Monday, February 06, 2012

Fo Guang Shan Monastery 佛光山, Kaohsiung,Taiwan - RT

Great Buddha Land


Fo Guang Shan was founded by Venerable Master Hsing Yun in 1967. Since then it has evolved from a mountain top bamboo forest to the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan.


It is built on a hilly site. We took a slow, long climb to the various buildings. A map showing the routes to the various sites in the monastery.


The great Buddha statue (40m high) is surrounded by 480 small Buddha statues. The right hand is raised as a gesture of guidance while the left hand is lowered as a gesture of receiving.


There is a tea pavilon before entering Great Buddha Land. We stopped for a rest and have a sip of the refreshing tea. No cups, we drunk from tiny paper bags. :)



The grounds are very picturesque, and the monastery has a number of museums, shrines, and monuments to see.


It's an amazing place ....... so tranquil, so beautiful and the cheerful nuns and volunteers I met were ever so ready to help. 



The Four Verses of Fo Guang Shan
  • May palms in every world be joined in kindness, compassion, joy and generosity.
  • May all beings find security in friendship, peace and loving care.
  • May calm and mindful practice give rise to deep patience and equanimity.
  • May we give rise to spacious hearts and humble thoughts of gratitude.

Outisde the main temple building Da Xiong Bao Dian

Some of the 500 monk statues .....

I was very excited when I saw Fo Guang Shan Monastery on my tour itinerary, I had seen the advertisement of its newly built majestic Buddha Memorial Center which opened on 25th December 2011. I wanted so much to see it for myself. Alas, the tour guide did not include the new building in our itinerary. *sob.....sob*




10 comments:

  1. what a beautiful monastery. such a great place to refresh, rejuvenate and to find a moment's peace.

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  2. Aww. The serenity of the place is priceless.

    marms

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  3. Life Ramblings,
    It is indeed beautiful and a great place to relax. Many devotees from all over the world have come to visit or have a short stay at this monastery.

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  4. Marms,
    It certainly is. Although there were many visitors, it was all quiet except for the chirping of the birds.

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  5. nice place..i wanna go to Taiwan one day! :)

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  6. Wow! Looks so beautiful and calm there! I wanna go too! : )

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  7. I did not see this place when I was there. Did you count all the statues? :D Nice to offer tea to visitors.

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