Buddhist Monastery

Entrance to monastery at Guanziling

We've been very excited about exploring this part of the world so on our first weekend here we took our rented motorscooter for a little trip into the mountains south of the city of Chiayi to the village of Guanziling. There is a beautiful Buddhist monastery with a community of 200 nuns. The entrance gate itself is colorful and detailed and then you step up to the first temple.

Colorful detail at temple gate

bat design detail

at the altar

Every inch of this temple is elaborately decorated with colorful paintings and gold work. People were visiting and lighting incense and some were using wooden chips to throw on the ground to seek answers in their lives. One of the 200 Buddhist nuns who lived in this monastic community spoke English and talked with us for awhile about Buddhist belief and the practices of the people who were visiting the temple. Walking out the back of the temple led into a courtyard surrounded by another temple and the living quarters of the nuns. In the other temple they were chanting a repetitive and very peaceful prayer. I could feel the pressures of everyday life lifting away in this quiet mountain retreat.

Guanyin, goddess of mercy

We left the temple as the thunderclouds rolled over the mountains. As we road the bike further up the road we passed waterfalls gushing down the steep rocky sides of the mountains. The road eventually led to an area of hotsprings. Many commercial spas have claimed the hotsprings and spa staff stand out by the road trying to lure you in. We were too wet and hungry to participate but we'll be back. We did find a great restaurant with English on the menu and excellent food (Mountain Guanzihling County Diner). Riding back down the mountain the rain had let up a little and a rainbow had come out. And Jeremy took this beautiful shot of the setting sun.