Quan Am Buddhist Monastery is located in Bombay District, Auckland, New Zealand with an area of 40,000 square meters. The thematic building venerates 33 icons of Avalokitasvara Bodhisattva in different postures and backgrounds, and holding different instruments. They are designed in accordance with “The Chapter of Universal Gate in the Lotus Sutra” and “The Mahaprajña- paramità Sutra.” They deeply represent Avalokitasvara Bodhisattva’s innumerable well-known stories of relieving mankind’s sufferings.
Short history of Quan Am Buddhist Monastery
1995 Quan Am Temple dedicated
05/04/1999 Quan Am Buddhist Monastery was founded by Venerable Thich Phuoc An.
07/2003 Construction of Quan Am Buddhist Monastery started.
21/06/2004 to 2005 tree plantings around Monastery’s perimeter.
18/03/2006 Main Buddha Hall construction started.
08/04/2007 Inaugural ceremony of the Main Buddha Hall.
19/06/2008 construction of bases of 33 Bodhisattva statures
04/10/2009 33 icons of Avalokitasvara Bodhisattva were dedicated.
30/09/2012 Dining hall was completed.
12/04/2015 Patriarch Hall and Sangha quarters were completed.
25/11/2017 Quan Am Buddhist Monastery was inaugurated.
25/11/2019 Completion of Quan Am Buddhist Monastery. Propagating the Dharma, paving the Path.
02-06/03/2024 Hosting of the 11th General Conference of World Buddhist Sangha Council in Auckland, New Zealand.
Why was the Quan Am Buddhist Monastery built?
Many years ago, Venerable Thich Phuoc An already made a great vow to build a Buddhist culture and art center. Thus, he concentrated to find an ideal place. There were two reasons why the plan was delayed for many years: 1. During this period, he left Australia for Taiwan to study Buddhist courses. 2. His monastic duties in Australia were too busy to go to other places. However, the Vietnamese Buddhists of Chinese origin in New Zealand had deep karmic relation with Venerable Thich Phuoc An. Despite the change of objective circumstance and situation, his long-year wish to build a Buddhist culture center in New Zealand had never receded.
New Zealand is located in the end of southern hemisphere. It has five million population and beautiful scenery. Everywhere are the lakes and mountains as elegant as a poem and a painting, for example, the well-known Aotearoa, the capital of white cloud.
The Vietnamese of Chinese origin in New Zealand are few. A quiet sea-surrounded place in the suburb of Auckland was chosen as the site of Quan Am Buddhist Monastery.
With nearly 20 years’ planning and design, the Main Buddha Hall and the Buddhist culture and art gallery were constructed. The 33 marble icons of Avalokitasvara Bodhisattva sculptured in Đà Nẵng city, Vietnam had different forms, postures, background and dharma instruments, fully actualizing the wonder of Vietnamese Buddhist culture and architecture. From now on, the Avalokitasvara Bodhisattva will spray the ambrosia in this beautiful country. All devotees will be blessed by his compassion, and wisdom.