Lingyin Temple

 

 

The Lingyin Temple (literally "Temple of Soul's Retreat") stands between the Peaks of Feilai and Beigao at the northwest of the West Lake Scenic Area, Hangzhou. Lingyin is one of the famous Buddhist temples in the Yangtze River Delta Region and it is praised for its surrounding tranquil environment.

 

The history of Lingyin Temple can be traced back to about 1600 years ago. At that time, an Indian monk Huili came to Hangzhou and was moved by the beautiful hill scenery and good natural environment, he thought that this was the place for living of heavenly spirits, so he built a temple here and called "Soul's Retreat". One day when the Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty came to the Lingyin Temple. He looked at the surroundings of Lingyin, it was cloudy and misty, very peaceful, so he inscribed "Yun Lin Chan Si" (The Zen Temple in the Forest of Clouds). Kangxi's words were engraved on a giant plaque at the gate of Tianwang Hall of the Lingyin Temple. During its most flourishing time, the temple had 9 buildings, 18 towers, and 72 halls with 1,300 rooms and more than 3,000 monks. Nowadays the Lingyin Temple is still a popular place for Buddhist followers and travelers at home and abroad.

 

Most part of the present

Lingyin Temple is renovated based on the rebuilding during the late Qing Dynasty, the layout of the temple is roughly akin to the style of architecture in the Yangtze River Delta.

 

In the center of Tianwang Dian (The Hall of Heavenly King), a big statue of Maitreya, the fat Buddha with a friendly smile, is very eye-catching. A majestic statue of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, is seated in the main hall of the temple, Da Xiong Bao Dian (The Hall of Great Hero). The 19-m tall Sakyamuni is placed on a giant lotus flower with many magnificent sculptures of 150 Buddha behind. On both sides of the platform, located at the front of The Hall of Great Hero stand two beautiful pagodas which built about 1,100 years ago. Sutras and other valuable Buddhist heritage are collected here too. The Hall of Medicine Master was rebuilt a few years ago. The Arhat Hall collects 500 Arhat stone sculptures and many Buddhist relics.

 

The Feilai Feng (The Peak Flown from Afar) lies near the Lingyin Temple and is one of the best attractions in Hangzhou. The peak is an important place for finding the ancient cave art in southern China. Inside these caves, 330 Buddha statues made between the Five Dynasties Period and the Yuan Dynasty, can be found.