Tiantong Si Monastery

35km/22mi east of Ningbo, at the foot of Taibaishan, stands Tiantong Si Monastery, which was built in 300 and has been rebuilt and extended many times. The present buildings date from the Qing era (1644-1911). The monastery exerted a great influence on the course of Japanese Buddhism. In the 13th C the Japanese monk Dogen came to study here. He founded the Sotoshu sect, a branch of the Buddhist religion which is still important today in Japan. Its adherents still continue to visit the monastery.

In the main hall three sculptures can be seen which depict Buddha in the past, present and future. The two small statues in front are of Ananda and Kashyapa, two of the ten favorite disciples of Buddha. Nearby there are another 18 portraits