No. 101: Qianyuan Temple, Qianshan County, Anhui

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on June 23, 2014.)

This pagoda (塔) holds the remains of the Third Patriarch (三祖)
of Chan (Zen=禅) at Qingyuan Temple (乾元寺), also called Third
Patriarch's Temple (三祖寺), in Qianshan County, Anhui (安徽, 潜山县).

June 26, 2012 - To reach Sanzu Temple--the next on my list--I first had to take a bus from Anqing to the county town of Qianshan, the gateway to the spectacular Tianzhu Shan ("Pillars of Heaven") Scenic Area. From there a local bus took me to the temple at the foot of the mountain.

EXTRA: Erzu Temple, Yuexi County, Anhui

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on June 30, 2014.)

Erzu (Second Patriarch's) Temple (二祖寺) in Yuexi County,
Anhui (安徽, 岳西县), is one of the most remote I've been to.
It sits at the foot of Sikong Mountain (司空山).

June 28, 2012 - The temple I wrote about last time--Qianyuan (Sanzu) Temple--was a little tough to reach, but I made it there and back with no problem.

Not so this week's temple!

EXTRA: Dajian Temple, Shaoguan, Guangdong

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on July 14, 2014.)

These ancient trees are all that remain of the former Dajian Temple (大鉴寺) in Shaoguan, Guangdong,
(广东, 韶关市) where the Sixth Patriarch (六祖) of Chan (Zen = 禅) is said to have delivered the
Platform Sutra (坛经). Small halls in front seem to have been created from an apartment building.

July 22, 2012 - With this week's article, we return closer to home. I took the (then-new) fast train up to Shaoguan, where I began exploring sites from the life of Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Chan.

No. 103: Nanhua Temple, Shaoguan, Guangdong

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on July 28, 2014.)

The Nine Dragon Spring (九龙泉) at Nanhua Temple (南华寺)
in Shaoguan, Guangdong (广东, 韶关市). Legend says it was
created when the Sixth Patriarch (六祖) of Chan (Zen = 禅)
tapped the ground nine times with his staff; nine dragons
flew out of the ground and the spring began to run.

July 24, 2012 - My next stop, the day after visiting Yunmen Temple, was by far the most famous Buddhist temple in southern China. Its very name, Nanhua Si, means "The Temple of South China."

EXTRA: Gufo Dongtian, Lechang, Guangdong

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on August 11, 2014.)

This cave (洞) at "Old Buddha Cave Heaven" (古佛洞天) near Lechang,
Guangdong (广东, 乐昌市), was once a place for meditation (禅).

July 26, 2012 - The day after I saw Zhaoyin Temple at the Maba Man site, I took a long bus ride the other way--north of Shaoguan--to Lechang and another site that some scholars associate with Huineng, the famous Sixth Patriarch of Chan (Zen).

EXTRA: Mei'an, Zhaoqing, Guangdong

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on August 18, 2014.)

This ancient plum tree at Mei An (Nunnery) in Zhaoqing, Guangdong (广东, 肇庆市), is descended
from one said to have been planted by the Sixth Patriarch (六祖) of Chan (Zen = 禅).

July 27, 2012 - The morning after my trip to Gufo Dongtian ("Old Buddha Cave Heaven"), I left Shaoguan on my way to Xinxing, near the birth and death place of Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Chan (Zen). The journey between Shaoguan and Xinxing was one that Huineng made many times, and I would visit some of his stopping places along the way.

No. 108: Wuzu Temple, Huangmei, Hubei

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on September 29, 2014.)

This is the stupa (塔) of the Fifth Patriarch (五祖) of Chan (Zen = 禅), on the
mountain behind Wuzu Temple (五祖寺), Huangmei, Hubei (湖北, 黄梅县).

August 7, 2012 - In July of 2012, I had visited most of the important sites in the life of Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Chan (Zen). I had been to Xinxing, where he was born and died, and where his parents were buried. I went to Dajian Temple in Shaoguan, where he preached the Platform Sutra, and to Nanhua Temple near the same city, where he taught for many years, and where his effigy remained. I also had visited smaller sites rumored to have been places where he meditated. Even before that, I had been to Guangxiao Temple in Guangzhou, where he had actually been ordained.

EXTRA: Youmin Temple, Nanchang, Jiangxi

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on October 27, 2014.)

Courtyard (院) at Youmin Temple (佑民寺) in Nanchang, Jiangxi
(江西, 南昌市), the final home of Mazu Daoyi (马祖道一)

August 9, 2012 - No temples from my list were located in Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province; but it was a good staging point for trips to two more remote temples: Zhenru, which I visited the next day, and Jingju, where I went the day after. Besides, there was a temple of historical significance located there.

No. 63: The Pagodas of Zhengding, Hebei

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on July 8, 2013.)

This pagoda (塔) at Linji Temple (临济寺), Zhengding, Hebei (河北, 正定县), holds
the remains of Linji (临济), founder of the Linji sect (临济宗) of Chan (=Zen, 禅).

August 30, 2011 - I took an expensive taxi the 20 kilometers from Shijiazhuang to Zhengding. With city walls dating back to 352 A.D., Zhengding had been an important religious and administrative center for over a thousand years.