Building I

Located at the center of the complex, the Grand Buddha Hall is imposing, with a simple and elegant interior. The overall look is based on the Master Sheng Yen's vision of a sacred hall during several meditative concentrations.  The Buddha statues are modeled on the Aksshobhya Buddha statue of the Four Gate Pagoda (" Si-men-ta") at Shentong Monastery in Shandong Province, China. The mudras (hand gestures) represent each Buddh'as original vows. In the center in Shakyamuni Buddha, whose left hand forms the "meditation mudra", and right hand the "Dharma-teaching mudra". On the left, Amitabha Buddha places his right palm over his left in the "Amitobha mudra", denoting infinite light and an immesurable lifespan. To the right is the Medicine Buddha, the left hand holding a vase of ambrosia, and the right hand forming a "wish-granting mudra", symbolizing answering sentient beings' prayers.  On Master Sheng Yen's instruction, the central panels of the pedestals were engraved with Dharma wheels, surrounded by rare, native Taiwanese animals and plants. This symbolizes how animals, too, come to listen to the Buddha's teaching. The representation of local natural images indicates protecting the environment and caring for life.  An underground palace six meters beneath the statues houses over 300 pieces of contemporary Buddhist artifacts, objects, and texts. It aims to preserve traces of Buddhist civilization and culture, and the palace will not be opened until 3,000 A.D. Of religious and artistic value, the Buddha Hall represents a spiritual center and the inheritance of Buddhist traditions.  Architecture of the Grand Buddha Hall:  Height of the interior: 16 meters Area of the interior: about 1322 square meters  Capacity: about 2,000 persons The Three Buddha statues: Material: bronze  Height: 3.7 m. in total  Weight: 2.5 metric tons 

The Founding History Memorial Hall is located on the 3rd floor of Building I, and exhibits all the important objects from the foundation until today related to the Dharma Drum World Center for Buddhist Education. The visitors can learn about the entire construction process and each step of the Dharma Drum Mountain. Letter from Master Xu Yun In the Founding History Memorial Hall Center, there is a letter written by Master Xu Yun himself, at the time when he suffered torments and persecution by the Chinese Communist Army, which is considered as a sacred treasure of Buddhism. Master Sheng Yen's Feather This pen, a gift from a lay Buddhist, was used by Master Sheng Yen in his retirement years at Chao Yuan Monastery in Meinung in Kaohsiung District. Afterwards, the Master has always carried it with him, and used it to write his main works and the drafts of his master's and doctoral theses, which makes it an object of significance. Chopsticks of three generations This pair of chopsticks belonged to Master Hsu Yun, who later donated them to Master Ling Yuan, and finally passed them to Master Sheng Yen. Hence it names as "Three Generation Chopsticks" symbolizing the transmission of Buddhist doctrine. They have deep meaning for the Buddhists. Bamboo microsculptures of the Diamond Sutra and Original Vows of the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha Sutra When Master Sheng Yen made the pilgrimage to Jiu Hua Mountain, a lay Buddhist presented him with the bamboo micro-sculptures of the Diamond Sutra and the Original Vows of the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha Sutra. Micro-sculpture is a very delicate technology. Engraving Buddhist sutras on such small tablets is a highly accurate and, above all, very difficult work of craftsmanship. In Taiwan, the Heart Sutra can be found engraved in miniature, but it is very difficult to find sutras as long as the Diamond Sutra and the the Original Vows of the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha Sutra. inscribed on bamboo strips, therefore they are very precious pieces. Holy relics of the buddha When Master Sheng Yen was making his retreat at Chao Yuan Monastery in Meinung, an old monk gave him a relic of the Buddha, which the Master has always carried with him. In 2005 when the Dharma Drum Mountain World Center for Buddhist Education inaugurated, little by little the relics have grown and today they number more than ten and are still growing.

Praise of the Dharma Drum Mountain The Dharma Drum Mountain Praise painting is a two-year work by painter Li Bin. It is an oil painted exclusively for the Dharma Drum Mountain, 600 cm wide and 315 cm long. In an overall view we see the Master Sheng Yen in the center, with a bamboo hat in his right hand, and a cane in the left, advancing in the middle of the reeds, facing us, and with a background of 40 small paintings. 40 scenes from the Master's life are presented from his childhood and renunciation of the world until the founding of the Dharma Drum Mountain. Through Li Bin's painting we can contemplate the history of the Dharma Drum Mountain in a piece that constitutes the most representative work of how Master Sheng Yen and his faithful followers collaborate in unison in the establishment of DDM.

This is a multipurpose room in which calligraphy, painting, sculpture and other works of art are displayed, without a fixed calendar.