Guangde Temple (revered as "The First Zen Forest of the West")

Located in Suining, Sichuan, there is an ancient temple with a long history. The temple was originally built during the Tang Dynasty and is said to have been sealed 11 times by emperors from the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties. It contains 11 Ming and Qing Dynasty structures, making it a worthy place for worship and checking in. Temple Introduction: Guangde Temple is located on Guangde Road, Chuanshan District, Suining City, Sichuan Province. It was rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty and expanded several times during the Qing Dynasty. It is a Chinese royal Zen forest with architectural styles from the Tang and Song Dynasties. From the Tang Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, it was sealed by emperors 11 times and is revered as "The First Zen Forest of the West". Due to the historical and legendary stories of two Guanyins, Guangde Temple has become known as the hometown of Guanyin. The first story: Since the first year of Tang Yongtai (765), the high monk Master Keyou came to Suining to preside over the establishment of the temple and spread the teachings. After his passing in the third year of Tang Zhenyuan (787), records in the 'Master Keyou Biography' and 'Good Salvage Pagoda Record of Guangli Zen Temple in Suizhou' state that Master Keyou's flesh body pagoda was destroyed and turned into a pond, within which the holy image of Guanyin seemed to appear. The Prime Minister of Langya dug for the spiritual traces and found a hook-shaped bone like purple gold, which were all incarnations of the great Guanyin Bodhisattva, rebuilt into a pagoda. The second story: There is a local folk rhyme about Guanyin in Suining that has been passed down through generations: 'The Bodhisattva Guanyin and her two sisters, eating from the same pot, each cultivating their practice. The eldest sister cultivates at Lingquan Temple, the second sister at Guangde Temple, only the youngest sister cultivates far away, at Mount Putuo in the South Sea.' It is now the sixth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. Master Keyou: Keyou (727-787), secular name Li Wentong, was given the title 'Keyou' by Emperor Tang Dezong. He was the great-grandson of the female emperor Wu Zetian, the grandson of the fourth emperor of Tang, Emperor Zhongzong Li Zhe, and the nephew of Emperor Xuanzong. He was the fourth-generation successor of the Baotang Sect (one of the branches of Zen Buddhism) in the Shu region and was revered as the 'Protector of the Nation Zen Master'.