Lezhi Baoguo Temple 1-Buddha in the Stone

After more than an hour's drive from Suining, I arrived at Lezhi County, Ziyang. My first stop was Lezhi Baoguo Temple. This ancient temple can be traced back to the Sui Dynasty. It has a history of thousands of years and has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. Baoguo Temple is still more than 20 kilometers away from the county seat. It is located in the middle of the rice fields of Baoguo Temple Village, Longmen Township. The temple is open to the public free of charge. There is a parking lot built by villagers nearby. On this sunny day, the red courtyard wall of Baoguo Temple is matched with the golden rice fields. There are ducks and geese playing freely in the fields. The background is the blue sky and the green mountains, forming a harmonious and tranquil rural picture. Baoguo Temple is a key cultural relic protection site in Sichuan Province. On the huge rock in the temple is still preserved a stone tablet with the words "Key Cultural Relic Protection Site of Neijiang City". This tablet contains the story of the founding of Ziyang City, which I will not go into details here. Baoguo Temple has a total of "three wonders", one of which is also the biggest attraction is the cliff carvings here, which form a wonder of "Buddha in the stone, stone in the tree". The huge rocks outside Baoguo Temple have been through many dynasties. There are more than 500 Buddha statues in total. All the stone carvings here have been repainted with gold. They do not look as simple as the Anyue stone carvings, but there are many skilled ones. As time goes by, the roots of the trees growing on the boulders gradually grow and wrap the Buddha statues, forming a natural shrine. However, it has always been a mystery whether the tree or the Buddha came first. Even "Science Approaches" has explored related issues, but unsurprisingly, no conclusion can be drawn. The second of the "three wonders" is the Ming Dynasty stone coffin here. There are many huge stones outside Baoguo Temple that have been hollowed out to make stone coffins. This is a very unique funeral custom. The inscription on one of the stone coffins proves that it was built during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty. Its hollow carved stone flower crown is very exquisite. According to the Lezhi County Chronicles, this was a cemetery a long time ago and an imperial aunt was buried here. The last of the "Three Wonders" is the Jade Buddha. There is a towering Peace Pagoda in Baoguo Temple, in which are placed 33 Burmese Jade Buddhas invited by Baoguo Temple. The largest one is 4.13 meters high and weighs more than 10 tons, which has become a rare sight. Baoguo Temple is usually sparsely populated with tourists. The temple is simple and quiet. Only during holidays can you feel the strong incense here. Although it is simple, Baoguo Temple is definitely a temple that keeps pace with the times. There are not only many young volunteers working in the temple, but also a newly built nursing home. Practitioners from all over the country live, study, and meditate here. The Buddhist hall is surrounded by glass floor-to-ceiling windows, which looks spacious and bright. Although I haven't experienced it myself, I am sure that this is an excellent place for meditation. Baoguo Temple is built on the mountain. The temple is covered with dense vegetation and has a large lotus pond. The environment is very beautiful. The temple is large and it takes more than an hour to visit. It is one of the few scenic spots in Ziyang that is worth visiting.