Kuan Tai Temple Introduction
In the Sheng En Temple located in Taibao City, Chiayi County, the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva comes from Putuo Mountain in Zhejiang Province. It is said that the management committee of Sheng En Temple was instructed by the Three Bodhisattvas to travel three times to Putuo Mountain between 1989 and 1991 to bring back the Bodhisattva for protection. The temple has followers from both domestic and overseas, including Mr. Mori Masami from Japan and Dr. Kuo Wen-Hsiung from Hawaii, who both make sure to visit Sheng En Temple for worship every time they come to Taiwan. In 1987, Sheng En Temple built the Paramita Lecture Hall on the right side of the temple to promote Buddhist teachings. The design of every element inside—from the plants to bricks, wall decorations, and floor patterns—is said to have been inspired by the Bodhisattva's guidance. Starting in 1995, the nine-fold lotus gate and the scripture storage building of the Paramita Lecture Hall were completed. The Paramita Lecture Hall was finished in June of the same year, and by 2000, the scripture storage building was also officially completed. Sheng En Temple boasts a beautiful and solemn environment, featuring the Bagua gate, lotus pond, Sun and Moon Pavilion, Paramita Lecture Hall, Yuan Tong Building, and North and South Pole Gate, among others. Each area is filled with creativity and thoughtful design, differing significantly from typical temple architecture. On the first and fifteenth days of each month, the temple's Good Relationship Society holds lectures for followers, and on September 19 each year, a national protection and peace ritual is held along with a mass offering ceremony.
