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The construction of the FGS He Hua temple
This is a short story on the founding of this temple:
1. The founder of FGS, Venerable Master Hsing Yun, abbess Hsing
Tin and three members of the religious comity of FGS - venerables
Tzu Zuang, Tzu Hui and Tzu Jung -, had decided to found a new temple.
They had consulted Venerable I Chao for taking the position of abbess
to this new temple, and she accepted this assignment.
2. Founding of this temple has been done according to the basics
and aim of FGS:
- spread the Buddhist concepts, also by means of
cultural exchanges and activities;
- help to develop talents, skills
and good qualities of people by means of good education;
- stimulate positive developments in society by means of charity projects;
- purify heart and soul of all people by giving them the opportunity
of learning to practice Buddhism.
3. With assistance of Mr. Jian Ji-Ming, gentlemen H.F.W. Lo, F.
Man and M. Chen made the request to FGS for cooperation in building
a temple in Amsterdam. In 1994 the gentlemen had officially permission
of the Municipality of Amsterdam for founding a temple on the playground
at the Zeedijk. The same year, Venerable Master Hsing Yun paid a
visit to The Netherlands. He has been invited to attend the "Overseas
Chinese Annual Convention". After this convention he visited the
playground and he granted the request to found a temple on the Zeedijk
in Amsterdam.
4. On September 15th, 2000, Her Majesty Beatrix, Queen of the
Netherlands, opened the temple in person. Globally this has been
an unique event for Buddhism, because she has been the first statesman
ever, who supported Buddhism in public. The queen did not solely
had the opinion of supporting other religions and cultures, but
she also proved this with her physical appearance. On this occasion
devotees from several countries attended: like Taiwan, France, United
States, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Great Britain, Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, Belgium, Spain and Portugal. The entire Liondance Society
performed in front of Her Majesty the Queen and the other attendants.
5. A long lease agreement has been made with the Municipality of
Amsterdam for a period of hundred years. The ground-area measures
508 m2 and the living and working area of this temple measures 1659
m2. The Guan Yin Shrine, the main hall, is the entrance hall of
the temple. One level below you will find the Jade Buddha Shrine.
The temple also has a Ch'an hall (meditation hall), a hall for honoring
ancestors, a meeting room, classrooms, a library, a dining room
and bedrooms.
6. This temple has been designed by Fred Greven, a Dutch architect.
The construction company Sikking has built the temple. Venerable
I-Cha has been the very first abbess of this temple.
7. The construction of this temple costed 4,1 million euro (9 million
guilders). 6 million guilders of this amounted has been financed
by donors of Fo Guang Shan. The other 3 million has been collected
from devotees of Taiwan, United States, Canada, Netherlands, France
and other countries. Our special gratitude goes out to Wei-Jeng
Lai, A-Jaw Lee Lo, Huai-Jen Gu Jaw, Fred Man, Henry F.W. Lo, Pamela
Chen, Munan Chen, Kelly C.C. Lam, John Fong, Rob Fens and relatives
-- they have made an extraordinary contribution -- and all the other
donors.
8. The name of our organization: Fo Guang Shan He Hua Temple means:
Giving us hope, being a blossoming lotusflower for Buddhism in the
Netherlands.
September 2000,
34th year of Fo Guang Shan
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