Zhaojue Temple
Ancient Zen monastery where a banyan tree slowly swallows a stone tablet, fulfilling a monk's centuries-old prophecy.
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About this audio guide
This guide to Zhaojue Temple in Chengdu opens with a puzzle the monk Poshan set for his disciples before he left, after rebuilding the temple in 1663: a three-part test he said would prove he had not truly gone, involving a stone pillar in the main hall, a ceremonial ladle near the incense burners, and a tree growing in the courtyard. It follows what happened to each of these signs over the centuries that followed. The ladle vanished generations ago and has never been found, still unaccounted for.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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