(1) Here's the front gate of Bailin Temple, the seat of the famous Chan (Zen) teacher Zhaozhou (Joshu in Japanese). It isn't on my list, but I made a special trip to see it because my heroes Bill Porter and Andy Ferguson make much of it.
In fact, the entire temple had been destroyed, and nothing was left but Zhaozhou's pagoda and some cypress trees (the name means "Cypress Forest Temple"). The whole thing has been rebuilt in the past few decades.
(2) Zhaozhou's pagoda. Though he died in 835, the pagoda was built only in 1330.
(3) Detail of Zhaozhou's pagoda
(4) One of several pieces that I assume are from the pagoda before restoration, displayed in the courtyard in front of it.
(5) The pagoda and one of the buildings behind it. All the new construction is on a mammoth and, to my taste, ostentatious scale; I would have loved to have seen the dilapidated pagoda standing there alone among the trees...
(6) Guanyin Hall. At one point the temple was called Guanyin Temple, so this hall has special significance.
(7) Pleasant pavilions flank the Guanyin Hall, an unusual touch.
(8) Here's something you don't see in every temple...
(9) This huge Puxian Hall (like the Wenshu hall across the courtyard) was closed, and has virtually nothing inside on the first floor (except some furniture).
(10) However, as promised, the 10,000 Buddha Hall...
(11) ...seems to contain 10,000 Buddhas, those small "dots" on the wall. Those are the Buddhas of Five Directions in the center.
(12) The front hall had no Laughing Buddha, and the Four Kings were represented in two posters hung on either side of the door. Only the Weituo was there from the usual assemblage of statues.
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Last Updated August 21, 2019
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