Tiantong Si Monastery in Ningbo

Tiantong Si Monastery is situated at a distance of 22 miles east of Ningbo. The monastery was built during the Jin dynasty in 300 A.D. It passed from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasty, totaling over 1,700 years. In the 13th century, a Japanese monk Dogen came to study here and later on founded a branch of Buddhism, Sotoshu Sect.In the main hall three sculptures can be seen which depict Buddha in the past, present and future form. The two small statues in front are of Ananda and Kashyap, two of the ten favorite disciples of Buddha.