Chung Tai Shan is a Taiwan-based Buddhist monastic order founded by the Venerable Master Wei Chueh in 1987. The headquarters monastery itself, Chung Tai Chan Monastery, completed on September 2001, is one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in Taiwan. Widely admired as an architectural masterpiece because of the mountain monastery’s more modern look, the temple is second only to Fo Guang Shan’s monastery in physical size and in the number of ordained disciples. The temple is situated in Puli in Central Taiwan.
In 1987, Grand Master Wei Chueh built Lin Quan (“Spiritual Spring”) Chan Monastery in response to his disciples’ needs for a place of spiritual cultivation and refuge.
With an inimitable aura of calmness, a penetrating mind, and the ability to clearly elucidate the profound wisdom of the Buddha, the Grand Master was instrumental in revitalizing Chan (Chinese Zen) Buddhism in Taiwan. Soon Lin Quan Chan Monastery was too small to accommodate the ever-increasing number of followers eager for the Grand Master’s teaching.
Following the Grand Master’s compassionate vow to provide a complete environment for all who wish to learn the Buddhist teachings, the design of Chung Tai Chan Monastery began in 1992.
After three years of planning and seven years of construction, this landmark building opened its doors on September 1, 2001, initiating a new era of Buddhism dissemination for Chung Tai.
The temple follows traditional Chinese Ch’an, emphasizing on teachings based on sudden enlightenment and gradual cultivation. Chung Tai Chan Monastery now has established more than 90 meditation centers and branches in Taiwan and abroad, including seven branches in the United States: two in Northern California–Chung Tai Zen Center of Sunnyvale in Silicon Valley and Buddha Gate Monastery in Lafayette in the East Bay, one in Southern California — Middle Land Chan Monastery in Pomona, one in the state of Texas– Chung Tai Zen Center of Houston, one in the state of Oklahoma — Buddha Mind Monastery in Oklahoma City, one in the state of Washington — Buddha Jewel Monastery in Seattle, and one in the state of Georgia — Dharma Jewel Monastery in Atlanta; as well as branches in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, and Thailand.
Address: 1 Chung Tai Road, Puli, Nantou 545 Taiwan R.O.C
Tradition: Mahayana, Chinese Linji Chan
Website: www.ctworld.org
