Lingyin Temple | A sanctuary for the celestial and reclusive

Lingyin Temple, an ancient Buddhist temple in China, also known as Yunlin Temple, is located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, backed by Beigao Peak and facing Feilai Peak. It was founded in the first year of the Xianhe era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (326 AD), and the founding patriarch of Lingyin Temple was the Western Indian monk Huili. During the Southern Dynasties, Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty granted land and expanded the temple. During the Five Dynasties, King Qian Lou of Wuyue commanded the invitation of Master Yongming Yanshou to revive and expand the temple, and bestowed the name Lingyin Xin Temple. In the Jiading era of Emperor Ningzong of the Song Dynasty, Lingyin Temple was acclaimed as one of the 'Five Mountains' of Chan Buddhism in the south of the Yangtze River. During the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, the Chan Buddhism master Ju De lived in Lingyin and raised funds for reconstruction. Lingyin Temple is one of the earliest existing Buddhist temples in Hangzhou, and there is a saying among the people: One must visit West Lake when coming to Hangzhou, and one must go to Lingyin when visiting West Lake, and one cannot miss the Lingjiu Peak (Feilai Peak) when at Lingyin. This is because the origin of this Buddhist country in the southeast, which has continued for more than 1600 years, is Lingjiu Peak, which is said to have flown from distant India. According to records, in 326 AD, the first year of the Xianhe era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, an ancient Indian monk came to Hangzhou. When he reached the Wulin Mountains west of West Lake, he pointed to a small mountain and exclaimed: This is a ridge of our Indian Lingjiu Mountain, I wonder when it flew here, and said, during the Buddha's lifetime, this ridge was a place where celestial beings lived in seclusion, I wonder if it is still the same now. The ancient Indian monk was named Huili, historically known as the Indian monk, and the ridge where the celestial beings lived in seclusion that Huili spoke of is today's Lingjiu Peak of Lingyin Temple, also known as Feilai Peak. In the Buddhist scriptures, Lingjiu Mountain is a sacred place where the Buddha often gathered disciples for cultivation and preached in his later years. Regarding the arrival of Lingjiu Mountain, Master Ju De, a patriarch of Lingyin Temple from the late Ming to early Qing dynasty, once said: The World-Honored One preached for 49 years, discussed the scriptures in more than 330 meetings, and at the end, in the assembly at Vulture Peak, in front of a million followers, he entrusted the Flower Sermon to Venerable Kashyapa, who smiled in transmission, and the great Dharma came eastward, thus this mountain had come to the land of Zhen Dan in anticipation. Thus, the arrival of Feilai Peak is indeed not without reason. This is the Western Paradise, and the Western Paradise is here. Perhaps this is the origin of the phrase 'a stone's throw to the Western Paradise'. It is said that after Master Huili discovered Feilai Peak, he stayed and often practiced at Yan Zuo Rock (Li Gong Rock), and soon after, Master Huili built 5 temples along the banks of Wulin Water near Feilai Peak. One of them was named Lingyin, indicating that there were celestial beings living in seclusion here. According to records, after the construction of the 5 temples, Master Huili retreated into the deep mountains and never left Wulin for the rest of his life.