The International Buddhist Progress Society of
Manila, Philippines
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
(also known as Fo Guang Shan Manila) () is the main branch way-place of the
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
affiliated
Fo Guang Shan
Fo Guang Shan (FGS) () is an international Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhist organization and monastic order based in Taiwan that practices Humanistic Buddhism. The headquarters, Fo Guang Shan Monastery is located in Dashu District, Kaohsiung, and is ...
Buddhist Order in the Philippines. As do all branch temples, way-places, and organizations of Fo Guang Shan, the branch follows
Humanistic Buddhism
Humanistic Buddhism () is a modern philosophy practiced by Buddhist groups originating from Chinese Buddhism which places an emphasis on integrating Buddhist practices into everyday life and shifting the focus of ritual from the dead to the li ...
, a modernized style of
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
teaching as propagated by Venerable Master
Hsing Yun
Hsing Yun () (born 19 August 1927) is a Chinese Buddhist monk. He is the founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order as well as the affiliated Buddha's Light International Association in Taiwan. Hsing Yun is considered to be one of the most pr ...
, spiritual founder and teacher of the order.
History
In 1989, while monks from the Fo Guang Shan order were preaching Buddhist teachings on the southern islands of
Cebu
Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...
and
Bacolod
Bacolod, officially the City of Bacolod (; hil, Dakbanwa/Syudad sang Bacolod; fil, Lungsod ng Bacolod), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Western Visayas, Philippines. It is the capital of the province of Negros Occidenta ...
, they received requests from
lay followers in Manila. In November 1992, Venerable Yung Guang brought with her statues of the Three Treasure Buddhas (namely
Sakyamuni
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
,
Amitabha, and
Bhaisajyaguru
Bhaiṣajyaguru ( sa, भैषज्यगुरु, zh, t= , ja, 薬師仏, ko, 약사불, bo, སངས་རྒྱས་སྨན་བླ), or ''Bhaishajyaguru'', formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rāja ("Medicine Master ...
) to the famous Ongpin Street, in Manila's Chinatown. In the beginning, Venerable Yung Guang founded the small Manila Buddhist Center in a premises offered by lay devotees.
After half a year of preaching, the number of lay followers increased, and the space was no longer sufficient to accommodate all of them. Having realized the great potential in the capital of the Philippines, Venerable Yung Guang invited Venerable Tzu Chuang, director of the Overseas Supervisory Council and senior bhikkuni of the Fo Guang Shan order, to come to Manila to inspect a historical building, which was the former USSR Embassy, and renamed it the "
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
Lecture Hall". This constituted a new page in the history of Buddhist preaching in the Philippines.
Following the guiding principles set out by Fo Guang Shan, the Manila Lecture Hall propagated Dharma through education, cultural activities, charitable programs, and Buddhist practices. Activities such as Youth Summer Camps, Children's Summer Camps, Filipino children's classes, and lectures on
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
were conducted regularly.
With the assistance of the local Buddhist community, a seven-day exhibit on hundreds of Buddhist statues from private collections was held at the
Century Park Hotel
The Century Park Hotel, formerly the Century Park Sheraton Manila, is a hotel in Manila, Philippines. The hotel is hosted in a 19-storey building and has 478 rooms as of 2015.
History
In 1974, the Philippine government encouraged the private sec ...
. This was an unprecedented undertaking in the history of Buddhism in the Philippines which attracted a huge number of Buddhists and non-Buddhists who came to appreciate Buddhist art.
One of the Manila Lecture Hall's charitable programs was to help Filipinos in times of natural calamities while respecting local religions and customs. Thus, the Manila Lecture Hall steadily integrated itself into the society and culture of the Philippines. It has also regularly been invited to take part in many inter-religious dialogues and other activities. Hundreds of university students who wished to learn more about Buddhism visit the temple every year to participate in various lectures.
Over the years, the cultural, educational and charitable programs organized by the temple have attracted an increasing number of participants and received recognition from both the lay and religious community. Consequently, it has changed its name to I.B.P.S. Manila and became the main branch of the Fo Guang Shan Temple in the Philippines. The temple was also relocated once again to a property beside the former location in preparation for the construction of the new I.B.P.S. building.
Under the direction of its head abbess, Venerable Yung Jau, who has been in the Philippines for twelve years, and together with the venerables and lay devotees of the Chu Un Temple in Cebu City, the Yuan Thong Temple in Bacolod, and the Iliolo Fo Guang Vihara, IBPS Manila vowed to "sow the seeds of culture and education that help purify people’s minds in this beautiful archipelago".
See also
*
Seng Guan Temple
Seng Guan Ssu () is a prominent Buddhist edifice on Narra Street, near Divisoria, in Tondo, Manila, Philippines. It contains a stupa, a huge repository for urns of human ashes, several meditation rooms, and various shrines. It is a major cultu ...
, Tondo, Manila
*
Lon Wa Buddhist Temple
The Longhua Temple, also known as the Lon Wa Buddhist Temple is one of the biggest Buddhist temples in the Philippines and the biggest in the island of Mindanao. It is located in the Agdao District, 3-4 kilometers northeast of the center of Davao ...
, Davao City, Mindanao
*
Ocean Sky Chán Monastery, San Juan, Manila
*
Buddha's Light International Association – Philippines
*
Zu Lai Temple
The Zu Lai Temple (in Chinese, 如來寺, in Portuguese, "Templo Zu Lai", lit. ''Tathāgata Temple'') is a Buddhist temple in Cotia, São Paulo, Brazil. It is the largest Buddhist temple in South America with 10,000 square meters of constructed ar ...
, Brazil
*
Nan Hua Temple
Nan Hua Temple (南華寺, ''Nanhua Si'') is the largest Buddhist temple and seminary in Africa, and is situated in the Cultura Park suburb of Bronkhorstspruit, South Africa. It is the African headquarters of the ''Fo Guang Shan'' (Buddha's L ...
, South Africa
*
Hsi Lai Temple
Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple () is a mountain monastery in the northern Puente Hills, Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County, California. The name ''Hsi Lai'' means "coming west".
Hsi Lai Temple is a branch of Fo Guang Shan, a Buddhist organiza ...
, United States
*
Chung Tian Temple
Chung Tian Temple () is a Chan Buddhist temple located at 1034 Underwood Road, Priestdale, Queensland. The temple is part of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist monastic order. Construction of the temple began in January 1991 and it opened in June 1993. ...
, Australia
*
Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum
The Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum (), formerly known as the Buddha Memorial Center, is a Mahāyāna Buddhist cultural, religious, and educational museum located in Dashu District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The museum is affiliated with Fo Guang Shan, ...
*
Siddhartha (musical)
''Prince Siddhartha the Musical'' is an original musical production by Chu Un Temple, and directed under the Fo Guang Shan Academy of Art of the Philippines. The musical is an adaptation of ''The Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha'', written by Buddhi ...
External links
International Buddhist Progress Society - Manila, Philippines (Fo Guang Shan Mabuhay Temple) 菲律賓佛光山萬年寺Fo Guang Shan 佛光山Buddha's Light International Association World Headquarters 國際佛光會世界總會
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ibps Manila
20th-century Buddhist temples
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1992
Fo Guang Shan temples
Buddhism in the Philippines
Buddhist temples in Metro Manila
Chinese-Filipino culture