The Nung Chang Monastery Unveils a New Page

At a farmhouse in a bamboo grove, some 30 years ago Master Sheng Yen became Abbot of Nung Chan Monastery, continuing Master Dong Chu’s tradition of practice, inspiring multitudes to learn about and uphold the Buddhadharma.

Monastics sharing the Dharma with seekers from far and wide in a farmhouse and spiritual home augmented with structures of steel; a makeshift practice center, a locus of devoted resolve, all elements of a moving story, the birth of Dharma Drum Mountain.

A placid pool reflects the splendid Buddha hall at Nung Chan Monastery, transformed into a scenic practice center where Master Sheng Yen’s compassion and abundant teachings continue to guide seekers to enter the way of compassion, contemplate the mind, and return to their true nature.

Nung Chan Monastery, spiritual home of Chan tradition, welcomes you to return often to calm body and mind, and cultivate blessings and wisdom.

The Original Farmhouse
Constructed by Master Dong Chu, the Farmhouse was Nung Chan Monastery’s earliest structure, where Master Dong Chu, Master Sheng Yen, and the monastics and laity of Dharma Drum Mountain lived and practiced. This is where the DDM tradition of Chan spirit gradually developed. As the Monastery is the birthplace of DDM, the Farmhouse is its cradle.

1.First Floor
Reception Room
Three Saints of the West Room

2.Second Floor
Manjushri Hall
Master Sheng Yen’s Quarters
Dong Chu memorial Chamber

The Diamond Sutra Façade
The façade of this L-shaped building is inscribed with over 5,000 characters of the Diamond Sutra, an important sutra of the Chan School. Elemental and unadorned, it allows us to see the true characteristics of non-abiding, no-thought, and no-form.

The Way to Compassion
The Way to Compassion was originally the main entrance of Nung Chan Monastery. Master Sheng Yen built the gate in 1982 to demarcate the Monastery grounds. The inscription urges one and all to enter The Way to Compassion and generate the mind of great compassion. This is the starting point for the study and practice of the Buddhadharma, the first step on the bodhisattva path.

The Chan Hall
A statue of Shakyamuni Buddha sits peacefully, eyes of compassion gazing out at sentient beings─this is where the mind can come to rest. Here, you can investigate the huatou “Who is reciting the Buddha’s name?” or “What is ‘Wu’?” Or just experience your breathing, the sensation of relaxation, and that your true is in the present.

The Buddha Statue in the Main Buddha Hall
The white jade statue of the Buddha, sitting in the lotus posture on the Sumeru throne, is a picture of calm and silent majesty, inspiring all who enter. With eyes of compassion gazing out at sentient beings, he guides them to seek-and find-a refuge in life.

Connection Corridor
Extending along the Water-Moon Pool to the Main Buddha Hall and Chan Hall, this passageway demarcates space while permitting light to enter. Its two walls of exposed concrete form a serene space. Upon entering this corridor, one’s mind abides in the here-and-now. With each step firm and sure, one finds refuge wherever one goes.

Main Buddha Hall
The Hall’s exterior design, simple and solid, radiates a steadfast spirit, while its interior space evokes serenity and the power of stately simplicity. The Heart Sutra, carved into the interior wall, changes with the flow of natural light, reminding us that life’s conditions are impermanent, forever arising and perishing.

The pool and the Hall itself depict the contrast between emptiness and solidity, constant change and stability, one expressing stillness in motion and the other motion in stillness, thus reflecting the Buddhadharma.

The Water-Moon Pool
Situated in front of the Main Buddha Hall, the pool is a focal feature of the Center’s landscape. When still, the pool is like a mirror that reflects the clouds and sky, Buddha Hall and Corridor. But at the slightest breath of wind, these water-borne images vanish-like the ephemeral images arising and perishing in the onlooker’s mind.

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