峨眉

Temples of Lions Head Mountain

August 18, 2015 in Photo Post, Temples, Mountains, Hsinchu, Miaoli

The Lions Head Mountain Scenic Area (獅頭山風景區) or "Shitoushan" is one of Taiwan's designated national scenic areas covering over 24,000 hectares of land in both Hsinchu and Miaoli counties. The mountain is considered sacred to Taiwanese Buddhists and is a popular weekend tourist spot due to the amount of temples, shrines and monasteries that make their home throughout the mountain.

The Shitoushan area is also well known for its importance to the Hakka communities which have settled in the areas around the mountain in villages like Beipu (北埔), Nanzhuang (南庄) and Sanwan (三灣) as well as being important to the Saisiyat Indigenous Tribe (賽夏族) who have traditionally inhabited the area.

There are eight well developed hiking trails all of which are several kilometres long and take you through beautiful mountain landscapes with lush forests and river streams. The trails are quite popular as they do not require much in the form of hiking skill or experience and seem more like a brisk walk than actual hiking.

In the first post about Lion's Head Mountain I covered the first two and the largest of the temples on the mountain. In this post I'm going to briefly introduce some of the other places and things to see on the mountain.

Yuan Guang Monastery (元光寺)

I've been to Lion’s Head Mountain several times and each time I visited, Yuan Guan Monastery wasn't open to the public. You can walk past the monastery, which is a large one that consists of a large temple in the middle with residential areas and farming areas to the sides.

On one of my visits I took a peek inside the main temple and it was just a large room with a lot of meditation cushions on the floor. It seems like the Yuan Guang Monastery is a very busy monastery and quite a few monks and nuns live there, but so far I haven't really seen any of them.

She Li Cave (舍利洞)

She Li Cave looks just like a normal temple when you are walking past. It has a courtyard covered by rooftop and there is an incense burner in front of a shrine to Guanyin. It is another one of the mountains shrines built into a cave, but there is something a bit special about this one and truthfully even though I've been past this temple several times - I hadn't actually realized there was a cave!

On my most recent visit to the mountain I had a short conversation with the groundskeeper who was not only excited to see someone on a weekday, but that that person was also a foreigner. He told me not to miss the cave inside and to my surprise he led me past a small door on the right of the shrine and brought me into an actual lighted cave behind the shrine.

The shrine in the back has another Guanyin statue and it reaches in behind the shrine in front. The cave however isn't very large and it was a bit damp so I didn't spend much time inside. As I mentioned in the previous post, you have to be careful on this hike that you don't randomly miss some cool stuff.

Ling Yun Cave (凌雲洞)

Ling Yun Cave and a strange looking statue of Guanyin (觀音)

Ling Yun Cave is a small cave with a shrine built in front of it. There really isn't much to see here as you can just look into the cave through a window in the small shrine they constructed in front of the cave.

Inside the shrine there are some Buddha statues and to the side there is a life size statue of Guanyin. The statue of Guanyin is a little strange looking and is in the design of what I like to call "Catholic-inspired" Buddhist art. The statue doesn't look like a typical Buddhist statue and the lifelike design of it can be a bit scary - kind of like Catholic art. The cave is just a smaller attraction along the road, so you don't necessarily need to spend much time there, especially if you aren't Buddhist - If you are hiking Taiwanese people however they will probably want to stop at all of the shrines and offer their respect.

Kai Shan Temple (開善寺)

Kai Shan temple is a Buddhist temple that was built in 1927 and is aesthetically-speaking my favourite temple on the mountain. The temple is quite special compared to a lot of the other temples in Taiwan as it was designed in the style of Northern Japanese temples and thus different from what you'd normally see here in Taiwan.

The temple is a short walk from the She Li Cave and like the cave it is another temple built into the side of a mountain. The temple's courtyard is really cool with some giant zen-like bonsai trees (盆栽) that are taken care of by the monks who reside at the temple. If you're familiar with the Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi was really fond of his trees and cutting them was a form of meditation for him. Likewise, the monks and nuns at this temple will spend their time practicing the ancient art with the trees and they will look different each time you visit.

The inside of the temple has some really large statues of Amida Buddha (阿彌陀佛), Shakyamuni Buddha (釋迦牟尼佛) and the Medicine Buddha (藥師佛.) Considering that this temple is part of a monastery, there are often monks and nuns working or performing religious activities at the temple as well as cleaning up and taking care of the grounds.

