Hsi Lai Temple
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2012) |
| Hsi Lai Temple | |
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| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Geographic coordinates | 33°58′33″N 117°58′04″W / 33.9757°N 117.9679°W |
| Website | |
| www | |
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| Traditional Chinese | 佛光山西來寺 | ||||||
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Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple (Chinese: 佛光山西來寺; pinyin: Fóguāngshān Xīlái Sì) is a mountain monastery in the northern Puente Hills, Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County, California. The name "Hsi Lai" means Coming West in the sense of the "Great Buddhadharma Coming West."
Hsi Lai Temple is affiliated with Fo Guang Shan, a Buddhist new religious movement from Taiwan. It is the order's first overseas branch temple, and serves as the North America regional headquarters for Fo Guang Shan. Hsi Lai was the site of the founding of Buddha's Light International Association, established in 1991. The temple, like its mother temple in Taiwan, practices Humanistic Buddhism.
History
In 1976, Master Hsing Yun, the founder of the order, represented a Buddhist group from Taiwan to participate in America's bicentennial celebration. Master Hsing Yun was asked by American friends to build a monastery in the United States. Therefore, Fo Guang Shan asked the Venerable Tzu Chuang (who, upon the inception of the temple, became the founding and first abbess of Hsi Lai Temple) and Yi Heng to plan and organize the construction of the temple in the Greater Los Angeles area. It was officially registered under the name of International Buddhist Progress Society. Until the temple was complete, Ven. Tzu Chuang bought an old church building, which was to be Hsi Lai's temporary headquarters. The original temple, located in the city of Maywood was called the Bai Ta (White Pagoda) Temple.
The planning and construction of the temple in the 1980s was met with suspicion and resistance from local communities, many of whom knew little about Buddhism and had unfounded fears of Buddhist practices. Many felt that the project was too big for a neighborhood of single-family home and that the traditional Chinese architectural style would not fit in. The main reasons for resistance against the building of the temple were the impact of weekly services, heavy traffic, noise, and concern about environmental damage.[1]
Originally, the organization had planned to build the temple in South Bay, Los Angeles but were blocked from acquiring land. They also tried to acquire the historical Pyrenees Castle in Alhambra, California, but also met opposition from the community.[2] The building of the temple at its current location survived six public hearings and numerous explanatory sessions. In 1985, the temple was finally granted a building permit. The groundbreaking ceremony was held the following year, and was completed on November 26, 1988.
The temple was finished at a cost of $10 million. Negative feelings about the building of Hsi Lai have since diminished as the general level of awareness has been raised and as the temple and its residents have proven to be good neighbors.[1]
Immediately after its opening, Hsi Lai was the venue of many important events. The 16th General Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists and the 7th conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth were held from November 19 to the 26th, an international Triple Platform Full Ordination Ceremony for monastics was held for over a month, and a Liberation Rite of Water and Land, the first of its kind in North America, was held prior to the temple's opening.
In 2008, in celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the opening of Hsi Lai, another international Triple Platform Full Ordination Ceremony for monastics and a Liberation Rite of Water and Land was subsequently held.
In the summer of 2011, Hsi Lai Temple was the starting location for The Amazing Race 19.[3]
On September 4, 2012, Hsi Lai Temple abbot Hui Chi was elected to the post of head abbot of the Fo Guang Shan order, succeeding Hsin Pei.[4]
University of the West
In 1990, in conjunction to the completion of Hsi Lai Temple, Master Hsing Yun founded Hsi Lai University, one of sixteen Buddhist colleges and universities operated by Fo Guang Shan. The university relocated to Rosemead, California in 1996. It is one of the first Buddhist colleges in the United States.
Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Buddhist studies, comparative religious studies, and a Master of Business Administration are available at the university.
In 2004, the university changed its name to the University of the West and appointed Dr. Lewis Lancaster, a religion professor at University of California, Berkeley and longtime member of Fo Guang Shan, as president. Dr. Roger Schmidt became Lancaster's successor in 2006, and was replaced by Dr. Allen M. Huang a year later.
Sites
- The Bodhisattva Hall (五聖殿): The first shrine before entering the temple. It is a large hall that honors five Bodhisattvas, Samantabhadra (Pǔxián), Ksitigarbha (Dìzàng), Maitreya (Mílè), Guanyin, and Manjusri (Wenshu). Outside the shrine, on each side, honors Skanda (Weituo) and Guan Yu (Qielan).
- The Arhat Garden (十八羅漢): Located on the left of the temple, it depicts 18 of the earliest known disciples of the Buddha.
- The Avalokitesvara Garden (慈航普度): Located on the right of the temple, it is also known as the "Salvation Garden". It depicts the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin), surrounded by her acolytes and the Four Heavenly Kings.
- Mahavira Hall (大雄寶殿): The heart of the temple's activities. The main figures depicted in the hall are Gautama Buddha, Amitābha, and Bhaisajyaguru. Thousands of niches containing an image of the Buddha can be seen on the walls. Outside, a large bell and drum can be seen on either side. The bell and drum are only used to mark special occasions.
- Requiem Pagoda (懷恩堂): Located at the summit of Hsi Lai, it functions as a memorial to the deceased. Formerly a mausoleum until the construction of a larger columbarium at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California in 1999, the Requiem Pagoda is a private area and thus not accessible to the general public.
