On June 3, 2017, the Chinese Buddhist Delegation led by Abbot of Lingyin Temple, Ven. Guangquan, paid a visit to the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka upon their gracious invitation. The nine-member delegation received warm welcome from the Vice-Chancellor Ven. GallelleSumanasiriThero, with whom the delegation prayed to the Buddha and chanted sutras for the people in disaster areas. The delegation thenparticipated in a meeting presided over by Ven. GallelleSumanasiriThero with over 40 Lecturers and students in the university. Ven. GallelleSumanasiriTheroexpressed warm welcome on behalf of all faculty and staff of Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka to Ven. Guangquan, Ven. Qingyuan and other members of the Chinese Buddhist delegation. Ven. Guangquan and Ven. Qingyuan each delivered a speech and presented donations of the student welfare fund and books to the university.After the meeting, the delegation accompanied by Ven. GallelleSumanasiriThero toured the lecture building

On May 26, 2017, a release ceremony was held at Yunlin Library of Lingyin Temple for the new book Fo Fa Zhi Yuan (The Origin of Buddhism – A Photo Collection of the History of Four Grand Buddhist Temples in Hangzhou) co-compiled by Lingyin Temple and Professor Shen Hong of Zhejiang University and his team. Distinguished guests included scholars and collectors of historical photos, as well as officials and staff from Zhejiang Photography Publishing House, Zhejiang University Library, Zhejiang Library, Hangzhou Public Library, and Hangzhou Buddhist Academy Library.The book Fo Fa Zhi Yuan is a collection of precious photos scattered all over the world during the late Qing dynasty and the Republic of China period, the themes of which covered a wide spectrum including temple architecture, sculptures, wall paintings, stone inscriptions, as well as social and cultural features of the time. Such a historic pictorial record is of great historical value and practical significance, with whi

<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: medium">On May 19, 2017, Master Zhengci, the deputy-director of The Buddhist Association of China and director of The Buddhist Association of Hubei Province, led a group of 35 members from The Buddhist Association of Hubei Province to Lingyin Temple for a visit. The monastery supervisor Master Jueheng gave them a warm reception and introduced to them the efforts and experience of Lingyin Temple in temple management, Buddhism promotion and nurturing Buddhist talent. After the talks, Master Zhengci, on behalf on The Buddhist Association of Hubei Province, exchanged gifts with Lingyin Temple.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center"><img alt="" src="/files/image/info/2017/05/22/2058292556.jpg" height="332" width="500" /><br /><br /><img alt="" src="/files/image/info/2017/05/22/2059279728.jpg" height="340" width="500" /><br /><span style="font-size: small">Talks at Liandeng Pavilion<br /></span><span style="font-size: small"><br /><img alt="" src="/files/image/info/2017/05/22/2101334682.jpg" height="550" width="500" /><br /><br /><img alt="" src="/files/image/info/2017/05/22/2102261387.jpg" height="332" width="500" /><br /></span><span style="font-size: small"><span>Gift exchange</span></span><span style="font-size: small"><br /><br /></span></p>

The birthday of Shakyamuni Buddha--the eighth day of the fourth lunar month--also known as Buddha Bathing Festival, falls on May 3 this year. As recorded in Buddhist texts, there were extraordinary and auspicious signs at Prince Siddhartha&rsquo;s birth. Seven lotus flowers sprung up beneath his feet as he took seven steps in each of the four directions. Pointing his right hand to the sky and ground, he proclaimed, ＂In heaven above and on earth below, I am alone the honored one.＂ At that moment, the sky was clearing with brilliant sunshine, flowers blooming and birds singing. Dragons also appeared in the sky spurting two streams of divine water that gently cascaded down to bathe him. Since then, Buddhists all over the world hold a Dharma assembly to celebrate the Buddha&rsquo;s birthday by using fragrant water to bathe the likeness of baby Prince Siddhartha. Therefore, the Buddha&rsquo;s birthday is also called Buddha Bathing Festival.In the morning, a solemn Buddha Bathing Dharma Asse

