Ancient Temple Surrounded by Mountains

Ancient Temple Surrounded by Mountains

The Ancient Temple Surrounded by Mountains is nestled in Huanlin Village at the foot of Wufeng Mountain. Commonly known as "Stone Buddha Nunnery" and also referred to as the Flying Buddha Temple, it was first established during the Jianyan era of the Southern Song Dynasty and has a history of over 800 years. It is the only cave temple in Lufeng and one of the earlier cradles of Buddhism in eastern Guangdong.

The 1745 Lufeng County Annals from the Qing Dynasty record: “The stone cave in Huantian lies at the foot of Wufeng Mountain. The stone wall forms a hollow resembling a room, with a pool inside that never dries up in autumn or winter, yet its bottom remains unseen. Three stone Buddhist statues stand atop it, said to have flown here. Those praying for offspring would place their hands into the pool—if they touched objects made of copper, tin, tile, or stone, they would be granted a son. If not, they would get nothing.”

The first major renovation of the temple took place in the 10th year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty. That year’s Lufeng County Annals state: “The temple had fallen into disrepair when Chen Zhennan, a scholar, and his mother, Lady Gao, prayed there after Lady Gao cut her own flesh to treat her mother-in-law’s illness. Once the mother-in-law recovered, Lady Gao instructed Chen Zhennan and his brothers to rebuild the temple and donated seventy dan of rental land to cover its operating expenses.” This effort was different from previous ones—not only did Chen Zhennan and his brothers restore the dilapidated temple, but they also secured long-term funding for its upkeep. Lady Gao’s act of “cutting her flesh to heal her mother-in-law” embodied the Confucian virtues of benevolence and filial piety highly regarded at the time. Likewise, Chen Zhennan, heeding his mother’s wishes, worked with his brothers to renovate the temple and donate land—an act of gratitude and righteousness that reflected those same virtues.

The couplets of the Ancient Temple Surrounded by Mountains are: at the mountain gate, “The Dharma shines upon the three thousand realms; the sacred waters flow endlessly across the five continents”; and at the front hall gate, “Auspicious clouds circle the island, bringing joy and celebration; the forest emits blessed vapors, granting good fortune and peace.”