Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery
At the base of the long stairway leading to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery’s main temple and courtyard, a monk-looking man blocked our path and began furiously blessing us. He put wooden bracelets on our wrists, then put his hand out for a handout. We gave him 100 Hong Kong dollars (about $13 U.S.). He shook his head, waved around the money and pointed to both of us: he wanted $100 HK from each of us. We gave it to him, though we figured it was most likely a bum scam. Still, a little good karma can’t hurt.
We had taken a train to the New Territories town of Sha Tin to visit the monastery, which covers a steep hillside. And so the climb began. Up 400-plus steps, past life-size Buddha statues. (Click on any of the photos for a larger look.)
Each statue is unique, with expressions ranging from content to contemplative, from smiling to sleepy, from sad to surprised.
The climb is tiring even for the fit. Along the way, we saw a frail, elderly man who could barely walk making the pilgrimage to the top. His family had to pause with him frequently so he could rest and catch his breath.
On the way up, we saw one of the wild monkeys that live on the hillside and at times have the run of the main courtyard.
And at the top was our reward: thousands of small Buddha statues lining the walls of a temple, a nine-story pagoda, and still more large statues lining walkways, peeking out from hillsides, and arranged on overlooks.
In the main temple, the corpse of the monk who founded the monastery is embalmed and covered in gold.
Many photos of the inner temple are online, but we always try to respect local customs and rules when we travel. Here, it is asked not to take photos inside. So the camera stayed in my bag.
Take a tour of the monastery grounds in the slideshow to the left.