Located in Ningbo, Zhejiang, Xuedou Mountain is a famous Buddhist mountain with a long history and profound cultural heritage. It is the fundamental temple of Maitreya Buddha. It is known as the No. 1 mountain in Siming and is known as "Penglai on the sea and Tiantai on the land"

Xuedo Mountain is located in Ningbo, Zhejiang. It is a famous Buddhist mountain with a long history and profound cultural heritage. It is the fundamental temple of Maitreya Buddha . It is known as the No. 1 mountain in Siming and is known as "Penglai on the sea and Tiantai on the land". The main existing temples include Xue Dou Temple , which was founded in the Jin Dynasty and has a history of more than 1,700 years. During the Tang and Song dynasties, it has been successively issued 41 imperial edicts from several generations of emperors. There are 5,760 classics "gived dragon treasure" in the temple, including jade seals, dragon robes, dragon bowls, jade Buddha and other cultural relics, including the plaque " Xue Dou Zisheng Zen Temple " issued by Song Lizong, and the imperial letter of Song Mingshan.

Distance Vision of Xuedou Mountain, Xuedou Temple is located in the heart of the mountain, Xuedou Mountain Xiujia Siming

Xuedu Mountain Maitreya Buddha, Maitreya Bodhisattva Temple, the human world Maitreya

Xuedu Mountain Zisheng Zen Temple, Maitreya Yingji Scenic Site

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Maitreya Buddha was born in the Brahmin family in southern India. He followed Sakyamuni Buddha to become a Buddhist disciple, and was the Bodhisattva who entered the end of the Buddha's life to replenish the Buddha. He was the successor of the Buddha. He will be born in the Saha world in the future and become a future Buddha. In Indian Buddhism, Maitreya Buddha is the solemn appearance of the Heavenly Crown Bodhisattva, while Maitreya Buddha in Chinese temples looks like a smiling monk carrying a bag with a breast and a belly exposed. The image of Maitreya Buddha in Chinese Buddhism comes from bag monk .

Budai monk, whose name is Qizhi, is called Changtingzi , Five Dynasties , Mingzhou Fenghua (Ningbo, Zhejiang) during the Later Liang period, he was orphan. He was adopted by Changting farmers at the age of 8, and later entered Daqiao Yuelin Temple to become a monk. He had a big head and a bulge of belly, spoke indecisively, and slept everywhere. He often kept a bun bag and begged for alms in all directions. He was called the Budai Monk. He smiles openly, is generous and likes to make good friends, is crazy, is humorous, is optimistic and tolerant, and shows his Zen ability everywhere, and is highly respected and loved by people. In the second year of Zhenming of Later Liang (916), he was silent on a stone bench under the east wing of Yuelin Temple in Fenghua. He left a verse of death saying, "Maitreya is truly Maitreya, with a million clones, and it is always shown to the people of the times, but people of the times do not recognize it." The verse was peaceful and transformed, so it was passed down as the incarnation of Maitreya Bodhisattva. After the monk Budai passed away, he was buried in Fengshan Temple.

In the first year of Yuanfu (1098), Emperor Zhezong gave the title of Budai Monk as Master Dingying. In the third year of Chongning in the Northern Song Dynasty (1104), when Yuelin Temple presided over the construction of the pavilion, it placed a statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva in the temple. Song Weizong gave the pavilion name Chongning . From then on, the temples in the world began to worship monk Budai. The Budai monk Maitreya is a bald monk with his ears hanging down his shoulders, his face full of smiles, his mouth wide open, he is wearing a cassock, his chest and abdomen exposed, he presses a large pocket with one hand, and a string of Buddhist beads in the other hand. When people see this image, they are often infected by his open smile and forget their own troubles.

Heavenly Crown Maitreya Bodhisattva, sitting in a slum, wearing a crown of five Buddhas, and making preaching seals with both hands

Chinese Maitreya Buddha statue, with a chest exposed and abdomen exposed, and a smile always open

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Xuedo Mountain Heart Xuedou Temple was founded in the Jin Dynasty, and it was prosperous in the Tang Dynasty , and it flourished in the Song Dynasty. It has a history of 1,700 years. It was ranked one of the world's Zen temples " Five Mountains and Ten Shas " during the Song Dynasty. It was one of the "Ten Zen temples and Five Courts in the World" during the Ming Dynasty, and it occupies an important position in the history of Buddhism.

Xuedo Mountain is the current site built in the first year of Huichang in the Tang Dynasty. During the Jingfu period (892-893), the fifth generation of Zen Master Changtong served as the abbot of Xuedu Temple and repaired the hall. He obtained the governor Shitian for 1,300 acres to support the monks. Later generations often became the first ancestor of Xuedou Zen Temple. After the destruction of the Tang Dynasty, many famous monks came to Xuedou Mountain to preside over the temple affairs. Zen Fayan Sect Third Patriarch, Pure Land Sect Sixth Patriarch Perception Yanshou Zen Master, Yunmen Sect Fourth generation Fasun, and Zhimen Zhongxing Zen Master Mingjue Chongxian successively presided over the Xuedou Temple, making the Xuedou Temple at its peak and reach its peak. After years of renovation and expansion, Xuedou Temple is now a grand scale, with a deep Buddhist palace, covering an area of ​​nearly 20,000 square meters. It advances from outside according to the central axis, and is the mountain gate, the Heavenly King Hall, the Maitreya Hall, the Great Hall, and the Dharma Hall. Among them, the Maitreya Hall is an original Buddhist statue, which is for the statue of Budai monk, five meters high, and is sitting upright on the Sumeru pedestal of the Diced Jiulong Kingdom in Qingtian. There are thousands of small statues of Maitreya with different shapes on both sides, which are unique and refreshing.

Yuelin Temple is located 20 kilometers east of Xuedou Mountain. It was the place where Maitreya incarnated as a monk Budai and passed away. It was built in the second year of Datong, Liang (536). It was built on behalf of monks. It was a grand and majestic building with unique characteristics of the Maitreya Dojo. After the Heavenly King Hall and the Great Hall, it is Chongning Pavilion, which worships the Maitreya Buddha. Then there is the Tushita Palace, the birthplace of Maitreya Buddha. The image of Maitreya Buddha occupies a major position among the halls, pagoda palaces and pavilions in the temple, showing the unique atmosphere of the Maitreya Dojo. The most famous historical site of Yuelin Temple is Fengshan Zhongta, which is the burial place of Budai Monk. In the third year of Chongning, Monk Tan Zhen began to build the Zhongta Pagoda to build the Buddhist pavilion. Later Qing Kangxi , Tongzhi , etc. were renovated and expanded, making the Zhongta reach an excellent period.

Xuedou Temple Panorama

Xuedou Temple, the ancient temple of the Jin Dynasty

Xuedou Temple Heavenly King Hall

Yuelin Temple, the monk Budai was ordained and passed away

imperial plaque

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Zhejiang Xuedou Mountain was called Chinese Buddhist five famous mountains, and Xuedou Mountain Maitreya Buddhist College was established. The scale and grand occasion of Xuedou Temple are now more than any period in history.

In 1994, Xuedou Mountain was announced as a national key scenic spot by the State Council.

In 2010, it was rated as a national 5A-level tourist attraction.

In 2011, the legend of Budai Monk was included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

Xue Doushan March 3rd ritual activity

Xue Doushan ritual activity

(Picture source from the Internet, infringement joint delete)