THE abbot of Shenzhen s Hongfa Temple left for Nepal yesterday on a mission to chair a temple in Lumbini, a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Himalayas.
Yingshun, who became abbot of Hongfa, Shenzhen s largest and most influential Buddhist temple in 2008, will attend a grand celebration in Lumbini before he becomes the abbot of the Zhonghua Temple. Yingshun is also vice chairman of the Buddhist Association of China.
The 3,000-sqm Zhonghua temple, built in 1998 by the Buddhist Association of China and in Qing Dynasty palace style, is the only Chinese Buddhist temple outside China.
In 1956, the now late King Mahendra formally initiated the development of Lumbini, 280 km from Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, and the birthplace of the Shakyamuni Buddha. Some 10 years later, during his 1967 Nepal visit, the late U Thant, then U.N. secretary general, made the Lumbini Development Project an international cause.
In 1970, the Nepalese Government allocated 20 square kilometers of land in Lumbini for other countries to set up Buddhist temples with their own characteristics. Since then, 17 countries have established 33 temples there.
In 1997, Lumbini became a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The holy site of Lumbini is bordered by a large monastic zone, in which only monasteries can be built no shops, hotels or restaurants.
From early morning to early evening, pilgrims from various countries perform rituals and meditation at the site. (Vivian Li)
