The world’s largest Maitreya Golden Buddha is enshrined on Mount Fanjing. Fanjing Mountain is a millennium old Buddhist mountain in the southwestern region of China. During the Song Dynasty, Buddhism was officially introduced to Mount Fanjing. In the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, Xiyan Temple (now a suburb of Yinjiang County), one of the earliest temples in Guizhou Province, was built in Siqiong County on the western foot of the mountain. The “Yinjiang County Annals” states: “Xiyan Temple… was built during the Song Dynasty.” The “Sinan Prefecture Annals” states: “Xiyan Temple is located five miles west of Yinjiang County and was built during the Song Dynasty.” The “Overview of Guizhou Famous Historical Sites” states: “Xiyan Temple has temples and traces of the Song Dynasty.” Xiyan Temple was built in the third year of the Qiande reign of Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Northern Song Dynasty (965 AD) and has undergone multiple renovations throughout history. It was later destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and is an ancient temple with a history of 1000 years in Guizhou. It is actually the ancestral home of Buddhism on Mount Fanjing.
In the early Ming Dynasty, the Ming government mined cinnabar and gold mines in the Fanjing Mountain area and sent officials to supervise. Due to the magical scenery of Mount Fanjing, Buddhism flourished and became the “Pure Land of Brahma” that monks longed for. Therefore, it was officially named “Mount Fanjing” and referred to as “Great Foshan” among the people. In the early Ming Dynasty, besides the reconstruction of Xiyan Temple on Mount Fanjing, temples such as Tianma Temple were also built. In the eleventh year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1413), there was a war between the tusi of Sinan and Sizhou over the control of cinnabar. The Ming government changed the status of the land and established four prefectures, Sinan, Tongren, Songtao, and Shiqian, in the mountainous area around Fanjing Mountain. In the same year, Guizhou Province was officially established.
During the Ming Wanli period, two hundred years later, Mount Fanjing was known as a “historic mountain” due to its “ancient Buddhist temple”. Guizhou Governor Guo Zizhang (now from Jiangxi Province) wrote “Qian Ji” (1608), which recorded Fanjing Mountain as saying: “Fanjing Mountain is the first mountain in Guizhou, comparable to Tiantai.” After the failure of the anti Qing campaign by Zhejiang poet Xie Guogeng in the late Ming Dynasty, he retired to Fanjing Mountain and called himself “Tiantai Yiren”.
The Imperial Edict of Mount Fanjing bestows a monument
The full name of the “Imperial Gift Stele” is the “Preface Stele to the Reconstruction of the Golden Summit of Fanjing Mountain”. It was established by Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty and is located under the old golden roof of Fanjing Mountain. The stele is 2.9 meters high, 1.85 meters high at the center, and 1.51 meters wide. The two large characters “Imperial Gift” are vertically engraved on the top of the stele, and the left and right sides are decorated with dragon arch protection patterns and covered with colorful clouds. The inscription is in regular script, with a total of 1349 words, including 838 words for the preface and 516 words for the appendix.
Huguo Temple
There have been many temples built throughout history, with hundreds of temples of various sizes. Among them, the Four Great Imperial Temples and the Forty Eight Foot Temples are the most famous. One of the Four Great Imperial Temples, the Huguo Temple, covers an area of 3000 square meters and its properties are spread over more than 30 miles around.
The Shakyamuni and Maitreya Halls are located on a golden roof and were first built during the Ming Dynasty. To the left is the Shakyamuni Hall, to the right is the Maitreya Hall, and to the center is the Golden Knife Gorge. A pedestrian bridge spans across the gorge to connect the two halls. Behind the temple, there are two giant stones, one for sun drying scriptures and one for preaching.
Chengen Temple
The architecture of Cheng’en Temple is located at the top of Fanjing Mountain, overlooking a deep valley of over 1000 meters. Looking around, one can see a hundred miles of wind and clouds, which is very spectacular. Cheng’en Temple (commonly known as Shangcha Temple) is located on the left side of the Golden Summit, with three main halls and a gate inscribed with the words “Imperial Edict to Cheng’en Temple”. There are eight side halls on both sides, with only some remaining walls. The total construction area covers 1250 square meters. Zhenguo Temple (commonly known as Xiachadian) is located below Cheng’en Temple and was first built in the Ming Dynasty. It collapsed in the 1950s. There are many ancient temples in Jinding, and there are still many ruins such as Huixiangping, Laojinding, and Yuantong Hall.
Buddha’s Light Phantom
Before 9am or after 4pm on the first sunny days after rain, colorful halos appear in the clouds and mist opposite the sun, with human shadows embedded in them. On a night illuminated by flames, in thick fog, there may be projections that are tens of times taller than humans, known as phantoms.
MAITREYA
Maitreya sitting statue: Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, the legend of Maitreya and Mount Fanjing has been widely circulated among the local people. The ancients built two halls, Shakyamuni and Maitreya, on the peak of the New Golden Summit as the highest symbols of Buddhism on Mount Fanjing. In the Ming Dynasty’s “Imperial Edict to Grant Steles,” there is a special record of Maitreya and Mount Fanjing, and it is referred to as the “Boundless Dharma Realm and the Heavenly Palace of Bliss. The Maitreya Dojo on Mount Fanjing is confirmed by its magical natural scenery. Near the New and Old Golden Peaks, wonderful “Buddha’s Light” and “Illusions” can often be seen. The ancients believed that “Buddha’s Light” and “Illusions” were the “Maitreya Manifestations”. From the “Buddha Worship Terrace” on the ancient mountain road facing the West Road, Fanjing Mountain presents a scene of three Maitreya statues standing side by side: the old golden roof is the Maitreya sitting statue, the new golden roof is the golden monkey worshiping Maitreya statue, and the three main peaks are connected by the Maitreya lying statue that is tens of thousands of meters long.
