Yunmen Temple
Yunmen Temple 雲門寺, also known as Dajue Chan Si 大覺禪寺 ("Chan Temple of Great Awakening")
Temple was restored by Master Foyuan 佛原 (1923-2009), who passed away February 2009. Foyuan was given the temple by his master Xuyun 虛雲 (also written Hsu Yun, Empty Cloud, 1840-1959). When Foyuan was a promising young man, he often served as the personal attendant for Master Xuyun. Foyuan was named by Xuyun ‘the thirteenth patriarch of the Yunmen School’, after reviving the lineage.
Note: An English memoriam for Foyuan can be found on Shakya Ming Zhen’s website
Temple was restored by Master Foyuan 佛原 (1923-2009), who passed away February 2009. Foyuan was given the temple by his master Xuyun 虛雲 (also written Hsu Yun, Empty Cloud, 1840-1959). When Foyuan was a promising young man, he often served as the personal attendant for Master Xuyun. Foyuan was named by Xuyun ‘the thirteenth patriarch of the Yunmen School’, after reviving the lineage.
Note: An English memoriam for Foyuan can be found on Shakya Ming Zhen’s website
The temple has a lot of land; the monks grow all their food in the surrounding farmlands owned by the temple; some monks have full-time agriculture positions; all monks join during seasonal harvests.
On the grounds, there are many trees personally planted by Foyuan, and a large flower garden. There is a sense today at the temple that everything there, every building, every tree, every bush, is there because of Foyuan's efforts. There is a deep gratitude to Foyuan's vision as well as his strength to engender it.
On the grounds, there are many trees personally planted by Foyuan, and a large flower garden. There is a sense today at the temple that everything there, every building, every tree, every bush, is there because of Foyuan's efforts. There is a deep gratitude to Foyuan's vision as well as his strength to engender it.
Foyuan built a memorial to Xuyun; Foyuan, who was extremely learned, was sent to hard labor during the Cultural Revolution; he only learned of Xuyun’s death after he was released; and he built a stupa and a memorial hall for his late master.
The memorial hall bears Foyuan's calligraphy 源遠流長 "the source is distant, and it flows far." Inside is a statue of Xuyun with his famous wispy beard. A beautiful shrine is laid before, with a picture of Xuyun as a younger man.
Foyuan received some of Xuyun's sharira relics, and built this pagoda to house them. The inscription on the sides mentions the help of two prominent international Chinese Buddhist teachers, one in Hong Kong and one in New Year.
Inside the hall, this old monk shared his hot water with weary travelers, who were relieved to get warm and quench their thirst.
The memorial hall bears Foyuan's calligraphy 源遠流長 "the source is distant, and it flows far." Inside is a statue of Xuyun with his famous wispy beard. A beautiful shrine is laid before, with a picture of Xuyun as a younger man.
Foyuan received some of Xuyun's sharira relics, and built this pagoda to house them. The inscription on the sides mentions the help of two prominent international Chinese Buddhist teachers, one in Hong Kong and one in New Year.
Inside the hall, this old monk shared his hot water with weary travelers, who were relieved to get warm and quench their thirst.
A memorial to Foyuan was built up the hill; it is a winding museum with murals, oil paintings commissioned from photographs showing highlights of Foyuan’s career, the Montero Sport used by the abbot; the museum emerges into an unbelievably peaceful garden; walking up the stone steps leads to the memorial hall; an image of Foyuan several meters high, carved from a single piece of wood preserved underwater for hundreds of years, is very pretty; the late master’s personal effects, including his ordination document, are on display.
A new 13-story Shakya Pagoda, standing in wait of an elevator, was built on the next hill, overlooking ranges of valleys and mountains.
When Master Yunmen died he left a full body relic; it was preserved for a time, but was not taken care of, and eventually rotted after a bug infestation. It has been replaced by a carved wooden image of what it may have looked like.
