In the Sui (581—618) and Tang (618—907) Dynasties, eminent monks like Daochuo and Shandao became abbots of the temple successively, where they distinguished themselves in the study of the doctrine of the Sukhavati Sect. The Mystery Monastery is the first temple of the Sukhavati Sect and a principal Buddhist temple in Northern China. Obviously, the Monastery occupies an important position in the history of Buddhism in China. Although it was destroyed many times during dynastic wars, it was rebuilt time and again so that it is now preserved as before.

Since the Tang Dynasty, the doctrine of the Sukhavati Sect originated hy Tanluan, Daochuo and Shantkia has been passed on to Japan, where Japanese eminent monks like Horan and Qinluan founded the Sukhavati Sect in Japan on the basis of the Buddhist works by the above-mentioned three Chinese masters. That is how the doctrine of the Sukhavati Sect, which originated in the Mystery Monastery in China, has been wide spread in Japan.

On December 27. 1920, Dr. Daitei Tokiwa, having gone through all kinds of hardships and difficulties, reached the Mystery Monastery in Shanxi Province. He wrote many books to confirm the fact that the Japanese Sukhavati Sect of Buddhism originated in the Mystery Monastery of China.

In the fall of 1942, Dr. Daitei Tokiwa and Master Keikyo Sugehara made a special trip to the Mystery Monustery and held a ceremony there in commemoration of the 1,400th anniversary of the death of Master Tanluan. Having a deep respect for the founder. Master Sugehara picked a handful of dates from the date tree in the Monastery and look them to Japan. He planted the seed in his monastery, where, with the meticulous care, it has grown into a big date tree. So Master Sugehara named his temple "The Date Monastery".

After World War II, friends in the Japanese Buddhist world did a lot to promote the friendship between Japan and China under most difficult conditions. In 1953, Eijun Otani, Keikyo Sugehara and others gathered remains of over 7,000 Chinese prisoners of war who died in Japan during the war, and sent them back to China. In high praise the Japanese friends for their contributions to the normalization of relationship between the two countries, the late Premier Zhou Enlai said:“Don't forget the well-diggers when you drink from the well."

In 1977, friends in the Japanese Buddhist world set up die Japan-China Friendship Association of the Sukhavati Sect. Master Keikyo Sugehara in spile of his advanced age of 84. started the publication of the magazine True Disciples of the Mystery Monastery, thus making fresh efforts to promote the friendship between the Japanese and Chinese peoples.

As early as 1958, the year when the Dunhuang Murals Exhibition was held for the first time in Japan, Master Keikyo Sugehara invited Li Chengxian and me to do paintings of Wutai Mountain for his monastery. As that was the time when we were busy restoring the Dunhuang Murals, we could find no time for that task. In February, 1982, Master Sugehara passed away. To carry out his last wish and promote the friendship and cultural exchange between Japan and China, the present abbot of the Date Monastery sent us an official invitation to paint murals in the newly constructed Main Hall of his monastery. In 1985. the Chinese Ministry of Culture and the China Buddhist Association entrusted us with the responsibity for the work.

As Li Chengxian and I had engaged in the study and copying of the Dunhuang Murals for 40-odd years, we did the set of mural paintings of the Mystery Monastery after the techniques and style of the Dunhuang art.

The murals are composed of 15 paintings, each presenting a different location or content: Wutai Mountain in Shanxi, Old Pines on Gua Hill, Twin Pagodas in Taiyuan， China-Japan Friendship trees, the Pure Land, to name just a few.

We worked hard day and night for over three months. The paintings symbolize our efforts to contribute to the friendship between the Chinese and Japanese peoples.

May the cultural exchange be everlasting between China and Japan.

                                                                     Beijing, August 15, 1986