Mingzhu Zen Temple

Mingzhu Zen Temple

“The elephant mountain conceals a pearl, the Zen temple awakens the Buddhist heart, the pagoda guards sacred relics, and the Buddha’s grace showers all beings.” Mingzhu Zen Temple is located within the Bao’etou Mountain National Nature Reserve in Boluo, Huizhou City, Guangdong Province. Known as a natural “oxygen bar,” the temple is nestled among emerald peaks that shine like a jewel on a jade ribbon. Built along the mountainside, embracing the shade and facing the sun, the scenery is picturesque with clear mountains and beautiful waters. The site boasts an excellent feng shui alignment, featuring sights such as “Nine Dragons Reflecting in the Landscape,” “Clouds Soaring over the Elephant Ridge,” “A Toad Leaping into the River,” and “Waterfalls Cascading Down Swiftly.” With tranquil valleys and serene streams, it’s a place where “the wonders of nature and the spirit of a paradise converge.” It’s not only an idyllic retreat for leisure and wellness but also a spiritual home for those who seek meditation, worship, and Zen practice. Mingzhu Zen Temple is grand in scale, boasting a magnificent statue of Guanyin, the towering, golden-glistening Ten Thousand Buddhas Relic Pagoda, as well as the Heavenly King Hall, Mahavira Hall, Guanyin Hall, Ksitigarbha Hall, Medicine Buddha Hall, Wealth God Hall, meditation rooms, east and west wing rooms, and lay practitioners' dormitories, among other halls. The temple features the world’s only Guanyin statue holding a peace dove, and the resplendent golden Relic Pagoda housing ten thousand Buddhas is truly awe-inspiring. The Peace Guanyin has a unique design and is surrounded by a corridor of 129 statues of Guanyin in the Great Mercy form offering protection. The temple is also one of the Chinese temples with the most manifestations of Guanyin.

The main halls and structures currently include: the Ten Thousand Buddhas Relic Pagoda, the Peace Guanyin, the Mahavira Hall, the Three Saints Hall, the Child-Giving Guanyin Hall, the Sangharama Hall, the Hongsheng Hall, the Guanyin Hall, the Ksitigarbha Hall, the Heavenly King Hall, the Medicine Buddha Hall, the Thousand-Handed Guanyin Hall, meditation rooms, a vegetarian restaurant, and a multi-functional meeting room.

The Ten Thousand Buddhas Relic Pagoda is the foremost pagoda in Lingnan. Standing at 51.8 meters tall with a diameter of 22 meters at the base and covering a total area of 2,600 square meters, it is known as the “Foremost Pagoda in Lingnan.” This grand structure houses ten thousand Buddha statues. Amitabha Buddha, the great compassionate father and great teacher of the Pure Land, is enshrined here. Surrounded by myriad Buddha images, the sacred pagoda benefits all beings and accumulates boundless merit.

--- By worshiping the Buddha statues within the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda, you form an auspicious bond with the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas enshrined here, attaining immeasurable merits.

--- Day and night, you are constantly embraced by the presence of ten thousand Buddhas, bathed in their radiant light, extinguishing karmic offenses, increasing blessings, and enhancing wisdom.

At the top level of the pagoda is enshrined the relic of Shakyamuni Buddha, kindly gifted to Mingzhu Zen Temple by Venerable Thamasaro, the abbot of Wat Saket (Golden Mount Temple) under the Thai National Buddhist Association. “To see the relics is to see the Buddha.”

Buddhist scriptures speak of the merit of circumambulating the pagoda, and as the saying goes, “Circling the pagoda three times ensures peace in all endeavors!”

The pagoda shines with golden splendor and commands a majestic presence. Inside, ten thousand golden Buddha statues are enshrined, radiating solemnity and holiness, as if the Buddha’s light illuminates all realms. The pagoda is surrounded by statues of the Eighteen Arhats, who guard the structure and bestow boundless blessings upon all beings. Climbing the pagoda offers panoramic views of the surrounding landscape, with picturesque ink-wash mountain scenes unfolding before your eyes. As night falls, the pagoda glows with golden light, illuminating the entire temple complex like a shining pearl.

In 485 BC, after the passing of Shakyamuni Buddha, King Ashoka of the Maurya Dynasty in India converted to Buddhism. To promote the spread of Buddhism, he divided the true relics of the Buddha into 84,000 portions, which were then enshrined in stupas built across the world. China has 19 such Buddha relic stupas, and the Ashoka Stupa is one of them. This site originally had a stupa built during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. Since the true relics of Shakyamuni Buddha were brought to the Central Plains by Ashoka, later generations named this stupa the Ashoka Stupa in his honor. From the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods onward, this site experienced both the flourishing and decline of Buddhism. In 679 AD, when Emperor Gaozong of Tang (Li Zhi) fell seriously ill, Empress Wu Zetian sought medical remedies here. Passing through this area, she encountered the Ashoka Stupa. After spending a large sum to renovate it, relics were discovered, leading to the renaming of the stupa as the “Relic Pagoda.” A temple was also built here to pray for Emperor Gaozong’s recovery. Through multiple renovations and restorations by devotees over the centuries, the site has been preserved. The most recent renovation took place in 2007, with an investment of 280 million yuan transforming it into its current state. It was renamed “Mingzhu Zen Temple” by Venerable Xuecheng, Vice President and Secretary-General of the Buddhist Association of China.

Taimei Town: Located in the eastern part of Boluo County, Taimei Town borders the Dongjiang River to the east, faces Bao’etou Mountain to the west, neighbors Xiaojinkou Town of Huicheng District to the south, and connects to Yangcun and Botang towns of Boluo County to the north. The town covers a total area of 183.5 square kilometers and has a population of 44,400. Currently, there are over 40 industrial enterprises in the town.

Location Advantages: Situated in the suburbs of Huizhou City; adjacent to Shenzhen and Dongguan, it is an important part of the one-hour living circle of Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Taimei is located at the eastern gateway of Boluo County. The town center is 25 kilometers south to Jiangbei in Huizhou, 86 kilometers to Shenzhen, and 70 kilometers to Dongguan, while it is 5 kilometers... (detailed information about Taimei Town++)