Shenyang Huangsi - Shisheng Temple
On February 21, 2012, I happened to pass by Huangsi Square while doing business, and turned to North Market .
Source of the above two pictures - Traveling China Blog
Shisheng Temple is located at 1, Section 2, Huangsi Road, Heping District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province No. 2. The full name is Lotus Pure Land Shisheng Temple . After Hou Jin (Qing) Emperor Taizong Huang Taiji conquered the Chahar Kingdom of Mongolia, he obtained the Mahakara Golden Buddha and ordered it to be built in the first year of Chongde (1636). This temple is also called the Royal Temple. And because Shisheng Temple belongs to the Yellow Sect of Lamas, the temple building is also yellow, so it is commonly known as the Yellow Temple. It is a lamasery with a long history and a large scale in Shenyang City.
Shisheng Temple was built in the third year of Chongde (1638). Emperor Taizong Huang Taiji personally presided over the inauguration ceremony of kings, Baylor, ministers and the prince of Korea who lived in Shenyang. It was overhauled in the fourth year of Yongzheng reign in the Qing Dynasty (1726), and has been repaired many times since. Qing Dynasty Emperors of all dynasties highly respected Shisheng Temple. Every time the emperor visited the east, he would pay homage to Shisheng Temple to make friends with people through Lamaism and show off the merits of his ancestors. Emperor Qianlong visited this temple four times and chanted poems and recorded it. Newly appointed officials in Shengjing (Shenyang) also visited the temple to worship Buddha and receive seals. Because the temple was valued by the emperor, it is still well preserved. Since 1984, the main hall, Mahakara Buddha Building and Sutra Room have been renovated, the mountain gate and Tianwang Hall have been rebuilt, and 10 new auxiliary rooms have been built.
Shisheng Temple covers an area of more than 7,000 square meters, with a construction area of more than 2,000 square meters. The entire temple is rectangular in shape, facing south and divided into two courtyards, front and rear. Along the central axis are the mountain gate, the Heavenly King's Hall and the main hall. On both sides are the bell tower, drum tower, auxiliary hall, Mahaggala Buddha tower, sutra hall and monk's room. It is large in scale, neatly laid out, staggered in height and order, with clear priorities. Shows a very high level of construction.
Entering the mountain gate, a large iron bell weighing a thousand kilograms hangs in the bell tower on the right. The lama rings the bell on time to tell the time. The sound of the bell is rich and melodious and can be heard throughout the city. Accompanied by the sound of bells, people wake up in the morning to greet the morning sun and see off the setting sun in the evening, giving them a sense of peace and joy. This is one of the famous eight sceneries in Shenyang in the past, "Huangsi Bell Ringing". There is a large drum in the drum tower on the left. The drum is beaten to tell the time at night. The sound is low and far-reaching, and it is different according to the order.
Entering through the gate in the middle of the Tianwang Hall, you can see two stele pavilions on the left and right, each with a tree and a stone stele. The stone stele on the right is engraved with Manchu characters on the front and Chinese characters on the back; the stele on the left is engraved with Mongolian characters on the front and Tibetan characters on the back: this is the famous "four-body inscription stele". The inscription describes in detail the beginning and end of the construction of the temple, the scale of the temple, the arrangement of Buddha offerings, etc., and provides valuable first-hand information for the historical research of Shisheng Temple. The Hall of Heavenly Kings is a three-coupled Xieshan-style building. The painted statues of the "Four Heavenly Kings" in the hall are lifelike, powerful, and formidable, and have high artistic value. In the middle is the Maitreya Buddha, and behind the Maitreya Buddha is the protector Wei Tuo.
The main hall is the main building of Shisheng Temple. It is more than ten meters high and is built on a blue brick platform. There are 24 bright red pillars in the surrounding inner corridor, with five horizontal and three horizontal couplets. It is a wooden frame structure with flying eaves, brackets and brackets, and is covered with golden glazed tiles and trimmed edges, making it appear magnificent. In the center of the hall is a six-foot-tall statue of Sakyamuni, with a plump body and a kind face. On the left and right are Ananda , Kassapa , Maitreya Buddha, Lantern Buddha , Padmasambhava, and Amitayus Buddha. On the left side of Maitreya Buddha is the statue of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Yellow Sect. There are eighteen Arhats on the top, and eight King Kongs on the bottom. They have different shapes, vivid images, and distinctive personalities. They are all excellent works of art. There are carved beams and painted pillars in the hall, the two top beams are painted with golden dragon columns, and the ceiling is a Tibetan style caisson . The Buddha City, the Paradise of Paradise, is painted on the ceiling. It has delicate lines, bright colors and is very contagious. There are also a variety of scriptures and musical instruments hidden in the temple, which are also precious historical relics.