On April 15, 2017, the Chan culture-themed Yunlin Weiqi Contest was held in Lingyin Temple. Participants included over 70 Weiqi players from eight renowned universities in China (Tsinghua University, Peking University, Nankai University, Fudan University, Xi&rsquo;an Jiaotong University, Central South University and Zhejiang University), Weiqi players from Zhejiang Weiqi Association and Weiqi lovers from Buddhist temples in Hangzhou. They gathered in Lingyin Temple to play Weiqi and share experience with each other.The opening ceremony of the contest was presided over by Master Huiguan and the monastery supervisor Master Yiguang gave a speech. ＂Lingyin Temple strongly supports various social activities for public good. In three consecutive years, Lingyin Temple has sponsored professional teams of Chinese Weiqi Premier League. Since 2012, activity centers of Yunlin Academy have been established one after another in six residential communities in Hangzhou. Weiqi instructors were hired to

&nbsp;On April 6, 2017, the King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni visited Lingyin Temple and was warmly received by Abbot Ven. Guangquan and Lingyin Sangha. He first visited Mahavira Hall and made offering of incense and flowers to the Buddha. Ven. Guangquan introduced to him the origin and features of the statue of Sakyamuni situated in the middle of the hall.Then King Sihamoni and Ven. Guangquan had a meeting at Liandeng (Eternal Lamp) Pavilion, during which Ven. Guangquan extended warm welcome to King Sihamoni again on behalf of the Buddhist monks of East and West sequences. He also overviewed the history of the China-Cambodia friendship and the cultural exchanges between Buddhist communities in the two countries.Ven. Guangquan stated, ＂The history of friendship between China and Cambodia goes back to ancient times and there have been frequent cultural exchanges between Buddhist communities in the two countries. We are very grateful that the Chinese Buddhist delegation was warmly receiv

<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: medium">The traditional Chinese Qingming Festival (Tomb-sweeping Day) falls on April 4 this year. A Dharma assembly of offering to Buddha and commemoration of past patriarchs was held by Lingyin Temple to remember and honor ancestors. The Lingyin Sangha as well as a crowd of lay Buddhists went to Master Li&rsquo;s Pagoda, Hall of Patriarchs and the ancient pagodas in the temple where the relics of ancestors rest for tomb sweeping and ancestor worshiping. The ceremony serves as an opportunity to commemorate and pay tribute to past venerable patriarchs for their contribution in the promotion of Buddhism and to motivate the Sangha to work wholeheartedly on the pursuit of enlightenment and the three practices of Buddhism (morality, meditation and wisdom) for self-interest and altruism.</span></p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: medium"><br /><img alt="" src="/files/image/info/2017/04/06/1553151188.jpg" height="333" width="500" /><br /><br /><img alt="" src="/files/image/info/2017/04/06/1553514074.jpg" height="333" width="500" /><br /><br /><img alt="" src="/files/image/info/2017/04/06/1554176070.jpg" height="332" width="500" /><br /><br /><img alt="" src="/files/image/info/2017/04/06/1555262666.jpg" height="338" width="500" /><br /><br /></span></p>

On March 25, 2017, the former president of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge and his wife visited Lingyin Temple as Abbot of Lingyin Temple Ven. Guangquan and other Buddhist masters warmly received them.Ven. Guangquan showed them on a tour of the temple and introduced the halls of the temple to them. They sat down and had a meeting in the formal guest reception hall, where Ven. Guangquan proceeded the the warm reception to the guests and gave a brief introduction to the temple. ＂In recent years, Lingyin Temple has been making continuous efforts in the inheritance of the traditional culture and the promotion of Buddhism by actively engaging in various culture exchanges,＂ said Ven. Guangquan.Mr. Rogge stated at the meeting that although sports are not religion, but have a lot in common with Buddhism &ndash; both of them advocate equality, diversity and inclusion and friendship. At the end of the meeting, Ven. Guangquan and Mr. Rogge exchanged gifts of benevolence with eac