FAQs | Fo Guang Shan Temple of Toronto

Visiting the Temple

Can I visit the temple? Are you open to the public?

Yes, everyone is welcome to visit the temple. To ensure everyone’s protection and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, we would like to ask everyone to abide to the guidelines.

What are the guidelines for visiting temple during the pandemic?

Please check the temperature and health conditions of every member of your party prior to coming to temple to ensure that no one is sick. Individuals should stay home if: a) have tested COVID-19 positive or experienced symptoms such as fever, cough, colds, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and muscle pain; b) have had close contact with someone who has been tested COVID-19 positive or experienced the symptoms.
Please wear your face mask at all times within the premises and upon arriving.
Please follow the temple staff’s instruction, from the entrance to the exit. Do not enter closed area.
Water Drop Teahouse opening hours: Tue ~ Sun / 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Is there a temple tour guide?

We offer guided tours to schools, other education institutions and senior group, to help visitors learn more about our temple and Buddhist philosophy. During the tour, our volunteers will guide visitors through the grounds on an enlightening journey of Chinese art, culture, and Buddhism.

Every Saturday, we have guided temple tours at 1pm & 2pm, an hour each session. Booking is not required.

To book a tour for a large group, please email to. After receiving your request, we will check our availability and reply to confirm your booking.

What are the steps to book an appointment?

Book your appointment online here
To book, click the button "Book Appointment"
Select a service "Appointment for Prayer at Temple"
Select your preferred date and time to visit the temple.
Enter the details. In the “Appointment notes” – list the names of visitors coming to the temple with you (a maximum of 6 members from the same household).
Click "Book Appointment" to complete the form. Confirmation of appointment will be texted and/or emailed to you.
On the appointment day, every visitor should have completed the self-screening before coming to the temple: www.bit.ly/fgscovidscreening.
After completing the survey, simply screenshot the green "you can go" screen with the date and show it and "confirmation of appointment to the screener upon entry.

If you have any further questions, please contact us and we'll be happy to help you out.

Temple

Who is the founder of Fo Guang Shan Temple of Toronto?

Venerable Master Hsing Yun. You can learn more about him here.

What are the objectives of your temple?

1. Serve as a spiritual and cultural centre
2. Propagate “Humanistic Buddhism”
3. Foster and Promote Inter-religious dialogue
4. Building a bridge between the East and the West

Where does Fo Guang Shan come from?

Fo Guang Shan Monastic Order originated in Taiwan. It has an international affiliation of about 300 temples worldwide.

Why are five Buddhas honoured in the main shrine?

The five Buddhas represent the five corners of the universe in space and time. Starting from the east (far left) is Aksobhya Buddha - humility, unmoved by anger; the south (second left) is Ratnasambhava Buddha - equanimity, values and merits; the centre is Vairocana Buddha (the Dharma name for Shakyamuni Buddha) - Dharma preaching, our teacher; the west (second right) is Amitabha - purity and longevity; the north (far right) is Amoghasiddhi Buddha - accomplishment by wisdom. These five Buddhas also stand for the systemic transformation of consciousnesses into perfect wisdom as described in Yogacara. We must, however, bear in mind that all Buddhas are equal and their differentiations are only for our benefit and because of our deluded mind.

What do the great bell and drum symbolize?

The morning bell awakens people from their delusive dreams. The evening drum rolls the sounds of the Dharma, the teachings of Buddha. The morning bell and evening drum serve to awaken the people, remind them to practice diligently and warn them not to become lazy. They help to awakening the deluded and confused sentient beings.

Buddhism

Who is Buddha? Was Buddha a God?

Buddha never claimed to be a god, a son of a god, or a messenger of a god. Buddha was born as a person and became enlightened as a person with a purified mind. He set an example for us to develop ourselves following the path to enlightenment. He reminded us that we too can become enlightened, setting and extending to all directions to deliver the infinite numbers of sentient beings.

What is the difference between Buddhas and Bodhisattvas?

Buddhas are fully enlightened and have entered nirvana while Bodhisattvas are practising Buddhas who are very close to full enlightenment. According to some Mahayana scriptures, it is also believed that Bodhisattvas are deliberately retaining a little karmic force in their consciousness so that they will reincarnate back into the human world to carry out their infinite compassionate deeds in liberating people or they are actually Buddhas but manifest themselves to us in this saha world as Bodhisattvas only.

Why Buddhists bow, pray or worship the Buddha statue if Buddhism does not believe in creationism?

Buddhists do not bow nor pray to a statue but to the Dharma that the statue represents. Dharma is the law of nature, and Buddhism is a way of life. What the Buddha taught is not just the law of nature but how we live by it. As a matter of fact, one of the principles in a discourse by the Buddha called the Three Reliances states that a Buddhist practitioner should rely on the Dharma and not on a person. The term “worship” is seldom used if not at all in Buddhism because it may cause confusion with its generic meaning by other faiths such as Christianity. Worship is a total submission to a master or a creator and Buddha is not our master nor a creator. He just our supreme and most respectable teacher, one who is fully enlightened. When we pray, we are praying to the Dharma, represented and taught by the Buddha.

Why do people chant?

When we chant we concentrate on Buddha’s teachings repetitively, we also may gain wisdom through the meanings of the words. By being compassionate, we remember both our loved ones and all other beings. We then readily transfer our merits to all Dharma Realms. Chanting done with the utmost sincerity is certainly beneficial for others and ourselves.

What does praying mean in Buddhism?

