Not to be confused with Shandan Great Buddha Temple.
The Dafo Temple or Great Buddha Temple (Chinese: 大佛寺; pinyin: Dàfó Sì) is a Buddhist temple in Zhangye, Gansu, China, notable for its gigantic reclining Buddha statue made around 1100 during the Western Xia period, which is thirty-five metres long. After a restoration project in 2005–06, the Temple now attracts thousands of visitors. It has had several names over the centuries, including the "Kasyapa Buddha Temple" (迦叶如来寺), the "Bojue Temple" (宝觉寺), the "Hongren Temple" (宏仁寺), and the "Reclining Buddha Temple" (卧佛寺). The present name of "Dafo" means "Great Buddha".[1]
The temple was built around the beginning of the 12th century, during the Western Xia (1038–1227) period. In 1028, the Tibeto-Burman speakingTangut people took over Zhangye (then known as Ganzhou) from the Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom. A few years later they founded the Western Xia and controlled the entirety of the Hexi Corridor. To strengthen their hold over the area, the Xia built temples and ordered the translation of the Buddhist scriptures. They were especially strong during the reign of the Emperor Chongzong of Western Xia (1086–1139), and the Dafo Temple dates from this time.[2]
The history of the temple relates that in 1098, a monk called Sineng Weimie had seen numinous lights and heard heavenly sounds coming from a nearby hill at the foot of a mountain. Investigating the area, Sineng unearthed a hoard which included a reclining Buddha statue and set out to build a great temple in honour of the image, which he believed had been revealed by divine favour.[2] The nirvana image in the temple has a long history of patrons and visitors and has been protected for centuries by its Buddhist monks, but it has also suffered from decay and restoration. Protecting it was most difficult during the Cultural Revolution.[2]
There is a story that Kublai Khan (1215–1294) was born in the temple, while his mother was living there, and another that Bing, the last Song dynasty (960–1279) emperor, was exiled to Zhangye and became a monk in the temple. However, Ruth W. Dunnell has reported that she has been unable to find evidence to support either of these claims. She notes that they "illustrate the accretion of legend around this particular Buddhist site".[3]
The Hall of Scriptures has a double wall behind it and is forty metres long, twenty metres high. In 1996 the temple was added to the list of major national historical and cultural sites and the Beijing Review reported that 6,000 volumes of ancient Buddhist scriptures survived in the temple.[4]
In 2005, the temple was reinstated as a place of worship, and the next year it was re-opened after a major restoration which aimed to promote it as a tourist attraction. On 1 July 2006, dozens of Buddhist masters blessed a large crowd which attended, in the largest gathering seen at the temple for more than a hundred years.[2]
The statue and its halledit
The hall with reclining Buddha
The temple's huge statue is made of clay on a wooden frame and depicts the Gautama Buddha's attainment of nirvana, with his ten disciples standing behind him. It is largely unaltered since the time of the Western Xia (1038–1227). With a length of some 35 metres (115 ft), Ruth W. Dunnell has described it as "the largest reclining clay Buddha statue in China".[5][6]
The hall which contains the Buddha is 48 metres (157 ft) long and 24 metres (79 ft) wide, with a height of 33 metres (108 ft). It has a Qing dynasty (1644–1911) mural and is one of the few wooden structures of its period which survive.[7] The mural tells the story of Xuanzang and his followers, showing Xuanzang riding on a horse and the monkey king Sun Wukong kneeling on the ground.[8][6]
^Damian Harper, Chung Wah Chow, David Eimer, Carolyn B. Heller, Thomas Huhti, China (Lonely Planet, 2009), p. 861
^Dust in the Wind: Retracing Dharma Master Xuanzang's Western Pilgrimage (Rhythms Monthly, 2006), p. 23
Bibliographyedit
Zi Yan (2012). Famous Temples in China (in English and Chinese). Hefei, Anhui: Huangshan Publishing House. pp. 54–57. ISBN978-7-5461-3146-7.
