甘肃甘南州临潭县，古称洮州，位于甘肃省南部，地处秦岭西端，西临青海、南靠四川，总面积为一千五百五十七点六八平方公里，总人口为十七万人。在县城东的一座小山上，一座庄严雄伟，古典式殿宇群落，这就是1998年移址重建的汉传佛教丛林‘慈云寺’。慈云寺主体由大雄宝殿、天王殿、观音殿、地藏殿，客堂、僧舍、斋堂等附属建筑物，以及正在规划修建的藏经楼和山门等建筑组成。从寺院的建筑规模和信教人数来说，也是甘南州汉传佛教最大的道场。
慈云寺遵从佛陀的遗教，从起步开始便立志创立风范，开启道风。寺内按佛教规程，有寺管会负责事务，并建立了财务管理制度，管理可谓很完善。慈云寺每年根据弘法和寺院佛事活动的需要，不定期礼请外地大德法师来寺弘法。满足大众对佛法的渴仰。每年农历四月初八、六月十九。十一月十七日，慈云寺都要举行隆重的祈福法会，届时县城周围方圆数十里的汉藏群众都前来祈愿，慈云寺每年还要举办，打佛七法会，佛七是信仰净土法门的人，最直接的克期求证方法，因此寺里每到农闲时间都要组织居土打佛七，希望广大居士在阿弥陀佛的佛号声中找回生命的真谛。无论是七八十岁的老居土，还是二十多岁的准备皈依佛教的善男信女们，在打佛七时，仿佛个个心灵都得到了净化，尘世的污浊己涤荡干净，无论绕佛或打坐，他们的只有一句阿弥陀佛。真是念念相应念念佛!他们让阿弥陀佛的洪名，涤荡尽自己从无始生死劫所带来的贪嗔痴慢的习气，让其清静的自性真正显露，从而找回真正的自我。
慈云寺是清静的，清静中他也透出几分大气和灵气，虽然地处贫困地区，寺里穷，信仰的大众生活也并不宽裕，但他们不感到孤苦，2006年6月19日，慈云寺两叙大众，真诚的迎请了远在广东上佛学院的上能下广法师，为慈云寺第一任住持，名刹得主，人天欢喜，至此慈云寺算是三宝具足，至此，慈云寺也为他三四百年没僧人主持的历史划上了句号。
慈云寺是幸运的，尽管所处的自然环境是严酷一点，但他是佛陀培植在洮州大地上的一棵幼苗，在临潭广大信众的精心呵护及十方大德的热情护持下，慈云寺正在茁壮成长。慈云寺从再创之始，就得到了十方大德的大力护持。1994年，甘肃省临夏潮音寺向慈云寺捐赠各类经书两千多册；1996年，南京金陵刻经处赠般若经一部及其他法宝；1997年，冬季香港宝莲禅寺赠《大方广佛华严经》及其他法宝；2000年福建莆田广化寺以及甘肃临洮县佛教协会、甘肃甘谷县佛教协会共向慈云寺捐赠各类经书三千多册，这些法宝，基本满足了临潭境内信教群众对法的渴求；2001年，甘肃兰州佛教界的大德居士，从缅甸国请回1米6高的西方三圣像赠给慈云寺；2007年现任主持上能下广法师为回报家乡父老的养育之恩，自舍净资，礼请乾隆《大藏经》一部供养常住；2008年，法师又蒙南华本纯法师相助，为常住迎请了大方广佛华严经250部及其他法宝上万册。为慈云寺佛教事业的发展奠定了坚实的基础。
慈云寺大雄宝殿为单楷歇山顶式建筑，梁架举折平缓，出桔深远险峻，殿脊两端盘龙昂首，如欲腾越苍弯，四角飞楷风铃摇曳叮鸣，整个建筑质朴苍古，恢宏大气。大雄殿内的佛菩萨像，为慈云寺增添了不少庄严和神圣。本师释迦牟尼佛居中端坐，高大庄严，望之欢喜，迦叶，阿难分立两傍，恰如灵山法会逾千年而未散，释迦世尊正向世人揭示生命的真谛。左侧的药师佛，手托琉璃塔导引众生远离一切苦难；右侧的阿弥陀佛，手持莲花接引众生归向西方极乐世界；东西两侧佛台上依山而居的十八罗汉，神态各异，栩栩如生。你看降龙伏虎二罗汉法力无边，表示正义可以降伏一切邪恶；瘦罗汉表示学佛要苦修苦练，才能离苦得乐；开心罗汉表示佛在心中，心即是佛，佛即是心，心佛不二的妙理。天王殿内的弥勒菩萨，袒胸含笑、迎门而座，昭示世人，慈悲和气是学佛的第一要素；四大天王怒目直指，警示众生天网恢恢、疏而不漏、因果之报丝毫不差。
Lintan County, Gannan autonomous prefecture, with the the ancient name Tao prefecture, is located at the south of Gansu Province. It is situated at the west end of Qinling mountain, in west near Qinghai province, and south Sichuan province. The total area is 1557.68 square kilometers, and the total population is 170,000. On a small hill of the county south, are a dignified,grand, classical -like palaces community. This is the Han’s Buddhism jungle `Ciyun Temple ', which was moved to the present site and reconstructed in1998.. The Ciyun Temple’s main body consists of the Sakyamuni palace, the Heaven king palace, avalokitesvara palace, dizang palace, the attaching constructions such as the reception room, the monk shed, vegetarian meal room, as well as the planning Buddhist scriptures building and the entrance gate. It is the han’s biggest temple of Buddhist in gannan prefecture in the aspect of temple construction scale and the religious belief population.