Two Southern Han stele stand in the back courtyard, dating to the founding of the temple. Next to them are Ming stele detailing the reconstruction of the temple.
o The text of the Han 南漢 stele inscriptions can be found reproduced in Yunmenshanzhi 云門山志 temple gazetteer, pp 186-193 (p 214~ and p 220~ in the online interface)
o Wanli 萬曆 inscription for the reconstruction of the Shanmen mountain gate found on pp 193-195 (p 227 online interface)
Buddhist Gazetteers Available Online:
Main Page http://buddhistinformatics.ddbc.edu.tw/fosizhi/
Online Interface for Yunmenshanzhi http://buddhistinformatics.ddbc.edu.tw/fosizhi/ui.html?book=g059
Download Yunmenshanzhi at http://buddhistinformatics.ddbc.edu.tw/fosizhi/archives/g059_yunmenshanzhi.zip
o Not to be confused with Mount Yunmen near Shaoxing, Zhejiang, multi-religious history dating to 406; see Ming gazetteer Yunmenzhilve 雲門志略 for the whole mountain, and Yunmenxianshengsizhi 雲門顯聖寺志 for the 10th century temple built there.
o The text of the Han 南漢 stele inscriptions can be found reproduced in Yunmenshanzhi 云門山志 temple gazetteer, pp 186-193 (p 214~ and p 220~ in the online interface)
o Wanli 萬曆 inscription for the reconstruction of the Shanmen mountain gate found on pp 193-195 (p 227 online interface)
Buddhist Gazetteers Available Online:
Main Page http://buddhistinformatics.ddbc.edu.tw/fosizhi/
Online Interface for Yunmenshanzhi http://buddhistinformatics.ddbc.edu.tw/fosizhi/ui.html?book=g059
Download Yunmenshanzhi at http://buddhistinformatics.ddbc.edu.tw/fosizhi/archives/g059_yunmenshanzhi.zip
o Not to be confused with Mount Yunmen near Shaoxing, Zhejiang, multi-religious history dating to 406; see Ming gazetteer Yunmenzhilve 雲門志略 for the whole mountain, and Yunmenxianshengsizhi 雲門顯聖寺志 for the 10th century temple built there.
There is a large Buddhist College, with a library and a Chan hall. (The traditional Chan Hall is too small to hold the community and is no longer used.) The new space can hold several hundred people; during our visit about 200 monks and lay persons were on an extended retreat in the college and we didn’t get to see the facilities.
I add links to two competing Western groups; they were a single community under Master Jy Din in Hawaii (a disciple of Xuyun) – and that temple remains in the immigrant community under Abbot Fahui; the converts in the group became an internet ministry in the 1990s, appropriating the 虛雲禪苑; the group split in two in 2004; they continue to fight over the title of the Order and the sangha.
o Zen Buddhist Order of Hsu Yun http://www.hsuyun.org/
§ Run by Zhuan Zhi 傳智, white American ordained under Jy Din, trained physicist
o Order of Hsu Yun, OHY http://zatma.org
§ Run by Ming Zhen, who affiliates with Foyuan of Yunmen temple and believes “her dharma brother” Ming Zhao to be the 14th patriarch of Yunmen
I add links to two competing Western groups; they were a single community under Master Jy Din in Hawaii (a disciple of Xuyun) – and that temple remains in the immigrant community under Abbot Fahui; the converts in the group became an internet ministry in the 1990s, appropriating the 虛雲禪苑; the group split in two in 2004; they continue to fight over the title of the Order and the sangha.
o Zen Buddhist Order of Hsu Yun http://www.hsuyun.org/
§ Run by Zhuan Zhi 傳智, white American ordained under Jy Din, trained physicist
o Order of Hsu Yun, OHY http://zatma.org
§ Run by Ming Zhen, who affiliates with Foyuan of Yunmen temple and believes “her dharma brother” Ming Zhao to be the 14th patriarch of Yunmen
The abbot today is a former medical practitioner. He trained and practiced as a doctor before taking tonsure. He is somewhat quiet and practical seeming person. He is not terribly charismatic, though he wears the charisma of the office nicely. This is a photo of our group after he served us tea.
All text and photographs are copyright Jason Avi Protass, and may not be reproduced or used for commercial purposes without consent.