Preface
Hello everyone, welcome to Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada!
Today, we are standing in front of the main gate of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada. Looking from a distance, a solemn and serene world unfolds before us. Please close your eyes for a moment, take a deep breath – can you feel the tranquility pervading your body and the clarity in your mind? Canada is one of the best countries to live in the world, with clean air, vast land, abundant natural resources, a stable economy, strong educational foundations, and generous welfare benefits. All of these have laid the ground for a wonderful life in Canada, a place we call home. However, where do we seek our spiritual “home”? It is right here at our Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada.
Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada is located in Peterborough, northeastern Ontario, about 100 kilometers from downtown Toronto. It covers an area of approximately 535 acres.
Over fifty years ago, in 1967, three Elder Founders of Cham Shan Temple—Venerable Master Lok To, Ven. Master Shing Cheung, and Ven. Master Sing Hung—made a great vow when they first came to Canada. They hoped that one day, the Four Great Sacred Buddhist Mountains would be built on the land of Canada. That year, Venerable Master Sing Hung purchased four giant stones and carved the names of the Four Great Bodhisattvas on them. These four giant stones are still enshrined outside the gate of Cham Shan Temple. In 2005, Cham Shan Temple purchased the land to build three of the Four Great Mountains. It took many years of meticulous selection, traversing mountains and rivers, and visiting numerous places before settling on Peterborough as the chosen location. Surprisingly, this land connected with the land Ven. Master Sing Hung had purchased many years ago, forming the complete territory for the Four Great Sacred Buddhist Mountains. In the mysterious workings of fate, many incredible things like this have transpired.
The Fushou Pond (The Pond of Blessings and Longevity)
Upon entering the main gate of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden, you will see a small pond on your left-hand side. This pond was originally created during the mountain’s construction for the purpose of releasing living beings. One day, some lay Buddhists brought turtles they had purchased from the market to this pond for release.
After placing the small turtles into the pond, as the laypeople were about to leave, they suddenly noticed that one turtle had crawled to the middle of the road, seemingly expressing gratitude towards the people. Later, Venerable Dayi Shi thought of naming this pond the “Turtle Pond.” Upon hearing about this, Venerable Master Sing Hung believed that turtles symbolized blessings and longevity, and thus, he personally inscribed the three characters “Fushou Pond” onto a stone, which is now engraved for everyone to see.
The Bodhi Avenue
You are currently on the Bodhi Avenue of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada. The Bodhi Avenue is the main road that leads from the main gate to the Grand Hall and the statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva. The Bodhi Avenue is 30 meters wide, with the narrowest part being 6 meters wide. It spans approximately 6 kilometers to the mountaintop. The Bodhi Avenue consists of several sections, including:
– Maitreya Road: From the main gate to the Maitreya Buddha.
– First Bodhi Road: From Maitreya Buddha to the Fushou Pond.
– Second Bodhi Road: From the Fushou Pond to the Front Plaza.
– Third Bodhi Road: From the mountaintop to the Front Plaza of the Hall of the Heavenly Kings (on the right side of the Main Dharma Hall).
– Fifth Bodhi Road: From the Front Plaza to the Main Dharma Hall (on the left side).
– Wisdom Pond Avenue, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Square Road, North Platform Road, West Platform Road, South Platform Road, East Platform Road, and Central Platform Road.
Forty-Eight Vows Stupa
On both sides of the Bodhi Avenue stand the Forty-Eight Vows Stupas. These stupas were built based on the idea of Venerable Dayi Shi with reference to Tang Dynasty stone stupas in Kyoto, Japan. What are the Forty-Eight Vows of Buddhism? And what makes the Forty-Eight Vows Stupas special?
In Mahayana Buddhism, the foundation is faith; which is followed by vows. We often hear about the Twelve Great Vows of Medicine Buddha and the vow of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to not attain Buddhahood until all hells are empty. The Forty-Eight Vows Stupas represent the forty-eight great vows initially made by Amitabha Buddha when he was a Bodhisattva.
These forty-eight vows are the essence of Pure Land Buddhism and can be categorized into three groups: First, the vows related to Amitabha’s own enlightenment; Second, the vows related to the adornment of his Pure Land; Third, the vows related to benefiting sentient beings and guiding them to rebirth in the Pure Land. The Forty-Eight Vows embody the great compassion of Dharmakara Bodhisattva and reveal the profound teachings of Mahayana Buddhism.
The construction of the Forty-Eight Vows Stupas by Venerable Dayi Shi signifies this place as resembling the Pure Land and as a representation of the fulfillment of the Forty-Eight Vows.
As you arrived here, you may have seen the golden roofs of temples glimmering from afar. From the moment you entered the gate, everything you see – the spacious Bodhi Avenue, the blooming flower beds, the dignified Buddha statues, and more – has been established through countless auspicious conditions. Before the development of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden, it was wild and barren. Without vast aspirations and the hearts of dedication to all sentient beings, this grand vision would not have been realized. Therefore, we should be grateful to the three founding elders of Cham Shan Temple. They brought Chinese Buddhism to Canada and were pioneers of Canadian Buddhism. Ven. Master Sing Hung believed that the flourishing of Canadian Buddhism could only be achieved by promoting the great compassion of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, the great wisdom of Manjushri Bodhisattva, the great vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and the great practices of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Later, Venerable Dayi Shi, a disciple of the three elders, continued their vision. Leading the monastic community through challenges and difficulties, he established the Four Great Buddhist Mountains of Canada here. This is the profound interplay of causes that has brought us to this point.