Xianglin Jingyuan, situated in front of Dacheng Nunnery and neighboring Yueling Nunnery as well as the footpath to Fayu Temple, was established by Monk Miaoquan during the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty. Over time, it fell into disrepair and was later restored by Monk Juefan in the Guangxu period. At the onset of liberation, Monks Dehui and Deming resided here. Post the ‘land reform’, monks and laypeople coexisted within its walls. After 1960, the monks departed, and the nunnery was repurposed as a power plant by the local community. In recent years, the Buddhist Association of Putuo Mountain has undertaken its renovation.
Post-reconstruction, Xianglin Nunnery boasts over 30 halls and buildings, covering an area of more than 600 square meters. A gilded plaque inscribed with ‘Jile Baodian’ hangs in the main hall, its luster undiminished. The ‘Western Trinity’ is enshrined within the main hall: at the center is ‘Amitabha Buddha’, with a plaque reading ‘Xiangguang Zhuangyan’ above; to the left stands ‘Guanyin Bodhisattva’, and to the right, ‘Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva’. According to Master Shijing, the abbot of Xianglin Nunnery, the ‘Sutra of Sorrowful Flowers’ narrates a tale of a Cakravarti King, whose eldest prince was Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, the second prince Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, the third prince Manjusri Bodhisattva, and the eighth prince Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. The Cakravarti King, after cultivation, attained Buddhahood, manifesting as Amitabha Buddha in the Western Paradise.Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta became the attendants on the left and right sides of their father. Behind the hall, there is an ancient stone tablet inscribed with ‘Xianglin Chan Courtyard’. It is said that it was erected when this nunnery was first built. It has a history of nearly two hundred years and can also be considered a cultural relic. Recently, this nunnery has also invited a precious statue of ‘Master Yinguang’, who was once a great master of Putuo Mountain and carved from sandalwood, and enshrined it in the reception hall, attracting many Chinese and foreign pilgrims to come to this nunnery for pilgrimage and worship.
