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Temple honors the White Horse that brought Buddhism to China
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IN AD 67, two Indian monks carried the Buddhist sutras and Buddha statues on a white horse to Luoyang in Henan Province, one of the capitals of ancient China, during the Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220).
They might not have expected the religion would become so deeply rooted, branch out and thrive in the country for more than 1,900 years.
A year later, a temple, the country’s first official Buddhist shrine, was built in the city, named “White Horse” to remember the animal’s contribution.
The two monks, Kasyapamatanga and Dharmaratna, settled in the temple and translated “The Sutra In Forty-Two Sections,” the first Buddhist scripture in Chinese.
White Horse Temple is thus honored as the origin of Chinese Buddhism.
And from there the religion spread throughout Asia.
Today’s temple is an international compound of courtyards of China, India, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka and the nearby Qiyun Nunnery.
As the major construction, the China courtyard sprawls on more than 40,000 square meters. The entrance is guarded by two life-size stone horses from the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
Looking gentle and meek, they were carved with lowered heads, as if they’re struggling onwards with a great burden.
The horses once stood in front of the tomb of General Wei Xianxin (946-1014), the son-in-law of Zhao Kuangyin (AD 927-976), the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty.
Like other Chinese Buddhist temples, the entrance has three doors: the doors of nihility, formlessness and inaction.
For Buddhists, going through the doors means to put aside all worldly worries to have inner peace.
Five halls sit on the central axis running from south to north.
Each hall features various Buddha statues, heavenly kings and arhats, mostly made in the Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.
Pilu Hall, the last hall on the axis, was built on the Qingliang (Cooling) Platform, where the two Indian monks finished their translation work of the Buddhist sutra.
To some extent, this brick-laid high platform is the starting point of Chinese Buddhism.
Two memorial halls honoring the Indian monks were set up at two sides of the platform.
The Bell Tower and Drum Tower were built in 1991, co-sponsored by a Japanese businessman, who donated 4 million yen (US$36,152) to the towers’ construction.
Both 7 meters tall square, the bell rings at dawn and the drum beats at dusk — a centuries-old Buddhist ritual resumed.
There is an ancient well, which dates to 1,000 years ago.
Visitors throw coins into the well, believing it can bring good luck and blessings. The monks have to clean the well four times a day on festivals and celebrations.
A bamboo-flanked path in the east leads to the Qiyun Nunnery, Henan Province’s only Buddhist place for nuns.
It was named after the square Qiyun Tower, 25 meters tall with 13 levels.
One of the most interesting things about the tower is its myth of “the frog of croaks.” If people stand about 20 meters to the south of the tower and clap their hands, it sounds like frogs croaking.
Modern science explains it’s the sound waves bouncing off the walls and eaves.
But the legend said there once lived a giant frog in the pond, which jumped out frequently to make floods.
A travelling monk caught the devil and asked it to carry bricks to build the Buddhist tower. He trapped the frog under the tower, hoping the devil could transform itself through meditation.
The courtyards of India, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka in the west were sponsored by the governments of the countries.
Walking through the architectures in different styles, visitors can see how Buddhism affected China, and how China carried it forward throughout Asia.
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