Zhang Tianshi Daoling, in the middle of the Eastern Han Dynasty, "traveled from Tianmu Mountain to Nanyue, worshiped Sapphire and Guangtian Ertan, and worshipped Zhu Rong Temple". From the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the turn of Wei and Jin Dynasties, Zhang, Qi and Chen Xingming stopped practicing the True Classics in Nanyue successively, and Wei, the first master of Shangqing School, went to Nanyue to preach at the beginning of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. From the Eastern Han Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty, there were hundreds of famous Taoist priests in Hunan, among which Nanyue Taoist priests had more than 1 10. Among the "36 caves" and "72 blessed lands", Hunan has six caves and 12 blessed lands respectively.
The construction of Taoist temples in Hunan began in Wei and Jin Dynasties, flourished in Tang and Song Dynasties, and reached hundreds in its heyday. At present, in addition to Nanyue Temple Dongba Temple, Huang Ting Temple, Du Xuan Temple, Zizhulin Temple, Zushi Temple and Zhu Ling Palace, there are more than 50 famous temples in Changsha, such as Yunlu Palace, Hetu Temple, Taogong Temple, Taoyuan Jiulong Mountain, Zhuzhou Xianyue Mountain, Chaling Yunyangxian, Chenzhou Suxian Taoist Temple and Yongshun Zushi Temple.
Taoism is a native religion in China. Hunan is an important area for the spread and activities of Taoism. According to legend, as early as the founding period of Taoism, Zhang Daoling, who founded Wudou Mi Dao at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, "visited Tianmu Mountain, Nanyue Mountain, worshipped jade and Guangtian two altars, and respected Zhu Rong Temple". The official spread of Taoism in Hunan began when Wei Yu, a well-known Taoist in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, took up monasticism in Nanyue in 16. He was the founder of Taoist Puritanism School and sowed the seeds of Taoism in Hunan. Was named Mrs. Nanyue, called Mrs. Wei. Taoism flourished in the Tang Dynasty, and Hunan also made great progress.
At that time, the address of Taoist activities in China was gradually called Three Mountains and Five Mountains, 36 caves and 72 blessed places. Among the three mountains and five mountains, Hunan is one of them, namely Hengshan Mountain in Nanyue; Of the 36 caves, Hunan accounted for six; Of the 72 blessed places, Hunan accounted for 13. In the Ming Dynasty, Taoism in Hunan was mostly the inheritance and disseminator of Wudang Taoism, and there were many "ancestral temples" dedicated to the statue of Zhenwu Emperor in various places. The famous ones are Yunlu Palace on Yuelu Mountain in Changsha, Wuli Mountain in Cili, Dayun on Yueyang Mountain and Chaotian Temple in Zhangjiajie. Since modern times, Taoism in Hunan has made some achievements in the process of general decline, mainly by building and rebuilding some temples, such as Hutu Temple in Changsha, Doulao Pavilion, Ancestral Temple in Nanyue, Qingyang Mountain Taoist Temple in Liuyang and so on.
Hunan Taoism not only has a long history, but also has many eminent monks. According to the records of Nanyue in the Qing Dynasty, from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were 109 people who lived in Nanyue to give lectures in seclusion, or built houses to practice Buddhism, or traveled in the clouds, or talked about metaphysics and preached, or wrote books. Modern Taoists in Hunan also followed the trend of the times and organized some Taoist societies and institutions, such as the Hunan Branch of the Chinese Taoist Association, which was founded in 19 12.
Particularly influential is 1939' s "Nanyue Buddhist and Taoist Salvation Society" established in Nanyue. This is an anti-Japanese and national salvation organization that Comrade Zhou * * and Comrade Ye * * personally mobilized their support and suggested its name. Ye * * was invited to attend the founding meeting and delivered a speech, calling on patriotic religious believers to get out of Zen and actively participate in the anti-Japanese national salvation movement, which had a good influence on many tourist attractions in China. The so-called "Elysium" is a fairyland selected by Taoism: the "blessed land" is called "blessed land", which is dominated by secular immortals and real people. If you live here, you can be blessed and become immortal.
The concept of a paradise was formed before the Eastern Jin Dynasty. In the early Taoist scriptures, Taoist classics and true patents, "Ten Caves" and "Blessed Land" were all mentioned. The Book of Changes by Fu Zhai Wei, a Taoist work in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, divided the world into "Twenty-four Rulers, Thirty-six Lu Jing, Seventy-two Blessed Lands, and 365 Famous Mountains ..." The specific names of the blessed land in the cave were first published in the map of heaven and earth compiled by Sima Cheng Town (647-735), and later by the Taoist Du Guangting (850-933) in the Tang Dynasty.
Hunan is located in the middle of China, with a long history of Taoist culture. There are six "thirty-six small holes" in Hunan: Hengshan Cave in Nanyue, Liling Small Cave and Liling Ancient Cave, which are the source of Liling porcelain industry; Dongbao Weishan, surrounded by mountains, stretches for dozens of miles, with clear springs and beautiful scenery, and is called "Ancient Cave Heaven" locally. The so-called "blessed land" is a fairyland selected by Taoism. "Cave Heaven" refers to a "cave" surrounded by mountains, with an empty middle and both yin and yang. It can reach the sky directly and is the residence of the immortals. Ordinary people and Taoist priests can practice here and become immortals.
Although it is said by Taoism, these places are really magical and beautiful and have unique charm. Weishan caves, deep valleys and gurgling streams are crystal clear. The dam was built at the estuary and Xianqiao Reservoir was built. It is becoming a natural tourist attraction more and more. Compared with the top ten caves, the Map of Heaven by Sima Chengzhen, a Taoist celebrity in the Tang Dynasty, lists 36 caves and 72 blessed places in Taoism, including 6 caves in Hunan, 12.
The 13th Cave of Weishan in Liling is a paradise on earth, and it is said that it is the immortal residence cultivated by Fu. In Tang Dynasty, Dayuan Zen Master built a temple in Weishan, and Yi Jian in Song Dianyuan wrote an inscription: Xiao Wei Mountain Temple, also known as Datong Temple. In the seventh year of Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty (1729), Liao Zhongwei, who moved to Liling from Xingning, Guangdong Province, discovered porcelain clay in Weishan and its vicinity, that is, borrowed clay from Wisdom Mountain, the abbot of Xiao Wei Mountain Temple, and invited more than 20 technicians from his hometown to recruit workers, teach skills, set up a porcelain factory and produce underglaze blue and white porcelain. Later, it gradually expanded to Stanley Ridge, Laoya Mountain, Wang Xian, Dalin, Qijiaao, Wushiyao and other places.
At the time of prosperity, there were more than 100 porcelain factories in Weishan, which became the production and operation center of Liling porcelain industry, an emerging industrial base that benefited Weishan and its surrounding areas, and a new "cave dwelling" to promote Liling's economic and social progress. It was once known as "Little Nanjing". Liao Zhongwei and others built a temple for Amin Fan Jinde behind Xiao Weishan Temple. Gong Fan's birthday is on the 16th day of the fifth lunar month every year. The temple gate was wide open, and factory owners, technicians and apprentices came to pay homage. Usually, when the factory opens the kiln, it is necessary to offer sacrifices to Xiao Weishan Temple. It will be restored around 1990, and the mountain gate 1996 will be rebuilt. Gong Fan Temple was demolished on 1958. Jiuyishan Cave in Ningyuan, Yangyang Cave in Wangcheng Cave, Judas Cave in Chenxi Cave, Taoyuan Cave and the Cave in the 25th Curtain were named "Zhen Xuan Taiyuantian".