The monks will chant a few times a day and the chanting is played on speakers so that the whole mountain can hear. If you visit the Kai Shan temple, try to be quiet and enjoy the scenery and don’t walk around the inside of the temple if the monks are inside chanting as you could distract them.

Also, don't forget to enjoy the view of the look off from the courtyard in front of the temple. There is a great view of not only the temples and pagodas below but also of northern Miaoli county.

Ling-Xia Cave (雲霞洞)

Ling-Xia Cave is probably one of the most well-known of all the temples and shrines on the mountain. The shrine was initially set up in 1917 during the Japanese occupation period with a Japanese-style Buddhist shrine in a cave. In 1932 (明治35年) a baroque style gate was constructed in front of the cave. As I've mentioned in previous posts (Daxi Old Street and Hukou Old Street) Baroque-style architecture was popular in Taiwan due to the economic prosperity of the day so I guess it seemed only natural to apply that form of architecture to the front of a popular Buddhist shrine.

The gate constructed in front of the cave has the name of the cave in the middle with the words「山虛」meaning something along the lines of “mountain emptiness” and 「水深」meaning referring to the depth of the water. There are several translations and I could have the meaning completely messed up, but the meanings are meant to reflect emptiness and the void which are important words in Buddhism.

There isn't much to see in the cave, it's not that big and if you're tall, you should watch your head while inside. There is a temple/monastery to the left of the cave but each time I've been to the mountain it hasn't been open to the public.

Rock Face Calligraphy (獅頭山大石壁)

Buddhist sayings carved into the mountain

While hiking along the trail between Kai Shan Temple and Yuan Guang Temple you will come across a giant rock face cliff where you will have to walk up a steep set of stairs to continue along your path. The rock face has some pretty cool Chinese calligraphy carved into the side and while you are making your way up the hill be sure to stop and take notice of the beautiful job the artist did.

Shui Lian Cave (水簾洞)

Shui Lian Cave is on a completely different hiking trail and while it is on Lion’s Head Mountain, it isn't part of the main trails where you will find all of the other temples and shrines. I thought I'd include the shrine though as Shui Lian Cave is the largest cave on the mountain. The cave is a short walk up the road from the main gate to the hiking trails on the Hsinchu side. There is a parking lot where tour buses usually park and the cave is a short walk down a steep set of stairs which brings you to somewhat of a river gorge.

If you pay attention to the river you'll be able to see fish swimming around in the river and this is a great spot for seeing different species of birds. The shrine is built into the cave and like all the other caves on the mountain the shrine was built to accommodate the mountain but not destroy the natural environment. The shrine has some large statues of the Buddha and Taiwanese people like to make the trek down the stairs to pay their respects. I'd recommend checking the cave out, but if you are tired from hiking the trails up above, you might feel that there isn't that much to see here.

I couldn't introduce all of the temples, shrines or monasteries on Lion's Head Mountain due to the fact that on the days I went they weren't open to the public. I tried my best though to explain as much as I could about the temples from what little information there is about them. If you are planning on taking a day-trip to Lion's Head Mountain, don't be afraid that it will be an arduous day of hiking. The trails are quite easy and you can finish it from front to back in a little over 2-3 hours and there are buses from Hsinchu or Miaoli that will transport you between the cities and to the trailhead.

If you have any questions, comments or corrections, don't be shy and contact me through the comment section below or through the contact section on the menu below.

Gallery / Flickr (High Res Shots)

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Nature Loving Wonderland (大自然文化世界)

July 12, 2015 in Photo Post, Temples, Hsinchu

The Nature Loving Wonderland (大自然文化世界) is an extremely large Buddhist monastery and tourist attraction at Emei lake (峨眉湖) in the mountains of southern Hsinchu county.

The temple boast an ostentatious monastery, a large grounds paved in granite and the worlds largest standing statue of Milefo (彌勒佛), who is often referred to as the "Laughing Buddha" and is probably one of the most well-known images of a “Buddha” in the west. While not a historic figure like many of the other important Buddha’s, Milefo, who is of Chinese origin is considered by some to be the manifestation of Maitreya (彌勒菩薩) the "Buddha of the future."

While people in North America might think images of the Laughing Buddha are cute, he serves a role as a saviour-like figure for certain sects of Buddhism who believe that he (or she) will eventually appear to "save" humanity, just as Christians imagine their messiah will do.

