梵刹原宗
Vana Monastery Origins
潭柘山懷有古刹，俗呼潭柘寺，隨山而名之也。其趾本青龍潭，所謂海眼。華嚴師時潭龍聽法，師欲開山，龍即讓宅。一夕，大風雷雨，青龍避去，潭則平地，兩鴟吻湧出，今殿角鴟也。開創於晉，時謂之嘉福寺。肇興於唐朝，名曰龍泉寺(從實禪師事見碑記)。重飭於大金熙宗皇統年間，敕賜寺額大萬壽寺。世宗大定年間，廣慧通理禪師建造。章宗明昌年間，相了禪師住持興建。明成祖永樂年間，無初禪師住持，建置甚廣。宣宗宣德二年，孝誠皇后賜帑，建造殿宇。越靖王建延壽墖，敕賜名龍泉寺。英宗正統年間，詔攺廣善戒壇，并賜金額，頒大藏，建閣貯之。天順元年敕攺，仍名嘉福寺。孝宗弘治十年，良宦戴公重葺寺宇。神宗萬曆年間，太宰陸公光祖、太僕卿徐公琰啟慈聖皇太后重新殿宇。前後數名之矣，獨潭柘名傳久不衰。燕人諺曰：先有潭柘，後有幽州，此寺之最古者也。都城自遼金以後至于大元，靡歲不建招提，明則大璫無人不建佛寺，梵宮之盛，倍于建章萬戶千門。成化中，京城內外勅賜寺觀至六百三十九所，見周尚書洪謨奏疏中。內臣作觀，此則琳宮紺宇，皆巨璫逆豎所為，唯獨潭柘一區無宦豎建造之蹟，洵可稱清淨佛地矣。(按謝遷〈重修嘉福寺碑記〉稱，弘治年間司禮監戴良矩捐金修寺。良矩，號竹棲道人，引年休，致步至潭柘，見寺敝壞，遂為倡修，與于魏諸璫借琳宮而營生壙者不同也。)寺碑七。金碑二：明昌五年僧重玉詩，大定十三年楊節度記。元碑二：至正八年葛天麟記，至正某年危素記。明碑三：正統某年胡濙記，弘治十年謝遷記，萬曆中紫柏禪師送龍子歸潭文也。
At the foot of Tanzhe Mountain lies an ancient temple, commonly known as Tanzhe Temple, named after the mountain itself. Its foundation was originally Qinglong Pond, said to be a "sea eye." When the Huayan Master was preaching there, a dragon in the pond listened to the dharma. The master wished to establish a monastery on the site, and the dragon willingly yielded its home. One night, amid fierce winds, thunder, and rain, the green dragon departed. The pond became flat ground, and two ornamental dragon-head finials emerged from the earth—these are the very finials seen on the temple's eaves today.
The temple was first founded during the Jin Dynasty, then called Jiafu Temple. It rose to prominence in the Tang Dynasty under the name Longquan Temple.(The deeds of Master Congshi are recorded in the stele inscription.) It was restored during the Huangtong reign of Emperor Xizong of the Jin Dynasty, when the imperial court bestowed upon it the plaque "Da Wanshou Temple." During the Dading reign of Emperor Shizong, Master Guanghui Tongli led its construction. Under the Mingchang reign of Emperor Zhangzong, Master Xiangliao served as abbot and oversaw further building. In the Yongle reign of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, Master Wuchu served as abbot and carried out extensive construction. In the second year of Xuande, Empress Xiaocheng donated funds to build halls. Prince Yuejing erected a pagoda for longevity, and the temple was granted the name Longquan Temple by imperial decree. During the Zhengtong reign of Emperor Yingzong, it was renamed Guangshen Ordination Platform, given a new imperial plaque, and received a complete set of the Buddhist canon, for which a library pavilion was built. In the first year of Tianshun, it was again renamed, this time back to Jiafu Temple. In the tenth year of Hongzhi, the virtuous eunuch Master Dai restored the temple buildings. During the Wanli reign of Emperor Shenzong, Minister Lu Guangzu and Court Official Xu Yan petitioned Empress Dowager Cisheng to renew the halls. The temple has borne many names over time, yet the name Tanzhe has endured for centuries without decline. A saying among the people of Yan goes: "First came Tanzhe, then came Youzhou." This is indeed the most ancient of temples.
