First Constructed in 328 AD.

Here are a few photos from a visit made today to this amazing temple near to where I have been staying in Hang Zhou. It is old and the halls and statues are breathtakingly huge. There were said to be 3000 monks living and practicing at Lingyin which reached it's heyday when Zen Master Dogen was in China. We saw many monks walking about amongst the crowds, in addition a number of them were celebrating a ceremony in one of the (five) great halls.

Standing before Buddha statues in these majestic halls, one just wants to bow and bow and bow again, and that is what I did. The living link to Buddhism coming from India to China came through so strongly. Seeing the forms within this temple and seeing how they have been adapted in Japan and then how we, as an Order, have taken them up and show the teaching through them is moving beyond measure. Not so much the forms themselves more the verification of the living continuation of what they point to and that we/I am part of that great ancient tradition. Coming to this temple was the perfect end to this tour in China.

Iain and I had a celebratory lunch to mark the end of our time of traveling together this past month. Tomorrow will see us in Shanghai again and then I fly to Taiwan, via Japan, and Iain will be back with Edera in Sanbu.



Offering Incense.