Lotus Blossom Pure Temple

Lotus Blossom Pure Temple

Lotus Blossom Pure Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Lotus Blossom Pure Temple, located one kilometer south of Nanxiong City, is one of the larger nun monasteries in northern Guangdong.

Lotus Blossom Pure Temple, originally named Lotus Society Hermitage, was founded during the Ming Dynasty by Master Nianchun. According to the "Directly-Controlled Nanxiong Prefecture Records," Lotus Society Hermitage, Green Lotus Temple, Xinglong Hermitage, and Dushan Temple were all situated in Shuinan Village, among which Lotus Society Hermitage was the most prominent. It was built during the Qing Dynasty’s Daoguang era, once housing over a hundred monastics with flourishing incense offerings. At that time, it was a renowned Buddhist sacred site within the prefecture and a famous nunnery in Lingnan. However, with the changes of history, the temple declined by the end of the Ming Dynasty. During the War of Resistance, the monastics dispersed, and by the 1950s, only broken walls of the halls remained, alongside a few towering ancient trees, with no Buddha statues left. It gradually became a nursery ground.

Since the reform and opening-up, with the implementation of religious policies, in 1994, the Nanxiong Municipal Government invited contemporary Chan Buddhism Master Benhuan to initiate the reconstruction, appointing his disciple Yin Xian and grand-disciple Dun Yong to oversee the project. With strong support from the government and devotees, the reconstruction was fully completed in December 1999, covering a construction area of over 8,000 square meters with a total cost of more than 25 million yuan. The design follows principles of balance between void and solid, multiple symmetries, convenience for activities, and suitability for practice. Its architectural style blends traditional and garden architecture. The overall layout centers around the Mahavira Hall, with the mountain gate, Heavenly King Hall, Mahavira Hall, Dharma Hall, and Scripture Depository forming the central axis, adopting a four-courtyard, three-section layout. On both sides are symmetrically arranged the Guanyin Hall, Ksitigarbha Hall, Patriarchs Hall, Sangharama Hall, bell and drum towers, as well as the Buddha Recitation Hall, Merit Hall, Dining Hall, Guest Hall, and Administrative Office. The entire temple is enclosed by walls. Architectural features include a steel-framed structure replacing wood, carved beams and painted rafters, upturned eaves and bracket sets, red pillars and yellow tiles, ensuring ample lighting and ventilation, fully showcasing Buddhist cultural ambiance.

The reconstructed Lotus Blossom Pure Temple held a Buddha statue consecration ceremony in October 2001. Over the years, the temple has upheld ancestral traditions, observing the summer retreat and winter seven-day meditation sessions. It advocates the practice principle of “taking precepts as the foundation and Pure Land as the goal.” Last spring, it established the “Lotus Nun Buddhist Academy” to cultivate monastic talent. The academy currently has over 50 monastic students and over 80 resident nuns. In terms of monastic management, it strictly adheres to traditional monastic discipline: activities such as hall assembly, communal meals, scripture chanting, classes, and manual labor all follow ancient protocols, with the monastic community’s life and education conducted in accordance with the Dharma and precepts, combined with modern classroom teaching. The academy has specially hired four Dharma masters who graduated with bachelor's degrees from Minnan Buddhist College as lecturers, offering a series of essential doctrinal courses. To improve teaching quality, the academy also offers classes in fine arts, calligraphy, and selected classical texts, thereby enhancing the students’ ability to read classical Chinese, practice calligraphy, and appreciate art. This ensures that the trained monastics achieve a balanced focus on practice and study, becoming qualified monastics for the new century. Additionally, the “Lotus Learning Dharma Lectures” have been launched, providing Buddhist teachings to lay followers every Sunday.

The revitalized Lotus Blossom Pure Temple today is vastly different from the past, with even more magnificent overall architecture. Under the leadership of Supervisor Venerable Dun Yong, all nuns strictly observe the precepts and follow the Dharma. It is believed that with the strong support and care of the Nanxiong municipal government at all levels, the temple’s management and construction will become even more refined, and its Dharma activities will proceed more smoothly.

Currently, a young monastery that boasts a beautiful environment, fresh air, picturesque scenery, lush flowers and grass, solemn simplicity, and vibrant energy stands before everyone. It will join hands with the people to make its due contribution to the rejuvenation of China.

Scenic Spot Location

One kilometer south of Nanxiong City, Shaoguan, Guangdong Province, on the southern bank of the Zhen River