There is a two-story small building with cornices, brackets, and mountain-style wooden frames in the southwest of the main hall.
Shenyang Huangsi - Shisheng Temple
On February 21, 2012, I happened to pass by Huangsi Square while doing business, and turned to North Market .
Source of the above two pictures - Traveling China Blog
Shisheng Temple is located at 1, Section 2, Huangsi Road, Heping District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province No. 2. The full name is Lotus Pure Land Shisheng Temple . After Hou Jin (Qing) Emperor Taizong Huang Taiji conquered the Chahar Kingdom of Mongolia, he obtained the Mahakara Golden Buddha and ordered it to be built in the first year of Chongde (1636). This temple is also called the Royal Temple. And because Shisheng Temple belongs to the Yellow Sect of Lamas, the temple building is also yellow, so it is commonly known as the Yellow Temple. It is a lamasery with a long history and a large scale in Shenyang City.
Shisheng Temple was built in the third year of Chongde (1638). Emperor Taizong Huang Taiji personally presided over the inauguration ceremony of kings, Baylor, ministers and the prince of Korea who lived in Shenyang. It was overhauled in the fourth year of Yongzheng reign in the Qing Dynasty (1726), and has been repaired many times since. Qing Dynasty Emperors of all dynasties highly respected Shisheng Temple. Every time the emperor visited the east, he would pay homage to Shisheng Temple to make friends with people through Lamaism and show off the merits of his ancestors. Emperor Qianlong visited this temple four times and chanted poems and recorded it. Newly appointed officials in Shengjing (Shenyang) also visited the temple to worship Buddha and receive seals. Because the temple was valued by the emperor, it is still well preserved. Since 1984, the main hall, Mahakara Buddha Building and Sutra Room have been renovated, the mountain gate and Tianwang Hall have been rebuilt, and 10 new auxiliary rooms have been built.
Shisheng Temple covers an area of more than 7,000 square meters, with a construction area of more than 2,000 square meters. The entire temple is rectangular in shape, facing south and divided into two courtyards, front and rear. Along the central axis are the mountain gate, the Heavenly King's Hall and the main hall. On both sides are the bell tower, drum tower, auxiliary hall, Mahaggala Buddha tower, sutra hall and monk's room. It is large in scale, neatly laid out, staggered in height and order, with clear priorities. Shows a very high level of construction.
Entering the mountain gate, a large iron bell weighing a thousand kilograms hangs in the bell tower on the right. The lama rings the bell on time to tell the time. The sound of the bell is rich and melodious and can be heard throughout the city. Accompanied by the sound of bells, people wake up in the morning to greet the morning sun and see off the setting sun in the evening, giving them a sense of peace and joy. This is one of the famous eight sceneries in Shenyang in the past, "Huangsi Bell Ringing". There is a large drum in the drum tower on the left. The drum is beaten to tell the time at night. The sound is low and far-reaching, and it is different according to the order.
Entering through the gate in the middle of the Tianwang Hall, you can see two stele pavilions on the left and right, each with a tree and a stone stele. The stone stele on the right is engraved with Manchu characters on the front and Chinese characters on the back; the stele on the left is engraved with Mongolian characters on the front and Tibetan characters on the back: this is the famous "four-body inscription stele". The inscription describes in detail the beginning and end of the construction of the temple, the scale of the temple, the arrangement of Buddha offerings, etc., and provides valuable first-hand information for the historical research of Shisheng Temple. The Hall of Heavenly Kings is a three-coupled Xieshan-style building. The painted statues of the "Four Heavenly Kings" in the hall are lifelike, powerful, and formidable, and have high artistic value. In the middle is the Maitreya Buddha, and behind the Maitreya Buddha is the protector Wei Tuo.