External linksedit
Official website(in Chinese)
Dafo Monastery in Zhangye, Architectura Sinica Site Archive
November 23, 2023
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Not to be confused with Shandan Great Buddha Temple The Dafo Temple or Great Buddha Temple Chinese 大佛寺 pinyin Dafo Si is a Buddhist temple in Zhangye Gansu China notable for its gigantic reclining Buddha statue made around 1100 during the Western Xia period which is thirty five metres long After a restoration project in 2005 06 the Temple now attracts thousands of visitors It has had several names over the centuries including the Kasyapa Buddha Temple 迦叶如来寺 the Bojue Temple 宝觉寺 the Hongren Temple 宏仁寺 and the Reclining Buddha Temple 卧佛寺 The present name of Dafo means Great Buddha 1 Dafo Temple大佛寺The reclining Buddha statue ReligionAffiliationBuddhismLocationLocationZhangye GansuCountryChinaShown within GansuShow map of GansuDafo Temple Zhangye China Show map of ChinaGeographic coordinates38 55 48 N 100 27 15 E 38 9300 N 100 4542 E 38 9300 100 4542ArchitectureStyleChinese architectureDate established1098Websitewww wbr zydfs wbr com Contents 1 History 2 The statue and its hall 3 See also 4 References 4 1 Bibliography 5 External linksHistory edit nbsp External view of the templeThe temple was built around the beginning of the 12th century during the Western Xia 1038 1227 period In 1028 the Tibeto Burman speaking Tangut people took over Zhangye then known as Ganzhou from the Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom A few years later they founded the Western Xia and controlled the entirety of the Hexi Corridor To strengthen their hold over the area the Xia built temples and ordered the translation of the Buddhist scriptures They were especially strong during the reign of the Emperor Chongzong of Western Xia 1086 1139 and the Dafo Temple dates from this time 2 The history of the temple relates that in 1098 a monk called Sineng Weimie had seen numinous lights and heard heavenly sounds coming from a nearby hill at the foot of a mountain Investigating the area Sineng unearthed a hoard which included a reclining Buddha statue and set out to build a great temple in honour of the image which he believed had been revealed by divine favour 2 The nirvana image in the temple has a long history of patrons and visitors and has been protected for centuries by its Buddhist monks but it has also suffered from decay and restoration Protecting it was most difficult during the Cultural Revolution 2 There is a story that Kublai Khan 1215 1294 was born in the temple while his mother was living there and another that Bing the last Song dynasty 960 1279 emperor was exiled to Zhangye and became a monk in the temple However Ruth W Dunnell has reported that she has been unable to find evidence to support either of these claims She notes that they illustrate the accretion of legend around this particular Buddhist site 3 The Hall of Scriptures has a double wall behind it and is forty metres long twenty metres high In 1996 the temple was added to the list of major national historical and cultural sites and the Beijing Review reported that 6 000 volumes of ancient Buddhist scriptures survived in the temple 4 In 2005 the temple was reinstated as a place of worship and the next year it was re opened after a major restoration which aimed to promote it as a tourist attraction On 1 July 2006 dozens of Buddhist masters blessed a large crowd which attended in the largest gathering seen at the temple for more than a hundred years 2 The statue and its hall edit nbsp The hall with reclining BuddhaThe temple s huge statue is made of clay on a wooden frame and depicts the Gautama Buddha s attainment of nirvana with his ten disciples standing behind him It is largely unaltered since the time of the Western Xia 1038 1227 With a length of some 35 metres 115 ft Ruth W Dunnell has described it as the largest reclining clay Buddha statue in China 5 6 The hall which contains the Buddha is 48 metres 157 ft long and 24 metres 79 ft wide with a height of 33 metres 108 ft It has a Qing dynasty 1644 1911 mural and is one of the few wooden structures of its period which survive 7 The mural tells the story of Xuanzang and his followers showing Xuanzang riding on a horse and the monkey king Sun Wukong kneeling on the ground 8 6 See also editDafo Temple Xinchang Leshan Giant BuddhaReferences edit Zi Yan 2012 p 72 a b c d Sonya S Lee Surviving Nirvana Death of the Buddha in Chinese Visual Culture Hong Kong University Press 2010 p 265 Dunnell 1996 p 82 Beijing Review Volume 39 1996 p 29 Ruth W Dunnell The Great State of White and High Buddhism and State Formation in Eleventh Century Xia University of Hawaii Press 1996 p 78 a b Zi Yan 2012 p 72 75 Damian Harper Chung Wah Chow David Eimer Carolyn B Heller Thomas Huhti China Lonely Planet 2009 p 861 Dust in the Wind Retracing Dharma Master Xuanzang s Western Pilgrimage Rhythms Monthly 2006 p 23 Bibliography edit Zi Yan 2012 Famous Temples in China in English and Chinese Hefei Anhui Huangshan Publishing House pp 54 57 ISBN 978 7 5461 3146 7 External links editOfficial website in Chinese Dafo Monastery in Zhangye Architectura Sinica Site Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dafo Temple Zhangye amp oldid 1179552903, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
