If nothing else, let this be a lesson to all you Buddhist Monks out there about proper signage…
Yesterday I used my brand-new Octopus Card to venture out into The New Territories — specifically to Sha Tin and the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery. Here’s a photo essay on how it went down:
Though I could see the monastery from the Sha Tin East Rail Station, this was the only actual sign for it (in English, anyway), on the ground beside a parking lot.
At the end of the lot was this escalator, which I assumed was the way up there, despite what I had read about some 400 steps I had to climb.
It was only after I went up another couple of escalators and then a bunch of stairs that I realized I was actually at a mausoleum — the monastery was just beyond, but entirely out of reach. So I had to go back down to the parking lot and start again. This is more or less how I felt about it…
Following that first sign more explicitly I soon started seeing Buddhas, golden Buddhas everywhere!
At about a hundred steps in I felt like I was being mocked…
Two hundred steps in — surprised to see me make it this far?
At three hundred steps in I was offered a flower — hey, I’m flattered but I don’t, er… worship that way.
At the top of the hill one of the Buddhas seemed genuinely concerned with my condition.
The Temple grounds with more Buddhas, a pagoda, even a cafeteria…
And finally, The Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas. By my rough estimation each of the four walls seemed to have close to have at least 2,500 of them — check out the video pan below and see if you agree…
Andrew Currie 
2 responses to “10,000 Buddhas, in 2 Tries”
Seems like a really terrific spot. I sold, will try to check it out tomorrow. ^_^
And I’ll be sure to check your reports on Taiwan before I go for a visit — hopefully this year!