In China, in the year 502, at a lovely wooded hillside that overlooked the gentle Caoxi River, a small Buddhist temple called Bao Lin (Fragrant Wood) was built.

The world would little notice it. Rome was awaiting the rule of the Emperor Justinian; Tikal's temples were beginning to penetrate the oceanic flatness of the Peten; the Huns were invading India; and Bodhidharma was only thinking about taking Dhyana to China.

Who could imagine that a mere hundred and seventy-five years later, this idyllic place would lure Hui Neng, the 6th Patriarch of Chan, to itself, to captivate him with its possibilities, and inspire him to create the world's premier Chan Temple, the exquisite Nan Hua Si.

Through history's shattering calamities, the Dharma has found undisturbed refuge on the sacred soil of Bao Lin. For fifteen hundred years the Buddha's Way has led directly to Nan Hua's hallowed grounds.

Rev. Ming Zhen (Chuan Yuan) Shakya at Nan Hua Si wearing the beads of the Sixth Patriarch, Hui Neng. Some of Hui Neng's belongings and other important Buddhist artifacts are stored at Nan Hua Si.

In tribute to this grand anniversary, we present a collection of photographs of Nan Hua Temple, and Shao Guan, Guang Dong Province, China.

Visit the official Web site of Nan Hua (in Chinese)
 
 

 

We are a grateful recipient of the Zen Unbound award in 1999 for "the best Zen Buddhist writer on the Web", and inclusion in Buddhanet's top ten Zen Buddhist websites since 1999.