Donglin Temple () is a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

approximately from

Jiujiang Jiujiang (), formerly transliterated Kiukiang or Kew Keang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level cit ...

, in the north of

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

province, China. Built in 386 CE at the foot of Mountain Lu by Huiyuan, founder of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism, it is well known for how long it has stood without collapsing. In the Tang dynasty,

Jianzhen Jianzhen (; 688–763), or Ganjin in Japanese, was a Chinese monk who helped to propagate Buddhism in Japan. In the eleven years from 743 to 754, Jianzhen attempted to visit Japan some six times. Ganjin finally came to Japan in the year 753 and ...

made several trips to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

for the mission of preaching Buddhism. As a result, Huiyuan and the doctrine of Donglin Temple began to spread in Japan. Donglin Temple made contributions to improve cultural exchanges and friendly visits between China and

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, Japan. The monastery reached its peak of influence during the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

(618–907 CE), but was severely damaged during the

Taiping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a massive rebellion and civil war that was waged in China between the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the Han, Hakka-led Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It last ...

and was almost destroyed during the Republican period (1912–1949) of Chinese history.

History

Eastern Jin dynasty

Donglin Temple was originally built as "Longquan Jingshe" () in 386 by a prominent Buddhist monk named Huiyuan, founder of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism, under the

Eastern Jin dynasty Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

(266–420). During his time as abbot, he disseminated Pure Land Buddhism for 30 years, and attracted large numbers of practitioners. He organized the White Lotus Society (), a community gathered 123 Chinese and foreign monks and scholars. Indian Buddhist monks Tanmoti () and Sengjia Tipo () also delivered Buddhism at that time.

Tang dynasty

The temple experienced unprecedented growth during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

(618–907), and it had more than one thousand monks and was in size, with 310 halls and rooms.

, an exceptional Buddhist monk, lectured the sutras and precepts in the temple before going to

. In 753, in the 12th year of Tianbao period, Zhi'en (), a monk in Donglin Temple, arrived in Japan with Jianzhen.

Structures

Guest houses

Guest houses are provided free of charge for tourists for living there up to three days. Like monastic living, they are sex segregated and rooms have to be shared.

Big Buddha of Donglin

After decades long donation campaign, the temple built a tall statue of Buddha Amitabha surrounded by an tall flame sculpture .

Public Access

Unlike many tourist sites in China, visitors are not required to buy any tickets in this temple. On the contrary, tourists can have free vegetarian meals together with monks (at 6:00–6:30, 11:00–11:30, 17:00–17:30) after joining their religious

nianfo Nianfo (, Japanese: , , vi, niệm Phật) is a term commonly seen in Pure Land Buddhism. In the context of Pure Land practice, it generally refers to the repetition of the name of Amitābha. It is a translation of Sanskrit '' '' (or, "recoll ...

exercises.

Abbot

The current abbot of the temple, Master Da'an (), was a professor of Beijing University of International Business and Economics.

Gallery

File:Donglin Temple Three Buddhas.jpg, Amitabha Buddha (left),

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

(center), and the Medicine Buddha (right) File:Donglin temple library.JPG, Buddhist Texts Library of Donglin Temple File:Donglin Temple-Guanyin 02.JPG, Statue of

Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...

at the Temple File:Donglin temple lotus pond.JPG, Donglin Temple lotus pond File:Arhats in Donglin temple.JPG, Arhat Hall of Donglin temple File:Distant View w. Peasants.jpg, A distant view with farmers working in the foreground

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{Jiangxi topics 386 establishments Buddhist temples in Jiangxi Buildings and structures in Jiangxi Chinese architectural history Religious organizations established in the 4th century Tourist attractions in Jiangxi Religion in Jiangxi 4th-century establishments in China 4th-century Buddhist temples