Leo S. – Reflections on Chung Tai Chan Monastery

Note: With over 15,000 temples in Taiwan, religion plays a big role in modern day life in Taiwan. On this trip, we visited a Confucian Temple in Yuanshan district, Changu Taoist Temple in Sanxia, and now, the Chung Tai Chan Buddhist Temple in Puli. Please enjoy Leo’s reflections on what we saw.

Today, we went to Chung Tai Chan, a beautiful Buddhist temple in the city of Puli. Outside the monastery, there was beautiful scenery landscapes, amazing statues and a reflecting pond with a bridge. The temple is the focal point in a complex that is surrounded by mountains creating a very peaceful atmosphere. The temple itself was an imposing structure, 16 stories high. Many of the rooms were surrounded by marble statues and towering archways accented with gold.

Inside the temple were multiple floors, with large sections dedicated to meditation. We couldn’t take pictures of most of the internal rooms due to the fact that it would have been seen as being disrespectful in a peaceful place or meditation and reflection. Still, there were many opportunities to see some amazing statues like the happy buddha and several deities and warriors that protect the palace.

We eventually made our way to the 16th floor which contained a room called “10,000 Buddha Room”. At the center of this room, was a wooden pagoda seven stories tall. Surrounding this pagoda are reliefs and large tiles with 10,000 buddhas. It is too bad that we couldn’t take a picture. These higher floors showcased wooden structures and beautiful views of the surrounding landscapes.