Shizi Ridge Doushuai Temple

Shizi Ridge Doushuai Temple

Shizi Ridge Doushuai Temple is a cultural heritage site protected by Nanjing Municipality.

Shizi Ridge Doushuai Temple is one of the Forty Scenic Spots of Jinling. "Doushuai" is a transliteration from Sanskrit, meaning "a mind filled with joy and contentment derived from spiritual bliss."

The founder of Doushuai Temple was Zheng Jifan, a renowned monk from Jiangpu during the Ming Dynasty (also known as Master Bai’an). The temple stands proudly in the deep mountains, with Lion Peak in front and Crouching Dragon Ridge behind, surrounded by mountain ranges and shaded by ancient, towering trees. It is a serene and spiritually uplifting sacred site for practice. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, generations of eminent monks and virtuous masters have come here to preach and cultivate the Dharma, greatly enhancing its fame and renown both domestically and internationally.

In recent years, the temple has been renovated, with many solemn and splendid facilities being built. It has also ended its century-long history without electricity, and cement roads have replaced the rugged mountain paths of the past, allowing cars to reach the temple gate directly. The temple now radiates with the light of Buddha, its incense burning ceaselessly, attracting visitors from China and abroad. During the temple fair on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the place becomes incredibly bustling, with the mountain roads teeming with traffic for miles around.

The abbot of Doushuai Temple is the 90-year-old Venerable Master Yuankun. In addition to excelling in preaching Buddhist teachings, Master Yuankun has a deep understanding and remarkable skill in poetry, calligraphy, and painting. His calligraphy closely follows the style of Master Hongyi, and the president of the Hong Kong Buddhist College, Master Dadao, praised Master Yuankun’s calligraphy as “the reincarnation of Master Hongyi.” Master Yuankun himself modestly referred to himself as “Hong Er” (Hong the Second). He is also skilled in landscape painting, and enjoys creating artworks of plum blossoms, bamboo, and orchids. He excels particularly in depicting Buddhist figures, whose forms and spirits are vividly lifelike, earning him great acclaim in Nanjing as well as Buddhist circles in Hong Kong and Taiwan. As such, those who obtain even a single character or painting from the master are overjoyed and delighted beyond words.