The Ciyun Temple followed Buddha's legacy of teachings, and resolved to establish the orthodox style when it was founded. Ciyun temple has, according to the Buddhism regulations, the temple administration group in charge of it’s businesses, and the financial management system, which can be considered as very perfect. every year, in order to develop the dharma, and carry out Buddhist ceremony activity, Ciyun Temple will politely ask masters of outside areas to come to the temple for enhancing the law. Thus can Satisfy the common people’s thirstily to the Buddhist doctrine. Every year, on lunar calendar April eighth day, June 19, November 17etc, Ciyun Temple will hold grand Buddhist meeting. At that time, people of han and Tibet from around the county surrounding areas will come to pray for blessings. every year Ciyun Temple will hold the Buddha Seven Buddhist meeting, Buddha seven is the most direct way for people who believe the pure land to set a date to conform the dharma.. therefore in the slack farming season time, they organize the lay Buddhists participate the Buddha seven, hoping that they can retrieve the truth of their life meaning in the sounds of chanting Amitabha’s name. Meantime, people, from 70-80 year-old lay Buddhists to over-20-year-old Buddhism believers, are likely to have their soul purified. Filth of this mortal world has been cleared away cleanly, they only chant Amitabha’s name regardless of cycling Buddha or siting in meditation. They chant amitabha’s name sincerely, so their hearts become amitabhas accordingly. They have their bad habits of greedy, anger, unenlightenedness from numerous kalpas ago washed away by amitabha’s grand name. and thus their clear and quiet original nature is revealed truly, and they find themselves completely as well.
Ciyun Temple is quiet, at the same time she is also magnificent and divine. although she and the place she is situated at are both poor, and the common believers are not rich as well, they don not feel wretched. On June 19, 2006, people of Ciyun Temple sincerely welcomed master Neng Guang who was studying in Buddhism institute in Guangdong, to be the first abbot, thus, the famous temple had her new owner, human beings and gods were all happy. hence Ciyun Temple had the three treasures completely, and finished the no-monk-as-abbot history of 300-400 years.
Ciyun Temple is lucky, although the natural environment is a little severe, she is like a seedling that the Buddha planted on the field of the ancient Tao prefecture, and grows healthily under protection of the Buddhism believers of lintan and great Buddhists from ten directions. in 1996, Jinling Buddhism classics printing group in Nanjing presented a maha prajnaparamita sutra and some other classics. In the winter of 1997, Hong Kong Baolian zen Temple presented as a gift Dafangguang Buddha Kegon Sutra and others; in 2000, ciyun temple received more than 3000 Buddhism classics donated by Fujian Putian Guanghua temple, Buddhist Association of Lintao,Gansu, Buddhist Association of Gangu, Gansu. All these treasures have met Lintan Buddhism believers’ hunger after dharma. in 2001, some great lay Buddhists from lanzou,Gansu bought, from the Burmese country, the Western Three Sages of 1.6 meters high, which were then donated to Ciyun Temple; in 2007, the present abbot, master nengguang bought Qianlong "Buddhist scriptures"with his own money,and offered to ciyun temple. in 2008, master nengguang bought 250 dafangguangfohuayanjing and more than ten thousand other dharma treasures with the help of master benchun from nahua temple, which has laid the solid foundation for the Ciyun Temple Buddhism enterprise's development.
the whole building of the ciyuan temple keeps plain, ancient and grand. In Sakyamuni palace, the statues of Buddha and Bodhisattvas make Ciyun Temple more dignified and sacred. Our basic teacher Sakyamuni sits straightly, looking grand and pleazant, Aryas Kasyapa and Anonda stand at the two sides, as though the Buddhist meetings in the five mountains around Rajagrha had not disappeared over three thousand years, and sakyamuni were still giving the world life’s ture meaning. In the left side, the pharmacist Buddha holds the glazed pagoda to guide all living things to be far away from all misery; In the right, Amitabha holds lotus flower to receive and instruct all living things to turn toward the Western heaven of heavens; On the Buddha stages in east and west, the eighteen Arhats are life-like, with different manners and expressions. Look, the two arhats of overcoming dragon and taming tiger have boundless supernatural powers, and they manifests the powers that can vanquish all the evil things; Thin arhat manifests that to study Buddhism one need to cultivate himself hard, thus can he leave pains and get happiness; The happy arhat manifests that Buddha is in our hearts, heart is Buddha, Buddha is heart, heart and Buddha are the one. In the Heaven kings’ palace, Bodhisattva Maitreya, bares the chest, with a smile, sits facing the gate, which makes the common people clear that the mercy and friendliness are the first essential factor for studying Buddhism; The four great heaven kings stretch their hands straightly and stare angrily, admonishing all the living things that net of heaven has large meshes, and karmar is not the least bit off.
