Shandao Temple Audio Guide

Shandao Temple: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Shandao Temple

   Welcome to Shandao Temple, in Zhongzheng District, right in the middle of downtown Taipei. It is the largest Buddhist temple in the city. Even so, it is easy to walk past, because most visitors head for the more famous Mengjia Longshan Temple. The temple sits along Section One of Zhongxiao East Road, and it is unusually easy to reach. The Taipei Metro station that shares its name, Shandao Temple Station on the Blue Line, has an exit that opens almost directly in front of the temple. Step out of the station and you are already at the gate. Over this guide we will follow the story of the temple. It begins with Japanese Buddhist monks in the colonial era. It passes through a change of hands after 1945, and it ends with a modern rebuilding. We will also look at what you can see inside. Take a breath, slow your pace, and let us begin.

2. 02

   From Pure Land Mission to City Landmark

   The story starts during the Japanese colonial period in Taiwan, when Japanese Buddhist sects were actively spreading their teachings across the island. In 1895, a propagation center of the Jōdo-shū, the Pure Land Sect, was set up on Fuzen Street in central Taipei. It was an early effort to introduce Pure Land Buddhism to the local population. In 1926, urban redevelopment and the need for a more permanent home pushed the center to a new site. It moved to the area then called Kabayama-chō, which is today Section One of Zhongxiao East Road. There, construction of the new temple began. The temple is credited to two monks of the Japanese Pure Land School, Sera Yoshinari and Tamura Chigaku. Its early name, the Pure Land School Taipei branch site, tells you exactly what it was. That original temple had four main halls: the Mahavira Hall, the Amitabha Hall, the Hall of Observance and the Merit Hall. Think of it as a small Buddhist campus planted in the growing city of Taipei.

3. 03

   A New Chapter After 1945

   When Japanese rule in Taiwan ended in 1945, the temple's story changed direction. The Taipei City Government's Department of Education took over the site. The temple moved away from its origins as a Japanese Pure Land branch and toward broader Buddhist use under local administration. In 1948, management passed to a lay Buddhist named Li Zikuan. He formed a protective association for the temple. He also invited prominent masters to guide its activities, among them Daxing, Zhangjia, Nanting and Yinshun, and they did so until 1954. Imagine those teachers at work here in the years just after the war. In 1954, the temple was officially renamed and registered as a foundation, the Taipei City Pure Land Sect Shandao Temple. From then on it was run by a succession of abbots, and it has remained a working place of worship ever since.

4. 04

   Inside the Halls: Simplicity and Three Buddhas

   In 1986 the temple was largely rebuilt as a modern structure. A nine-storey building, the Mercy and Kindness Building, was added on the site of the former Hall of Observance. So what you see today is a modern temple, not a preserved colonial one. It stands in the heart of a busy business district. Step inside and you will notice that the architecture is pared down. It makes a soothing change from the bright colors and opulence of many other temples in Taiwan. The main hall is large enough to hold several hundred people. At its heart sit the Three Treasures Buddhas, three golden figures in the prayer hall. Listen as well as look. The temple is in daily use, and you may hear monks chanting sutras. The sound can be quite entrancing. You may also come across ceremonies in progress, so keep your voice low and your steps respectful.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Shandao Temple is a place where very different layers of Taipei's story meet: a Japanese Pure Land mission, a postwar change of management, a modern rebuilding, and daily worship today. They all sit within a few steps of the metro and the busy streets of Zhongzheng District. When you leave, let your curiosity guide you into the neighborhood. Streets lined with food vendors around Huashan Market and a scattering of bookstores give the area its everyday rhythm. Notice the contrast between the quiet of the temple halls and the bustle outside. As you walk, ask yourself what traces of the temple's long history you can still read in the space around you, and what has been rebuilt and renewed.