I visited this great Temple in Penang
I visited the famous Penang Burmese Buddhist temple a few days ago again. I loved this temple and so many new improvements have been added to it since the last time I visited. It is so well maintained, always clean and the staff are very friendly and nice. In my video, I give you some more facts about this beautiful, holy and sanctified place.
This temple is over 200 years old and is still functioning as a major spiritual centre for Buddhists in Penang.
Over a decade back I stayed in Penang for over a month and I was ten mins walk from this temple. I used to go with a group every morning to circumambulate, do prayers, make offerings and recite my sadhanas there in the morning. It holds alot of good memories. Early in the mornings it is very peaceful, quiet, fresh and contemplative to be there.
Penang is a quaint little island in North Malaysia. It’s clean, easy to get around, very green, mountainous, and people enjoy a simple laid back life. There are so many temples, some very huge in Penang. I didn’t visit all, but just a few and I loved it. I would recommend to visit Penang for it’s special unique island life and culture…
Let me take you on a quick tour and introduction. I hope you can visit one day also. But until then, enjoy this blog post.
Much care, Tsem Rinpoche
some comments from my facebook about the video above:
Sara Andreyev: Thank you Seng piow I enjoyed that very much! I had the pleasure of visiting this Temple when I was in Penang. Thank You Rinpoche for sending me to see all the beautiful Temples in Penang.
Steve Tobias: Very beautiful and great documentary, thank you. I bet all sorts of people will find it on Youtube.
Mandana Doust: beautiful place! thanks for sharing
Fernanda Pinheiro: SO ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL THANK YOU SO MUCH RINPOCHE
Kiran Kc: H.E. Rimpoche thank you very2 much for sharing, This wounderfull and great history of Shakya Muni Buddha. It’s a great privillege.
The entrance to this holy place……
I love this absolutely stunning image of the Standing Buddha in this temple. I use to sit here for hours daily doing my prayers and practice when I was staying in Penang over ten years back. Coming here again brought back so many beautiful memories.
I love all images of Buddhas but this one is breathtaking….
These are Buddhas donated to this temple from various countries. The Buddhas are carved according to the unique style of each country….nice.
To the side of the main Chapel to the standing Buddha is a sacred stupa.
They also have a Bodhi tree on the temple premises reminding us of Buddha’s enlightenment.
This Buddha in the Burmese temple is over 200 years old. I was amazed at the proportions, carving, artwork, and expression on the face…it looks so placid and alive..of course all Buddha statues embody the living spirit of Lord Buddha, but good artwork helps alot. And this image of the Buddha is of the highest quality.
Closeup of this Buddha. I love this image so much. When looking at Him, I feel He is alive…
This chapel houses the holy image of Arhat Upagatta. I love this place. Upagatta is said to grant many miracles such as excorcism from malicious spirits, help school children in doing well in their exams, etc…During examination season, the place is packed with school kids making offerings and prayers to Upagatta. I talk more in the video about this great Upagatta that I have much faith in also.
Arhat Upagatta
This is the great wall of renounciation..where Shakyamuni as a Prince left the royal household on his horse to become a monk (renounciate).
This is the tower of the bell housed in the temple. Each floor houses many carved marble plaques from various countries around the world commemorating the Buddha. Very nice…must visit this Bell Tower in the temple.
This plaque is from Tibet and it depicts Lord Tsongkapa in the centre, left Tsongkapa with disciples and right Dzambala. Behind the Potala.
A bird’s eye view of the Temple complex from the top of the Bell Tower.
This temple in Penang is AN ABSOLUTE MUST TO VISIT. You must visit, make offerings, prayers, soak in the history behind it, meditate, make prayers and pay homage to Upagatta. It will bless your day, your week, your month, your life……
This is an incredible video, one can’t get the information from any other source, was probably extremely hot during filming, I “hope” people watch
Dear Rinpoche,
I can see you can’t wait for our own KWPC complete with all your favourite images of Sakyamuni Buddha, Tsongkhapa, Setrap, Tara……..
During the last visit few years back, I didn’t realise there are many buddha statues from various countries (including Afghanistan) behind the standing Budda, nor did I realise the significance of the tree planted in the temple. I also didn’t realise there is a 200 yr old Buddha statue in the temple nor have I visited Arhat Upagatta shrine in the temple. There was so much that I have left out in my previous visit that I need to revisit the temple again, as there are also new building that have finished constructed in 2009 wasn’t ready during my last visit. Dear Rinpoche, thank you for sharing with us the significance and meaning behind the buddha statue, stupa, painting, etc that I would keep in my mind during my next visit and to do offerings, circumambulate the stupa, etc as you have suggested in the video clip. Thank you Seng Piow, Beng Kooi, Justine and others who have followed Rinpoche on this trip who have worked hard to upload and blog Rinpoche’s trip to Burmese temple. Thank you:D
The story of Arhat Upagatta reminded me of the Wen Chang Gong in the Qing Yun Ting temple in Melaka that those of us who were preparing for exams would definitely pray and make offerings to obtain blessings that we would pass the exams.
Being born, schooled and grew up in Penang until my twenties I have visited this temple a few times but have not since it was renovated. Indeed there are so many new buildings housing beautiful holy images.
Thank you, Rinpoche, for showing us around in this video of this beautiful Burmese temple.
Dear Rinpoche, Thank you so much for taking us and around and sharing about the temple. There is so much to learn from this beautiful temple. Most of us would normally just walk around blind to many of the fine details, but I would definately try to visit this temple if I’m in Penang next time.
Before join Kechara, I really ignorance because to me a statue only a statue which made by stone or marble may be. To me statue is no meaning at all until one day I moved to a new house, when i first enter the house I feel uncomfortable. I don’t know why, but may be because the house is too empty.
Until my housemate moved in his statue which had blessed by his Guru, when the moment the statue in the house then the house energy changed suddenly. I feel warm and bright of the house.
After this experience I knew if your new or old house have a statue actually is very powerful to change whole energy. In Chinese we say good fong sui好风水。Now I believed that a statue can changed the fong sui for a region or an area or a house.
So, today I like statue very much because of the experience I had went through. I feel so lucky actually.
Thanks for showing such a beautiful Buddhist temple. Never would I have known it existed at my own hometown.
Finally I make my visit during this CNY with my family and relatives
Upon entering I remembered I came here once long ago before they have added all these new structures. There are many things to do and see here, ie. getting to know the Buddha story in the main walkway to the the temple, looking at the each different lineages carved on to limestones in the Bell Tower, throwing coins into the wishing pond, making offering to each of the various shrines, getting blessing from the monks. There are monks and nuns here which I don’t remember seeing them before. I am quite a surprised that this temple here has expanded to a sangha community. I could easily spend my whole day hanging around here. I will definitely come back again for more! 
Also across the road there is another temple with Sleeping Buddha inside. They are also expanding I believe.