Why go
In 386 CE the monk Hui Yuan retired to Mount Lu and gathered 123 followers in the 'White Lotus Society' — vowing rebirth in Amitabha's Western Pure Land. This event is considered the founding of Pure Land Buddhism, a tradition that would later spread to Japan as Jodo-shu and Jodo Shinshu.
Donglin Temple sits at the foot of the mountain, not on the summit — a deliberate placement in a wooded valley with spring water. The current buildings are mostly Qing and modern, but the layout and the ancient trees preserve the sense of a 1600-year-old hermitage.
- The Main Hall with the Amitabha triad
- The Shenzhao Pavilion where Hui Yuan founded the White Lotus Society
- Two ancient ginkgo trees believed to have been planted by Hui Yuan
- The Dragon Spring springing beneath the temple
What to see
Walk the central axis to the Mahavira Hall, then to the rear halls where the Amitabha Buddha is enshrined — the focus of Pure Land practice. Look for the Shenzhao Pavilion, commemorating the founding society.
The two ancient ginkgo trees beside the main courtyard, said to have been planted by Hui Yuan, are among the oldest cultivated trees in China. The spring water called Long Quan (Dragon Spring) still runs through the grounds.
For a longer visit, combine the temple with a hike on Mount Lu — the mountain behind is a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape.
Practical notes
Donglin Temple is outside the Mount Lu scenic ticket boundary and can be visited free without the park pass — useful if you want a restful day off the mountain. The adjacent Donglin Great Buddha (a 48-metre gilt Amitabha statue) is a newer complex uphill.
Getting there
- Bus from Jiujiang Railway Station (30 min)
- Taxi from Mount Lu north gate (15 min)
- Founded
- 386 CE (Eastern Jin)
- Founder
- Hui Yuan — White Lotus Society
- Tradition
- Cradle of Pure Land Buddhism
