Shenwei Tiantai Mountain, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
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Shenwei Tiantai Mountain is located Kaohsiung, a southern city of Taiwan. Being the large extensively developed religious environment, the Shenwei Tiantai Mountain of Bao Guang Jian Der is practically the biggest of its kind in Taiwan and even the world based on the size of the site and architecture. For visitors, they offer an unusual opportunities to experience the religious culture.
As you follow the path to the shrine, a building that can only be described as "magnificent" appears out of the woods. The entire shrine is built in the traditional Chinese palace architectural style in the front, central and rear hall. Each hall is dedicated to the different deities prayed by I-Kuan Tao. The most striking aspects of the shrine are the extensive use of gold paint throughout the building. The grand architectures as well as the well-maintained gardens give this entire golden shrine a solemn atmosphere. It is a environment for believers to share their experiences in lives and exploring the culture and religion. The whole environment expands over 3 million square meters and is surrounded by mountains and hills in a setting as beautiful as a painting. Wandering in the hills and mountains, one feels its spaciousness and tranquility. Its main structure includes a front hall, a center hall and a back hall, displaying grandeur, extravagance and exquisiteness. There are many facilities including a sports arena, lake, overnight accommodation, gardens with different themes, camping and resting areas, etc. The Tao environment of Shenwei Tiantai Mountain is currently the number one popular tourist destination. The Complex LayoutThe Tiantai Mountain complex is located in Kaohsiung and occupies a verdant three hundred hectare site. It is the biggest I-Kuan Tao religious center in Taiwan. The main buildings were designed to complement the topography and were constructed along a central axis. Some of the features of the monastery include the Sun Moon Pond; the Garden of the Perfect Enlightenment Sutra; the sports field and the stage; the Chaosheng Gate with its statues of eight sacred animals; Baiyang Hall (the front hall); Zushi Hall (the central hall); the nine-dragon wall; and Laomu Hall (the rear hall). Laomu Hall is located on the highest elevation, giving it a lofty and imposing position. All of the buildings are either gold or white in color, with their roofs covered in gilt glazed roof tiles. The complex also includes an accommodation facility for I-Kuan Tao members, the Zongde House, a Tudigong shrine, a Phra Phrom shrine, rose stone (a rock said to have magnetic power), and a sanctuary.
The Architectural Style and the Gilt-Glazed Roof Tiles The Tiantai Mountain monastery complex was established to serve as an international I-Kuan Tao religious center. The buildings were constructed in a neoclassical style inspired by traditional Chinese palace architecture. Rugged stone pillars are spaced throughout each of the halls, which have double-eaved roofs covered in gilt-glazed tiles. The exterior walls were constructed using granite and marble. The austere lines give the monastery an aesthetically pleasing mix of classic and modern elements. |
Introduction to IKT Temple at Shenwei Tiantai Mountain
Tao Environment PART I Introduction to IKT Temple at Shenwei Tiantai Mountain
Tao Environment PART II Introduction to IKT Temple at Shenwei Tiantai Mountain
Tao Environment PART III Introduction to IKT Temple at Shenwei Tiantai Mountain
Tao Environment PART IV Introduction to IKT Temple at Shenwei Tiantai Mountain
Tao Environment PART V |
The Chaosheng Gate and the Statues of Eight Sacred Animals
Many I-Kuan Tao followers pass through the Chaosheng Gate on their way to the main halls. The fifteen-meter-tall gate has a white façade with golden lettering. The characters for “Chaosheng Gate” are painted on the front side, while the characters for “Peaceful Heart Gate” are painted on the other. This symbolizes people departing the monastery with a peaceful heart after entering through the Chaosheng Gate. Eight sacred animal statues along the front of the gate in different facial expressions and poses respectfully welcome visitors to the complex. There are also two boulders in front of the gate. One is inscribed with the phrase “a blessed place for the multitude”, while the other bears the words “a monastery for the infinite universe.” These inscriptions reveal the generosity, grace, and immeasurable compassion of the Maitreya Buddha as it presides over the White Sun period, or third period of salvation according to I-Kuan Tao followers.
