Tanzhe Temple was built in the first year of Yongjia in the Western Jin Dynasty (AD 307). Originally known as Kafka Temple, this temple was named Yun Xiu Temple by Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty. However, because there is Longtan behind the temple and Zheshu on the mountain, it has always been called "Tanzhe Temple" by the people.
Tanzhe Temple was built in Abatti Giresse Concorde in the Western Jin Dynasty for four years (3 16). It is the earliest temple built after Buddhism was introduced into Beijing. It was established in a small area and was named Kafukuji. At that time, Buddhism had not been accepted by the people, so its development was slow. Later, the Northern Wei Dynasty and the Northern Zhou Dynasty "destroyed the Buddha" twice, so Kafkaji did not develop since its completion, and then gradually fell into disrepair.
During the reign of Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty (696-697), Huayan, a monk of Huayan Sect, came to Tanzhe Temple to start a mountain and build a temple, taking Huayan Sutra as his pure business, and Tanzhe Temple became the first temple in Youzhou, and Tanzhe Temple flourished.
During Huichang period in Tang Dynasty, Li Yan of Tang Wuzong believed in Taoism. Encouraged by Zhao Guizhen, a Taoist priest, and Li Deyu, a powerful minister, Tang Wuzong ordered the nationwide eradication of Buddhism. Tanzhe Temple was therefore abandoned.
At the end of the Five Dynasties and the Tang Dynasty, famous Zen monks came to Tanzhe Temple from the real Zen master, uprooted wasteland and renovated the temple. "The teacher taught thousands of people, and Tanzhe Temple was greatly inspired." Tanzhe Temple only came out of the shadow of "Wuzong destroyed Buddha" and flourished again. At that time, Tanzhe Temple was changed from Huayan Sect to Zen Sect.
During the Liao Dynasty, due to the prosperity of legalists in Youzhou area and the slow development of Zen, the incense of Tanzhe Temple declined.
In the Jin Dynasty, Zen developed greatly in Zhongdu (now Beijing), and several Zen masters appeared in Tanzhe Temple, which greatly improved the reputation of the temple. In the first year of Tong (11), Jin Xizong went to the Tanzhe Temple to worship Buddha, and funded the renovation and expansion of Tanzhe Temple. This was the first emperor to visit Tanzhe Temple, which made later emperors follow suit, greatly promoting the further improvement of Tanzhe Temple's status and the prosperity of temple incense. Emperor Xizong changed the name of the temple to "Daman Jushi" at that time, and allocated funds for large-scale reconstruction and expansion of Tanzhe Temple, which created a precedent for the emperor to name Tanzhe Temple and the court to pay for the repair of Tanzhe Temple.
During the Dading period, Crown Prince Wan Yan Yungong went to the Tanzhe Temple to worship Buddha on behalf of his father Jin Shizong Wan Yan Yong. To this end, the abbot Yu Chong Zen Master wrote a poem "From Xianzong to Tanzhe Temple", describing the grand occasion at that time. Later, in the fifth year of Ming Chang (1 194), it was carved into a monument and stood in the temple. Now this monument still exists. Zen Buddhism flourished in Tanzhe Temple in Jin Dynasty, with Master Lin Jizong and Zen Master Guanghui Tongli as the representatives. After his death, he was honored as "Brilliant thomas lee" Zen Master by Buddhism.
Princess Miao Yan, the daughter of Kublai Khan in Yuan Shizu in the Yuan Dynasty, went to Tanzhe Temple to become a monk in order to atone for her father. After she died in the temple, she knelt in the guanyin temple every day to chant "Li Yin". After a long time, she actually ground an adobe in the temple to a depth of two feet. Today, the brick worship of Princess Miao Yan is still enshrined in the Guanyin Hall of Tanzhe Temple, which is a very precious historical relic of Tanzhe Temple. After the master died in the temple, his tomb tower was in the low tower in front of the temple. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Tuohuan timur, in Bolzigit Banner, Yuan Shundi, believed in Buddhism, especially Tanzhe Temple, which was quite famous in the capital at that time. Yuan Shundi once invited Mr. Xue Jian, abbot of Tanzhe Temple, to enjoy the royal banquet, and his sister personally cooked the dinner, with unprecedented courtesy.
