Longchang si 隆昌寺

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Revision as of 21:07, 20 June 2010

Lóngchāng sì 隆昌寺 Location: Jiāngsū 江蘇, 30 km outside of Nánjīng 南京 on Bǎohuá Mountain 寶華山 Other names: * Qian1hua2 si4 千華寺 Qian1hua2 she3 千華社

First Founded 502 (Tiānjiān 天堅 1)

Lineage: Vinaya 律宗 Status: Public (十方叢林)

Institution section editor: Erik Hammerstrom

Lóngchāng sì 隆昌寺 is perhaps the most important center for Vinaya 律 training in China.

Contents 1 History 2 Personnel 2.1 Important Abbots 2.2 Notable Residents 3 Temple Institution 3.1 Important Buildings or Artifacts 3.2 Associated Organizations and Groups 4 Notes 5 References

History

This is the largest temple on Bǎohuá Mountain 寶華山 and the two are often viewed as synonymous. The temple was founded during the Liáng 梁 Dynasty, in 502 (Tiānjiān 天堅 1). It received its current name from Emperor Shénzōng 神宗 of the Míng 明 in 1605 (Wànlì 萬曆 33). From the Míng onward, this temple has maintained the largest ordination platform in China.^[1]

During the early 20th century, training and ordination at this temple were felt to be especially rigorous, and accorded the ordinand something of an elite status among Chinese monks.^[2]

Throughout much of the 20th century, this temple was the site of the largest and most frequent monastic ordination. It has once again assumed this status, having been officially re-opened in April, 1983.

Personnel

Important Abbots

Notable Residents

Temple Institution

Important Buildings or Artifacts

Associated Organizations and Groups

Notes

1. ↑ This page on the Temple's website claims that since that dynasty, 70% of all Chinese monastics have been ordained here.
2. ↑ The ordination process as it was carried out in the 1940s is outlined in Chen-hua, In Search of the Dharma: memoirs of a Modern Chinese Pilgrim (Albany: SUNY Press, 1992).

References

• 寶華山志 (Shì Shèngxíng 釋聖性, Qiánlóng 乾隆 1785~1795) from Dharma Drum's Temple Gazetteer Project.
• Official Chinese website for the temple.