A Meditation Hall in the Forest
The Meditation Hall is located in a thickly wooded depression below the Reclining Buddha Hall, and is an important part of the Huayan Sacred Mountain. In the future, the Meditation Hall will be integrated into the complex of facilities including the College, Meditation Hall, and stūpa, providing disciples with an ideal venue for both study and practice.
Master Hsin Tao has said, “The college is for developing right understanding, and meditation practice is for developing wisdom and moral character, both of which need to be given equal importance.”
In the future, a large reliquary stūpa will be erected in the middle of the meditation hall, inside of which will be enshrined a number of precious relics, including a hair of the Buddha. Around the stūpa there will be ample space for meditation practice.
The presence of the stūpa, relics, Buddha images, and Bodhi tree in this sacred place, as well as the entire Ling Jiou Mountain Academy of Religion and Culture, will add the finishing touches to the Huayan Sacred Mountain. Master Hsin Tao has said, “When we are in the Meditation Hall we have lots of distracted thoughts, so we need to slowly get established in this sort of “forest contemplation” as a solid basis for  silent cultivation; only by doing so will it be possible to stop generating karmic hindrances and eventually enter into the sacred.”
Being in such a sacred environment makes it much easier to impart the message of the Buddha. Moreover, building the Meditation Hall is also a way of promoting meditation and increasing enthusiasm for the practice; it will also help everybody return to the true mind and fully enter into the sacred mountain of the spirit. May this sacred mountain bring many benefits to all beings throughout the universe, both now and well into the future! |