Buddhism isn't exactly a philosophy with a lot of predictions for future salvation and/or destruction, so it is actually a bit strange that there are offshoots of Buddhism that believe this kind of thing. Nevertheless, there have been quite a few religious figures (cult leaders) over the years who have professed to be the Maitreya and have amassed great fortunes in doing so.

The monastery at Emei Lake is run by a group called "Maitreya Great Tao" (彌勒大道) which was founded by a monk named Wang Hao-Te (王好德).

Wang, like many other people of his generation escaped to Taiwan with the Chinese Nationalists after the horrible Chinese Civil War. Upon arrival in Taiwan, Wang became involved with the Chinese religion Yiguandao (一貫道), which itself incorporates Maitreya worship (despite not necessarily being Buddhist).

In 1987, Wang opened the "Providence Maitreya Buddha Institute" (天恩彌勒佛院) which today boasts over a million members and over 2000 temples around the world.

The purpose of the sect, which adheres to aspects of Buddhism and Yiguandao is to promote “world peace”, “healthy living”, “environmentalism” and a “prosperous healthy nation”

All of which sounds really nice, but like all religions, words often speak louder than actions.

The last time I checked, building a 75m tall bronze statue which requires digging precious metals out of the ground to go along with the huge granite base isn't exactly what I'd refer to as being environmentally friendly. According to the group though, their giant statue, the biggest in the world is meant to be a constant reminder that we should be “one with nature”.

75m tall bronze statue of the Medicine Buddha

To explain a bit of my confusion about this place, I’m going to explain a bit of the most basic tenets of Buddhism. The core philosophy of Buddhism is that 'life is suffering' and that suffering is caused by our attachment to things in this world.

The Buddha outlined what he called the four noble truths of existence:

Four Noble Truths (四聖諦)

Suffering exists (苦谛)
Suffering arises from attachment to desires (集谛)
Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases (灭谛)
Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path (道谛)

Buddhism's foundations are set in the four noble truths and they are the path that the Buddha promoted in order to attain enlightenment and achieve an end to suffering. Once you understand the four noble truths you are free to delve much deeper into Buddhist philosophy, which is quite interesting and appeals to a lot of people around the world.

The problem though is that if you don't recognize the four noble truths, it'd be kind of difficult to consider yourself a Buddhist and it would be even harder to live your life as a monastic.

Buddhists (no matter the variety) should be mindful of the four noble truths and attempt to put themselves on a path to freedom from suffering which the Buddha explained is caused in part by material attachments to earthly possessions.

When someone becomes a monk, they are supposed to give up all their possessions and live a simple life dedicated to meditation and reaching nirvana. Therefore their only possessions should be those things that are required for a very simple quality of life. Monks are not supposed to possess things that could inspire negative emotions like possessiveness, greed or envy.

The Dalai Lama explains:

According to Buddhist practice, there are three stages or steps. The initial stage is to reduce attachment towards life. The second stage is the elimination of desire and attachment to this samsara. Then in the third stage, self-cherishing is eliminated

With this in mind, when you will see monasteries that look like palaces you may scratch your head thinking:

Is all this really necessary?

If the primary cause of suffering, according to the Buddha is 'attachment' then why is it that a monastery like this has to be as huge and as ostentatious as it is? Shouldn't monks be leading a much simpler life?

When it comes to material possessions and attachments, some may argue that times have changed and the latest iPhones are just as necessary as your rice bowl.

I can also completely understand that in modern times it isn't a great idea to seem like a homeless person walking around in robes looking for alms from others. The key thing is to not have possessions that cause craving or attachment.

The question you have to ask yourself is how do you think these people would react if suddenly all of this stuff that they've constructed was destroyed or lost? How would the people who run this "wonderland" react if all of this was suddenly gone in the blink of an eye?

The Maitreya Institute seems to keep this in mind, especially when it comes to their guests and they go above and beyond protecting their investment. They have instituted a list of rules that you have to accept to be permitted entry to their "Nature Loving Wonderland."

Considering that the "wonderland" is also a monastery, it is normal to see a list of rules regarding dress or lack thereof. While it does bother me that religious places like this still try to attempt to dictate what a woman can or cannot wear - but for Taiwanese guests, I suppose they are less inclined to complain about that kind of stuff and are willing to accept the sarongs provided by the staff at the gate to cover themselves up.

Once you get past the gates you will be led into the basement of the monastery by a set of stairs adjacent to the main doors. You will be given a pair of slippers to put on and an area to safely place your shoes.

