Sheng'en Temple Introduction
In the Sheng'en Temple located in Taibao City, Chiayi County, the main deity worshipped is Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy) from Putuo Mountain in Zhejiang Province. It is said that the management committee of Sheng'en Temple, following the directive of the three bodhisattvas, made three trips to Putuo Mountain between 1989 and 1991 to bring the bodhisattva back to the temple for protection. The devotees of Sheng'en Temple are spread throughout Taiwan and overseas; even Mr. Mori Masami from Japan and Dr. Kuo Wen-shiong from Hawaii make it a point to visit Sheng'en Temple each time they come to Taiwan. In 1987, Sheng'en Temple built the Boromi Lecture Hall on the right side of the temple to promote Buddhist teachings. Every element inside, from the plants to the bricks and tiles, including the wall decorations and floor patterns, are said to have originated from the guidance of the bodhisattva. Starting in 1995, renovations took place for the Nine-Product Lotus Gate and the Sutra Repository in the Boromi Lecture Hall. In June of the same year, the Boromi Lecture Hall was completed, and by 2000, the Sutra Repository was officially finished. The environment of Sheng'en Temple is beautiful, solemn, and dignified, featuring a Bagua gate, a lotus pond, a Sun and Moon Pavilion, a Boromi Lecture Hall, a Round-Penetrating Building, and North and South Polar Gates, all filled with ingenuity and creativity, which distinguishes it from typical temple architecture. On the first and fifteenth of every month, the Good Fortune Association at Sheng'en Temple holds Dharma talks for devotees, and an annual national defense prayer ritual along with a public blessing ceremony is held on September 19th.
