Fo Guang Shan France

FRANCE, Bussy-Saint-Georges

This temple is located in the district known as the Esplanade of the Religions in Bussy-Saint-Georges, near Paris. It is the European headquarters of Fo Guang Shan, and also the continent’s largest Mahayana Buddhist temple. It has occupied a number of sites since its establishment in 1991. With the support of Hugues Rondeau, the mayor of Bussy-Saint-Georges, the temple found its current home in 2006 and it was inaugurated in 2012. Master Hsing Yun, the founder of Fo Guang Shan, named it Fahua Temple, which is the Chinese name of the Lotus Sutra. The temple was established to manifest the spirit of universality embodied in the “Universal Gateway Chapter,” where every prayer is heard and wondrously fulfilled.
The three-story temple occupies an area of 6,750 sq m. It has a modern design based on environmental principles. It contains three courtyards of different sizes, which evoke a sense of simplicity and tranquility. The complex includes the Great Hero Hall, Avalokitesvara Hall, Ksitigarbha Hall, Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery, meditation hall, and other functional spaces that provide wide-ranging facilities for the practice and propagation of the Dharma.
The temple promotes the Fo Guang Shan principles of Humanistic Buddhism expressed through a combination of traditional and modern forms, providing equal emphasis on cultivation and insight, and developing Buddhist arts.