Lingyin Temple – a destination for Buddhist faithful

Address: China, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, Xihu, 灵隐路法云弄1号
Phone: +86 571 8796 8665

Lingyin Temple (Temple of Soul's Retreat) located in a long, narrow valley between Peak Flown From Afar (Fei Lai Feng) and North Peak to the northwest of the West Lake at Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province. It is one of the oldest, beautiful and most significant ancient Buddhist temples of China. With the long history and charming scenery,thousands of visitors and Buddhist faithful from home and abroadfor tourism and pilgrimswas attracted to come here every day.
Ling Yin Templewas first built in AD 326 by the Indian Monk Huili at Eastern Jin Dynasty and has a history of over 1600 years. It has been damaged and undergone several renovations.
Lingyin in Chinese means the soul's retreat so that the temple also can be named Temple of Soul's Retreat. Sheltered by forested hills on three sides, this temple is a quiet and sheltered sanctuary place. The temple covers an area of 5.66 square kilometers and has many scenic spots, including Xiaoyingzhou (Lesser Yingzhou, an islet) and Santan Yingyue (Three Pools Reflecting the Moon, a part of Lesser Yingzhou). Surrounding hills are manypagodas, temples, caves, rock carvings and natural springs.

Lingyin Temple – a destination for Buddhist faithful

The temple consists ofthe Hall of the Great Hero, the Hall of the Heavenly King, the Hall of the Buddha of Medicine, the west wing,, the East and West Winding Corridors,  the Liandeng Tower, the Dabei Tower, the dining halls and the Abbot's Room.In front of the Ling Yin Temple is the Hall of the Heavenly King, which is the main entrance of the temple. In the center of the hall, there is a statue of Maitreya - the laughing Buddha, with a smiling face and a bare belly. Hall of the Great Hero is the temple's most magnificent building. It is 33.6 meters high. It contains the largestand most magnificent statue of Sakyamuniin the lotus position.Behind Sakyamuni is a colorful sculpture of 150 Buddhas. Another recently added hall holds the 500 Arhats. Hall of Medicine Buddha enshrines the statue of the Medicine Buddha which is also called Bhaisajyaturu.

Lingyin Temple in China is considered to be one of the wealthiest temples. It contains an important collection of Buddhist literature together with many other treasures. As a result, it is a great storehouse of information for those who wish to study aspects of Chinese Buddhism in detail.Moreover, it has tranquil and deep mountains,old and lofty trees, ancient Buddhist temples as well as the varied clouds and mist.

Map of Lingyin Temple: