Guangxiao Temple is located in Guangzhou, a coastal city in Southern China. Guangzhou city is the capital of the Guangzhou region and is the largest city of the region, which is towards the North East of Hong Kong.
Esoteric Buddhism originated, was nurtured and flourished through this temple. Esoteric Buddhist master Amoghavajra (732 CE) was from India. He stayed in this temple and spread the teachings of esoteric Buddhism from here. The temple has a long history of 1700 years. Because of its strategic location, many monks travelling from India between 4th and 10th Centuries came to this temple and stayed here.
In 502 CE, one Indian monk Zhiyao Tripitaka carried a sapling of the original Bodhi tree from Bharat to this temple and planted it there. In 705, another Indian monk Paramiti recited the Shurangama-sūtra in the temple and then translated it into Chinese. Because of these Gurus, esoteric Buddhism reached the peak of popularity in China and became the base for the Buddhism that flourished later in China. Many Buddhist practices such as Mudra, Mantra and Mandala are the hallmarks of esoteric Buddhism. The similarity of the practices and its application in day-to-day life as well as in construction of the temples is remarkably similar to that of Hindu temples. Chausath Yogini temples of Hindus in Bharat have similar practices. Tantra, Mantra and yantra are the three keys of temple design in Bharat.
Guangxiao Temple was in ruins between 14th and 17th centuries after the late Ming dynasty. Although there were some restoration attempts in between, the major restoration happened in the 1980s. The temple has been re-occupied by Buddhist monks since then. Since then Mahavir Hall, Samghrma Hall and Ksitigarbha Halls have been constructed and Dharma pillars have been erected in front of these halls. The architectural characters are typically Chinese; however the soul of the ambience lies in the serene, silent and beautiful atmosphere created by these structures.