The main hall is the main building of Shisheng Temple. It is more than ten meters high and is built on a blue brick platform. There are 24 bright red pillars in the surrounding inner corridor, with five horizontal and three horizontal couplets. It is a wooden frame structure with flying eaves, brackets and brackets, and is covered with golden glazed tiles and trimmed edges, making it appear magnificent. In the center of the hall is a six-foot-tall statue of Sakyamuni, with a plump body and a kind face. On the left and right are Ananda , Kassapa , Maitreya Buddha, Lantern Buddha , Padmasambhava, and Amitayus Buddha. On the left side of Maitreya Buddha is the statue of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Yellow Sect. There are eighteen Arhats on the top, and eight King Kongs on the bottom. They have different shapes, vivid images, and distinctive personalities. They are all excellent works of art. There are carved beams and painted pillars in the hall, the two top beams are painted with golden dragon columns, and the ceiling is a Tibetan style caisson . The Buddha City, the Paradise of Paradise, is painted on the ceiling. It has delicate lines, bright colors and is very contagious. There are also a variety of scriptures and musical instruments hidden in the temple, which are also precious historical relics.
There is a two-story small building with cornices, brackets, and mountain-style wooden frames in the southwest of the main hall.This is the Mahaggala Buddha Building. It was originally built specifically to worship the Mahaggala Golden Buddha, and it got its name from this. The stone tablet in the temple records: "When the Great Yuan Temple was established, there was Lama Pasiba who cast the Dharma Protector Mahakara in gold and enshrined it in Mount Wutai. Later, it was moved to the desert. There was also Lama Xia'erbahu Tutu, who moved it again to Dayuan. He was sent to the Han'er Lingdan Khanate to worship him. I, the Kuanwen Rensheng Emperor, conquered his country and the people returned home. When he heard about it, he ordered all the lamas to greet him and greet him with courtesy. To the western suburbs of Shengjing.
"The Mahakara Golden Buddha is enshrined upstairs, and the wooden pagoda where the remains of Lama Merji of Shengjing are buried is downstairs. Every time the Qing Emperor came to visit, he would worship the Mahakara Golden Buddha. The Golden Buddha is a standing statue, holding a magic wand in both hands. It is about one foot and two inches tall and weighs 64.5 jins (in the past, 16 taels were divided into one jin, which was rounded into one thousand taels, so it is also called the "Thousand Liang Buddha"). It is bronze in color and has a shape of Extremely vivid. During the construction of the building, in order to prevent the Golden Buddha from being stolen, two locks were added to the stairs, and large flaps were set up to prevent people from entering. The Golden Buddha was stolen in 1946, and the current Buddha statue was a clay sculpture in 1990. There is a pagoda on the lower floor of the building, in which the remains of Lama Mergenduerji are buried. There are eight monk relics in the temple.
Shisheng Temple is not only famous for its luxurious architectural decoration, but also famous for being favored by the Qing emperor. Due to the emperor's many visits, the temple became popular and famous among the temples. Emperor Qianlong came here four times, and wrote a poem "Inscribed on Shisheng Temple": "TiancongAfter the founding of the year, Mongolia came to visit. They were all worshipers of Buddhism, and Brahma Temple was opened. Shintoism was established to teach, and Yi Linguistics is the best. The saints are far-reaching and prosperous. The name of the temple is true, and the success is achieved through joint efforts. "
[Appendix] The golden Buddha of Shenyang Shisheng Temple is unique. The mystery of the thief
Source: Shenyang Buddhist Lay Blog
According to records, in the Yuan Dynasty , Lama Pasiba used a thousand taels of gold to cast the Dharma-protecting Mahagara Golden Buddha. This golden Buddha is bronze in color, standing, holding a -conquering pestle in both hands. It is about 40 centimeters high and weighs 64 and a half kilograms (16 taels a kilogram). It was first enshrined in Wutai Mountain, and then moved back to the Saibei Desert. Finally, Lama Sherpahutu moved the Golden Buddha to the Chahar Lindan Khanate for enshrinement. After Huang Taiji conquered Chahar, in the ninth year of Tiancong, Lama Mergen led the monks and selected a large camel with hair as white as jade to carry the golden Buddha, a golden Lama Sutra and the of Chahar Lindan Khan. After a long journey to Shengjing to surrender to the Qing dynasty, the Jade Seal of the Chuan Dynasty came to Shengjing. Huang Taiji heard about this and immediately sent ministers to Kaiyuan to greet him.