- Meditation Hall (禪堂): Located on the back of the main shrine, and next to the monastic dorm rooms, meditation classes are held here.
- Dining Hall (五觀堂): The main dining area for residents and visitors to the temple. A vegetarian lunch buffet is served daily for visitors and sometimes dinner on special days. Each person can make a voluntary donation for their lunch.
- Translation and Publishing Center (佛光山國際翻譯中心與佛光出版社): The Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center and Buddha's Light Publishing are located on the very top of the temple complex cross facing to the Requiem Pagoda. Buddha's Light Publishing was established to publish Buddhist books translated by the Fo Guang Shan International Translation Committee as well as other valuable Buddhist works.
Dharma services
Regular Dharma services are held on Sunday and weekday mornings, usually chanting various sutras such as the Diamond Sutra or the Amitabha Sutra. Meditation sessions, retreats and Buddhism classes, are held on some days of the week, which are offered in both English and Chinese. Monks and nuns who reside at the temple speak a variety of languages besides Mandarin, primarily English and Cantonese, are available to perform weddings or funerals services.
Many larger services held annually mostly revolve around filial piety, along with the Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian philosophy of worshiping one's parents and ancestors. In the spring, they hold a large service in commemoration of Ching Ming, a traditional Chinese festival where many pay respects to deceased relatives by cleaning their graves. In the summer, they hold a large service in commemoration of Ullambana. During this time, they also hold a ceremony known as Sangha Day, where devotees gather to honor the monastics by offering food to them, as well as offer a public cultural performance, performing classical and traditional Chinese music or elegant solo dances.
Annually, retreats and services are held for taking refuge in the Triple Gem, receiving the five precepts, and a short-term monastic retreat where disciples are able to temporarily experience life as a monastic.
Larger ceremonies and rites
- Water Repentance Service (水懺法會): A one-day repentance service for filial piety. Held annually in the month of the Qingming Festival.
- Emperor Wu of Liang Repentance Service (梁皇法會): A week-long repentance service held annually as part of the Ghost Festival observed in July to early August.
- Amitābha 7-day Retreat (彌陀佛七): Seven days of nianfo and mindful recitation of the Amitabha Sutra, held at the end of December and early January around the time of Amitabha's birthday.
- Yoga Flaming Mouth (瑜伽焰口): A Tantric ceremony inviting and feeding sentient spirits. Held in the afternoon after Sangha Day, and at the end of the Emperor Liang Repentance service.
- Great Compassion Repentance Service (大悲懺法會): Monthly service held in the evening on the second Friday. A popular service at Hsi Lai, it involves the recitation of the Great Compassion Mantra, elaborate bowing, offering, and circumambulations.
- Grand Offering to Celestial Beings (供佛齋天): A ceremony inviting heavenly guardians of Buddhism. Held during the Chinese New Year celebrations.
- Bathing Buddha Ceremony (浴佛法會): Celebration of the Buddha's Birthday held in and outside Hsi Lai, and is hosted by other temples in Southern California.
- Thousand Buddha Repentance Service (禮千佛法會): A short ceremony paying homage to Buddhas and bodhisattvas; held on Chinese New Year.
- Liberation Rite of Water and Land (水陸法會): An elaborate and large traditional Chinese Buddhism, which involves inviting beings from higher realms to help beings in the lower realms escape from their suffering. Hsi Lai has only held this ceremony three times, once in 1988 to celebrate the temple's opening, again in 2000 to celebrate the millennium, and once more in 2008 to celebrate the temple's 20th anniversary.
Hsi Lai offers community service to a variety of people in need of hours. Jobs range from cleaning and sweeping around the temple to serving lunch in the dining room.
Past Abbots and Abbesses
- 1978–1989: Ven. Tzu Chuang (慈莊法師) (1st term)
- 1989–1993: Ven. Hsin Ting (心定和尚)
- 1993–1994: Ven. Tzu Chuang (慈莊法師) (2nd term)
- 1994–1995: Ven. Yi Kung (依空法師)
- 1995–2000: Ven. Tzu Jung (慈容法師)
- 2000–2003: Ven. Hui Chuan (慧傳法師) (1st term)
- 2003: Ven. Yi Heng (依恆法師) (acting abbess)
- 2003–2005: Ven. Hui Chuan (慧傳法師) (2nd term)
- 2005–2013: Ven. Hui Chi (慧濟法師/心保和尚)
- 2013–present: Ven. Hui Dong (慧東法師)
See also
- Hsing Yun
- Nan Tien Temple
- Buddhism in the United States
- Buddhism in the West
- Religion in the United States
References
- ^ a b Pan, Philip P. (1993-08-08). "Good Neighbor : Hemisphere's Largest Buddhist Temple Wins Over Residents". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ http://www.cityofalhambra.org/community/castle.html Pyrenees Castle
- ^ "CBS Announces The Cast For The New Season Of "The Amazing Race," Premiering Sunday, Sept. 25 - Ratings - TVbytheNumbers.Zap2it.com". TVbytheNumbers. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ^ [1]
External links
- Official Hsi Lai Temple website
- University of the West website
- Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center and Buddha's Light Publishing website
- Fo Guang Shan website
