TROUT LAKE — At the base of Mount Adams, beside the beginnings of a new Buddhist temple, a new 37-foot statue towers above the forest surrounding Trout Lake Abbey.
The statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva or Đia Tang Bo Tát and another statue representing Di lac Bo Tát (Miroku Bosatsu or Maitreya), were paid for by donations from across the U.S. and Vietnam.
An offering ceremony took place at the 23-acre sanctuary on Sept. 16, bringing an estimated 500 people to the small temple. Many came from Oregon and Washington, with some from as far as Alaska, Texas and Florida.
That’s the biggest crowd they’ve ever had and, according to Venerable Thay Kozen, a once-in-a-lifetime event.
The idea for the statues arose a couple of years ago, from a Vietnamese woman who thought it was important for people to understand the practice of giving, according to Kozen. “It was nothing I would ever have personally asked for,” he said.
The 37-foot-tall, 130,000-pound white statue represents Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, a monk who took a vow to rescue all beings in hell. A carving company in Vietnam chose the stone for color and suitability. The stone was also blessed.
“Quite a few people spent quite a few months carving it,” said Kozen.
Kozen said he didn’t know exactly what the carving cost, but shipping from Vietnam to Trout Lake cost about $40,000. Positioning the statues took two cranes hired from Portland for a similar amount.
“So many people have stopped by the statue to say ... Is this a Buddha? What is this about?” Kozen said.
Anyone “who would give of themselves, to help others, is a wholesome idea for our community regardless of practice or faith,” said Kozen, who is also a registered nurse and teaches meditation at Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facilities [NORCOR]. He noted that they hope the statue becomes a teaching focus. “School groups regularly come to the temple, and we use the statue for teaching them about kindness,” said Kozen. “We use the statue to teach us about giving of ourselves.”
Anyone can visit the statue or the temple, which is only closed for about two days a year. “We have Christian brothers and sisters in Trout Lake,” said Kozen, noting that anyone of any faith is welcome to come see the statues. The same is true for the new temple being built on site, also sustained by donations.
“Since we have no deity, with just a practice of loving kindness, it is easy to be both Christian and Buddhist,” Kozen said, noting that people of various faiths attend.
Building the new temple is a gradual process. “We have the patio entrance,” said Kozen, with a steel-roofed sliding wall area “so we can have an outdoor space opening into the temple,” Kozen said. The new temple will be a modest 40-by-40 foot space, replacing the current temporary temple on the second floor of an old barn.
Donations range from $8 per month to $300 or $400 per month. The temple will be completed “whenever we have enough,” said Kozen. “We have enough to make a good start now.
“We’ve had a temporary temple ... for 18 years,” Kozen said. “Some people are getting older ... and can’t climb the stairs.” The new temple will be ADA accessible, he added.
Kozen expressed the wish that anyone feel welcome. “There’s a division in our politics and our society now,” Kozen said. “People are being mean or nasty to each other ... my hope is now that our small practice of love and kindness, which we call metta, may help some people find relief from their anger, or relief from their stress that they are feeling.”
The facilities serve as a kind of religious hub for the region.
“Two weeks ago we had a Catholic retreat,” Kozen said. “We’re very open to different faiths using our facility.”
They welcomed Muslim and Protestant retreats earlier this year. A yoga retreat is next.
The creation of this diverse sanctuary originated with a long friendship between Kozen and Druid Priest Rev. Kirk Thomas, according to information from the temple website. A Druid temple and small meditation huts are on site, and a walking labyrinth for meditation draws more than 2,000 visitors a year, Kozen said. The temple also runs a small bed and breakfast on site. The new temple will be just the latest addition.
Once, Kozen had a Daoist priest who had toured the United States come and spend about a month residing at Trout Lake Abbey. The priest said that all of Trout Lake is “a wonderful energy place,” Kozen recalled, “nestled well with the dragon.”
He added, “Our specific piece of land calls us to wellness ... that is why we were called to build the temple there. The land itself. It’s nothing I’m doing, nothing any of us are doing. I don’t know if all that is true.”
But he appreciates the story.
More information can be found online at mtadamsbuddhisttemple.org and www.tlabbey.com.
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