Brief History | More about Phuoc Hue Monastery

PHUOC HUE BUDDHIST MONASTERY

The Phuoc Hue monastery was built on a block of land with an area of 8, 138 square- meters. It is situated at 365 Victoria Street, Wetherill Park - on that site a 100-year old school (1896) used to be standing. On the 4th of October 1987, the foundation stone laying ceremony was presided by the Most Ven. Thich Phuoc Hue and the Hon. Barrie Unsworth (then Premier of NSW).

Walking into the temple from the front car park, we can see:

The main gate, with three curling roofs, has dragon motifs, representing great courage. The Dharma wheel represents the continuation of the history of Dharma preaching, whilst the concrete fence with bamboo motifs is a reminiscence of a Vietnamese village. On top of every post of the fence is a lotus flower, representing Purity amidst pollution. The lotus flower is very significant in Buddhist traditions, as it symbolises many of the central Buddhist teachings.

On the left hand side of the 5 meters tall Main Shrine, is the Statue of Avalokiteshvara (Kuan Yin) Bodhisattva, standing above a lotus pond. This statue features the art of Vietnamese sculpture. The concrete lotus is designed according to a Pure land Sutra, each stem blossoms out two lotus flowers. Behind the statue is a miniature mountain with a cave, which has been constructed as a private place for meditation. A small bridge across the pond, leading to the cave, is named ‘The Bridge of Elimination of suffering'.

The mini shrine where the Western Triple Saint (Amitabha Buddha, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva) are worshipped. In a general sense, the Amitbha Buddha stands for the store of ‘Infinite life’, ‘Infinite light’ and Infinite virtues’. The Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva usually manifests himself in woman forms to represent his boundless compassion toward all sentient beings, like a mother’s love to her children. The Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva can be recognised by the water jar (jeweled pitcher) adorning his crown. He is also represented in female forms in East Asian iconography. The Amitabha Buddha is usually depicted standing and flanked by His two chief disciples. The three statues here were made inVietnam.

The Great Bell Tower is 1.95 meter high and weighs 1, 350 Kgs. The bell is divided into twelve sections, from top to bottom. The number twelve represents the twelve divisions of the Buddha’s teachings (twelve-fold teachings) such as sutras, geyas (prose interspersed with verse), predictions (of future Buddhahood), and so on. If the proportion of gold is high, the sounds of bell ringing can be heard from miles away. The great bells were produced in specialised foundries in Thailand. Because of the purification of the raw materials and the extreme care exercised during their manufacture, it is believed that the purity and length of the sounds, produced by those great bells, can exceed current standards.

In the Main Shrine, the Sakyamuni Buddha statue, made of copper then covered with gold foils, is 2.7 meters high. It was cast in Thailand under the supervision of the Most Venerable Thich Phuoc Hue.  Many pure gold ingots were offered by the faithful during the casting of the statue. The golden Buddha sits on a lotus throne, 1.9 meters high, His hand gestures signifying the ‘Turning the Wheel of Dharma’. This lotus throne was an imitation of a lotus flower made in Vietnam in the 16th Century, which had four layers of petals. The Main Shrine can accommodate 500 participants.

The Rear Hall where the Patriarchs and ancestors are worshipped. In the centre of the Hall is a large statue of Master Chih- I, the First patriarch of the T'ien T'ai school. Displayed on the altar are pictures of Bodhidharma and many other Vietnamese Patriarchs. Deceased men and women’s pictures are placed on opposite walls of the hall. Relatives leave a photo of the deceased here (ashes are located at level one of the Buddha Relics Stupa), so that the consciousness of their loved ones can be close to the Buddha and can have a chance to hear the chanting of sutras.

On the right of the Main Shrine stands a concrete Bodhi tree, under which is a statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha in meditation posture, flanked by two guardians - the Naga King and the Dharma Protector. This artificial sight depicts the Great Enlightenment of the Buddha, after 49 days of continuous meditation. The statue is made of gypsum mixed with milk by a Vietnamese artist in Sydney.

The two identical dragons (artwork), one on each side of the Main Hall entrance, were designed and built by a Vietnamese-born artist. They represent the ancient Vietnamese legend, which tells that the Vietnamese are descendants from a dragon father and a fairy mother. Dragons are beautiful and powerful creatures that can live either in the water, or under the surface of the earth, or in the sky - and they are therefore revered for their psychic powers and their beauty.

The stupa for worshipping the Relics of Sakyamuni Buddha. It is 30 meters high, and has 7 levels. The statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha entering Nirvana and the Buddha’s Relics chamber are at the top level. The remains of departed devotees are housed at lower levels. The Earth-Store Bodhisattva statue, 2.5 meters high, is worshipped at ground level. The Phuoc Hue Monastery’s Stupa is supported by 12 columns. The 4 main columns represent the Four Noble Truths, and the 8 smaller columns representing the Noble Eightfold Path. The Stupa’s seven floors represent Lord Buddha’s boundless spiritual strength - as when He entered this world, he made 7 steps on 7 lotus flowers. In the perfect world of Amitabha Buddha, there are 7 balconies, 7 nets, 7 rows of trees, and the whole world is adorned by 7 different kinds of gems. The number 7 represents the integral parts of everything and the universe. On top of the Stupa is the focal point, symbolising the One-ness of Buddhism.

Statue of the Happy Buddha, Maitreya, with His beautiful smile. It is 3 meters tall, sitting in the foreground of the stupa. There are five boys clinging on various parts of His body. They represent the five visible senses in our human body - which are eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body skin. The sixth sense, our mind faculty, is invisible so it is not represented here. In a general sense, the fat and smiling statue of Maitreya with a big belly - represents Happiness, Tolerance and Compassion. It means He can joyfully take anything that comes from the six senses. The Bodhi tree was planted behind the statue. This tree was grown from a seed of the Bodhi tree of the Mahindamara Temple in Penang, Malaysia – which is a descendant of the Bodhi tree in Buddha-gaya in India, under which the Sakyamuni Buddha attained Supreme enlightenment more than 25 centuries ago.

Brief History | More about Phuoc Hue Monastery