What Services Are Offer In Hsi Lai Temple On Sunday

Infobox Buddhist temple
name = Hsi Lai Temple

img_size = 250px
img_capt = The "Path To Buddhahood" courtyard, linking both the Bodhisattva hall and the Main Shrine.
mural =
denomination = Linji Ch'an / Humanistic Buddhism
founded = 1988
closed =
founder = Hsing Yun
teacher =
director =
roshi =
abbot = Ven. Hui Chi
priest =
rinpoche =
reverend =
address = 3456 S Glenmark Drive Hacienda Heights, CA 91745 [ http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=33.975716,-117.967924&spn=0.002634,0.004801&t=h&z=xviii Map ]
country = United States
phone = (626) 961-9697
website = [ http://www.hsilai.org/ www.hsilai.org/ ]

Hsi Lai Temple (TC: 西來寺; PY: "Xīlái Sì") (approximate pronunciation "She Lye") is a traditional Chinese Buddhist mountain monastery in the U.s.a.. Information technology is located on the foothill region of Hacienda Heights, California, United states, a suburb of Los Angeles. The proper name "Hsi Lai" ways "Coming West" in the sense of the "Not bad Buddhadharma Coming West."

The temple is affiliated with one of Taiwan's largest religious organizations, the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist gild. Information technology is 1 of the first branch temples the gild has congenital, and is often called the "torch of Dharma" past guild members. Hsi Lai was the site of the founding of Buddha'southward Light International Association, which was established in 1991. The temple, like its mother temple in Taiwan, practices Humanistic Buddhism, which incorporates all of the eight traditional schools of Chinese Buddhism - peculiarly the Linji Chan and Pure Land schools - to provide guidance deemed virtually useful to mod life.

History

In 1976, Master Hsing Yun, the founder of the lodge, 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 structure of the temple in the Greater Los Angeles area. It was officially registered nether the name of "International Buddhist Progress Club." Until the temple was complete, Ven. Tzu Chuang bought an old church building, which was to be Hsi Lai'south 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 piffling about Buddhism or had negative attitudes toward information technology Fact|engagement=May 2008. Some main reasons for resistance against the building of the temple was the promise of weekly services, heavy traffic, noise, and concern virtually environmental harm.

Originally, the organisation had planned to build the temple in the South Bay, Los Angeles surface area, but were blocked from acquiring land. They also tried to acquire Pyrenees Castle in Alhambra, only besides met opposition from the community. [http://world wide web.cityofalhambra.org/community/castle.html Pyrenees Castle] The edifice of the temple at its current location survived vi public hearings and 165 explanatory sessions Fact|appointment=May 2008. Finally in 1985, the temple was finally granted a edifice permit. The groundbreaking ceremony was held the post-obit year, and was completed on November 26th, 1988.

The temple was finished at a cost of $10 meg. 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 exist skillful neighbors.

Immediately afterwards its opening, Hsi Lai was the venue of many important events. The 16th General Conference of the Earth Fellowship of Buddhists and the 7th conference of the Earth Fellowship of Buddhist Youth were held from November 19th to the 26th, an international Triple Platform Full Ordination Ceremony for monastics was held for over a calendar month, and a Liberation Rite of Water and Country, the get-go of its kind in Northward America, was held prior to the temple'southward opening.

University of the W

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 ane of the beginning Buddhist colleges in the United States.

Degrees are currently offered for Bachelor of Arts and Main of Arts in Buddhist studies, comparative religious studies, and a Principal of Business concern Assistants.

In 2004, the university changed its name to the "Academy of the Due 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'southward successor in 2006, who was then replaced by Dr. Allen 1000. Huang a twelvemonth after.

ites

*The Bodhisattva Hall (五聖殿): The first shrine before inbound 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, information technology is as well known equally the "Conservancy Garden". It contains the acolytes of Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin) and statues of the Iv Heavenly Kings.
*Founder's Statue (創辦人星雲大師雕像): A bronze statue of Venerable Principal Hsing Yun. The statue is behind the Bodhisattva hall, facing the main shrine.
*Main Shrine (大雄寶殿): The heart of the temple's activities. Information technology contains the statues of the historical Sakyamuni Buddha , Amitabha Buddha, and Bhaisajyaguru Buddha. Thousands of niches containing an paradigm of the Buddha can be seen on the walls. Outside, a big bell and drum tin be seen on either side. Traditionally in many Chinese Ch'an temples, these bells are played daily to ready monastics for daily exercise. Hsi Lai does non use these instruments regularly considering of their loud volume when played as there are residential areas at the human foot of the temple. The bell and drum are only used to marker special occurrences.
*Requiem Pagoda (懷恩堂): Located at the superlative of Hsi Lai, it honors those who have died. In the past, it was also a small mausoleum, only since there was no more room for urns to be interred, the urns were moved to a new Buddhist mausoleum built by Hsi Lai in 1999, located at the summit of Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier. The Requiem Pagoda is at present for people who entered their loved ane'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 adjacent to the monastic dorm rooms, meditation classes are held here.
*Dining Hall (五觀堂): Vegetarian buffets are served hither every day for luncheon simply, and sometimes dinner on special days. Each person tin can make a voluntary donation for their lunch.
*Translation and Publishing Eye (佛光山國際翻譯中心與佛光出版社): The "Fo Guang Shan International Translation Heart" and "Buddha'due south Light Publishing" are located on the very elevation of the temple circuitous 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 likewise equally other valuable Buddhist works.

