Jinshan Temple

Jinshan Temple has been destroyed and rebuilt seven times in history. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, a high monk named Pei Toutuo, who is the famous monk Fahai, came to the temple. In the third year of the Dazhong era of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (849 AD), the prince was suffering from a serious illness that could not be cured by medicine. Pei Xiu, the prime minister at that time, donated funds to build the Mi Yin Temple (located within the territory of Ningxiang County, Hunan Province), and sent his own son Pei Wende to become a monk in place of the prince to practice and dispel the disaster. Pei Wende became a disciple under the founder of the Zen Weiyang sect and the abbot of Mi Yin Temple, Master Lingyu, who gave Pei Wende the Dharma name 'Fahai'. Later, Master Fahai traveled around the world and came to a desolate forest on Mount Fu in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, where he practiced Zen meditation. The local believers told Fahai that this place was once the ancient Ze Xin Temple from the Jin Dynasty. Fahai found the remnants of Buddha statues in the desolate forest, felt a spiritual response, and vowed in front of the Buddha to restore the ancient temple by burning a section of his finger as a pledge. While opening the mountain and digging fields, Fahai accidentally unearthed a batch of gold and handed it over to the then governor of Runzhou, Li Qi. Li Qi reported this to Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Xuanzong was deeply moved and decreed that the gold be given directly to Fahai as an imperial provision for the construction of the temple, and ordered the Ze Xin Temple to be renamed 'Jinshan Temple'. Fahai was honored as the 'founding patriarch Pei' of Jinshan Temple.