朝代更迭，個人、群體皆難免受到影響，相較士宦、家族延續不易，寺院雖同受波及，人們卻直觀認為理應跨代延續，惜未能深究其中原委。本文以山東靈巖寺在金代的興衰起伏為例，說明中古以來其為濟南、泰山間一大寺院，唐中葉至五代曾長期衰微，北宋初重振寺況。神宗時，住持改由朝廷敕差，地位更顯，產業愈豐。但至宋金易替之時，主僧淨如並未號召抗敵，反卻提告寺產官司，最後更投靠降金知府劉豫保全寺院，讓靈巖安渡無常動盪，存續於新政權統治之下。有金一代，靈巖仍為地區釋教重鎮，住持也同北宋中後期幾由中央指派；屢次產業紛爭，亦用石刻碑文等證據，獲得官方認可，成功保護寺產。金末貞祐南遷，金廷、蒙古、南宋與地方豪強競逐山東，紛戰連連，靈巖寺不再似金初般幸運，已淪成兵奪要地。直至金亡前夕，始由漢軍世侯幫助下緩步復甦，且因元廷大力護持佛教，再由中央輪派名僧住持，寺況迅速恢復。靈巖寺在宋金、金蒙百年間得以延續發展，除因運氣，避免宋金易替時華北地區的大規模破壞。亦從寺方積極保全產業之舉，可知對維持寺院經濟的重要性作用。更關鍵的，是來自中央的助力，從靈巖在易代延續之例，獲得朝廷的幫助可說是寺院得以屢興屢廢，長久存續的主因之一。
The Lingyan temple (靈巖寺) was a long-established Buddhist temple located between Jinan (濟南)and the Tai mountain (泰山) in Shandong. It was one of the main temples during the Northern Song, Jin and Yuan dynasties and had suffered various changes and crises. First, the selection of the abbot's successor of the Lingyan temple was changed in the middle Northern of the Song dynasty which reflected the inner power control by the imperial control over and assistance in the Lingyan temple. When the Jurchen (女眞)vanquished the Northern Song dynasty, the abbot of the Lingyan temple didn't at that time resist but sought protection from Liu Yu (劉豫) such that the Lingyan temple could be saved from damage. In the Jin period, the imperial court still paid much attention to the Lingyan temple. However according to the stone inscriptions about the Lingyan temple at that time, the property of the temple was repeatedly occupied by neighbors and then returned back to the temple with great efforts through official judgements. At the last years of the Jin dynasty, the Jurchen (女眞), the Mongol, the Southern Song dynasty and local power bullies fought in Shandong, and the Lingyan temple was regarded as an important place by them. When the fighting passed, the Lingyan temple was gradually recovered and supported by the next Yuan court. In summary, the Lingyan Temple could has continued to exist in change of dynasty because of the luck of avoiding damage in a large scale and the active protection for the property of the temple. In addition, another important reason is that the temple was with assistance of the related imperial court.