When the team arrived under an old locust tree near the north market, the white camel suddenly fell to the ground and died. Seeing this, Mergen and all the lamas hurriedly knelt on the ground and chanted and prayed to the dead white camel. The place where the white camel rests is regarded as a sacred place for Buddhism and designated as the place where "roots" are taken. Huang Taiji believed: "There is no Dharma Protector without the Great Sage, and there is the Dharma Protector without the Great Sage." This Dharma Protector refers to the Mahakara Golden Buddha. This means that we must worship not only the Golden Buddha, but also the Great Sage and other Buddhas. Therefore, Huang Taiji issued an edict and buried the white camel with great ceremony. At the same time, the lama who sent off the Golden Buddha was ordered to choose a site to build a temple in the west of Shengjing (now the Shisheng Temple).
After more than two years of careful construction, a magnificent Shisheng Temple was built. On the day the temple was built, Huang Taiji personally led all the kings, ministers, civil and military officials to congratulate it, and named it "Lotus Pure Land Shisheng Temple".
At that time, there were five main halls in Shisheng Temple. The gods and Buddhas worshiped were: the three great sages looking to the west, Ananda, Tsongkhapa, Kasyapa, Amitayus, Padmasambhava, the eight Bodhisattvas, and the eighteen Arhats.
Judging from the inscription, the newly built Shisheng Temple did not build a Mahakara Buddha Tower, and the Mahakara Golden Buddha was enshrined in the west side hall. So, when was the Buddhist tower of Mahakara Golden Buddha built? And why was it built there? There was a legend in history that after the Shisheng Temple was built, the Golden Buddha was enshrined in the West Side Hall. One morning, a lama went to the West Side Hall to burn incense and worship Buddha. When he saw that the golden Buddha on the altar was missing, he hurriedly reported to the Palm Lama. After learning about it, Lama Zhangyin broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly led all the lamas to search in every hall of the temple, but there was still no trace of the Golden Buddha. Just when everyone was feeling incredible, Lama Zhangyin suddenly noticed the golden light shining on the roof of the main hall. It turned out that the Mahakara Golden Buddha was standing on the top of the main hall facing the east.Upon seeing this, all the lamas hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed. Then, they carefully took down the golden Buddha and offered it to the west side hall. But the next day, the lamas found that the Golden Buddha had left the west side hall again, still facing the east and standing on the top of the main hall.
Lama Zhangyin thought that the Golden Buddha did not want to live in the west side hall and wanted to live in the main hall, so he invited the Mahakara Golden Buddha to the main hall to worship. Unexpectedly, the next morning, the Golden Buddha still left the main hall and stood on the top of the hall facing the east.
This is a bit strange. The lamas talked about it one after another. Some said: "The Golden Buddha probably thinks our hall is short and wants to live in a tall building." Some said: "It's not enough to be tall. I don't see the Buddha standing on the top of the hall." Is it facing the east? Not only does the Buddha have to live at the highest point in the temple, he must also face the east. Hearing this, Lama Zhangshou suddenly said, "Yes! The Golden Buddha wants to live in the west and face the east." "
" However, according to Lama's canon rules, the main hall is the tallest building in the temple, and no other buildings in the temple can be higher than the main hall. The Palm Lama thought about it and had no choice but to truthfully report the wishes of the Golden Buddha to Huang Taiji. After Huang Taiji heard this, Longyan was very happy and immediately decided to build another Buddhist tower facing east and west in Shisheng Temple to worship the Mahakara Golden Buddha. In order not to violate religious rules, this Buddhist tower was named Mahaggala Temple. Because it is a two-story building, people also call it Mahakara Buddha Tower.
The Mahakara Buddha Building covers an area of 25 square meters, with a length of 5 meters and a width of 5 meters. It is a mountain-style building with a brick and wood structure. There are 4 vermilion pillars on each side. The roof and the eaves of the first floor are covered with The yellow and green glazed tiles look dazzling and resplendent. There are one room upstairs and one downstairs. The upper floor is dedicated to the Mahakala Golden Buddha. There is a pagoda downstairs. Underneath, the remains of Mergen Lama who sent the Mahakala Golden Buddha to Shengjing are buried.
It is obviously a legend that the Golden Buddha chose his own tower, but it is true that Huang Taiji built a tower for the Mahakara Golden Buddha.
