Xirao Memorial Hall

　　The Xirao Memorial Hall, dedicated to the late Xirao Jiaduo—former President of the Buddhist Association of China, renowned religious scholar, and eminent Buddhist master—was completed on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month in 1987. It is now the main structure of the Gulai Monastery. The memorial hall backs onto Tiger Head Mountain, with its entrance facing east, and is a two-story Tibetan-style building. At the center of the hall is the stupa of the master, with clay statues of Tsongkhapa and Maitreya Buddha on the left, and those of Atisha and Manjushri on the right. On the left and right sides are Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara, Six-Armed Mahakala, Kalachakra, and others, along with an inscribed biography of the master’s life. The entire structure is magnificent, with a solemn and respectful layout. There is one side room on the north and one on the south of the memorial hall—one serving as a reception room and the other as a shrine hall. Today, worshippers come in an endless stream. A poem:

　　An auspicious arrow planted on Tiger Hill, the tranquil and solemn monastery hall;

　　The wise elder has passed like a crane in flight, Guanyin weighs as much as Tathagata.

　　Carved beams and painted walls with golden figures, soul banners and embroidered curtains carry homesick feelings;

　　Silent deities guard the heroic spirit, words cannot express the devotion of a loyal heart.