It’s simple. The Buddha is smiling because he has recently been released from a storage crate in time to greet visitors at the Cham Shan Temple Open House on June 19th, 2017.
The Temple is the first of the Buddhist Association of Canada Cham Shan Temple’s project to build four Temples that mimic the sacred Temples in China. Years ago the Buddhist Association of Canada purchased about 1,700 acres of land for this purpose. The Wutai Shan Temple is on 530 acres and is the first to be built. The remaining three are planned for Manvers Township.
The Temples will take at least 20 years to build for one simple reason – they are funded only by donations.
The doors will be open at 10 a.m. on June 19th for the annual open house. If last years open house is any indication, you will want to get there early as almost 2000 visitors enjoyed the 2016 tour. Admission and parking are free, but remember how critical your donation is to the ongoing development of the project. You will be able to tour all 530 acres by car, on foot or by tour bus.
The Cham Shan Temple is a recreation of a series of sacred sites of China, designed to be a smaller version of the sacred pilgrimage of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains in China.
The main building at the Wutai Sham Temple site is the Main Dharma Hall – it faces Devil’s Elbow Ski Hill. The main reception area, gift shop, tea room and dining hall are on the first floor. You will also find a display of 88 Jade Buddha Statues, all carved in Myanmar from white jade.
Below is an artist’s rendering of the Temple.
This year’s event will feature a prayer and blessing service to celebrate the Buddhist Association of Canada Cham Shan Temple’s 50th Anniversary in Canada.
Visitors will be welcomed by the massive Happy Buddha statue – smiling above!
Here is some trivia to mark the special open house on June 19th: the Happy Buddha weighs in at 126 tons and makes the landscape around it look small. The statue reflects the Buddhist philosophy of tolerance, compassion and the belief that you reap what you sow.
Enjoy the open house on June 19th!
Bethany Ontario 