To keep the cost down, the Venerable Master invited teachers and students of Kaohsiung Institute of Technology (now National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences) to assist with the contour measurements at Fo Guang Shan. Construction was handled by Hsiao Ting-Shun, a carpenter. Although they could not afford an architect, civil engineer or an office space, the Venerable Master already had an ideal blueprint of Fo Guang Shan in mind. With a very limited budget, they even had to take on heavy labor such as moving sand and gravel or mixing concrete themselves. At the construction site, people could often see the Venerable Master and his disciples moving loads of gravel, building the new Humanistic Pure Land.
