in China, which is the highest achievement of Buddhist architecture in the Liao Dynasty. The remaining architectural paintings in the Main Hall cover an area of ​​about 4,000 square meters, and it houses the oldest and largest group of painted clay Buddha statues in China, all of which are original works from the Liao Dynasty. Fengguo Temple is an ancient temple that integrates ancient architecture, painting, archaeology, Buddhism and other values. It is not a religious place and burning incense is not allowed in the temple, but there are still groups of devout believers kneeling at the foot of the Buddha to pray and make wishes. 🏯🙏 Guide to visiting Fengguo Temple: It takes about an hour to drive from Jinzhou South Station to Fengguo Temple. There are many homestays around Fengguo Temple. We stayed in Xianxi Zen Residence, which is separated from Fengguo Temple by a wall. The price is much higher than outside, but the environment and experience are worth it. You can copy scriptures, and the night is so quiet that only the chirping of crickets can be heard. There are not many tourists visiting Fengguo Temple, so you can visit and appreciate it from a very close distance. It is best to hire a tour guide, which costs 100 RMB per guide. You can join a group to hire a tour guide. We hired a tour guide to give a lecture in the afternoon of the first day, and on the morning of the second day, we listened to the lecture by cultural and tourism influencer Li Xiaonao, who was very passionate. There is a Zen restaurant at the exit of Fengguo Temple. If you buy a full-price ticket, it only costs one yuan. Talking and noise are prohibited in the restaurant. Please eat quietly and the staff will serve the meal to you. 🚗🏨 Notes on visiting Fengguo Temple: The inverted Guanyin is also the filming location of the movie The Grandmaster, and many people take pictures here. What moved me even more was the reason why Guanyin sat upside down. It is said that Guanyin had already become a Buddha, but before that she found that sentient beings were still suffering. Guanyin had compassion for the world and in order to save all sentient beings, she turned her back to the seven giant Buddhas, faced the world, saved people from suffering, and vowed that she would not become a Buddha until the suffering of the world was eliminated. The Vajra Warrior holding the vajra originally held it with both hands, but later in order to form a stable triangular structure and prevent the vajra from collapsing, he used the vajra to support the ground. The hand that originally held the vajra made a "forbidden" gesture in the air, as if kindly advising you "Don't dare, this is not allowed, don't do it." The thousand-year-old tree has regained its vitality. The ancient tree on the far right of the main hall was a thousand-year-old tree back then, and it is more than 2,000 years old. It will release fresh pine oil every midsummer. The magic is inexplicable, and it makes people believe that this is the holy land of Buddha. The toothy Guanyin Bodhisattva, the male flying mural, the benevolent Arhat statue, the demolished Ming Dynasty wall… 🌸🧘‍♂️ #Fengguo Temple #Liao Dynasty Architecture #Buddhist Culture