The essence of Buddhism is the law of cause and effect. We pray to Buddha for Inspiration and Guidance not miracles and salvation. Buddha cannot save us; we must liberate ourselves from our problems and confusion. However by opening our hearts to Buddha and his teachings, our inner strength and confidence will be reinforced to assist us in our work.

Do Buddhists pray before a meal?

Buddhists usually fold their palms before eating while silently offering the meal to Buddha, dharma, Sangha, and all the living beings in all the Dharma realms. One needs to remember other beings when one is eating the food. One may silently wish all sentient beings to achieve full accomplishment and to fulfill Buddha's Dharma practice. The dining hall in a Chinese monastery is usually referred to as “The Hall of Five Contemplations” because people are reminded to contemplate the following five aspects when they eat:

1. To count the amount of merit and appraise the source
2. To assess one’s own virtues, whether perfect or deficient to deserve the bestowal
3. To guard one’s mind against faults, greed in particular
4. To receive this food in order to accomplish spiritual work
5. To receive this food as medicine for this weakening body

Why do Buddhists join/fold their palms?

Folding palms is a graceful posture and a dignified way of greeting, which originated in ancient India. By bringing ten fingers together; we symbolically make all ten Dharma realms become one. Reminded of the Buddha nature within every being, whether mundane or extraordinary. We need to adapt a respectful outlook in practicing Buddha’s teaching and concurrently delivering others and ourselves. Furthermore, folding palms helps us concentrate our minds while praying and allows our hearts to be opened to Buddha’s pure. enlightened energy.

What are the hand gestures?

The hand gestures are referred to as madras used to express different symbolic meanings such as delivering the suffering, promoting fearlessness, wisdom, etc. In Tibetan Buddhism, different madras are also employed as a part of spiritual cultivation.

Why do Buddhists practice vegetarianism?

To show compassion toward the animals that otherwise would have lost their lives for human consumption. A Buddhist strives to have compassion for all beings any time of the day. If all of us can stop killing of any kind, our world can be peaceful.

What are the basic steps for a beginner to learn and practice Buddhism?

Faith is important in all religions but in Buddhism, the basic steps to start with, in sequence, are learning, contemplation, practice and affirmation. We should contemplate and understand well what has been learnt, then put it to use in our daily life and the result is affirmation, faith that takes root and can hardly be shaken. The process is then repeated again and again until enlightenment.

Is "faith" the only important element in practicing Buddhism?

A bit different than most other religions, faith is not the only important element in practicing Buddhism. It encourages and appeals to questioning, reasoning rationale and the clearance of doubts. The recommended process, in sequence, starts with learning, contemplation, practice and affirmation which builds unshaken faith. This process is repeated again and again resulting in a transcendent spiral of spirituality and purification. Faith also brings vow and vow brings more practice.

Must Buddhists be vegetarians? What about nuns and monks?

Vegetarianism carries three vital messages. The first one, in sequence of importance, is the respect for life. All life is equal, has the same right to live, to co-exist in this world. If one has no respect for life, being a vegetarian loses its significant meaning. The second one is to maintain a sustainable bio-eco-system for mother Earth and for our own survival. The human population is growing exponentially and the supply of meat requires an enormous amount of natural resources along with huge soil and water pollution as compared with vegetation. The third one is for health reasons which have proven to offer many benefits. Buddhists do not need to be vegetarians but they must respect life. All nuns and monks are vegetarians with few exceptions of some Tantric practitioners.

What are the different types of sufferings in life?

The typical ones that we all encounter at one point or another in life are birth, aging, ill, death, meeting with all that is unpleasant, deprived of all that is pleasant, unattainable desire, and strong attachment to the five aggregates which are physical, feeling, cogitation, volition and consciousness. They can also be grouped into internal, external, or suffering of the body and mind due to adversity, or the consequences due to change over time or the sadness caused by the vanishing of impermanent enjoyment.

What are the different types of sufferings in life?

How can karma be explained and how does it work?

Karma is the most important element that makes the world turn round. It is a conscious action or deed that leads to "causality" or cause and effect, a law of nature, a fundamental Buddhist doctrine. The force of such an action has to dissipate or neutralised when the right conditions surface or it will be stored in our deepest consciousness until the time is right for it to sprout up. Observe carefully and we shall find that there is no action in this universe that produces absolutely no consequence. It works like Newton's famous third law but it applies not just in the physical world but also in the mental realm.

Can devotees of other religions practice Buddhism?

Buddhism is the law of nature, a way of life, and as such can be practised by all people, irrespective of their creeds, cultures and beliefs. Besides sharing certain commonalities with other major faiths such as loving kindness, compassion, equality, equanimity, giving, Buddhism also teaches us to how to live a fulfilling and meaningful life, to understand life and death, and to be free from attachment and suffering. Of course, the very core Buddhist doctrines may not be compatible with other religions but one is free to choose one's preferred direction in that final transcendent state of cultivation.

Why do Monastics shave their hair?

Monastics need to renounce all the mundane desires and longing, in order to more readily achieve purity, be free from delusions, remove hindrances and enter the way of practice. Once they shave their hair they can easily be distinguished from those who have not joined the Sangha.

Why do Monastics have incense marks on their heads?

The custom of burning incense marks is unique to Chinese Buddhism. It did not exist in primitive Buddhism and also has not been practiced in other countries. When Buddhism reached China monastics were held in high regard by society and the nation. During the T’ang dynasty, the imperial court ordered that incense mark burning was to be incorporated in the precept ceremony in order to prevent people from impersonating Monastics and as an affirmation of their faith.

Questions?We got answers.

Visiting the Temple

Temple

Buddhism

Questions?
We got answers.