Fo Guang Shan Xiang Yun Temple

USA, Texas, Austin

Xiang Yun means Fragrant Cloud. The temple was originally called Fo Guang Shan Austin Buddhist Center. Master Hsing Yun, founder of Fo Guang Shan, was invited to Austin by local devotees to teach the Dharma in 1991. A temporary temple was established in 1992. The construction of Fo Guang Shan Xiang Yun Temple started in 1994 and was completed in 2000.
The temple occupies 4.4 ha, with the buildings taking up 1,858 sq m. It includes the main temple gate, Great Hero Hall, meditation hall, library, and tea house. The Great Hero Hall has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof and houses statues of Sakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, and Medicine Buddha. On both sides the Diamond Sutra is engraved on the wood paneling, and there are eight statues of standing Bodhisattvas in different postures. The ceiling and the two side walls contain 10,000 miniature Buddha statues. Besides regular Dharma services, the temple also holds activities relating to education and services to the local community, including a Chinese school for children from various countries. The temple is a modern, multi-cultural center for Dharma propagation.