Guangjiao Temple

CHINA, Jiangsu, Nantong

Guangjiao means Vast Teaching and the temple is located on Langshan (Wolf Mountain), the abode of Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva. It was built in 669 during the Tang dynasty, and has flourished and declined throughout its history. It was listed as a key Buddhist temple in the Han region of China in 1983.
The temple is divided into upper and lower sections. The lower section, at the foot of the mountain, is called Zilang Chanyuan, while the upper section, on the peak, is known as Zhiyun Tayuan. The main buildings of the Zilang Chanyuan include the Dharma Milk Hall, Great Compassion Hall, Vajra Hall, sutra repository, revolving sutra repository, and the Huangong Pagoda. The Dharma Milk Hall is the main hall and was originally the Great Hero Hall. It was rebuilt and changed to its current name in 1983. The name “Dharma Milk” came from the Epilogue to the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, where it states “Let the Dharma body grow from drinking my Dharma milk.” A horizontal inscribed board showing the hall name was written by Zhao Puchu. A Ming dynasty (1368–1644) statue of Sakyamuni Buddha is enshrined within the hall. On the wall there is a porcelain illustration featuring the Eighteen Arhats, painted by Fan Zeng in 1982.
The Zhiyun Tayuan features the main temple gate, Cuijing Building, Perfect Understanding Hall, Great Sage Hall, and the Zhiyun Pagoda. The Zhiyun Pagoda is one of the three famous Nantong pagodas. It was built between 976 and 984 during the Northern Song dynasty. The five-story, square, brick and timber pagoda is 39.4 m high.
The temple has a collection of precious artifacts, including the Ming Tripitaka, the Qing Tripitaka, the Sutra on the Six Perfections as Spoken by Sengqie handwritten by Master Hongyi, and the Heart Sutra handwritten by Zhang Jian.