Guangxiao Temple｜The legend hidden under the yellow flower bell

🏵️🏵️🏵️ It has been a while since I came to Guangxiao Temple. I am used to the "Zen room surrounded by flowers and trees" here, but I was shocked by the sudden bustling crowd. In the past, temples would only be so lively on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, or on the birthdays of Guanyin and ancestors, or when eminent monks presided over water and land ceremonies. The reason turned out to be that a group of yellow trumpet trees newly transplanted to the temple were in full bloom in the spring, attracting a large number of fans who had come to the temple upon hearing the news, adding a bit of bustle to this thousand-year-old temple. Buddhism emphasizes opening the door to goodness and saving all living beings. Zen Buddhism, in particular, which integrates Confucianism, advocates that everyone should be kind. Once they have an epiphany, they can turn back and become Buddhas right away. Therefore, we are more tolerant towards people who come to appreciate the flowers rather than worship Buddha. However, in my opinion, compared with the legendary "treasures" worth exploring in "Guangxiao Temple", the now popular Huanghualing can only be ranked outside the top ten at most. Therefore, when you come to Guangxiao, don’t just chase after the short-lived yellow flower bells and miss out on the thousand-year-old treasure of wisdom hidden deep in the Zen forest. 🧧Practical tips 🌸【Guangxiao existed before Guangzhou】: The history of Guangxiao Temple (Eastern Jin Dynasty) is much earlier than the Guangzhou legend (Song Dynasty, Wuxian Temple). In the past, this was a proverb passed down orally that only the local Cantonese people understood. This is the ancestral temple of the first and sixth patriarchs of Zen Buddhism, and therefore attracts many believers from Japan and South Korea who come from thousands of miles away to worship. 🌸【Washing Bowl Spring】: It is said that it was dug by Bodhidharma when he came here from ancient India to practice. The Sixth Patriarch Huineng washed his bowl here. 🌸【Bodhi tree】: The Bodhi tree mentioned in the saying “Bodhi is not a tree, nor is a mirror a stand; originally there is nothing, so where can dust gather?” is the one in Guangxiao Temple. 🌸【Hair Burying Pagoda】: This is a brick pagoda from the Tang Dynasty that imitates a pavilion style. It is octagonal, has seven floors and is 7.8 meters high. It is the place where the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, who grew his hair to become a fire monk to avoid disaster, was discovered by the host master, and buried his hair after he shaved his head and took the precepts again. It is also one of the most important sacred objects in Zen Buddhism. 🌸【Wind Banner Pavilion】: The Sixth Patriarch’s unintentional remark “It is not the wind that moves, nor the flag that moves, but the heart of the benevolent” not only became the “Wind Banner Debate” that influenced the history of Zen Buddhism, but also became the inspiration for Wang Yangming’s breakthrough in the philosophy of mind. 🌸【Terminalia chebula】: There is a thousand-year-old Terminalia chebula tree behind the Main Hall. According to historical records, it was planted by Yu Fan, the cavalry commander of the Wu State during the Three Kingdoms period. 🌸【Dabei Zhuang】: This stone sutra pillar, which records the stone sutra pillar made by people in the Tang Dynasty to commemorate their deceased brother, is a historical evidence of Guangxiao. 🌸【East and West Iron Towers】: A pair of Thousand Buddha Pagodas cast during the Southern Han Dynasty, one is well preserved, and the other has withstood the purgatory of thunder and fire. The story behind them is worth exploring. 🌸【Huayan Three Saints】: Different from other temples, the main hall here enshrines Tathagata Buddha, Manjusri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, collectively known as the "Huayan Three Saints". A large number of small Buddha statues and scriptures from the Tang Dynasty were found inside the Tathagata Buddha statue, and are now treasured in the museum. 🌸【Shifang Wooden Fish】: The wooden fish in front of the Patriarch Hall faces outwards (other temples mostly face inwards), highlighting the transcendent status of Guangxiao Temple as a "Shifang Monastery". 🌟There are many more legends, you can scan the code in the temple to learn about them... ………………………… 🏵️Guangxiao Temple Address: No. 109, Guangxiao Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou Ticket: 5 yuan (the temple provides incense for free, no need to bring your own) Opening hours: 7:30~17:00 Recommendation index🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 🚦Transportation strategy Metro🚇 Line 1, get off at "Ximenkou" station, walk for 10 minutes. Pu Shi | Locals take you on an in-depth tour of Guangzhou