Fo Guang Shan Monastery

Fo Guang Shan Monastery (佛光山寺), also known as Buddha's Light Mountain Monastery, is a prominent Mahāyāna Buddhist monastery situated in the Dashu District of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It serves as the international headquarters for the Fo Guang Shan organization and stands as the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. The monastery was founded in 1967 by the Venerable Master Hsing Yun, who purchased over 30 hectares of land for its establishment. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on May 16, 1967.

History and Development

Since its inception, Fo Guang Shan has been the site of numerous construction projects, including university buildings, shrines, and a cemetery. A significant milestone was the consecration of its 36-meter tall statue of Amitābha Buddha in 1975. The Great Hero Hall was completed in 1981, fifteen years after the monastery's establishment. During these periods, many other Fo Guang Shan temples were also constructed beyond the main monastery.

In May 1997, Hsing Yun announced the closure of the monastery's gates to the general public, aiming to foster a more cloistered atmosphere conducive to Buddhist practice for the resident monastics. This practice is common in many Chinese monasteries. However, in response to requests from constituents and government officials, Fo Guang Shan decided to partially reopen the monastery at the end of 2000, offering the public an accessible space for practicing Pure Land Buddhism.

More recently, in October 2018, Fo Guang Shan Monastery hosted the First International Dialogue for Buddhist and Christian Nuns. This event, organized in collaboration with several religious and interreligious bodies, brought together 70 nuns under the theme of "Active Contemplation and Contemplation in Action."

Campus and Features

The main shrine of Fo Guang Shan is a substantial structure with an area of 3570 square meters and a height of 30 meters, capable of housing up to one thousand people. Within the shrine are three Buddha statues, each standing 7.8 meters high. Adjacent to the Great Wisdom Shrine is the Great Buddha, a striking 36-meter tall standing Buddha, noted as the highest in Southeast Asia. The interior walls of this structure are covered with Dunhuang-style stone niches, enshrining 14,800 smaller statues of Sakyamuni Buddha.

The Great Compassion Shrine (Dàbēi diàn) covers 800 square meters and stands 6 meters high, featuring a 6-meter statue of Guan Yin. The Patriarch Shrine (Zōngzǔ diàn) functions as a memorial hall for Hsing Yun, preserving his archive of written works and serving as the final resting place for his relics. This shrine also houses the Sutra Repository (Cáng jīng lóu), which contains over 50 copies of the Tripiṭaka.

To the north of the monastery lies the campus of the associated Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum. This museum features its own imposing "Big Buddha" (Fóguāng dàfó), constructed from 1,800 tons of metal and measuring 40 meters in height.

Governance and Leadership

Fo Guang Shan employs a distinctive approach to selecting its leadership. Unlike traditional Mahayana monasteries where an abbot typically designates a successor, Fo Guang Shan directly elects its abbot through a public vote by all members. The abbot leads the Order and its worldwide temple branches, chairs the Religious Affairs Committee, and serves a six-year term, with provisions for reappointment. Following election, the abbot-elect adopts an "inner name" starting with "Hsin" (heart) before their inauguration through a dharma transmission ceremony.

Venerable Master Hsing Yun is noted as the only abbot to have served more than two terms, and his succession was not through the usual election process, as he designated his heir apparent, Venerable Hsin Ping. Following Hsin Ping's passing, Hsin Ting was elevated to complete Hsin Ping's term. Since then, abbots have been elected in accordance with the Fo Guang Shan constitution.

Former abbots do not leave the order upon retirement; they continue to deliver Dharma talks globally and serve as senior teachers within the organization.