One day at the end of the second lunar month in 1946, the new KMT chairman of Liaoning Province Xu Zhen suddenly sent two special envoys to Shisheng Temple to deliver offerings to the Golden Buddha. Xu Zhen is a Xinbin native of Liaoning Province. He studied in Japan in his early years and served as director of the telephone bureau of the three northeastern special administrative regions and director of the Fujian Provincial Department of Education.
In the old days, it was customary for new officials to come to worship Buddha after taking office. Moreover, one of the two people sent by Xu Zhen was Li Banxi, a layman familiar to all lamas. This person set up a Buddhist hall in his home and burned incense and offered offerings to the Buddha every day. He often went to Shisheng Temple to discuss scriptures with lamas, so the lamas were not wary of him. The other man was about 27 or 28 years old. He entered the temple and looked around as if he was looking for something. Although the lamas in the temple noticed that he was acting abnormally, they considered that he was sent by the provincial chairman and was accompanied by Li Banxi. Therefore, the lamas did not dare to be suspicious or pay more attention.
On that day, Bao Yinnamuhe (commonly known as Bai Yunqing), the palm lama of Shisheng Temple, received the two special envoys sent by Xu Zhen. Then, the lamas Urgen Dalai (commonly known as Bao Shoushan) and Tokton'a (commonly known as Chen Kuiwu) of the Buddhist Pavilion led the two people to the Buddhist Pavilion in the backyard.
Urgendalai led the two envoys to the stairway of the Buddha. He first opened the two large iron locks on the springboard of the stairway. After going upstairs, he opened the two iron locks at the door of the Buddhist tower, and then let the two envoys enter the house. inside. The two men opened the red cloth bag and placed the crescent ax and tutuba in front of the Buddhist niche. The crescent ax is made of silver, and Tutuba is made by inlaying half the skull of a dead person with a gold edge and placing a silver base underneath. The Crescent Ax and Tutuba are Buddha's ritual implements and offerings.
After placing the offerings and kowtow to the Golden Buddha, the two envoys told Urgenda to come and clean up the snow in the temple. Chairman Xu Zhen will come to worship the Buddha in person tomorrow.
After the two special envoys left, the lamas of Shisheng Temple and the Buddhist Tower braved the biting cold wind to clear away the snow in the temple, clean the Buddhist hall... and were busy to welcome Xu Zhen to worship the Buddha.
The next morning, Urgenda came to the Buddhist tower to burn incense for the Mahakara Golden Buddha. He found that the two iron locks locking the springboard at the entrance of the stairs had been destroyed, and the two iron locks locking the door of the Buddhist tower upstairs had also been destroyed. , Urgendalai hurriedly looked towards the Buddhist niche, his body suddenly shook, and the Mahakara Golden Buddha disappeared.
Urgen Dalai hurriedly reported to the palm lama Baoyin Nammuhe, who hurriedly came to the Buddhist tower with other lamas.I saw that the springboard and the four lock beams of the Buddhist tower door had all been sawed off, and there were piles of iron filings on the ground. Not only was the golden Buddha missing, but the Crescent Ax and Tutuba that were sent by special envoy Xu Zhen yesterday were also missing. Other gold and silver offerings were also missing.
Seeing that provincial chairman Xu Zhen is coming to worship Buddha, what should we do? Lama Zhangyin and other lamas were so frightened that they trembled all over and panicked. There was really no other way, so Zhangyin Lama had no choice but to report the case and ask the police station to help find him.
That day, at about ten o'clock in the morning, Xu Zhen came to Shisheng Temple accompanied by two attendants. The palm lama Bao Yin Namuhe hurriedly asked Xu Zhen to the living room, and apologized to Xu Zhen about the theft of the Golden Buddha last night. After Xu Zhen heard this, he didn't say anything special. He just said: "I have no connection with Buddhism..." But he still wanted to go to the Buddhist tower to have a look. Bao Yinnamu accompanied Xu Zhen to the Buddhist tower. Xu Zhen faced the empty Buddha seat, still followed the Buddhist rules, burned incense and bowed, muttering: "There is no relationship with the Buddha..." He looked a little regretful.
After praying to the Buddha, Xu Zhen returned to the living room and asked his entourage to call the Sixth Branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau to solve the case within a week.
