Baimatempleislocated12kilometerseastoftheoldcityofLuoyanginHenanProvince.Itwasfoundedinthe11thyearofYongpingintheEasternHanDynasty(AD68).ItisthefirstancienttempleinChinaandtheworldfamousKalantemple.ItisthefirsttemplebuiltafterBuddhismwasintroducedintoChina.Itisknownasthe"ancestralcourt"and"sourceofinterpretation"ofChineseBuddhism.Ithasahistoryofmorethan1900years.Theexistingsitesandhistoricsitesarepreservedinyuan,MingandQingDynasties.TherearealargenumberofJiaganlacqueredstatuesoftheYuanDynasty,suchasthethirdBuddha,thesecondgeneralandtheeighteenArhats.
In1961,BaimatemplewasannouncedasthefirstbatchofnationalkeyculturalrelicsprotectionunitsbytheStateCouncilofthepeople'sRepublicofChina.In1983,itwasdesignatedbytheStateCouncilasthenationalkeyTempleofChineseBuddhism.InJanuary2001,BaimatemplewasnamedasthefirstbatchofAAAAscenicspotsbytheNationalTourismAdministration.
IntheseventhyearofYongpingintheEasternHanDynasty(A.D.64),EmperorLiuZhuang(thesonofLiuXiu)spentthenightinNangong.Hedreamedthatagoldenman,sixfeettallandshiningonhishead,wouldcomefromtheWestandflyaroundthepalace.Thenextmorning,EmperorHanmingtoldtheministersaboutthedream.DoctorFuYisaid,"thereisaGodinthewest,whichiscalledBuddha,justasyoudream.".Afterhearingthis,EmperorHanandMingsentmorethantenministers,suchasCaiYinandQinJing,tothewesternregionstoworshipBuddhistscripturesandDharma.
IntheeighthyearofYongping(AD65),Cai,Qinandothersbidfarewelltotheimperialcapitalandembarkedonthejourneyof"learningfromthewest".InDayueKingdom(fromAfghanistantoCentralAsiatoday),ImetIndianeminentmonks,suchasshemotengandzhufalan,andmetBuddhistsutrasandwhitefeltstatuesofSakyamuniBuddha.IsincerelyaskthetwoeminentmonkstogoeasttoChinatopreachBuddhism.
InthetenthyearofYongping(AD67),twoIndianeminentmonkswereinvitedtocarryBuddhistscripturesandstatuesonwhitehorsestogetherwithenvoysoftheEasternHanDynastytoLuoyang.EmperorHanmingwasveryhappytoseetheBuddhistscripturesandstatues.Hewasverypolitetothetwoeminentmonks.HepersonallyreceivedthemandarrangedforthemtostayinHonglutemple,theofficialofficeinchargeofforeignaffairsatthattime.
Inthe11thyearofYongping(A.D.68),theemperorofHanandMingorderedtheconstructionofmonasteriesinthenorthofSanliimperialroadoutsideXiyonggateinLuoyang.InmemoryofBaimatuojing,itwasnamed"BaimaTemple".Theword"Si"originatedfromtheword"Si"of"HongluTemple",andlater"Si"becameageneraltermofChinesetemples.ThisisthefirstChinesetranslationofBuddhistscripturesinChina.
Aftertakingphotosofmotengandzhufalan,manyWesterneminentmonkscametoBaimatempletotranslateBuddhistscriptures.Inmorethan150yearsafter68A.D.,192Buddhistscriptures,395volumesintotal,weretranslatedhere.BaimatemplehasbecomethefirstBuddhistScriptureTranslationCenterinChina.
InthesecondyearofCaoweiJiaping(A.D.250),Tankejialuo,anIndianmonk,cametoBaimatemple.Atthistime,Buddhismalsoenteredthepublicfromthedeeppalace.Later,tankojarotranslatedthefirstBuddhistcommandmentinChineseinBaimatemple.Atthesametime,TanDi,amonkoftheSabbathstate,alsotranslatedTanWuDeJieMoinBaimatemple,whichregulatedtheorganizationandlifeofthemonks.Sofar,thecommandmentsandtheconstitutionofthemonks'grouphavebeencompleted,andapathofmonasticpracticehasbeenpaved,whichisthebeginningofthecommandmentsinChina.
InthefifthyearofGanlu(260A.D.),acommandmentceremonywasheldinBaimatemple,whichisdestinedtobedeeplyengravedinthehistoryofChineseBuddhism.Onthisday,ZhuShixingascendedthealtarofabstinenceinaccordancewiththelawofkarma,kneltdowninfrontoftheBuddha,andbecamethefirstmonkwhoformallyreceivedthebhikkhucommandmentinHanChina.Sincethen,theancientConfuciantraditionof"bodyhairskin,parents,darenotdamage"hasbeenbroken.
Duringthefirst200yearsofBuddhism'stakingrootandspreadinginChina,thewholeprocessiscloselyrelatedtoBaimatemple.ThisistheproductofChina'sfirstsearchforDharmafromtheWest.ItistheresidenceofthefirstmonkswhocametoChinatopreachandspreadDharma.ThefirstChineseBuddhistScriptureandChineseCommandmentswerebornhere,andthefirstChineseBuddhistmonkwasbornInaword,Baimatempleiscloselylinkedwithmany"firsts"ofChineseBuddhism,whichmakesittherealancestorandsourceofChineseBuddhism.