Ningbo Maitreya Temple | Fenghua Yuelin Zen Temple

The legend of Budai Monk in Fenghua is an important intangible cultural heritage of China. There are many historical sites related to it in Fenghua, and Xiaoxi will write a separate article to organize them later. The temple I visited this time is Yuelin Temple, an important ancient temple near Fenghua city. It is said to be the place where Budai Monk became a monk and entered nirvana. The Nirvana Stone in the temple is where he entered nirvana, and his relics are offered in Zhongshan Park. Originally, Yuelin Temple was located to the west of the county river and was built in the second year of the Liang Datong era (536 AD), but it was destroyed during the Huichang persecution of Buddhism. Its original name was 'Chongfu Temple'; it was rebuilt to the east of the county river in the second year of the Tang Dazhong era (848 AD) and renamed 'Yuelin Temple'. Yuelin Temple has a tranquil environment. Climbing up the hillside, one can see the cityscape of Changting, which is very much worth visiting; at the top of the mountain, there is the Tushita Palace, inside which there is a Maitreya Buddha. Although it is not as huge as the one in Xuedou Temple, it also took many years to build, and I recommend checking it out!