FGS Dong Zen

Have you been to the FGS Dong Zen ?

Dong means East, and Zen means ‘a tranquil mind’, so Dong Zen means ‘a tranquil mind in the East’.

Besides being a monastery, Dong Zen is also a cultural and educational centre. It houses a Buddhist college, one of 16 in the world set up by FGS. Fo Guang Shan (FGS) is a Chinese Mahayana Buddhist monastic order that has gained a worldwide presence and is one of the two largest Buddhist monastery and largest charity association in Taiwan (Tzu-Chi being the other).

The Dong Zen Buddhist Monastery was set up in 1994. It is situated in Kuala Langat, which is about 100 km west of Kuala Lumpur. The setting of the monastery is serene and quite picturesque.

During the recent chinese new year festive season, thousands have flocked to the monastery to enjoy the flower show and the lanterns light up.

Part of the beautiful landscape garden - the face of Quan Yin.

A vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat or fish. They only eat vegetables, fruits and grains. But a vegetarian can also appreciate a good fake meat menu. Fake chicken, anyone ?

Despite the big crowd, the visual beauty, soothing sounds from chanting bells and the cooling effect from the pond - some sort of medicine for the soul.

A beautiful statue - the many hands and heads of one chinese god.

The temple was beautifully lit up that night. No wonder the sleepy town of Jenjarum has become a pull factor for tourism these days.

The temple was decorated with yellow and red lanterns. This year, the event (held annually) has drawn some hundreds of thousands of locals and visitors from other regions to visit the monastery.