Photos

Donglin Monastery was first established in 384 A.D and lies about 16 km from Jiujiang City. It is also known as East Forest Monastery because it is located in a forest in the foothills of Mt Lushan.

However, it isn’t the usual Buddhist custom to build a Monastery in a forest, so this one is very special. The legend reveals that the Great Buddha decided that it was the right place and so one night sent a violent wind which cleared the site for the temple, as well as providing the timber to construct it.

There was no violent wind on the day I visited the monastery, in fact it was a very hot and humid day. When you visit the place you are free wander around as you like (there is also no entrance fee). In one of the quieter corners I stumbled across this scene, a monk taking an afternoon nap.