The Enlightened Heart Buddhist Temple is a sprawling Tibetan-style temple complex with a tall pagoda, tucked away in a hidden valley in the Tambun district of Ipoh, Perak.
This temple, with its imposing 13-storey pagoda and large standing Buddha statue, should be one of the top tourist attractions in Perak, but it appears to welcome fewer visitors than it deserves, perhaps due to its out-of-the-way location.
The pagoda, known as the Enlightened Heart Medicine Buddha Bhaishaya Guru Pagoda, is 72 metres high, making it one of the tallest in the world, though it is far behind the Tianning pagoda in China, which at 154 metres is over double the height.
The design of the pagoda is unconventional, with an enormous opening from the 8th floor upwards through which an 11m tall gold-coloured Shakyamuni Buddha statue overlooks the hills, ponds and pomelo farms towards Ipoh.
Surrounding the pagoda are a number of pavilions and buildings containing statues of deities, Buddhas, guardians, mythical creatures and more.
Tibetan prayer wheels and prayer flags line the walkways. There is a wheel of fortune which devotees are instructed to walk around in a clockwise direction using their right hand to turn the wheel.
Throughout the temple the walls are decorated with carvings, paintings and Buddhist scriptures.
The temple was established in 1976, by Ge Li Rinpoche who was known as Yong Si Fu until he gave up his home life to pursue the practice of Nyinma Tibetan Buddhism under the guidance of his teacher Ng Yuen Kong Rinpoche.
Ge Li’s teachings are to:
- Not forget the kindness of your teacher.
- Sincerely practise the Buddha’s teaching.
- Contribute sincerely to charity.
Following his own teachings, he built the pagoda for people to come and seek cures for illness, to pray for a long life and to practise Buddhism.
The appearance of the temple is certainly striking, though the gaudy colours and décor may not be to everybody’s taste.
The quality of construction materials used and the workmanship leaves a little to be desired as well, but the place is fascinating all the same.
It is a shame it is not busier. Its busiest day of the year is Wesak Day, when thousands of devotees descend on the temple to pray for wisdom and good fortune.
The temple is open daily from 9am to 5pm and admission is free, though donations are welcome. There is a shop selling items relating to Buddhism.
This article first appeared in Malaysia Traveller
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