Millennium Lingyin

Author: Zhao Fuliian
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Lingyin Temple, also known as Yunlin Chan Temple, was established in the first year of Xianhe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (326 AD). At that time, the Indian monk Huili came to Hangzhou and saw the extraordinary peaks here, believing it to be "a hidden retreat of immortals," so he built a temple here and named it "Lingyin." During the southern inspection of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, he climbed to the top of Beifeng Peak behind the temple to admire the scenery. Seeing the misty clouds below and the entire temple shrouded in a faint morning fog, it appeared very tranquil, so he granted the temple the name "Yunlin Chan Temple." The large plaque of "Yunlin Chan Temple" in front of the Tianwang Hall today is the "imperial calligraphy" of Emperor Kangxi. During the peak period of Lingyin Temple, there were nine floors, eighteen pavilions, and seventy-two halls, with over three thousand monks. In the Northern Song Dynasty, someone evaluated the temples in Jiangnan, and the magnificent Lingyin Temple was ranked as the first Chan Temple among the Five Mountains. Lingyin Temple truly embodies the essence of "hidden," with the entire magnificent temple deeply nestled in the dense greenery of the West Lake peaks, clear springs, and lush forests. In front of the temple are the Cold Spring and Feilai Peak, among other scenic spots. It is said that when Su Dongpo governed Hangzhou, he often brought his poet friends and officials here for outings and once held a trial on the Cold Spring Pavilion, "judging cases with a fan." Today's Lingyin Temple was gradually restored and rebuilt on the foundation of its reconstruction in the late Qing Dynasty. The main axis of the temple's architecture is sequentially the Tianwang Hall, the Daxiongbao Hall, and the Yaofor Hall. In the center of the Tianwang Hall, facing the mountain gate, there is an arched niche housing a statue of Maitreya Buddha, with his chest and abdomen exposed, seated cross-legged on a lotus cushion, with a smiling expression. Behind the mountain gate, in another niche, there is a statue of the Buddhist guardian deity Waidao, standing at 2.5 meters tall, wearing a golden helmet and armor, radiating an energetic aura. This statue, carved from camphor wood, is a precious relic preserved from the Southern Song Dynasty. On both sides of the Tianwang Hall are colorful statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, each standing at 8 meters tall, clad in heavy armor. Two are fierce in appearance, while the other two are gentle, commonly known as the Four Great Diamonds. The Daxiongbao Hall was originally called Juehuang Hall, featuring a single-story, three-tiered, double-eaved structure with an imposing presence. In the center of the hall, the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha sits atop a lotus throne, exuding solemnity, bowing his head slightly, inspiring awe. This is one of the tallest wooden seated statues in China. The original Sakyamuni statue of Lingyin Temple was destroyed in 1949 when the main beam of the Daxiongbao Hall collapsed due to termites. The current statue was meticulously designed by sculptors from the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts and folk artists, based on Tang Dynasty Chan Buddhist statues, during the 1953 renovation of the temple. The statue stands at 19.6 meters tall, more than double the height of the original, carved from nearly 100 pieces of camphor wood. The statue has a dignified and solemn posture, with lowered brows and fine eyes, radiating vitality and great charm. Behind the Sakyamuni statue is a colorful mural of "Fifty-three Visits," featuring 150 statues of varying sizes, depicting the story from Buddhist scriptures where the boy Sankhya undergoes trials to visit fifty-three "wise masters" and ultimately achieves enlightenment. The main figure of this rich and vivid mural is Guanyin Bodhisattva, standing on the back of a turtle and holding a vase, gracefully and peacefully accepting Sankhya's visits. The Yaofor Hall was recently rebuilt and houses statues of the Medicine Buddha, the Sun Goddess, and the Moon Goddess. To the left of the hall is the newly rebuilt Arhat Hall, displaying 500 stone carvings of Arhats. The majestic halls, ancient trees, and a collection of precious cultural relics and historic sites accompany the temple. On both sides of the Tianwang Hall in front of the hall, there is one stone scripture pillar each. Both pillars bear the inscription: "Built by the Heavenly Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army, King of Wuyue, in the second year of Kaibao (revised month) of the Kaiyuan era of the Great Song Dynasty." In front of the Daxiongbao Hall, on both sides of the moon platform, there is one octagonal, nine-story stone pagoda with a wooden-like structure each, standing over 7 meters tall. Each face of the pagoda is intricately carved. According to the examination by the renowned architectural expert Liang Sicheng during his lifetime, these two stone pagodas were also carved in the late Wuyue period. The Buddhist cultural relics preserved in Lingyin Temple include ancient Buddhist manuscripts on birch bark, a gold-plated Buddha statue from the Eastern Wei Dynasty, a Ming Dynasty manuscript of the Diamond Sutra by Dong Qichang, and a Qing Dynasty woodblock edition of the Dragon Sutra, all of which are invaluable treasures.