(Redirected from Hsi Lai)'Hsi Lai Temple'
佛光山西來寺 The "Path To Buddhahood" courtyard, linking both the Bodhisattva hall and the Main Shrine. |
'Hsi Lai Temple' (
TC: 西來寺;
PY: ''Xīlái Sì'') (approximate pronunciation ''She Lye'') is a traditional
Chinese Buddhist mountain monastery. It is located on the
foothill region of
Hacienda Heights,
California,
USA, a suburb of
Los Angeles. The name "Hsi Lai" means ''Coming West'', by which they mean the "Great Buddhadharma Coming West."
The temple is affiliated with Taiwan's largest religious organization, the
Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order, founded by Venerable Master
Hsing Yun. It is one of the first branch temples the order has built. Hsi Lai was the site of the founding of
Buddha's Light International Association, which was established in 1991. The temple, like its mother temple in Taiwan, follows the
Linji Chan school of Buddhism, and also follows the
Pure Land School.
History
Hsi Lai Temple and its surroundings
In
1976, Master Hsing Yun represented a Buddhist group from Taiwan to participate in
America's bicentennial celebration. Many American friends asked Master Hsing Yun to build a monastery in the US. Therefore, Fo Guang Shan asked the Venerable Tzu Chuang (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 ''Bai Ta'' (White Pagoda) Temple.
The planning and construction of the temple in the 1980s was met with suspicion and resistance from local residents outside of the Asian/Buddhist community, many of whom knew little about
Buddhism or had negative attitudes. Some main reasons for resistance against the building of the temple was the promise of weekly services, heavy traffic, and noise.
Originally, they had planned to build the temple in the
South Bay,
Los Angeles area, but was blocked from acquiring land. They also tried to acquire Pyrenees Castle in
Alhambra (formerly the residence of
Phil Spector), but to no avail. The building of the temple survived six public hearings and 165 explanatory sessions. Finally in 1985, the temple was finally granted a building permit. The groundbreaking ceremony was held the following year, and was completed on November 26th, 1988.
The temple was finished at a cost of $10 million. Such negative feelings about the building of Hsi Lai have diminished as the general level of awareness has been raised and as the temple and its residents have proven to be good neighbors. In addition, when the temple opened, the Master blessed the land from the highest point on the property, and some believe that the blessing brings good fortune and will raise property values.
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 was held from November 19th 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.
University of the West
Main articles: 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 was relocated in
Rosemead, California in
1996. It is one of the first Buddhist colleges in the United States.
There are departments for
Bachelor of Arts and
Master of Arts in Buddhist studies, comparative religious studies, and a
Master of Business Administration program is also offered.
In
2004, the university changed its name to the ''University of the West'' and appointed Dr. Lewis Lancaster, a religion professor at
UC Berkeley and longtime member of Fo Guang Shan, as president. Dr. Roger Schmidt became Lancaster's successor in 2006, who was then replaced by Dr. Allen M. Huang a year later.
Sites
The Arhat Garden in the temple
★ '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''),
Avalokitesvara ''(
Guan Yin)'', and
Manjushri (''Wenshu''). Outside the shrine, on each side, honors the Bodhisattvas
Skanda (''Weituo'') and
Sangharama (''Qielan'').
★ 'The
Arhat Garden' (十八羅漢): Located on the left of the temple, it contains 18 statues 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 contains the acolytes of Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin) and statues of the
Four Heavenly Kings.
★ 'Founder's Statue' (創辦人 星雲大師雕像): A statue of Venerable Master
Hsing Yun. It is a bronze effigy of the master in a very lifelike pose, stepping forward with a heroic stride. The statue is behind the Bodhisattva hall, facing the main shrine.
★ 'Main Shrine' (大雄寶殿): The heart of the temple's activities. It contains the statues of the historical
Sakyamuni Buddha (''Shijiamounifo''),
Amitabha Buddha (''Omituofo''), and
Bhaisajyaguru Buddha (''Yaoshifo''). 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. Traditionally in many Chinese Ch'an temples, they are played daily to ready monastics for daily practice. Hsi Lai does not use these instruments regularly because of their loud volume when played, and there are residential areas at the foot of the temple. The bell and drum are only used to mark special occurrences.
★ 'Requiem Pagoda' (懷恩堂): Located at the summit of Hsi Lai, it honors those who have died. In the past, it was also a
mausoleum, but since there was no more room for urns to be interred, the urns were moved to a new Buddhist mausoleum built by Hsi Lai Temple in 1999, located at
Rose Hills Memorial Park in
Whittier. The Requiem Pagoda is now for people who entered their loved one's names in the pagoda, and can only be accessed by request.
★ '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): Vegetarian buffets are served here every day for lunch only, 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. BLP was established to publish Buddhist books translated by F.G.S.I.T.C. as well as other valuable Buddhist works. BLP is committed to building bridges between East and West, Buddhist communities, and cultures.
