Fo Guang Shan Chu Un Temple

PHILIPPINES, Cebu

Chu Un means Maternal Grace. The construction of the temple was initiated by a couple, Paterno and Rosita Luym, in 1988. Although Paterno is a Catholic, he built a Buddhist temple in memory of his beloved mother, who was a Buddhist. Through their good friend Xia Su Ying, the couple invited Fo Guang Shan monastics to manage the temple. The opening ceremony took place in 1990 and the temple was expanded in 1998. It was the first branch temple of Fo Guang Shan in the Philippines, and is well-known locally as the Buddhist temple that most frequently interacts and corresponds with the Catholic churches.
The temple occupies approximately 1.8 ha and consists of the Avalokitesvara Hall and Ksitigarbha Hall. The Avalokitesvara Hall has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof. The walls of the hall are made of glass, which adds a modern element to the traditional Chinese-style building. There are red columns around the hall forming a veranda. A statue of the standing Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is enshrined within the hall.
The three-story Ksitigarbha Hall has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. The first story is devoted to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and the second story houses a statue of Amitabha Buddha.