Penang, Malaysia——This city, with a Chinese population of over 40%, despite being influenced by Western culture brought about by colonization for a long time, the Chinese still retain their traditional beliefs. Therefore, Chinese Buddhist temples in Penang are more common, with the most famous being Jile Temple.

The full name of Jile Temple is Heshan Jile Zen Temple, which covers an area ofA 12 hectare Buddhist temple. The Jile Temple, located by the mountains and by the sea, was first built in 1891 and was fully completed in 1904. It is the largest and most magnificent Chinese Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia. The colorful buildings are mostly made of granite, integrating different architectural styles from China, Thailand, and Myanmar. The main iconic buildings include the seven story Wanfo Pagoda and the world's tallest Octagonal Pavilion Guanyin Pavilion.

When it comes to Jile Temple, we need to mention a Zen master named Miaolian. He was originally the abbot of Yongquan Temple in Fuzhou, ChinaStarting in 1885, he went abroad to promote Buddhism and arrived in Penang, Malaysia two years later. In 1889, Miaolian began building a grand hall called Jile Temple. Because this temple is located on the mountainside of Yayidan Mountain, with a mountain shape like a white crane spreading its wings, it is also known as Heshan.

After five years of painstaking management and fundraising for expansion, the Jile Temple was finally transformed from3.65 hectares have become the current 12 hectares. In the temple, you can also see the plaques of Empress Dowager Cixi's "Buddha Land in the Sea and Sky" and Emperor Guangxu's "the Shakya ManiHall"This shows that the Qing court held a high regard for the Jile Temple back then.In 1903, Kang Youwei also inscribed a plaque on the Jile Temple with the four characters "Do not forget to save the country".

In the Jile Temple, the Wanfo PagodaThe design is very wonderful,Tower height30 meters,The body of the tower is plain white, the top is Burmese style, the middle is Thai style, and the bottom is Chinese style. Its appearance is similar to the Lei Feng Pagoda in the legend of the White Snake.Marble is placed on each floor of the towerBuddha statueAnd the Golden Leaf Buddha statue, the Four Great Vajras and Maitreya Buddhalead toNote that sitting, standing, and lying postures vary.

In addition,There is also the world's largest outdoor Guanyin statue on the mountaintop, which cost a lot of moneyOver 27 years of careful construction, the octagonal pavilion surrounded by 16 large pillars covers the area.WhenAt night, the lights lit up, and the statue of Guanyin appeared even more sacred and solemn.

Every timeDuring the Chinese Lunar New Year, the Jile Temple holds an annual New Year lantern festival, with colorful decorations and lanterns displayed everywhere,Full of joy and joyofatmosphere. The temple is filled with prayer lamps, and the scene is very spectacular,attractmeansMany local and overseas Buddhists go on pilgrimage.

On the gate of Jile Temple, you can see the gate couplets of Heshan: A crane standing in the clouds can lead to seclusion, while a mountain living overseas is a good place for peaceful meditation. It seems that on the journey of seeking inner peace, we have found a secluded home and a harbor of tranquility.