Dharma Seal Temple

USA, California, Monterey Park

This is a temple of the Pure Land school founded by the monk Yin Hai in 1977. The present temple was built on the site of an old church which was bought in 1990.
The east-facing temple occupies 2,540 sq m and is built in Chinese architectural style. The two-story Great Hero Hall is 10 m high. The roof is covered with yellow glazed tiles and the eaves turn upwards at the corners. Miniature bronze bells hang from the corners. The first story is surrounded by a veranda formed by a series of columns which support the overhanging eaves. The veranda is lined with balustrades whose panels are decorated with lotuses. Inside the hall there are 4.6 m high statues of the Amitabha Buddha Triad flanked by statues of Skanda and Sangharama Bodhisattvas. The walls are filled with golden reliefs of Thousand Buddhas, each measuring about 15 cm. On the upper register of the walls, there are reliefs of the four great Bodhisattvas, Mahakasyapa, Ananda, the Eighteen Arhats, and the Four Heavenly Kings. The Patriarch Hall, Longevity Hall, and Rebirth Hall are located to the rear of the Great Hero Hall. A copy of the Qing Tripitaka is kept at the Patriarch Hall.
In 1990 the two-story Dharma Seal Cultural Center was built. It includes a library, a dining hall, classrooms, and a journal editorial office.