Hualin Temple

Did Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, truly land here? Hualin Temple, nestled in Guangzhou’s Liwan District, holds this intriguing legend close. It’s one of Guangzhou’s four major Buddhist temples and a testament to the ancient exchange between Chinese and Indian cultures. Hualin Temple stands on the site believed to be where Bodhidharma, after a three-year journey across oceans, first set foot in China in 526 AD. The very ground we stand on is known as the “Landing Ground of Dharma”. This landing, during the reign of Emperor Liangwu, marked the beginning of Bodhidharma’s mission to spread Buddhism in China. The temple originally bore the name Xilai Monastery, meaning “Coming From the West Monastery”. It was a beacon of the new faith, the first place where Dharma shared his Buddhist doctrines. The area surrounding Hualin Temple still echoes with Dharma’s name. Streets like Xilai Zhengjie, Xilai Houjie, and Xilai Xijie pay homage to this influential monk. The temple itself has undergone many transformations. Through the Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, and Qing dynasties, it was rebuilt and repaired, eventually becoming the Hualin Temple we see today. Interestingly, Hualin Temple doesn’t have a Great Buddha’s Hall. Instead, the Hall of Five Hundred Arhats takes center stage. Before the Dharma Hall’s construction, this hall was the heart of the temple. Five hundred Arhat statues, each with unique expressions and postures, line the corridors. These statues, sadly destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, were meticulously recreated in 1997. They are based on drawings from the Guangxu Emperor’s reign, breathing life back into this revered space. The Dharma Hall, a more recent addition, was rebuilt in the 1990s to honor Bodhidharma. Inside, a statue of Bodhidharma sits prominently, while engravings on the walls depict his epic journey to China.