Donglin Temple, Buddhist temple at Mount Lushan, Jiangxi, China
Donglin Temple stands at the northwestern foot of Mount Lushan, about 20 km from Jiujiang, facing Xianglu Peak with the Tiger Stream bridge at its entrance. Founded in 386 as Longquan Jingshe, it grew under the Tang dynasty to 310 halls and rooms across 120,000 square metres. The 48-metre Amitabha Buddha statue, completed in 2012, stands at the foot of the mountain.
Huiyuan founded the temple in 386 as Longquan Jingshe, and it was later renamed Donglin. He led it for 30 years and formed the White Lotus Society, a community of 123 Chinese and foreign monks and scholars. Under the Tang dynasty it grew to 310 halls and rooms with over a thousand monks; it was damaged in the Taiping Rebellion and again during the Cultural Revolution, then listed as a Jiangxi provincial heritage site in 1978.
The name means "Eastern Forest Temple", not a reference to Huiyuan. In 402 Huiyuan founded the White Lotus Society here with 123 Chinese and foreign monks and scholars, a formative group for Pure Land practice. Today visitors may join the monks' nianfo chanting and eat free vegetarian meals with them.
Entry to Donglin Temple is free, unlike many sites in China. Guests may stay up to three days in sex-segregated shared rooms at no charge. Visitors can join the monks' nianfo practice and eat free vegetarian meals with them at 6:00–6:30, 11:00–11:30 and 17:00–17:30.
The 48-metre Amitabha statue, completed in 2012, is surrounded by an 80-metre flame sculpture. The project was approved by the State Administration for Religious Affairs in 2000 after a decades-long donation campaign.
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