On the morning of the next day, two police officers from the Sixth Branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau came to investigate the theft of the Golden Buddha. Accompanied by the Zhangyin Lama, the two policemen only went to the Buddhist building to have a look, but did not conduct a serious investigation at all. They told Bao Yinnamuhe that they would take the relevant personnel to the branch for interrogation of the case. As a result, the police took more than a dozen lamas including Urgen Dalai, Tokton'a, and Bao Qinghai, as well as Urgen Dalai's family members who lived in the monastery, to the Sixth Precinct. Only the palm print lama, the accountant (not the lama) and the outgoing lama were not taken away.
The lamas and Urgendalai’s family members who were brought to the branch were detained in two rooms respectively, and the detention center sergeant began to interrogate them one by one. When he saw that all the lamas did not admit to stealing the Golden Buddha and did not ask about the circumstances of the case, he began to use torture. Anyone who refuses to admit will be beaten with a tiger bench, a pressing bar, or a leather whip dipped in cold water. They also poured cold water into the lama's mouth, burned the lama's skin with lit incense... All kinds of torture were used, but still no lama confessed. So, the frustrated police brought a younger lama named Xiao Nanhai into a room, pointed a pistol at him and threatened: "If you don't admit to stealing the golden Buddha, I will shoot you!" "Pah! Pah!" were shot twice above Xiao Nanhai's head. Xiao Nanhai was so frightened that his face turned pale and he almost collapsed. The policeman put the gun against Xiao Nanhai's forehead and said, "You heard the gunshot? If you don't confess, the next bullet will hit your head!" Xiao Nanhai cried and said, "I didn't steal either, so why should I confess?" Ah!"
For more than 20 days, the police tried all means, but still no lama confessed. The police were at their wits end and had no choice but to give up and release the seventeen people they arrested in batches. The shortest period of detention was three days, and the longest period of detention and interrogation was 21 days.
The Mahakara Golden Buddha has been enshrined in the Buddhist building of Shisheng Temple for more than 300 years and has never been lost. Why was it lost on the night when the new provincial chairman Xu Zhen sent a special envoy? Why don't you throw it away in the morning and in the evening? Why do you throw it away just when Xu Zhen is coming to worship Buddha? The lamas discussed this a lot, and the public also had various suspicions. What is particularly suspicious is that after the Golden Buddha was stolen, the two envoys sent by Xu Zhen to deliver the offerings never showed up again. Legend has it that they died of a sudden illness. In the ten days after the Golden Buddha was stolen, two fires broke out in Shisheng Temple, destroying the warehouse, mountain gate and archway. However, the Kuomintang authorities did not investigate.
A series of mysteries point to Xu Zhen, but people are only suspicious and can only talk behind his back. Who dares to investigate the provincial chairman?
At the end of 1948, the People's Liberation Army wiped out the Kuomintang troops in Northeast China. Xu Zhen fled to Taiwan by boat with all his property. Due to the serious overloading of the ship, the ship sank in the wind when it was sailing to the East China Sea.
If Xu Zhen is really the thief of the Mahakara Golden Buddha, then the Mahakara Golden Buddha will definitely sink into the sea with Xu Zhen.
However, this is just speculation and there is no evidence. Therefore, where the Mahakala Golden Buddha is now is still a mystery.
Upon seeing this, all the lamas hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed. Then, they carefully took down the golden Buddha and offered it to the west side hall. But the next day, the lamas found that the Golden Buddha had left the west side hall again, still facing the east and standing on the top of the main hall.Lama Zhangyin thought that the Golden Buddha did not want to live in the west side hall and wanted to live in the main hall, so he invited the Mahakara Golden Buddha to the main hall to worship. Unexpectedly, the next morning, the Golden Buddha still left the main hall and stood on the top of the hall facing the east.
This is a bit strange. The lamas talked about it one after another. Some said: "The Golden Buddha probably thinks our hall is short and wants to live in a tall building." Some said: "It's not enough to be tall. I don't see the Buddha standing on the top of the hall." Is it facing the east? Not only does the Buddha have to live at the highest point in the temple, he must also face the east. Hearing this, Lama Zhangshou suddenly said, "Yes! The Golden Buddha wants to live in the west and face the east." "
" However, according to Lama's canon rules, the main hall is the tallest building in the temple, and no other buildings in the temple can be higher than the main hall. The Palm Lama thought about it and had no choice but to truthfully report the wishes of the Golden Buddha to Huang Taiji. After Huang Taiji heard this, Longyan was very happy and immediately decided to build another Buddhist tower facing east and west in Shisheng Temple to worship the Mahakara Golden Buddha. In order not to violate religious rules, this Buddhist tower was named Mahaggala Temple. Because it is a two-story building, people also call it Mahakara Buddha Tower.
