Spatial Configuration of Fo Guang Shan Eastern Buddhist College
Round Gate｜Fo Guang Shan’s First Flat Space
Starting from 1967, Fo Guang Shan moved hills and graded the land into the first flat ground, which is the Buddhist College’s Round Gate. Every time the Venerable Master returned to the Buddhist College, he would always choose this platform for heart-to-heart connections with the students. To date, over 5,000 students have since passed through the Round Gate.
The Great Path to Buddhahood｜The Path to a Bright Future for Students
The central axis of Eastern Buddhist College is the “Great Path to Buddhahood”. This is a straight, broad boulevard without any twists or turns, meaning that every student will travel on the right path to a bright future.
After the Round Gate through the “Great Path to Buddhahood”, a forty-step stairway leads upwards to signify the “Forty-Fascicle Avatamsaka Sutra”, and sixty-step slope head down to signify the “Sixty-Fascicle Avatamsaka Sutra”. Since slopes at the Buddhist College were very steep, the Venerable Master designed landings between these staircases as resting areas.
