Tzu Chi Jing Si Abode Introduction
The Jing Si Abode of Tzu Chi was established in the winter of 1969, originally covering an area of over forty pings. The land was purchased with funds from the founder Master Cheng-Yan's mother, and construction was carried out in phases. During that time, the master and the resident monks worked hard to produce goods to pay for the expenses and also joined in the construction work. Throughout the years, the facility underwent ten expansions due to aging buildings, leaks, and specific needs of the organization, arriving at its present appearance. The Jing Si Abode serves as a place for Tzu Chi's practitioners to cultivate themselves, emphasizing tranquility and serenity, and is not a typical tourist attraction; hence, there are no road signs. Visitors can find Guang'an Temple near mile marker 195 on Provincial Highway 9, then enter through a side road and walk about 300 meters to the parking lot. After getting off the vehicle, follow the path marked by maples, turn right, and you will arrive at the destination with gray tiles and white walls. The layout of the Abode from outside to inside includes: the Grand Hall, Guanyin Hall, New Lecture Hall, monastery dormitories for monks and nuns, a dining hall, office, vegetable garden, and orchard. Visitors can enter the garden via the maple path, where the elegantly simple Grand Hall welcomes them. Its exterior features a triangular support formed by "人" characters along the inner edge of the roof, with groups of three round columns at the outer edge of the roof in the center and on both sides, symbolizing the Three Jewels. The four main pillars outside the Great Hall represent the "Four Immeasurable Minds": loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, providing the best interpretation for Tzu Chi's practice of Buddhism in the human realm, wishing for Bodhisattvas to become more relatable and Buddhist teachings to be integrated into daily life.
