James Baquet jamesbaquet@gmail.com THE next morning I took a highway bus south to Xinxing, Yunfu, Guangdong. Because I couldn’t find the local bus down to Guo’en Temple, I ended up being gouged by a taxi driver. But it was worth it. Again, though it was not on my list of 142 Key Temples, this site was of great personal significance to me. For over 15 years I have studied the “Platform Sutra,” the masterpiece of Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Chan (Zen). Guo’en Temple was built by the master next to the village where he was born; it is also where he passed away (though he spent most of his life teaching at Nanhua Temple near Shaoguan). The great empress and Buddhist patroness Wu Zetian gave the temple its name, meaning “Gratitude of the Nation,” to sum up China’s feelings toward Huineng for the work he had accomplished. Today visitors can walk to the nearby village of Huineng’s birth, renamed appropriately “Sixth Patriarch Village” (Liuzucun). There is a small temple there to commemorate his life. In Guo’en itself are the grave of his parents and a litchi tree said to have been planted by Huineng. One newer feature of the temple is a pagoda built in 1990, though a much older foundation was found nearby in 2006 when new drainage was being dug. Another new pagoda was being built near the road, and there are numerous halls and pavilions. About four kilometers south of the temple (but alas, beyond my reach on that trip) is the “Pit of the Hidden Buddha” (Zangfokeng) where Huineng’s body was prepared for mummification. I owe the area another visit just to see that! |