Open house draws hundreds to temple
Hundreds made their way to a sacred Buddhist site between Bethany and Omemee on Sunday.
Many came to see the progress of the development of the Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden on Ski Hill Road, about 24 kilometres west of Peterborough.
Others came for the consecration ceremony of the Manjusri Bodhisattva statue. The statue towered over a massive crowd of worshippers who congregated at its base to chant.
Overlooking the Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden is the main Dharma Hall which has been under construction since 2011.
The entire property spans more than 530 acres.
The site is one of four purchased by the Buddhist Association of Canada Cham Shan Temple.
The plan is to develop four temples that mimic the sacred temples in China. The temples will take decades to build and are funded only by donations.
The Buddhist Association of Canada Cham Shan Temple purchased about 1,700 acres of land years ago for this purpose.
The Wutai Shan Temple on Ski Hill Road is the first to be built and the remaining three are planned for the former Manvers Township in the City of Kawartha Lakes.
Diane Chen, property development and project manager, says that Buddhism is not a religion but a way of life; that people of all faiths are welcome to visit the temple for meditation and solitude.
She explained the four temples in China, built on “sacred mountains,” are world-famous as is the temple architecture.
Built of wood, the construction uses an ancient technique — “a dying art,” said Chen — that uses interlocking brackets with no nails. The process has been used for about 1,000 years.