Digital Dictionary of Buddhism

DDB Top Page 
 
 
  XML source

華林園

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: Hualin Park

Senses:

  • Hualin yuan. A park within the grounds of the imperial palace in Jiankang 建康 (mod. Nanjing 南京) under Liang Wudi 梁武帝 (r. 502–549). In his “Preface to the Imperial Lectures on the Prajñā[pāramitā] sūtra” 御講波若經序 (Guang Hongming ji 廣弘明集 T 2103.52.235b12–236b17, excerpt translated in Chen 15–16), 陸雲[?] Lu Yun[gong?] (511–547) describes how Hualin Park had been a place of extravagant pleasures under earlier rulers, but under Wudi, was changed into a 'ritual precinct'  道場. Chen Jinhua 陳金華 has scoured historical evidence to show that Wudi had at least three Buddhist halls within Hualin Park 華林園:
    1. Baoyun Hall 寶雲殿. This hall housed a library. Its texts were catalogued by Sengshao 僧紹 (d.u.) in 515, and again by Baochang 寶唱 (d.u.) in 518–519. In 548, Wudi received the newly arrived Paramârtha 眞諦 in Baoyun Hall. It also seems possible that Wudi used it as the headquarters of monastic administration; towards the end of the Tianjian 天監 reign era , he summoned Mingche 明徹 (?-523) there, to a post as chaozhuan 抄撰 (apparently some kind of scribe) in the sengxing 僧省 ( 'Bureau of the Saṃgha' ?).
    2. Huaguang Hall 華光殿. Here Wudi issued his edict prohibiting consumption of alcohol and meat 斷酒肉文 to the Saṃgha, probably in Tianjian 天監 18 . The same hall was used as a venue for sermon/lectures and large dharma-assemblies. It was also in the Huaguang Hall that Liang Wudi made his failed bid, which Xu gaoseng zhuan anachronistically places in the Datong 大同 era,1 to appoint himself as controller of the Saṃgha. Here also the young Nizi 尼子 demonstrated her powers to recite sūtras apparently directly revealed to her by higher powers in 505–506.
    3. Dengjue Hall 等覺殿. Here Wudi received bodhisattva precepts in 519, and the hall may have been built mainly for this purpose. On 11 January 526 Wudi invited the monk Daodu 道度 here to again confer the same precepts upon him.

    In addition, the park contained a Chongyun Hall 重雲殿. This hall seems to have been constructed between 502 and 504, and was actually the upper part of a larger edifice called Guangyan Hall (光嚴殿?). In this hall, Wudi gave audience to eminent monks, and there were also held regular (perhaps monthly) dharma-assemblies, during which Wudi himself also sometimes preached, performed Buddhist rituals, and received bodhisattva precepts. It continued in use under Hou Jing 侯景 (503?-552) and was destroyed by fire in 559. 〔歷代三寶紀卷十五

    Reference

    Chen, Jinhua. “Buddhist Establishments within Liang Wudiʼs Imperial Park.” In The Development and Practice of Humanitarian Buddhism: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, ed. Hsu Mu-tsu, Chen Jinhua and Lori Meeks, 13–29. Hualien, Taiwan : Tzu Chi University, 2007.

    [Michael Radich]
  • Search SAT
  • Search INBUDS Database

  • Notes

    1. T 2060.50.466b10, followed by Chen 25. The problem is that this attempt is said to have been foiled by the resistance of Zhizang 智藏, and indeed, this account appears in his biography; but Zhizang died in 522 普通三年. Even the earlier nearly homophonous Datong 大通 era would have been too late for Zhizang. [back]



    Feedback

    [Dictionary References]

    Bukkyō jiten (Ui) 229

    Bukkyōgo daijiten (Nakamura) 300b

    Fo Guang Dictionary 5230

    Ding Fubao {Digital Version}

    Bukkyō daijiten (Oda) 407-2



    Entry created: 2009-08-06