From the Liao and Jin dynasties through the Yuan Dynasty, not a year passed without the capital seeing new monasteries built. In the Ming Dynasty, nearly every powerful eunuch erected a Buddhist temple, and the splendor of these monasteries rivaled the grandest palaces of old. During the Chenghua reign, the number of temples and monasteries granted plaques by imperial decree within and around the capital reached 639, as recorded in the memorial of Minister Zhou Hongmo. As for the eunuchs who built these temples—these jeweled halls and purples palaces were all the work of powerful and deceitful eunuchs. But Tanzhe Temple alone bears no trace of eunuch construction. It may truly be called a pure and sacred Buddhist ground.(According to Xie Qian's "Stele Record of the Restoration of Jiafu Temple," during the Hongzhi reign, the eunuch Dai Liangju donated funds to repair the temple. Dai, styled "The Daoist of Bamboo Perch," retired from office and walked to Tanzhe, where he saw the temple in disrepair and took the lead in restoring it. He was unlike the eunuchs of the Wei family who built lavish shrines for their own tombs.)
The temple holds seven steles. Two date from the Jin Dynasty: one with a poem by the monk Chongyu from the fifth year of Mingchang, and one with a record by Governor Yang from the thirteenth year of Dading. Two date from the Yuan Dynasty: one with an inscription by Ge Tianlin from the eighth year of Zhizheng, and one by Wei Su from an unknown year of Zhizheng. Three date from the Ming Dynasty: one with an inscription by Hu Ying from an unknown year of Zhengtong, one by Xie Qian from the tenth year of Hongzhi, and one by Master Zibo, who sent the Dragon Son back to his pond during the Wanli reign.
明大學士謝遷記重修嘉福寺碑文曰：
Here is the translation:
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Record of the Restoration of Jiafu Temple, by Xie Qian, Grand Scholar of the Ming Dynasty:
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司禮監戴公顧命舊臣，引年休致，雅愛山水。時維弘治十年秋，步至潭柘。僧通經通嚴等曰：此地有古寺曰龍泉，我朝天順初奉勅改名嘉福，歲久敝壞，弗稱祝釐之所，盍圖葺之？公曰：善。於是出所積為工食費，又請於上賜金益之，殿廡堂室煥然一新。又增僧舍五十餘楹，工興於正德二年三月，迨次年九月告成，公屬予為記。竊聞潭柘山者，距城西二舍許，當馬鞍山之西，有泉滙而為梯潭，土宜柘木，因以得名。後唐時，有從實禪師與其徒千人講法於此，後遂示寂華嚴祖堂。皇統間，改為大萬壽寺。繼有廣慧通理者，踵實師之跡，成大道塲，山靈益加顯焉。其詳見於大定間蔡居士楊節度之碑可考也。我朝宣宗皇帝即位之二年，特命高僧觀宗師住持，孝誠皇后首錫內帑之儲，肇造殿宇。越靖王又建延壽墖。英宗睿皇帝詔為廣善戒壇，頒大藏經五千卷，併賜金額，迄今歲踰一甲子矣。所以紹前美，啟後觀者，實於戴公賴之。公名義，字良矩，號竹棲道人。斯舉也，豈福田利益之謀哉？其亦感時懷昔有餘不盡之心也夫！
大明正德六年歲次辛未秋七月日撰
Ming Dynasty Zhengde Sixth Year, Xinwei Year, Autumn, Seventh Month, Day
(金僧重玉詩，及紫柏送龍子文，各從其類，附編於後。其他諸記，則以年久，數經兵災，失殘靡完，因未得全錄焉。)