Historical Allusions to Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou

Lingyin Temple, also known as "Yunlin Temple", was founded in the first year of Xianhe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 326). It has a history of more than 1,600 years. It is now the largest jungle temple in Hangzhou and one of the ten largest jungle temples in the country. One of the famous temples.

Lingyin Temple was founded 170 years earlier than Shaolin Temple (Shaolin Temple was built in 495 AD). Regarding the founding of Lingyin Temple, according to the records of Lingyin Temple, in 326 AD, the Indian monk Huili came to Hangzhou and saw the beautiful mountains here. Feng shui contains aura, so he compared the Feilai Peak opposite to a small ridge in Lingjiu Mountain in India. He didn’t know when it came and thought that “when the Buddha was alive, most of them were hidden by fairies.” So, He stopped here and built a temple, named "Lingyin".

At first, the name of Shanmen Temple was "Juesheng Juechang". In the fourth year of Jingde in the Northern Song Dynasty (1007 AD), it was renamed "Jingde Lingyin Temple". After the Ming Dynasty, it was named "Jingde Lingyin Temple". Lingyin Zen Temple" has been in use to this day. Over the past dynasties, the temple has been destroyed and rebuilt 14 times. The current temple was rebuilt in the 19th century.

At present, the main buildings in Lingyin Temple that can be visited by tourists include: Tianwang Hall, Daxiong Hall, Pharmacist Hall, Yunlin Tibetan Room, etc.; There are two horizontal plaques hanging under the double eaves of Tianwang Hall, " The golden plaque "The Vulture Is Coming" is an inscription by the layman Huang Yuanxiu, and there is also a plaque "Yunlin Zen Temple" written in the handwriting of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. This is the reason why Emperor Kangxi changed "Lingyin Temple" to "Yunlin Temple". So, why is Lingyin Temple also called Yunlin Temple? There are two completely different opinions here. According to folklore, in the 28th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Kangxi visited Hangzhou on a southern tour. One day, Kangxi was so drunk that he swam all the way to Lingyin, surrounded by people. The abbot and monk of the temple knew that the emperor liked to compose poems and inscriptions, so he asked Kangxi to re-inscribe a piece of temple forehead. Kangxi took advantage of the wine and agreed. Unexpectedly, due to drinking, he wrote too hard, and the upper half of the word "Ling" began with the word "Yu" too big. The lower half of the word "口" (口) and the word "witch" ("witch") could no longer be written. Kangxi panicked. He was so anxious that he was sweating profusely and drunk. When he was in trouble, there was a bachelor named Gao Jiangcun next to him. He got wise and wrote the word "Xiao Lin" on the palm of his hand. Then he pretended to polish the ink and hinted to the emperor. Kangxi also adapted to the situation and wrote the word "Ling" as "Ling". The word "雛" is used, so "Lingyin Temple" became "Yunlin Temple".

The peaks and rocks in Lingyin are jagged and the scenery is unique. The Indian monk Huili said: "This is the small ridge of Lingjiu Mountain in Central Tianzhu. I don't know how it came here?" So it is called "Feilai". peak". Feilai Peak, also known as Lingjiu Peak, is 168 meters high. The mountain is made of limestone and is very different from the surrounding mountains. There are no rocks that are not strange, no trees that are not ancient, and no caves that are not quiet. The strange rocks of Feilai Peak look like a dragon, a galloping elephant, a crouching tiger, and a frightened ape, making it seem like a stone zoo. There are old trees and vines on the mountain with intertwined roots; the rock bones are exposed and the peaks look like they have been shaved off. Yuan Hongdao of the Ming Dynasty once praised: "Of all the peaks on the lake, Feilai is the first."

Feilai Peak has jagged rocks and beautiful bells. On its caves and cliffs along the stream, there are inscriptions of the Five Dynasties. There are 345 cliff statues from the Song and Yuan dynasties, among which the Tibetan Buddhist (Lamaism) statues from the Yuan Dynasty are the most precious. They can be regarded as treasures in the art of stone kiln sculpture in my country, so they are a national key cultural relics protection unit.

At the west foot of Feilai Peak, there is a cold spring hidden deep in the green shade. The spring is as crystal clear as jade. On the clear and clear surface of the pool, an underground spring as big as a bowl spurts out. No matter the stream rises or falls, it gushes out endlessly. , Flying beads and splashing jade are like playing the music of nature. The Ming Dynasty painter Shen Shitian's poem said: "The scenery on the lake is said to be spiritually hidden, and the scenery is alone among the cold springs." "There is a Cold Spring Pavilion built beside the Cold Spring Pool.