| Po Lin Monastery | |||||||
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| Po Lin Monastery exterior | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 寶蓮禪寺 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 宝莲禅寺 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | Precious Lotus Zen Temple | ||||||
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Po Lin Monastery is a Buddhist monastery, located on Ngong Ping Plateau, on Lantau Island, Hong Kong.
The monastery was founded in 1906 by three monks visiting from Jiangsu and was initially known simply as "The Big Hut" (大茅蓬 Tai Mao Pung). It was renamed to its present name in 1924. The main temple houses three bronze statues of the Buddha – representing his past, present and future lives – as well as many Buddhist scriptures.
Tian Tan Buddha, a giant Buddha statue completed in 1993, is an extension of the monastery.
The Ngong Ping 360, consisting of the Ngong Ping village and a gondola lift running between Tung Chung and Ngong Ping, was built near to the Po Lin Monastery.
This monastery is also famous for making wooden bracelets that are only sold near the Tian Tan Buddha statue.
In 1918, three nuns ordained at this monastery established a private nunnery called Chi Chuk Lam (紫竹林) on Lantau's Lower Keung Hill (下羌山). The nunnery, dedicated to Guanyin. There were about 20 jushi and nuns residing there in the 1950s, but now only an elderly abbess remains.[1]