Buddist temple

I had heard about a Buddhist monastery somewhere in the Laurentians. So when I got an ad for a guided tour I jumped at the opportunity. It is in a very remote area, a good two hours drive from Montreal and one from the cabin through very bumpy and winding roads. The location is spectacular: on a hill side, facing a valley, dotted with streams and ponds.

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It s called the Tam Bao Son monastery and it belongs to  Vietnamese Buddhists who started building it 20 years ago. Through donations they have landscaped the grounds and sprinkled it with numerous statues. There is a small temple  at the base and this is where we stared our visit. The walls are lined with small statues while the center is occupied by several larger ones, of Buddha and his mother and a few other divinities.

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But the majority of the statues is outside. Each divinity is set in a clearing, surrounded but other minor “gods” ( I am not sure what to call them, celebrities sounds too Hollywoody). There is always incense burning.

Each “god” has a name, a story and powers…I did not succeed in remembering them all.

The first one we stopped at is the Avalokitesvara, the Buddha of  compassion:

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A little further, Matreiya, the Buddha of future. Because of his size he represents prosperity..

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The Lumbini Garden illustrates Buddha’s birth, from under his mother’s armpit…and his walk over lotus flowers.

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We then came up to the Buddha with almsbowl, representing all the monks who can only live off of charity…

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I’m sorry to say it was so hot and humid that I stopped taking photos as I climbed the 184 steps to the illuminated Buddha.

I also missed the gold Buddha giving a sermon to his five disciples. I did perk up in time to catch the reclining Buddha, Kusinaragaya, the nirvana Buddha.

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We walked by a series of scary looking men a group of which are supposed to have reached nirvana…the first one…not so sure…

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Although it was an interesting visit, I was not moved in any spiritual way. There were no worshipers on site only tourists, and the statues are so garish that it was hard for me to grasp the religious meaning behind them all. Maybe if we had had  more of a talk about Buddhism, the philosophy rather than the history of the monastery it would have been different. But I do not feel I learned  a lot. I still have trouble with the variety of representations of Buddha, sometimes thin and fit, sometimes very fat, sometimes with feminine features, at times with hair, other times bald,  some of the deities have undetermined genders…it is confusing… I did enjoy the vegetarian lunch we were served.

I would recommend going in the fall, when the scenery must be even more spectacular….and the temps cooler….to tackle all those steps.

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http://www.tambaoson.com/

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