Lingyin Temple

Also known as 'Yunlin Temple', Lingyin Temple 灵隐寺 is located in the northwest side of West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. It is a famous ancient temple in the south of the Yangtze River. The temple was built in 326 AD and has a history of over 1,600 years. Legend has it that an Indian monk named Huili came to Hangzhou and was deeply attracted by the beautiful mountainous scenery. He thought there lived immortals and then he built a temple and named it 'Lingyin', which means hidden souls. It is said that the famous monk Jigong also took vows in the temple. Stories about the odd-behaving monk were widely spread among the people, which made Lingyin Temple even more famous. 
There are three grand halls in Lingyin Temple: the Hall of the Great Sage, the Hall of the Heavenly Kings and the Hall of the Medicine Buddha.

灵隐寺又称'云林寺'，坐落于西湖西面的灵隐山麓，这里环境清幽，是杭州最早的名刹，也是中国佛教禅宗十大古刹之一。历经一千七百年的风雨使灵隐寺成为历史与文化的宝库：天王殿上悬'云林禅寺'匾额，为清康熙帝所题；大雄宝殿前的石塔、天王殿前的石经幢均是五代十国吴越时的遗物；寺内珍藏的佛教文物有古代贝叶写经、东魏镏金佛像、明董其昌写本《金刚经》、清雍正木刻龙藏等珍贵宝物。灵隐寺还是'济公'道济和尚出家的寺庙，在道济禅师殿中供奉的一尊右手拿破扇、左手持念珠、右脚搁在酒缸上的佛像便是济公像。

灵隐寺背靠北高峰、面朝飞来峰，尤其是著名的飞来峰虽然山不高，但山上有许多奇幻多变的洞壑，更遍布着五代以来的佛教石窟造像多达三百四十余尊，为我国江南少见的古代石窟艺术瑰宝。灵隐寺隐于山林，但香火常年旺盛，因为据说在这里祈福求愿极为灵验，特别是在初一、十五或者佛教盛日，善男信女从四面八方而来，更是人山人海。