The Art of Buddha Statues in Xuankong Temple

The Buddha statues in Xuankong Temple were Amitabha, Shakyamuni, and Vairocana.

There were 15 Buddha statues in the Xuankong Temple in Mianshan, Shanxi Province. These Buddha statues had been appraised by experts and confirmed to be real. Each Buddha statue had retained its original condition when it passed away. Some of the bones of the fingers, toes, and skulls could even be seen. The existence of these fleshly Buddha statues was very rare in Buddhism, because Buddhism believed that only monks who had reached the ultimate realm of cultivation could reach the realm of uncorrupted flesh. The number of Buddha statues in the Xuankong Temple on Mount Mian was so large that it was considered the largest in the world. The existence of these physical Buddha statues was unbelievable, and it also aroused people's curiosity and amazement. There was no definite answer as to why there were so many Buddha statues on Mount Mian and why these bodies could survive for thousands of years without decaying.

There were more than 80 Buddha statues in Xuankong Temple.

Xuankong Temple was the only temple in China that combined Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Inside the temple were statues of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. It was a rare temple in China that combined the three religions. There was no specific information about Zen and Buddhism in the literature. Therefore, I am not clear about the relationship between Zen and Buddhism in Xuan Kong Temple.

The Buddha statues in Xuankong Temple had the distinctive features of people from the Western Regions, retaining the solemn demeanor and style of the early Buddha statues. The characteristics of the Buddha statue were extremely rare in the domestic temple statues. In addition, the Three Religious Halls of Xuankong Temple worshipped Buddha Shakyamuni of Buddhism, Laozi of Taoism, and Confucius of Confucianism. It was very rare for the three founders to live in the same room. The Buddha statues had different expressions, which made people laugh.

There were three Buddha statues in the Xuankong Temple. They were Amitabha, Shakyamuni, and Viruchana Buddha.

The Buddha statues in Xuankong Temple included Shakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, and Medicine Master Glazed Light King Buddha. Among them, Shakyamuni Buddha was the founder of Buddhism, Amitabha Buddha was the leader of the Western Paradise, and Medicine Buddha was the leader of the Lotus Realm. These Buddha statues were important cultural relics of Xuankong Temple, displaying the exquisite skills of ancient art.

The Buddha statues in Xuankong Temple were made with the method of making statues, which was a rather rare method of making statues in northern temples. The carving process was very complicated. First, the statue was molded with mud, then a wooden frame was added, covered with hemp, and heated. After drying and solidifying, the clay sculpture inside was removed. Although this kind of statue was time-consuming and laborious to build, it was sturdy, light, beautiful, and easy to preserve after it was formed. The Buddha statues in Xuankong Temple were regarded as exquisite and had precious cultural value.

Why did the small Buddha statue in Xuankong Temple not have a head? The current search results did not provide relevant information and could not answer this question.

Xuan Kong Temple and Xuan Kong Village were two different locations. Xuankong Temple was located on the cliff of Cuiping Peak on the west side of Jinlong Gorge, Hengshan Mountain, Hunyuan County, Datong City, Shanxi Province. It was a unique temple built on the cliff. The temple was built on an earthen platform in the vast desert west of Xuankong Village. It was six to seven meters above the ground and looked like it was suspended in the air from afar, hence the name Xuankong Temple. Xuankong Temple was built 1400 years ago in the late Northern Wei Dynasty. It was the only unique temple in China that combined Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. It was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit in Shanxi Province. Xuankong Village was located in Censhan Township, Ningwu County, Shanxi Province. The entire village was located on a cliff that was more than 2300 meters above sea level. Looking up from the bottom of the valley, it was like a castle in the air, with its back against the cliff and its face facing the canyon, forming a unique landscape that was isolated from the surrounding world. Xuankong Village was one of the top ten ancient villages in China. In recent years, through targeted poverty relief and tourism development, it had undergone earth-shaking changes.