There are a few reasons as to why they want you to remove your shoes - The first being that they don't want you walking through the monastery dirtying up their shiny expensive floors and because they would prefer you to not have the ability to escape the tour (indoctrination session) you are about to experience.

As you walk through the halls, you will notice a couple things:

The attention to detail in all of the decorations.
How much cash they must have spent on decorating the place.
The smiling secret service-looking volunteers standing guard a few meters apart from each other with headsets on making sure that you don't wander off or touch any of the bling bling.

Apart from the rules pertaining to clothing, they also don't permit you to bring in non-vegetarian foods, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, dangerous weapons and pets.

Wait a second!

Pets? Pets are not permitted? I can understand high heels not being permitted. But pets aren't weapons of mass destruction, nor are they poisonous or nefarious substances that will affect the spiritual life of the monastics.

Is this place not named the "Nature Loving Wonderland?"

While this is not uncommon in temples around Taiwan, most of the other temples you’ll come across weren’t constructed on the premise that they’re "Nature Loving Wonderlands.”

I mean, I’m not really expecting them to have a full-fledged zoo inside, but it does seem a bit strange to me.

Nevertheless I happened to have my dog with my the day that I visited. I figured that I’d be able to take him into the front garden area of the temple while my friends took the tour. The kind people at the gate instead informed me that I could simply leave my dog in the car while I was enjoying the tranquility of their fabricated natural garden.

Can you imagine my reaction? These "nature loving" people actually advocated leaving my dog in a hot car on a 30 degree day so that I could come in and enjoy the monastery? No thanks guys, I prefer not to perpetuate the suffering of other living beings so that you can show off your vanity.

You may think I'm being unfair - quite a few places ban pets, its not really a big deal, but when you call yourself a Nature Loving Wonderland, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to ban nature.

Other large monasteries around Taiwan allow pets in the garden areas, but not inside the actual monastery.

That is completely understandable.

I didn't expect to bring my dog into the actual monastery and considering that photography is not permitted inside, I wasn't particularly interested in going in anyway.

The Buddha was clear when it came to materialism so it confuses me when you see these beautiful palaces constructed with the pretences of adhering to his philosophy. The money that was used to construct this place, all of which was donated by followers, could have been used in much better ways that are more humanistic, better for society and most importantly, better for the environment.

To be fair, I realize that what I see as the irony of these massive monasteries may just be a modern approach to Buddhism. I can also certainly understand that if I spent that much money on something that I'd want to protect it as much as possible.

My biggest issue is that the name "Nature Loving Wonderland" in both English and Chinese (大自然文化世界) is completely hypocritical. This complaint is not only based on the fact that they wouldn't allow my dog to enter to the grounds but because they have constructed such a gigantic temple to celebrate environmentalism, with absolutely no regard for the environment.

Although it does bother me quite a bit that a volunteer told me to leave my dog in a hot car.

Nature after all is "natural" and the Emei lake area was quite natural and beautiful before this group came along and constructed their own religious version.

I'll leave you with a quote from the "Dhammapada" - The Sayings of the Buddha:

Indeed, the path that leads to worldly gain is one and the path that leads to nirvana is another. Fully comprehending this, the bhikkhu (monk), the disciple of the Buddha, should not take delight in worldly gain and honour, but devote himself to solicitude, detachment and the realization of nirvana. (Verse 75)
誠然，一個是導向世俗成就之道，另一個則是導向涅槃之道。明了這一點，身為佛弟子的比丘，不應樂於世俗的成就與恭敬，而應培育捨離與不執取。

Getting There

The monastery is located in the mountains of Hsinchu County at Emei Lake (峨眉湖), a short distance from the popular Beipu Old Street (北埔老街). It is accessible by car, scooter and local public transportation.

Address: 新竹縣峨眉鄉湖光村快樂路1號

If you would like to make use of public transportation to visit the Nature Loving Wonderland, you’ll first have to get yourself to the Jhudong Train Station (竹東車站) where you’ll hop on the Jhudong - Emei Lake bus. Likewise, if you take the High Speed Rail to Hsinchu Station you can make your way to Exit 4 and wait for Bus #6 that will take you to Emei Lake.

For more information about public transportation options, check their website below which has very detailed information on how to get there.

It is also important to note that the monastery is really open to individual tourists on weekend - from Tuesday to Friday, they require groups of over fifteen people for their tours. So if you plan on visiting during the week, you may have to wait around for a while for other people to show up.