Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden

The date was April 10, 2022. We were taking the scenic route home from a recent trip to eastern Ontario. The route took us through a small town when we spotted a small sign pointing to the Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden. We were curious and had to see it. After driving for a short while, we discovered a large gate with an even larger Buddha behind it. Closed, said the sign.

Charlene mentioned that she knew someone from high school who was working on a sizeable Buddhist temple. After putting two and two together, she realized we had stumbled upon this location.

But closed.

And closed for a long time because the harsh rules of COVID did not allow construction to continue meaningfully for a few years.

Now that the rules of COVID are long forgotten, Charlene recently discovered people posting their experiences at Wutai Shan, and we had to go and see it for ourselves.

For us, the drive is only two and a half hours from home. A small journey to a big destination. We had planned to do Doors Open Toronto, but what I had planned changed because of the rain, and we needed to shop. The forecast was for the rain to stop in the late afternoon, so many places we went to shop were in the general vicinity of Wutai Shan. Sadly, the rain did not stop until after the Buddhist Garden was closed.

A real bummer that we could not see a place we had been waiting for years to visit.

Then, we had another opportunity to visit the area, and the weather was much more friendly. When we arrived, the gate was open this time, and we followed the etiquette rules for visiting this location. We noticed many people visiting the site from the gate and the giant Buddha we had seen a couple of years earlier.

The property is ideally situated in a hilly area. The main temple is in the centre of the highest hill, and giant statues are on the small hills. The location is large, so if we had to walk from site to site, it would take much of the day. We spent over two hours here, and that was with a car driving around. Many important places of interest have a parking lot, so it is easy to drive, park, walk, admire, and drive off to the next section.

We did notice two things when we were touring. The first was that this garden was far from complete. The landscaping still needs a lot of work, and statues are still waiting to be placed. Crews were working on a large rose garden, new pathways, putting on a roof, and more. According to my own estimation (of which I am no expert), it will still be two to three years before the outside is completed.

The second thing we noticed, which was also the saddest, was that this place was already falling apart. Several statues were missing elements, and there were noticeable cracks in the foundations and the statues themselves. We found doors needing repair in the buildings, broken wooden frames, decor, and even misaligned features.

It is sad to see wear and tear before it is finished, especially since it is built out of clear devotion and pride.

We could enter the main temple building. Access was restricted to the main sanctuary, which was understandable since we were tourists and not Buddhists, but the rest of the building was accessible. We discovered one awe-inspiring room with a large motif of prominent Buddhist figures. In that main room were also 22,000 smaller carved Buddhas representing people and families who donated to this project.

We left this place inspired to see so many people working for a common goal, saddened by the damage already on the site, and hopeful to see what is still to come. We will definitely come back to see their progress.

Currently, access is free, and the visiting hours are generous. I did notice a small sign stating that access was free “during the trial opening period.” When we return, and there is an admission, we will gladly do it because what they hope to achieve holds so much promise.