Described as Lotus Pond Resort! This is just a small part of West Lake in Hang Zhou.
West Lake in Hang Zhou, China
Category Archives: Pilgrimage 2005
Stability.
The halls and temple grounds are crowded with tourists and pilgrims and then in late afternoon, as we experienced at Tiantong, the gates are closed and the place returns to silence. The resident priests continue to walk about much the same as they do when there are visitors around. There seems to be nothing, not even the gathered crowds, the cell phones ring etc. that can shake the grounded stability of these ancient sites where Buddhism is being practiced, still.
Pilgrims.
Lingyin – 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.
Keep off the Grass.
Temples are a major focus for devout Buddhist and there are fist-fulls of incense constantly being offered. I rather liked these simple notices which are the equivalent of “Keep off the grass” with a Buddhist sentiment attached.
Found in the temple grounds.
Temple Restoration – Puto Shan
There is much restoration work going on in every temple visited. These photos are from Puto Shan an island off the coast of China. 
Temple building being restored on Puto Shan.