The monastery is the largest of several temples in the Wulin Mountains (Chinese: 武林山; pinyin: Wǔlínshān), which feature renowned grottos and religious rock carvings.

According to tradition, the monastery was founded in 328 AD during the Eastern Jin dynasty (266–420) by an Indian monk, named Huili in Chinese.

[1] At its peak under the Wuyue Kingdom (907–978), the temple boasted 18 pavilions, 72 halls, more than 1300 dormitory rooms, inhabited by more than 3000 monks.

During the Southern Song (1127–1279), the monastery was regarded as one of the ten most important temples of the Chan sect in the Jiangnan region.

The temple managed to avoid large scale destruction partly because of the instructions of Premier Zhou Enlai.

It is regarded as one of the wealthiest monasteries in China, and regular pilgrims have included former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping.

The entire scenic area is dotted with historic buildings and artwork, including pagodas, pavilions, bridges, and statues.

These carvings dot the top of the peak and the mouth of Qinglin Grotto and they all prominently feature the “Three Saints of the West”, which refers to the triad of Amitābha Buddha and the Bodhisattvas Guanyin and Mahasthamaprapta from Pure Land Buddhism.

A total of 222 carvings were produced in the Northern Song Dynasty period, which feature a diverse range of Buddhist figures including the Six Patriarchs of Chan (or Zen) Buddhism, various arhats, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas such as Vairocana.

One of the more prominent carvings from this period is a shrine to Budai, a monk who is traditionally regarded as an incarnation of Maitreya, surrounded by the Eighteen Arhats.

The front of the building carries a plaque (雲林禪寺; Yúnlín Chán Sì; 'Chan temple of the Clouds and Forests'), written by the Kangxi Emperor.

However, this entry has been closed in recent years, with visitors funneled instead through side doors, where separate ticket offices are set up for admission to the temple.

It is separated from the Hall of the Heavenly Kings by a large courtyard, featuring a raised lawn bordered with trees.

The interior of the hall reaches about 30 meters, with a gold-painted ceiling featuring bas-relief images of traditional Buddhist symbols.

The present statue was carved in 1956 from camphor wood in Tang dynasty style and coated with 60 taels of gold.

Arranged along each side of the hall are statues of the Twenty-Four protective deities of Chinese Buddhism, their hands carrying various Buddhist instruments of salvation as well as weapons.

At the rear wall of the hall is a panorama depicting the penultimate chapter of the Avatamsaka Sutra, centering on Sudhana (Chinese: 善財童子; pinyin: Shàncáitóngzǐ).

In the chapter, Sudhana, in pursuit of enlightenment, goes on a pilgrimage to 53 different spiritual teachers (ranging from non-Buddhists to Bhikkhunīs to kings to devas to Bodhisattvas).

Eighteen huge murals depicting a narration of Ji Gong’s life are painted on the walls at both sides of the hall.

The hall covers a total area of 638 square meters and is installed with waterproof, fireproof, damp-proof, electronic surveillance and air-conditioning systems.

A 3 meter high bronze statue of the Japanese Buddhist monk Kūkai, who traveled to China during the Tang Dynasty to study Chinese Esoteric Buddhism and who visited Lingyin Temple during his travels, stands in a bamboo grove between the Dharma Hall and the Huayan Hall.

At the center of the hall, where the arms of the swastika join, stands a bronze canopy housing statues of the four main bodhisattvas in Chinese Buddhism: Guanyin, Ksitigarbha, Manjusri and Samantabhadra, who represent the four cardinal directions.