Tung Lin Kok Yuen

CHINA, Hong Kong

The temple is located in Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island. In 1931 Lady Clara Lin-Kok established Po Kok First Free School. In 1932 Aiting, abbot of Zhulin Temple in Zhenjiang, was invited to propagate the Dharma in Hong Kong. In the same year, Po Kok Centre of Buddhist Studies in Tun Mun was established to foster the talents of female Buddhists. When Tung Lin Kok Yuen was established in 1935, both the school and the Centre of Buddhist Studies moved to the same location. Thus, this establishment served both as a Buddhist school, as well as a venue for Buddhist practice.
The temple incorporates a mixture of eastern and western architectural styles. Inside the temple there is the main temple gate, Skanda Hall, Great Hero Hall, Lin Kok Memorial Hall, and the Ancestral Hall. The Great Hero Hall houses the Three Buddhas, with Sakyamuni Buddha at the center, flanked by the Medicine Buddha and Amitabha Buddha. Hanging in front of the Buddhas there is an exquisitely carved lantern with a banner that reads “Grandeur of Avatamsaka.” Sutra banners inscribed with verses from the Avatamsaka Sutra also hang from the ceiling. A Medicine Buddha pagoda painted in gold can also be found within the hall. It has seven tiers and is constructed from wood. Bells hang from the corners of the eaves. Buddha statues with lights are enshrined in niches on every tier. Since the temple does not have a bell or drum tower, there is a bell and drum on either side of the Medicine Buddha pagoda. A Canadian branch of the temple was established in Vancouver in 1994.