Nanhua Temple (Monastery)

Mountain Gate

This the Mountain Gate of Nanhua Temple,
the temple of the Sixth Ancestor of Zen, Dajian Huineng
(Hui Neng) (Japanese Daikan Eno)
The temple is located near the modern city of Shaoguan
in the north of China's Guangdong Province.
The temple can be reached from the city of Guangzhou (Canton)
in about three hours by train.

Worshippers

Many Chinese come to Nanhua Temple to honor the Sixth Ancestor.
Offerings are also made to many Buddhist deities.

The Pond for the Liberation of Life

Like many other Chinese Zen monasteries,
Nanhua contains a scenic pool at the entrance.
Often, animals such as turtles, are saved alive
from local markets and released to live in the pond.

Baolin Gate

At the time of the Sixth Ancestor,
the monastery was known as "Baolin" ("Precious Woods"),
a name applied to this gate that sits just past the scenic pool.

The Drum Tower

The Buddha Hall

The Buddha Hall contains the sacred image of Shakyamuni Buddha.
Here, as in other Chinese Buddha halls, are images of various bodhisattvas
such as Manjusri and Samantabhadra.

Sutra Storage Pavilion

In this hall the great Buddhist scriptures were stored for the Monastery.
Among them was the "Platform Sutra" a famous teaching by the Sixth Ancestor.

The Pagoda

This great pagoda stands before the Ancestral Hall of the Sixth Ancestor.

The Hall of the Sixth Ancestor, Dajian Huineng

This hall contains the memorial statue of the Sixth Ancestor.
The remains of the Sixth Ancestor were preserved at this site
until their destruction during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960's.
The two character sign reads, "Ancestor's Hall."
The four character sign above the door reads, "The Ancestor's Seal Shines Again."

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