The Nung Chan Monastery (meaning 'Farming Ch'an') is a monastery at

Beitou District Beitou District is the northernmost of the twelve districts of Taipei City, Taiwan. The historical spelling of the district is Peitou. The name originates from the Ketagalan word ''Kipatauw'', meaning witch. Beitou is the most mountainous an ...

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

. It is formally founded in 1975 by Ven. Dongchu, a scholar monk and disciple of renowned Chinese

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

Master Taixu. It's named ' ''Farming Ch'an'' ' as its early residents dedicated themselves to Ch'an practice and grew their own food. Its spirit is based on 8th century Zen Master Baizhang Huaihai's aphorism, "''A day without work is a day without food.''" Ven. Dongchu bought the land at Guandu Plain near

in the end of the 1960s. As he didn't have many followers, he worked most of the land by himself and for the first few years, his only improvement is to have the land leveled. It then became a farmland worked by Ven. Dong Chu, his two disciples, and the neighboring villagers. In 1971, Ven. Dongchu finally began to build a two-story farmhouse that still existed today behind the main hall. The building was completed four years later in 1975. Ven. Dongchu was determined to promote

culture in

and cultivating Buddhist human talent. The monastery became a center for Ven. Dongchu's cultural and educational activity, and annual winter charity events. In 1978, Ven. Dongchu died and in his will he wanted to be succeeded by his disciple, Ven.

Sheng-yen Sheng Yen (), born Zhang Baokang (), (January 22, 1931 – February 3, 2009) was a Taiwanese Buddhist monk, religious scholar, and writer. He was one of the mainstream teachers of Chan Buddhism. He was a 57th generational dharma heir of Lin ...

, as the abbot of the monastery. Ven. Sheng-yen was in

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

by the time, he was just being elected abbot of a small monastery in

Bronx, New York The Bronx () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state, state of New York (state), New York. It is south of Westchester County, New York, Westchester County; north and east of the ...

called Temple of Great Enlightenment. But he couldn't refuse his master's will and decided to return to

. Under Ven. Sheng-yen's leadership the monastery's devotees increased, and it had to expand its buildings further. The two-story farmhouse wasn't enough for the growing followers. Under the help of some donors, it then erected several temporary steel buildings. Some of Ven. Sheng-yen's earliest Taiwanese disciples were devotees and monks in Nung Chan. Throughout the 1980s it continued to expand with temporary buildings as Master Sheng-yen's reputation grew. Its capacity became quite overwhelmed by the late 1980s and finally the organization decided to buy a new plot of land in the mountainous area of

Jinshan, Taipei Jinshan District () is a rural district on the coast in northern New Taipei, Taiwan. The district draws many visitors each year because of its hot springs and its proximity to Chin Pao San and the Ju Ming Museum. The district is home to the Dha ...

and build the

Dharma Drum Mountain Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM; ) is an international Buddhist spiritual, cultural, and educational foundation founded by late Chan master Sheng-yen (1931 – 2009). The center focuses on educating the public in Buddhism with the goal of improving t ...

(DDM). Until today, after the completion of DDM in Jinshan, Nung Chan continues to serve as DDM's principal branch.

Gallery

File:ncwall.jpg File:Nung Chan Monastery 115.jpg File:Ncroom.jpg

References

External links

Nung Chang Monastery
page from

1975 establishments in Taiwan Chan temples Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist monasteries in Taiwan Religious buildings and structures in Taipei {{Taiwan-struct-stub

Gallery

See also

References

External links