Smack dab in the middle of Amsterdam’s Chinatown is the Fo Guang Shan He Hua Buddhist temple.
Many times, I have walked past this temple, however, as I returned from Muiderslot castle, I noticed for the first time, that the temple was open.
He Hua Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in Europe. Built in the traditional Chinese style, the entrance has a large central opening usually reserved for monks and nuns. There are two side entrances for laymen.
Once inside, the temple is an open-plan room with a central shrine to Avalokitesvara, a female deity know as Kwan Yin in the Chinese tradition. Visitors can purchase and offer incense or a piece of fruit at the shrine.
A small museum of Buddha images and other artifacts line the right side wall, while the walls are covered in plaques with reliefs of Kwan Yin and inscriptions naming the donors who funded the construction of the temple.
A level below, houses a Jade Buddha Shrine. Also within the complex, there is a meditation hall, a hall for honoring ancestors, a meeting room, classrooms, a library, a dining room and bedrooms.
If you, like me, love temples…take the time to stop and see He Hua Temple in Amsterdam. You can check the box off of seeing the largest Buddhist temple in Europe and then grab some dim sum for dinner!
He Hua Temple
- http://ibps.nl/home-2/
- Tue- Sat 12.00-17.00
- Sun 10.00-17.00
- Closed on Mondays and January 1
Check out more pictures of He Hua Temple on my Facebook page, Snapping the Globe.