Many I-Kuan Tao followers pass through the Chaosheng Gate on their way to the main halls. The fifteen-meter-tall gate has a white façade with golden lettering. The characters for “Chaosheng Gate” are painted on the front side, while the characters for “Peaceful Heart Gate” are painted on the other. This symbolizes people departing the monastery with a peaceful heart after entering through the Chaosheng Gate. Eight sacred animal statues along the front of the gate in different facial expressions and poses respectfully welcome visitors to the complex. There are also two boulders in front of the gate. One is inscribed with the phrase “a blessed place for the multitude”, while the other bears the words “a monastery for the infinite universe.” These inscriptions reveal the generosity, grace, and immeasurable compassion of the Maitreya Buddha as it presides over the White Sun period, or third period of salvation according to I-Kuan Tao followers.
Baiyang Hall (the Front Hall)Baiyang (White Sun) Hall enshrines the Maitreya Buddha. Behind the statue of the Buddha a mosaic wall depicts the Tushita Heaven as described in the story “Maitreya Bodhisattva’s Attainment of Buddhahood.” To create the scene, natural jade in a variety of shades and colors was cut and polished, and then inlaid. Five hundred figures of the I-Kuan Dao’s Three White Sun Buddhas can be seen at the top of the mosaic, the Maitreya Buddha is in the middle, while Zen Master Ji Gong and the Moonlight Bodhisattva can be found at the two sides.
Zushi Hall (the Central Hall)
A 27.5-meter-long, 4.6-meter-wide greenstone relief carving of nine dragons is inset into the center of the stone steps leading up to Zushi Hall. The entire platform is inclined at a forty-five degree angle that matches the slope of the stairs, and the main dragon rises its head up out of the top end in an expression of fearsome power. The carving is aligned with the hall’s central axis. The other dragons are depicted soaring through the sky. The carving was created by master sculptors of the age. The hall is dedicated to three of the sect’s leaders: Lu Zhongyi, the 17th patriarch of the sect who is known as the “Golden Elder,” Zhang Tianran, the 18th patriarch and founder of the sect, known as “Tianran Gufo,” and Sun Suzhen, the 18th matriarch known to followers as “Holy Mother of the Chinese.” They are honored with statues carved in white marble that are 5.35 meters high and weigh 38 tons. On either side are busts of 64 elders sculpted in white marble. The portraits are engraved with the elders’ posthumous names.
A 27.5-meter-long, 4.6-meter-wide greenstone relief carving of nine dragons is inset into the center of the stone steps leading up to Zushi Hall. The entire platform is inclined at a forty-five degree angle that matches the slope of the stairs, and the main dragon rises its head up out of the top end in an expression of fearsome power. The carving is aligned with the hall’s central axis. The other dragons are depicted soaring through the sky. The carving was created by master sculptors of the age. The hall is dedicated to three of the sect’s leaders: Lu Zhongyi, the 17th patriarch of the sect who is known as the “Golden Elder,” Zhang Tianran, the 18th patriarch and founder of the sect, known as “Tianran Gufo,” and Sun Suzhen, the 18th matriarch known to followers as “Holy Mother of the Chinese.” They are honored with statues carved in white marble that are 5.35 meters high and weigh 38 tons. On either side are busts of 64 elders sculpted in white marble. The portraits are engraved with the elders’ posthumous names.
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Laomu Hall (the Rear Hall)
The central shrine of Laomu Hall houses a twenty-meter-high stele dedicated to the Eternal Venerable Mother. Its frame was carved from a rare wood and painted in gold. The stele is inlaid with pure white marble and bears her full name, “Eternal Venerable Mother, Unlimited and Tranquil, the Ultimate Divinity of the Utmost Reverence, True Ruler of the Universe and All Living Things.” The hall’s four walls are adorned with 10,800 gilt Maitreya Buddha figurines, which together symbolize a pilgrimage and form a dazzling sight.
The central shrine of Laomu Hall houses a twenty-meter-high stele dedicated to the Eternal Venerable Mother. Its frame was carved from a rare wood and painted in gold. The stele is inlaid with pure white marble and bears her full name, “Eternal Venerable Mother, Unlimited and Tranquil, the Ultimate Divinity of the Utmost Reverence, True Ruler of the Universe and All Living Things.” The hall’s four walls are adorned with 10,800 gilt Maitreya Buddha figurines, which together symbolize a pilgrimage and form a dazzling sight.
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The White Marble Nine-Dragon Wall
The nine-dragon wall is located in front of the Laomu Hall. The dragons soaring across the wall in a lifelike tableau were not painted using traditional techniques. Instead, they were gilded using gold leaf. |
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The I-Kuan Tao Shenwei Tiantai Mountain religious complex in Kaohsiung is open daily to the public from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Visitors are asked to follow the guidelines outside the three main halls before entering. Food and drink facilities are available inside the complex.