The Mahakara Buddha Building covers an area of 25 square meters, with a length of 5 meters and a width of 5 meters. It is a mountain-style building with a brick and wood structure. There are 4 vermilion pillars on each side. The roof and the eaves of the first floor are covered with The yellow and green glazed tiles look dazzling and resplendent. There are one room upstairs and one downstairs. The upper floor is dedicated to the Mahakala Golden Buddha. There is a pagoda downstairs. Underneath, the remains of Mergen Lama who sent the Mahakala Golden Buddha to Shengjing are buried.
It is obviously a legend that the Golden Buddha chose his own tower, but it is true that Huang Taiji built a tower for the Mahakara Golden Buddha.
One day at the end of the second lunar month in 1946, the new KMT chairman of Liaoning Province Xu Zhen suddenly sent two special envoys to Shisheng Temple to deliver offerings to the Golden Buddha. Xu Zhen is a Xinbin native of Liaoning Province. He studied in Japan in his early years and served as director of the telephone bureau of the three northeastern special administrative regions and director of the Fujian Provincial Department of Education.
In the old days, it was customary for new officials to come to worship Buddha after taking office. Moreover, one of the two people sent by Xu Zhen was Li Banxi, a layman familiar to all lamas. This person set up a Buddhist hall in his home and burned incense and offered offerings to the Buddha every day. He often went to Shisheng Temple to discuss scriptures with lamas, so the lamas were not wary of him. The other man was about 27 or 28 years old. He entered the temple and looked around as if he was looking for something. Although the lamas in the temple noticed that he was acting abnormally, they considered that he was sent by the provincial chairman and was accompanied by Li Banxi. Therefore, the lamas did not dare to be suspicious or pay more attention.
On that day, Bao Yinnamuhe (commonly known as Bai Yunqing), the palm lama of Shisheng Temple, received the two special envoys sent by Xu Zhen. Then, the lamas Urgen Dalai (commonly known as Bao Shoushan) and Tokton'a (commonly known as Chen Kuiwu) of the Buddhist Pavilion led the two people to the Buddhist Pavilion in the backyard.
Urgendalai led the two envoys to the stairway of the Buddha. He first opened the two large iron locks on the springboard of the stairway. After going upstairs, he opened the two iron locks at the door of the Buddhist tower, and then let the two envoys enter the house. inside. The two men opened the red cloth bag and placed the crescent ax and tutuba in front of the Buddhist niche. The crescent ax is made of silver, and Tutuba is made by inlaying half the skull of a dead person with a gold edge and placing a silver base underneath. The Crescent Ax and Tutuba are Buddha's ritual implements and offerings.
After placing the offerings and kowtow to the Golden Buddha, the two envoys told Urgenda to come and clean up the snow in the temple. Chairman Xu Zhen will come to worship the Buddha in person tomorrow.
After the two special envoys left, the lamas of Shisheng Temple and the Buddhist Tower braved the biting cold wind to clear away the snow in the temple, clean the Buddhist hall... and were busy to welcome Xu Zhen to worship the Buddha.
The next morning, Urgenda came to the Buddhist tower to burn incense for the Mahakara Golden Buddha. He found that the two iron locks locking the springboard at the entrance of the stairs had been destroyed, and the two iron locks locking the door of the Buddhist tower upstairs had also been destroyed. , Urgendalai hurriedly looked towards the Buddhist niche, his body suddenly shook, and the Mahakara Golden Buddha disappeared.
Urgen Dalai hurriedly reported to the palm lama Baoyin Nammuhe, who hurriedly came to the Buddhist tower with other lamas.I saw that the springboard and the four lock beams of the Buddhist tower door had all been sawed off, and there were piles of iron filings on the ground. Not only was the golden Buddha missing, but the Crescent Ax and Tutuba that were sent by special envoy Xu Zhen yesterday were also missing. Other gold and silver offerings were also missing.
