Ancient temple Lingyin

Author: Lin Zhengqiu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: With the publication of Ancient Temple Lingyin, I am deeply honored. The book is well-researched, easy to understand, concise in narrative, rich in illustrations, and features poetry that complements the visuals, allowing readers to learn about the temple's history and the origins of the various Buddhas.
Lingyin Temple, also known as Yunlin Chan Temple, was established in the first year of the Xianhe period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (326 AD). At that time, the Indian monk Huili came to Hangzhou and saw the extraordinary peaks, believing them to be "where spirits hide," so he built a temple here and named it "Lingyin." During the southern inspection of Kangxi Emperor of 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 renamed the temple "Yunlin Chan Temple." The massive "Yunlin Chan Temple" plaque in front of the Tianwang Hall today is the "imperial calligraphy" of Emperor Kangxi.
At its peak, Lingyin Temple had nine floors, eighteen pavilions, and seventy-two halls, with over 3,000 monks. During the Northern Song Dynasty, it was ranked as the first Chan temple among the five major temples in Jiangnan. Lingyin Temple truly embodies the essence of "hidden," with the magnificent temple deeply nestled in the dense greenery of the West Lake's peaks, forests, and clear springs. In front of the temple are the Cold Spring and Feilai Peak, among other scenic spots. It is said that Su Dongpo, when governing Hangzhou, often brought his friends and officials here for outings and even held court judgments at Cold Spring Pavilion.
Today's Lingyin Temple was gradually rebuilt on the foundation of its reconstruction during the late Qing Dynasty. The central axis of the temple's architecture includes the Tianwang Hall, the Daxiongbao Hall, and the Yaofang Hall. In the middle of the Tianwang Hall, facing the mountain gate, there is a niche housing a statue of Maitreya Buddha, with his chest and abdomen exposed, seated cross-legged in a lotus position, and smiling warmly. Behind the mountain gate, another niche holds a statue of the Buddhist guardian deity Weidao, standing at 2.5 meters tall, wearing a golden helmet and armor, and exuding a spirited aura. This statue, carved from camphor wood, is a precious relic 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, originally known as Juehuang Hall, is a single-story, three-tiered, double-eaved structure, grand in scale. In the center of the hall, the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha sits atop a lotus throne, exuding solemnity and reverence as he gazes downward, 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 and folk artists from the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts in 1953, based on Tang Dynasty Chan Buddhist statues. Standing at 19.6 meters tall—more than double the original—it was carved from nearly 100 pieces of camphor wood. The statue is dignified, serene, and lifelike, radiating elegance. Behind the Sakyamuni statue is a colorful mural titled Fifty-Three Visits, featuring 150 statues of varying sizes, depicting the story of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra's trials and tribulations as he seeks guidance from fifty-three "wise masters" in Buddhist scriptures, ultimately achieving enlightenment. The main figure of this vivid and richly detailed mural is the Guanyin Bodhisattva, standing on the back of a turtle and holding a vase, gracefully accepting Samantabhadra's reverence.
The Yaofang Hall, rebuilt in recent years, enshrines the statue of the Medicine Buddha along with the Sun and Moon Deities. 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 are stone stupas inscribed with "Built by the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army of the Wu-Yue Kingdom, during the intercalary fifth month of the Kaibao second year of the Great Song Dynasty (AD 969)."
In front of the Daxiongbao Hall, on both sides of the moon platform, stand two octagonal, nine-story stone towers with imitation wooden structures, each over 7 meters tall. The carvings on the towers are exquisite. According to the late architectural expert Liang Sicheng, these towers were also carved during the late Wu-Yue period.
Lingyin Temple preserves numerous Buddhist artifacts, including 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.