Than Hsiang Temple

MALAYSIA, Penang, Bayan Lepas

Than Hsiang means Sandalwood Fragrance. The Bayan Baru Buddhist Association was established by Liang Jiadong in 1985. The association flourished: the Than Hsiang Foundation was founded in 1990 and the temple was inaugurated in the following year. The name Bayan Baru Buddhist Association was subsequently changed to Than Hsiang Buddhist Association.
The temple occupies an area of approximately 4,046 sq m and consists mainly of the Great Compassion Building and the Than Hsiang Building. The Great Compassion Building is the earlier structure and it includes the Great Compassion Hall, the Hall of Great Vows, and the Triad Hall. The seven-story Than Hsiang Building was added in 1997 and houses the Great Hero Hall, the Hall of Great Practice, the Hall of Great Wisdom, the Amitabha Hall, the Medicine Buddha Hall, a kindergarten, a vegetarian dining hall, an auditorium, and the Wan Ching Yuen Centre for Senior Citizens. The Metta Mobile Free Clinic is also based here.
The Great Hero Hall is located on the sixth story and has three entrance doors. The glass doors have engravings representing the mudras of the six paramitas. A 6 m high statue of seated Sakyamuni Buddha carved out of camphor wood is enshrined at the center of the hall. Two disciples, Mahakasyapa and Ananda, stand beside the Buddha. There are 23 murals depicting scenes from the Life of the Buddha, as well as Illustrations of the Gandavyuha Chapter of the Avatamsaka Sutra, where Sudhana visits 53 spiritual teachers. The style of these murals resembles those found in Chongshan Temple in Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.