Seeing that provincial chairman Xu Zhen is coming to worship Buddha, what should we do? Lama Zhangyin and other lamas were so frightened that they trembled all over and panicked. There was really no other way, so Zhangyin Lama had no choice but to report the case and ask the police station to help find him.
That day, at about ten o'clock in the morning, Xu Zhen came to Shisheng Temple accompanied by two attendants. The palm lama Bao Yin Namuhe hurriedly asked Xu Zhen to the living room, and apologized to Xu Zhen about the theft of the Golden Buddha last night. After Xu Zhen heard this, he didn't say anything special. He just said: "I have no connection with Buddhism..." But he still wanted to go to the Buddhist tower to have a look. Bao Yinnamu accompanied Xu Zhen to the Buddhist tower. Xu Zhen faced the empty Buddha seat, still followed the Buddhist rules, burned incense and bowed, muttering: "There is no relationship with the Buddha..." He looked a little regretful.
After praying to the Buddha, Xu Zhen returned to the living room and asked his entourage to call the Sixth Branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau to solve the case within a week.
On the morning of the next day, two police officers from the Sixth Branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau came to investigate the theft of the Golden Buddha. Accompanied by the Zhangyin Lama, the two policemen only went to the Buddhist building to have a look, but did not conduct a serious investigation at all. They told Bao Yinnamuhe that they would take the relevant personnel to the branch for interrogation of the case. As a result, the police took more than a dozen lamas including Urgen Dalai, Tokton'a, and Bao Qinghai, as well as Urgen Dalai's family members who lived in the monastery, to the Sixth Precinct. Only the palm print lama, the accountant (not the lama) and the outgoing lama were not taken away.
The lamas and Urgendalai’s family members who were brought to the branch were detained in two rooms respectively, and the detention center sergeant began to interrogate them one by one. When he saw that all the lamas did not admit to stealing the Golden Buddha and did not ask about the circumstances of the case, he began to use torture. Anyone who refuses to admit will be beaten with a tiger bench, a pressing bar, or a leather whip dipped in cold water. They also poured cold water into the lama's mouth, burned the lama's skin with lit incense... All kinds of torture were used, but still no lama confessed. So, the frustrated police brought a younger lama named Xiao Nanhai into a room, pointed a pistol at him and threatened: "If you don't admit to stealing the golden Buddha, I will shoot you!" "Pah! Pah!" were shot twice above Xiao Nanhai's head. Xiao Nanhai was so frightened that his face turned pale and he almost collapsed. The policeman put the gun against Xiao Nanhai's forehead and said, "You heard the gunshot? If you don't confess, the next bullet will hit your head!" Xiao Nanhai cried and said, "I didn't steal either, so why should I confess?" Ah!"
For more than 20 days, the police tried all means, but still no lama confessed. The police were at their wits end and had no choice but to give up and release the seventeen people they arrested in batches. The shortest period of detention was three days, and the longest period of detention and interrogation was 21 days.
The Mahakara Golden Buddha has been enshrined in the Buddhist building of Shisheng Temple for more than 300 years and has never been lost. Why was it lost on the night when the new provincial chairman Xu Zhen sent a special envoy? Why don't you throw it away in the morning and in the evening? Why do you throw it away just when Xu Zhen is coming to worship Buddha? The lamas discussed this a lot, and the public also had various suspicions. What is particularly suspicious is that after the Golden Buddha was stolen, the two envoys sent by Xu Zhen to deliver the offerings never showed up again. Legend has it that they died of a sudden illness. In the ten days after the Golden Buddha was stolen, two fires broke out in Shisheng Temple, destroying the warehouse, mountain gate and archway. However, the Kuomintang authorities did not investigate.
A series of mysteries point to Xu Zhen, but people are only suspicious and can only talk behind his back. Who dares to investigate the provincial chairman?
At the end of 1948, the People's Liberation Army wiped out the Kuomintang troops in Northeast China. Xu Zhen fled to Taiwan by boat with all his property. Due to the serious overloading of the ship, the ship sank in the wind when it was sailing to the East China Sea.
If Xu Zhen is really the thief of the Mahakara Golden Buddha, then the Mahakara Golden Buddha will definitely sink into the sea with Xu Zhen.
However, this is just speculation and there is no evidence. Therefore, where the Mahakala Golden Buddha is now is still a mystery.
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