Southwest Buddhist Zen Ancestral Temple - Chongqing Shuanggui Hall

Shuanggui Hall, located in Wanzhu Mountain, Jindai Street, Liangping District, Chongqing, is not only a renowned Buddhist sanctuary in Southwest China but also a cultural relic steeped in history, attracting numerous devotees and tourists seeking exploration. Shuanggui Hall was founded in the 10th year of the Shunzhi reign (1653) during the Qing Dynasty, under the leadership of Zen Master Poshan Haiming. Over two centuries of continuous construction, supported by successive Qing emperors, led to its flourishing development. During the Republic of China era, it was acclaimed as the "Foremost Forest of Southwest Buddhism," and in 1983, it was designated by the State Council as a "National Key Temple in Han Areas." The temple spans over 160 acres, with a meticulously organized architectural layout. Seven main halls, including the Guan Sheng Hall, Maitreya Hall, and Mahavira Hall, are arranged along the central axis, aligned from front to back and from low to high, presenting a symmetrical and balanced structure. The guest hall and monk quarters are situated on either side of the central axis, interspersed with courtyards and open spaces. Connecting corridors and winding paths further enhance the grandeur of this palace-style architectural complex. Among these, the Mahavira Hall stands as the most iconic structure of Shuanggui Hall. Featuring a three-tiered green tile design, it exemplifies the typical palace-style architecture, with a total height of 16 meters. Inside, 52 stone pillars, each carved from a single piece of stone and over 11 meters tall, showcase its majestic presence. The hall is adorned with numerous plaques, couplets, and intricately crafted stone reliefs, reflecting exquisite craftsmanship in every detail. As the ancestral temple of Southwest Buddhist Zen, Shuanggui Hall has nurtured disciples of the Shuanggui lineage across various regions, producing generations of eminent monks and masters. Its founder, Zen Master Poshan Haiming, is revered as the "Ancient Buddha Reborn," while the tenth abbot, Zhuchan, gained fame for transmitting precepts to Empress Dowager Cixi and creating paintings. The temple also houses 237 cultural relics, including the Qing Emperor Yongzheng's imperial gift of the "Tripitaka" and the 11th-century Sanskrit manuscript "Palm-leaf Sutra," both rare treasures of the world. Originally named Fuguo Temple, Shuanggui Hall was later renamed due to the presence of two osmanthus trees within its grounds. During the construction of the Relic Hall in the 10th year of the Xianfeng reign, workers unearthed a golden belt, earning the temple the nickname "Golden Belt Temple." Legend has it that the two osmanthus trees were brought by Zen Master Poshan Haiming from Tiantong Temple in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, and the place where the trees took root became the chosen site for Shuanggui Hall.