Oct 23 - Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum and Fo Guang Shan Monastery

We got up early to catch the high speed bullet train to start our day trip to Kaochiung.  The main attraction we tried to visit was the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum (佛光山佛陀紀念館).  This museum is affiliated with Fo Guang Shan (佛光山), one of Taiwan's largest Buddhist organizations. The museum houses one of the tooth relics of Sakyamuni Buddha, the founder of the Buddhist faith. Construction of the museum began in 2008, and the museum was opened to the public in December 2011.  The design of the museum itself went through more than one hundred revisions. Just when the foundation had been completed Venerable Master Hsing Yun (星雲大師) had a sudden flash of inspiration, he used a few bottles of mineral water, a tissue box and some newspapers, and set out a rudimentary layout for the future Buddha Museum. 

The architecture of this museum is impressive and it can be described with the following:

1. The Front Hall - 

The Front Hall is defined by the Gate of Perfect Ease and the Gate of Liberation. The lion and elephant, both accompanied by smaller cubs, welcome guests from either side of the doors. Inside, there are restaurants and a buffet, all so visitors can rest there or grab something to eat. 

2. Eight Pagodas -

There are eight pagodas representing different ideas or precepts as the following:

• One Teaching Pagoda - represents Buddhist teachings.
• Two Assemblies Pagoda - monastic and lay assembles.
• Three Goodness Pagoda - refer to the wholesome deeds of the body, speech and mind.
• Four Givings Pagoda - give others confidence, joy, hope and convenience.
• Five Harmonies Pagoda - refer to personal harmony achieved through joy, interpersonal harmony achieved through respect, family harmony achieved through deference, social harmony achieved through cooperation, and world harmony achieved through peace.
• Six Perfections Pagoda - namely giving, ethics, patience, dillgence, meditation, and wisdom.
• Seven Admonishments Pagoda - refer to admonishing drugs, pornography, violence, stealing, gambling, alcohol, and harsh words.
• Eigthfold Path Pagoda - lead a person to liberation: right view, right understanding, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

3. Twin Pavilions

4. Bodhi Wisdom Concourse

5. Eight Patriarchs

6. Main Hall with the following Shrines and Museum

• Mount Potalaka Avalokitesvara Shrine - houses the Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyes Avalokitesvara status. 
• Golden Buddha Shrine
• Jade Buddha Shrine
• Museum of underground Palaces
• Museum of Buddhist Festivals
• Museum of the History of Fo Guang Shan
• Museum of the Life of the Buddha
• Great Enlightenment Auditorium

7. Four Noble Truths Stupas

8. Fo Guang Big Buddha

There are many Art Reliefs, One-Stroke Calligraphy, Statues, Sculptures and Art Galleries can be seen throughout the compound.  While we visited, there are 2 impressive exhibitions in the Main Hall.  One is Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s (星雲大師) One-Stroke Calligraphy and the other is the artwork of Chang Dai-Chien (張大千) on loan from Taiwan Palace Museum. 

Then we walked to Fo Guang Shan Monastery (佛光山).  It is covered by green forests and the monastery is set on the top of the mountain with great views overlooking the surroundings. There are more than 100,000 statues around the monastery that create solemn atmosphere. It covers an area more than 30 hectares comprised of university building, shrines, Great Hero Hall and a 36-meter tall status of Amitabha Buddha. 

After we got back to Kaochiung HSBT station, we got a couple of HSBT dinner boxes for dinner on the bullet train.