On the west side of Hangzhou West Lake and next to Lingyin, there is a mountain called Feilai Peak. There is a legend about Feilai Peak:
The location of Feilai Peak was originally a mountain in front of Lingyin Temple. village. Monk Jigong, who lived in Lingyin Temple, learned one day that a mountain peak was about to fly from a distance and land on the village.
Jigong was afraid that the flying mountains would fall on the village and crush people to death, so he went to the village to tell everyone, explain the reasons and persuade them. The villagers were used to seeing Jigong being crazy and crazy, so they thought this time they were just looking for everyone's happiness, so they ignored Monk Jigong.
Besides, the villagers did not believe that a mountain peak would fly in and land in the village. So no one listened to him. On the day when the mountain peak was about to come, it happened that a family in the village was getting married. Seeing that the mountain peak was about to come, Jigong ran around the village, urging everyone to leave quickly, but no one paid attention to him.
Jigong was anxious and thought of a way. He rushed into the bride's house, picked up the bride who was worshiping and ran away. When the villagers saw Monk Jigong snatching the bride, they all shouted, "Crazy monk is snatching the bride!" and they chased him out. Jigong ran faster and faster, and people chased and chased him faster and faster. They followed Jigong and ran out of the village.
At this moment, they suddenly heard the roar of the wind, and the sky was dark and the earth was dark. People looked up and saw a mountain peak flying from the sky, and it had already flown over the village. When Jigong looked back, he saw that there were still some people who could run away. The slow villagers, young and old, have not yet run out of the village.
At this critical moment, Monk Jigong used all his strength to block the flying mountain peak with his hands, and rescued these villagers, old and young. At this time, there was only a loud "rumbling" sound, and the entire mountain peak flew down, suppressing the village. At this time, Jigong breathed a sigh of relief, and finally rescued everyone. He released the bride who was carrying her and gave it back to the groom.
People then understood that Jigong snatched the bride to save everyone. To this day, the handprint of Monk Jigong’s powerful palm still remains in Feilai Peak, which is called the “big handprint”. This peak is now known as "Feilai Peak".
Afterwards, Jigong said to the villagers that this is a spiritual mountain. Since this mountain came by flying, it will also fly away. It should be allowed to stay and benefit everyone.
He led everyone to chisel 500 stone Arhats and Bodhisattvas on the mountain, and then he suppressed the mountain and never flew away again. The place where Monk Jigong rested and slept when he was carving 500 stone Arhat Bodhisattvas is now the "Jigong Bed" in Feilai Peak.
Later, an Indian monk named Huili traveled here. When he saw this rugged stone mountain, he said, "This is a small ridge on the Lingjiu Mountain in the Kingdom of Central India. I wonder when he came here?" During the lifetime of the Buddha, he was mostly hidden by immortal spirits." He believed that this peak was the Vulture Peak in India, which gave him a feeling of "flying in" and believed that there was a "fairy spirit" hiding there. Just call this mountain Feilai Peak.
So he carried out extensive construction and expansion of the temple at Feilaifeng. After the temple was built, it was called "Lingyin". After the founder's death, he was buried under Feilai Peak, which is now buried under the Legong Pagoda.
Postscript: Lingyin Feilai Peak is located on the west side of West Lake in Hangzhou, 3 to 4 kilometers away from the West Lake.
Feilai Peak is about 800 meters long, 400 meters wide and 209 meters high. It is very different from the surrounding mountains. There are no rocks that are not strange, no trees that are not ancient, and no caves that are not secluded. There are strange rocks, luxuriant ancient trees, unique scenery, and caves everywhere. In the caves of Feilaifeng and on the cliffs along the stream, there are more than 470 stone statues from the Five Dynasties to the Song and Yuan dynasties, of which 335 are intact or relatively complete.
The Indian monk Huili said: "This is the small ridge of Lingjiu Mountain in Central India. I don't know how it came here?" It is called Feilai Peak. Feilaifeng is a rare ancient grotto art treasure in the south of the Yangtze River, comparable to the large stone carvings in Sichuan. Su Dongpo once wrote a poem: "There are mountains and rivers where you can stay for a hut, but I love Lingyin Feilai Peak the most."
The Yuan Dynasty statues at Feilai Peak are particularly valuable, filling the gap in the grotto art from the Five Dynasties to the Yuan Dynasty in my country.
The Feilaifeng statue was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit by the State Council in 1982.
Extended information:
Introduction to Feilai Peak
Feilai Peak in front of Lingyin Temple, also known as Lingjiu Peak, is 168 meters high. Made of limestone. Due to the long-term erosion of groundwater, Feilai Peak has formed many fantastic and changeable caves, such as Longhong Cave, Yuru Cave, Shexu Cave, Huyuan Cave, etc. The caves have their origins and are full of legends. .
The strange rocks of Feilai Peak look like dragons, running elephants, crouching tigers and frightened apes, as if they were a stone zoo. There are old trees and ancient vines on the mountain with intertwined roots; the rock bones are exposed and the peaks are like shavings. Yuan Dao of the Ming Dynasty once said: "Of all the peaks on the lake, Feilai should be the first."
According to previous records, there used to be 72 holes in Feilai Peak, but due to the passage of time, most of them have been lost. Most of the few remaining caves are concentrated on the southeast side of Feilai Peak.
On the hillside of Feilai Peak facing Lingyin Temple, there are more than 340 Buddhist grotto statues dating back to the Five Dynasties. They are rare ancient grotto art treasures in the south of the Yangtze River in my country, comparable to Dazu in Chongqing. Comparable to stone carvings. Su Dongpo once wrote a poem: "There are mountains and rivers where you can stay for a hut, but I love Lingyin Feilai Peak the most."
The stone carvings include the Western Three Saints (Fifth Dynasty), the reliefs of Lushena Buddhist Association (Northern Song Dynasty), Budai Monk (Southern Song Dynasty), Vajrapani Bodhisattva, the King of Hearings, and the male form Guanyin (all from the Yuan Dynasty) , there is the Xia Tianzhu Temple (Fajing Temple), an ancient temple of the Sui Dynasty, and from there, go southwest along the stream. There are also the Zhong Tianzhu Temple (Fajing Temple), which was built two years later than Xia Tianzhu, and the Shang Tianzhu Temple (Fajing Temple), which was built by Wu and Yue in the Five Dynasties. Faxi Temple), collectively known as "Three Heavens Zhu". ?
There are many legends about the origin of the name Feilai Peak.
When you visit Feilai Peak, you will see that this mountain has no rocks, no trees, no ancient trees, no caves, no caves, and is extremely beautiful. Its landscape is very different from the surrounding peaks. Wandering in Lingyin, Feilaifeng and Santianzhu have a distant and profound Buddhist atmosphere. Visit and appreciate the charm of Buddhist art, and truly feel the rich historical and cultural charm contained in the mountains and rivers of West Lake.
Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Hangzhou Feilaifeng