Draft:Guangde Monastery

Guangde Monastery was built in the early Tang (early 7th century) with the name Shifo Monastery. Soon it became one of the most important Chan monasteries in South Western China. Famous abbots and resident monks in the pre-modern time include the Chan master Keyou (727-787), and his disciples the monks Yuanshan and Daoyuan (both in the Tang).^[2]

Throughout its history, Guangde Monastery received imperial patronage from several emperors, who granted it official titles and recognition during the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties. These endorsements contributed to its status as one of the earliest and most prominent royal temples associated with the worship of Guanyin (the Bodhisattva of Compassion), underscoring its cultural and religious significance in premodern China.

The Location of Guangde Monastery

From the late Qing and during the Republican period the monastery was run by Qingfu (1862-1940); Changnian (1908-1990) led the site during the Cultural Revolution and in its reopening afterwards; Haishan (1928-2013) is the last abbot that run the monastery into the 21st century. It hosted a Buddhist seminary, the Hongfa Buddhist Academy during the Republican period (1924-1945), which reopened in 1989 with the name Guangde Buddhist Academy.^[3]

Since 1985, when the Suining Municipal Government—approved by the People’s Government of Sichuan Province—designated it as an open temple, Guangde Monastery has undergone more than a decade of repairs, renovations, and expansions that significantly transformed its appearance. On 16 September 1996, it was designated as part of the fourth batch of Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units in Sichuan Province.^[4] On May 25, 2006, Guangde Temple was announced as part of the Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council of the People's Republic of China.^[5] Today, the temple attracts large numbers of pilgrims and tourists, receiving more than one million visitors annually.

Guanyin is the Chinese name for Avalokiteśvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, who has been worshiped throughout the Buddhist world.^[6] Guangde Monastery is famous as the one of the original places of Guanyin belief in China.

In Chinese legend, the princess Miaoshan defied her father by refusing to marry, and pursued her austere religious vocation to the death, but returned to life to be his saviour and the saviour of all mankind. The story is inseparable from the female bodhisattva Guanyin, whose cult dominated religious life at all levels in traditional China and is still powerful in rural China today.^[7]

According to temple records, local gazetteers, poems and songs, Miaoshan, who became to Guanyin at last was born in Suining. In Song Dynasty, the Chan master Keyou Wuzhu was defined as a Nirmāṇakāya of Guanyin. It is said that Song zhenzong, the emperor of Song Dynasty donated a jade seal to Guangde Monastery, which is seen as a further affirmation of the close connection between Guangde Monastery and Guanyin.

More recently, Guanyin has become a recurrent figure in the life of Qingfu, who was the abbot of Guangde Monastery during Republican era.^[2]

During the late Qing dynasty and the Republican Period, Suining Buddhism experienced an important phase of development that contained remarkable transformations, and the monk Qingfu (1862–1940) was initiator and leader for most of these. In the Republican era, Suining is where the monk Qingfu was institutionally based for most of his life. Qingfu, who has been labeled the Nirmāṇakāya of the young Sudhana and the return of the famous Tang-era monk Xuanzang (602–664), was active in Guangde Monastery.

Qingfu was the protagonist of Sangha education reforms, and he participated in the nation-wide movement at the beginning of the twentieth century that tried to change and improve the sangha’s study programs. He was also instrumental in the advancement of women and nuns’ condition and education.^[2]

Qingfu spent 29 years visiting major monasteries and sacred sites in China, and to India and other Buddhist areas in Asia such as Nepal, Bhutan, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Guangde Monastery is known for six important relics associated with its history and religious traditions. Among them is the Jewel Seal of Guanyin, which local tradition regards as a sacred object believed to bring blessings and protection.

Another notable feature is the Sacred Edict Arch, bearing an inscription attributed to the renowned calligrapher Yan Zhenqing, reflecting the temple’s historical connections with imperial patronage.

The Shanji Pagoda, a well-preserved example of architecture from the Song dynasty, also forms part of the monastery complex.

Other significant objects include the Myanmar Jade Buddha and the Nine Dragon Stele, both associated with the monastery’s longstanding Buddhist traditions.