Attraction and services offered
A bell within the grounds of Hsi Lai. It has been only used during special services, since loud ringing might disturb the neighbors at the foot of the temple.
Because of the temple's beautiful surroundings and various facilities, Hsi Lai is a popular venue for tourists interested in knowing more about
Chinese culture and Buddhism, even being coined the "
Forbidden City of America". Over the years since its foundation, Hsi Lai has been a favorable site for school field trips, business trips, organization meets, and a center for interreligious dialogue. The temple facilities have been utilized for group activities with favorable feedback.
Not only does Hsi Lai have workshops on Buddhism, the temple also holds workshops on a wide range of topics including taxation, legal issues, education, immigration, marriage, family discipline, etc. Many of the temple's invited speakers or members are experts in their respective fields who are willing to share their knowledge for the benefit of others.
Dharma services
Regular Dharma services are held on some 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 Hsi Lai holds annually mostly revolve around
filial piety, the Buddhist and
Taoist philosophy of love and respect for 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, they also have retreats and services for those who wish to take
refuge in the
Triple Gem, retreats and services for those who wish to receive the
five precepts, and even offer a short-term monastic retreat.
Larger Dharma functions held
Main Hall.
★ 'Water Repentance Service' (水懺法會): A one day repentance service for filial piety. Held during the
Qingming Festival.
★ '
Emperor Liang Repentance Service' (梁皇法會): A week long
repentance service held during
Ullambana.
★ '
Amitabha 7-day Retreat' (彌陀佛七): Seven days of mindful recitation of the
Amitabha Sutra and Amitabha's name.
★ '
Yogacara 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 circumbulations.
★ 'Grand Offering to Celestial Beings' (供佛齋天): A ceremony of
Taoist origin. Pays homage to the deity
Sakra (Otherwise known as the
Jade Emperor in Chinese mythology). Held two days before
lunar new year.
★ 'Bathing the Buddha Ceremony' (浴佛法會): Celebration of the
Buddha's Birthday held outside Hsi Lai, and is hosted by other temples in Southern California.
★ 'Thousand Buddha Repentance Service' (禮千佛法會): Bowing to a total of 3,000 Buddhas; held during the Chinese New Year celebrations.
★ ' Liberation Rite of Water and Land' (水陸法會): The largest Buddhist ritual in Chinese Buddhism. Once held every four years, Hsi Lai last held this service in
2000 to celebrate the
millennium. However because of lack of staff, this ceremony has yet to have been initiated and planning of the ceremony was postponed several times. Currently, no further plans have been made to revive the tradition of holding this service. This service involved the invitations of beings of the higher realms to help the beings in the lower realms get out of their sufferings.
1996 Presidential Election controversy
''Main Article:
1996 United States campaign finance controversy''
During the
1996 presidential campaign, Vice President
Al Gore held a fundraiser at the Hsi Lai Temple. The temple fundraising luncheon attended by Gore was organized by
Democratic National Committee fund-raisers
John Huang and
Maria Hsia. It is illegal under U.S. law for religious organizations to donate money to politicians or political groups due to their tax-free status.
The U.S.
Justice Department alleged Hsia facilitated $100,000 in illegal contributions to the 1996 Clinton-Gore re-election campaign through her efforts at the Temple. Hsia was eventually convicted by a jury in March 2000.
[Eskenazi, Michael, "For both Gore and GOP, a guilty verdict to watch", ''CNN.com'', March 3, 2000] The Democratic National Committee eventually returned the money donated by the Temple's monks and nuns. Twelve nuns and employees of the Temple refused to answer questions by pleading the
Fifth Amendment when they were
subpoenaed to testify before Congress in 1997.
[Abse, Nathan, "A Look at the 94 Who Aren't Talking", ''Washington Post'', June 9, 1998]
Claims of the largest monastery in the Western Hemisphere
Since 1988, members of Hsi Lai and others have claimed that their temple is the largest temple in the
Western Hemisphere. However, the
City of Ten Thousand Buddhas situated in
Talmage,
Northern California has over 80 acres of built-up land on 488 acres of property as compared to Hsi Lai Temples' 15 acres, but rather than a temple complex as is Hsi Lai Temple, the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is more of an entire community with several large buildings clustered together. Therefore, it is unclear which is the largest, as there is a significant difference between the structure and location of the two Buddhist organizations.
Past Abbots and Abbesses of Hsi Lai
The first abbess, Venerable Tzu Chuang, during an alms begging round at Hsi Lai. Behind her is Venerable Tzu Jung, the fifth abbess.
★ 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-Present: Ven. Hui Chi (慧濟法師)
See also
★
Hsing Yun
★
Fo Guang Shan
★
Nan Tien Temple
★
Buddhism in America
★
Western Buddhism
★
Religion in the United States
References
External links
★
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
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