Attraction and services offered

Hsi Lai is a popular venue for tourists interested in learning more than about Chinese culture and Buddhism, and has even been coined the "Forbidden Urban center of America." Fact|engagement=May 2008 Over the years since its foundation, Hsi Lai has been a popular site for school field trips, business organisation trips, organizational meetings, personal leisure, and a center for interreligious dialog.

In addition to workshops on Buddhism, the temple also holds workshops on a wide range of topics including revenue enhancement, legal issues, education, immigration, wedlock, and family unit discipline.

Dharma services

Regular Dharma services are held on Sunday and weekday mornings, commonly 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 likewise Standard mandarin, primarily English language and Cantonese, are bachelor to perform weddings or funerals services.

Many larger services held annually mostly revolve effectually filial piety, along with the Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian philosophy of honey and respect for ane's parents and ancestors. In the bound, they hold a large service in celebration of Ching Ming, a traditional Chinese festival where many pay respects to deceased relatives by cleaning their graves. In the summer, they concur a large service in commemoration of Ullambana. During this time, they likewise hold a ceremony known as "Sangha Day", where devotees gather to honor the monastics past offering nutrient to them, as well equally 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 Dharma functions held

*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 vii-twenty-four hours Retreat (彌陀佛七): Seven days of mindful recitation of the Amitabha Sutra and Amitabha's name.
*Yogacara Flaming Oral fissure (瑜伽焰口): A Tantric anniversary 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 Not bad Compassion Mantra, elaborate bowing, offering, and circumbulations.
*M Offer to Celestial Beings (供佛齋天): A ceremony inviting heavenly deities. Held two days before lunar new year.
*Bathing Buddha Ceremony (浴佛法會): Celebration of the Buddha's Altogether held in and outside Hsi Lai, and is hosted by other temples in Southern California.
*Chiliad Buddha Repentance Service (禮千佛法會): A brusk ceremony paying homage to Buddhas and bodhisattvas; held during the Chinese New year celebrations.
*Liberation Rite of Water and Land (水陸法會): The largest ritual in traditional Chinese Buddhism, which involves inviting beings from higher realms to assist beings in the lower realms escape from their suffering. Hsi Lai has only held this anniversary twice, once in 1988 to gloat the temple's opening, and in 2000 to celebrate the millennium. Information technology will be held again in 2008 to celebrate the temple's 20th anniversary.

1996 campaign finance controversy

A campaign finance controversy centered on Hsi Lai Temple erupted during the 1996 presidential entrada. Vice President Al Gore attended a lunch at the temple. The U.S. Justice Department alleged that Maria Hsia solicited $55,000 in donations for the Autonomous National Commission the post-obit day, which were later on reimbursed with temple money. [ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/campfin/players/hsia.htm ] Non-profit groups are not allowed to make political contributions. Hsia was somewhen convicted by a jury in March 2000 of laundering the contributions and sentenced to 90 days home detention, a fine, and community service.Eskenazi, Michael, [ http://transcripts.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/03/03/gore3_3.a.tm/index.html "For both Gore and GOP, a guilty verdict to lookout man" ] , "CNN.com", March three, 2000] The Autonomous National Committee returned the money donated by the temple's monks and nuns. Twelve nuns and employees of the temple, including then-abbess Venerable Yi Kung, refused to answer questions by pleading the 5th Amendment when they were amendmented to testify earlier Congress in 1997. Abse, Nathan, [ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/campfin/stories/fifth060998.htm "A Look at the 94 Who Aren't Talking" ] , "Washington Post", June nine, 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. Still, the Urban center of 10 Thousand Buddhas situated in Talmage, Northern California has over lxxx acres of built-up country on convert|488|acre|km2 of property every bit compared to Hsi Lai Temples' fifteen acres, but rather than a temple complex as is Hsi Lai Temple, the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is more of an unabridged community with several large buildings clustered together. Therefore, both organizations lay claim to being the largest Buddhist monastery in the Westward.

Past Abbots and Abbesses of Hsi Lai

*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) ("interim abbess")
*2003-2005: Ven. Hui Chuan (慧傳法師) (2nd term)
*2005-Present: Ven. Hui Chi (慧濟法師)

ee besides

*Hsing Yun
*Fo Guang Shan
*Nan Tien Temple
*Buddhism in America
*Western Buddhism
*Religion in the United States

References

External links

* [ http://www.hsilai.org Hsi Lai Temple website ]
* [ http://world wide web.uwest.edu Academy of the West website ]
* [ http://world wide web.blpusa.com Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center and Buddha's Light Publishing website ]
* [ http://www.fgs.org.tw Fo Guang Shan website ]

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