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The Donglin Buddha statue is seen at the Donglin Temple in Xingzi County of Jiujiang City, east China's Jiangxi Province on Nov.19, 2014. The bronze statue of Amitabha Buddha, which is 48 meters meters high, is believed to be the tallest of its kind in the world. The project, with the total cost of about 1 billion yuan (about 161 million dollars), has been basically completed. It was totally funded by private donations. [Photo/People's Daily Online]
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The Donglin Temple is a Buddhist monastery approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, China. Built in 386 CE at the foot of Lushan by Hui-yuan, founder of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism, it is well known for the long period of time that has stood without collapsing.
The monastery reached its peak of influence during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE), but was severely damaged during the Taiping Rebellion and was almost destroyed during the Republican period (1912–1949) of Chinese history. It currently houses a small community of monks supported by a small farming village in the neighboring town.
Various other places are named after this temple, including Donglin Academy and Tōrin-in.