At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, chose Yao, an important official, to become a monk. When the prince and the separatist princes, according to Yao's plan, rose up and seized the throne, which is Ming. After Judy proclaimed himself emperor, Yao was named Zuo Shanshi, the monk recorder, the abbot of Qingshou Temple, and later named Prince, giving him the name "Xiaoguang" and still taking part in the military and political affairs. After his success, Yao quit his job and went to Tanzhe Temple in Jingxi to live in seclusion. He discusses Buddhism with his old friend the abbot of Tanzhe Temple every day. During this period, the Ming Emperor Judy visited him in Tanzhe Temple. It is said that when Beijing was completed, the designer was Yao, who got a lot of inspiration from the architecture and layout of Tanzhe Temple. Many places in Beijing are built according to the appearance of Tanzhe Temple. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is modeled after the Great Hall of Tanzhe Temple. It is the top of the double-eaved palace, and the ceiling of the wellhead is painted with golden dragons and seals, but it is just a little high. Later, Yao left Tanzhe Temple at the order of presiding over the compilation of Yongle Dadian, but his seclusion in Tanzhe Temple still exists today.
In the Ming Dynasty, since the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang, most emperors and empresses believed in Buddhism, and Tanzhe Temple was repaired and expanded many times with the funds of the imperial court or the donation of eunuchs, which made Tanzhe Temple establish today's pattern.
Tanzhe Temple in Ming Dynasty became a window of foreign exchange at that time. Many foreigners yearn for the name of Tanzhe Temple, come here to study Buddhism, and some even die here. Among them, the most famous are the Japanese who did not start Germany, Dawadas in East India, and Lian Gong monks in West India.
In the 23rd year of Wanli, Master Daguan was appointed as the abbot of Tanzhe Temple on the orders of the immortal Zhu Yijun. During this period, funded by Empress Dowager Cixi, the mother of Emperor Wanli, Tanzhe Temple was renovated on a large scale under the auspices of Master Daguan. Master Daguan has a close relationship with the imperial court and is often called into the palace to give lectures to the royal family, thus further deepening the connection between Tanzhe Temple and the imperial court.
In the Ming Dynasty, Tanzhe Temple underwent many large-scale repairs and expansions. During Xuande's reign, Tanzhe Temple was rebuilt and expanded because "Queen Cheng Xiao donated the first domestic currency to build the temple". From February of orthodox three years to September of the following year, Tanzhe Temple was rebuilt. With the support of the royal family, temples were expanded and Buddha statues were widely made. During this period, Emperor Yingzong "ordered the imperial examination to retire from the altar" and built it in the temple at the order of Emperor Yingzong. Emperor Yingzong named it "Guangshan Jietan", and King Zhu Zhanyong of Jing Yue also built a tall longevity tower in the temple. In the fourth year of orthodoxy, Ming Yingzong gave five thousand volumes of the Tripitaka to Tanzhe Temple.
In the tenth year of Hongzhi (1497), Dai Yi, the eunuch of Li Si Prison, paid for the food, and asked Ming Xiaozong to allocate funds to rebuild and expand Tanzhe Temple. From March (1507) of Zheng De's second year to September of the following year, Tanzhe Temple was renovated for one and a half years. "The main hall of the temple has been completely renewed, and more than 50 monasteries have been added", which has once again expanded the scale of the temple. In the 22nd year of Wanli (1594), Tanzhe Temple was rebuilt, more temples were built, and more than 80 houses, including the abbot courtyard, were built at the expense of Empress Dowager Xiaoding.
During the more than 200 years of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor named the temple several times, so the name of the temple was changed several times. In the first year of Tianshun, Ming Yingzong was renamed Kafukuji, but people still called it Tanzhe Temple.