This paper seeks to contribute to a growing body of scholarship about temple rebuilding and the revival of Buddhist monasteries in contemporary China by examining the mechanisms through which Lingfeng Monastery has promoted itself as a tourist and religious site in contemporary China. James Robson has recently emphasized the need for particular studies of monasteries that inquire about the ways they are perceived to be meaningful in contemporary sources. My paper focuses on the representation of Lingfeng Monastery in Republican era and contemporary (2007) temple gazetteers as well as informal discussions with monks and lay people during field research on-site in March of 2008. Like Robson, I find a similar emphasis on underrepresented characteristics including the natural landscape, architecture, reliquaries, and eminent monks associated with the site.
Specifically, these sources draw heavily upon the association of Lingfeng Monastery with the eminent monk Ouyi Zhixu (1599-1655), who is considered the ninth patriarch in the Chinese Pure Land tradition. Not only is this connection highlighted in the gazetteers and conversations with monks and lay people, but it is also reflected in temple architecture and activities: to celebrate the 1100th anniversary of the building of Lingfeng Monastery, they constructed a new reliquary courtyard and memorial hall for Ouyi, and they also hosted a forum on the “Buddhist Studies of Great Master Ouyi” in October of 2007. While admittedly it was Ouyi’s home temple, why do contemporary Chinese Buddhists find Lingfeng Monastery meaningful because of this association? What might explain his appeal to monks and lay devotees alike? My paper will address these questions as it considers the various types of significance attributed to Ouyi and Lingfeng Monastery.
