Study Of Lingyan Temple's History In Shandong Province

Lots of inscriptions exist in Lingyan Temple located in Shandong Province.Less attention on them was in the field of Buddhist studies.Based on the inscriptions'photos,the author collected and collated materials by reference to rubbings in National Library of China and Institute for Research in Humanities of Kyoto University.Unscrambling these inscriptions,history of Lingyan Temple can be studied by the following stages:The first stage is the initiation of Lingyan Temple.It was rised and developed in Jin-Tang dynasty.At the first year of Huangshi(351A.D.)in the Former Qin dynasty,the monk Lang came into Jinyu valley of Mountain Tai.This indicated the beginning of Buddhism in Shandong Province.Lang Master Temple renamed Shentong Temple in Sui dynasty.There is a huge stone on Lingyan Mountain.The stone looks like an old monk holding khakkharam.The legend is "Lang Master expounds the sutras,even the stone nods.”In the inscription written by Liyong in Tang dynasty,Fading established Lingyan Temple between Jin and Song dynasty.Shenbao Temple behind Lingyan Mountain was set up by Ming Master on the first year of Zhengguang(520A.D.)in Northern Wei dynasty.Someone confused the ages of the two temples.Emperor Wen of the Sui dynasty ordered Huayang King as danapati to rebuilt Lingyan Temple.Lingyan Temple in Tang dynasty is prosperous.Huize's inscription on the fourth year of Chuigong(688A.D.)is the earliest extant relics in the temple.Xiangmo who is Shenxiu's disciple of the Northern Chan began to promote drinking tea.During emperor Wu of the Tang dynasty destroying Buddhism in Huichang,Lingyan Temple was in ruin on the foot of Fang Mountain and Zhengming Gongde shrine on the mountaintop was well.Conghui rebuilt the whole temple.Secondly,Lingyan Temple was Shifang system in Song-jin dynasty.In the early Song dynasty,it was Jiayi system,i.e.master hand the temple to his disciple such as from Zhiya to Yanxun,or Qionghuan to Chongjing.The following people copy it.During the year of Xining,Lingyan Temple changed into Shifang system.The abbot of temple could be from any sects or place.They should be appointed by emperor.Yongyi and Xingxiang ever held the post of abbot.The sixth year of Xining(1073A.D),Yangtian Yuan master of Yunmen sect was the first generation.Lingyan Temple began to implement generation-by-generation system.Huanglong sect of Linji dominated this period.Chongque Zhengjue was the disciple of Huanglong Huinan.The eighth generation Miaokong Jingru,the ninth generation Dingguang Daoxun,and the tenth generation Jizhao Fayun all belonged to Huanglong sect.The eleventh generation Darning Fabao's master was Qingzhou Xibian who was the sixteenth ancestor of Caodong sect.Then Caodong sect came into Lingyan Temple.Both the seventeenth generation Huicai and the eighteenth generation Pudi were Caodong sect.However,the twentieth generation Guangchen belonged to Linji sect.The third stage is Yuan dynasty when Caodong sect was the most prosperous.Wansong Xingxiu who had many disciples was attached importance to the Jin royal.Xueting Fuyu,Linquan Conglun,and Fuan Yuanzhao were all his disciples.Xueting created his own faction which had seventy generation names such as Fu Hui Zhi Zi Jue,and so on.We called it Xueting faction.The other disciples' generation names such as Zheng Si Wei Miao were the same in Yuan dynasty.This was Linquan faction.The two factions were in Lingyan Temple.They became different systems which could be named Zongtong.Monks' generation name in Zongtong was given at pravraj Monks disseminated his masters' dharma and open the court(??)in a new temple.His disciples' generation name depended on Fatong rather than Zongtong.Zongtong and Fatong were two important system of religious life.The last stage is Ming-Qing dynasty when Buddhist sects went downhill.At the end of Yuan dynasty,economy of temple was declining and Caodong sect was on the decline.Qiujiang Jie went on developing and expanding principles of Caodong sect.Xuexuan Daocheng was his disciple.Daocheng was thought highly of Emperors so as to Mozhao Chan was valued.Daocheng transmitted his dharma to Benkong Tongwu.Generation names of this faction were Zhi Li Miao Wu.We called it Qiujiang faction.At the same time,more and more directors of monks were in the temple.Monks who wandered from place to place were decreasing.Many monks of Lingyan Temple were born in near place.Buddhism and Confucianism mixed together than ever.On the fourth year of Chenghua(1468A.D.),Lingyan Temple re-established a monastery(???)and renamed Chongshan Temple.Guqi Zhizhen was the first abbot.Xueting faction and Qiujiang faction existed in Lingyan Temple.The major monks' generation names of Xueting faction were Zhou Hong Pu Guang Zong Dao.At the later period of Ming dynasty,common people usually made a pilgrimage to Lingyan Temple on Tai Mountain.The company of pilgrims took the offering-food-to-monk rite(??)in order to accumulate Gongde,protect county and people,release souls from purgatory,bless the whole family.We could know that most monks were from Xueting faction.Besides,four special topics are in the fifth chapter:(1)Ruan Yuan's epigraph on the inscription of open the court is important.It could supplement Ruan Yuan Nian Pu.As an evidence of Duan Songling coming to Lingyan Temple on Yimao year,it could correct Lei Tang An Zhu Di Zi Ji written by Zhang Jian who deemed "Ruan's epigraph wrote at May of Jiayin year".(2)Through inscriptions of Lingyan Temple and Jietai Temple,we can learn from Yuequan Tongxin's master was Qingan Defang in stead of Linquan Conglun.(3)According to two Xi'an master's inscriptions of Shaolin Temple and Lingyan Temple,and Zhengong's inscription,we found that Xi'an master's inscription in Lingyan Temple was not written by Shaoyuan.In fact,it was rewritten by Dingyan,and calligraphy was Yeyun's composition.(4)On the basis of Hui master's inscription and Fangshan Bi master's inscription,we judged that Dingyan had controlled Lingyan Temple during 1335A.D.and 1348A.D..This is the first time to point out inferior limit that Dingyan was charge of Lingyan Temple.From that,we worked out that Da Yuan Guo Shi Fa Zhi Bei was monumentalized on 134 1 A.D..