Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Hong Kong

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Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Hong Kong

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When I travel I like to find one place, one activity, or one show that I really want to check out. There was a lot I was interested in seeing while I was in Hong Kong, but my one must do was visiting the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery.

I should preface this by saying that this place is a little off the main tourist trail, but it’s not impossible to find. The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery is more of a local spot and isn’t promoted with the local tourism board, so it can be a bit tricky to find. I didn’t locate this monastery right away; to be fair I get lost pretty easily. I wandered around the Po Fook Hill Ancestral Halls for a few minutes before I realized I was in the wrong place. Eventually, I got to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery, and it was well worth a visit.

The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery isn’t technically a monastery because there are no monks that live there. It’s maintained by staff and has been open since the 1950s. There are about 430 steps to walk to get to the temples at the top, but the walk is the best/worst (so tiring) part of the experience because of all the Buddha statues. Each golden Buddha statue is different from one another. Some Buddhas are sitting, some are standing. Some are pretty natural looking. Others are more ornate. It’s pretty cool to see. Here are some photos I took.

Going up the incline (there were also steps at some points) and seeing some of my first (out of Ten Thousand) Buddhas. There is a sign along the way warning people that fake monks are known to hang around and scam tourists. How can you tell a phony monk from a real one? In Hong Kong, an actual monk can’t beg for money. I’m not sure if that rule applies everywhere, but it is the case in Hong Kong.
When you first start walking the Buddhas are sitting, and gradually they begin standing. My assumption (and not verified by anyone so this might not be right) is that it’s showing Buddha’s enlightenment.
Some Buddha statues were simple, like this one.
A few Buddhas on the mountain. Maybe I just lucked out with when I went (a random Wednesday afternoon in March) but there were only a few other people when I was there. It was very peaceful.
Now you can see some Buddhas starting to stand.
Every Buddha statue was different. Some of the Buddhas had a very peaceful expression to them, but not all of them did. This Buddha on the far left is slaying a dragon with some severe fury.
This Buddha was riding a horse. There were signs stating not to climb on the statues. Respect.
This Buddha statue was near the top and riding a bird…again maybe symbolizing enlightenment, but that’s just a guess. There wasn’t a sign saying that’s what it meant.

When you get to the top, you see the temples with even more Buddhas. There are some larger statues and smaller ones, both outside and inside the temples. Unfortunately, as I came to find out during my time in Hong Kong (and later in Tokyo), you’re often not allowed to take photos inside the temples. It’s too bad because the temples were quite beautiful and ornate inside, but I understand this is a sacred space. No matter what you believe, it’s important to be respectful of other people’s beliefs and traditions. Good travel manners and all, so that’s why there are only a few photos here.

These were three of the Buddha statues at the very top, by the temples. I started wondering if there were really 10000 statues, then I went inside the temples and saw all these little Buddhas statues and thought “no way I’m counting those. I’ll just assume there are ten thousand statues.”
A general view of the temple area at the top of the Monastery. The incense up here smelled so lovely. I did see some signs telling people not to feed the wild monkeys, but I didn’t see any monkeys while I was there.
While most of the Buddhas going up to the temples were gold, the Buddhas at the top and inside the temples were all sorts of colours.
Leaving the Buddhist monastery and there are still more statues on the way back down. Check out the multi-headed Buddha on the right.
I’ll end with one of my favourite Buddha statues, what I call the Don’t Mess With Me Buddha sitting on a lion.

Things To Know
The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery (the website is in Chinese) is located on Tai Pai Road in Sha Tin, Hong Kong. The closest MTR station to the monastery is the Sha Tin station, take Exit B, and then it’s about a 10-minute walk. There’s a step by step video on YouTube showing how to get to the monastery from Sha Tin station (if you don’t want to get lost like me). The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery is open from 9 am to 5 pm. Admission is free.

While in Hong Kong I stayed at the Pearl Premium Guesthouse. This is a great option for budget travellers to Hong Kong, and is only a two-minute walk from Kowloon Park and the MTR (subway). If you can stretch your budget, there are plenty of moderate and high-end luxury hotels in Hong Kong you can book here.

Would you visit the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery?

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16 thoughts on “Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Hong Kong”

  1. Shannon Colman

    Looks really interesting! I like that there is a rule against taking photos inside the temples – the constant noise would distract from the serenity. Are the statues all made of real gold?!

  2. Ryan Biddulph

    Hi Alouise,

    Not heard of this spot.

    Way cool facial expressions on these chaps too.

    Off the beaten path or flat out underpromoted spots seem to work nicely for me.

    Those throngs of loud tourists need to be avoided to enjoy these experiences.

    Signing off from sunny NJ.

    Ryan

  5. anna

    Oh wow! My sister lives in HK and I haven’t heard of this place-neither has she! Will send this to her to check out. Thanks

  8. Alouise

    I’ll admit I kind of wish I could have taken photos inside, but it definitely made it a lot more peaceful without the photos. I don’t believe the statues are made of a real gold, at least not completely.

  9. Annika

    I didn’t know that there’s a Buddha monastery in Hong Kong. I’m looking forward to visiting the place soon. Base on the pictures every Buddha is unique.

  10. Alouise

    Hey Ryan thanks for the comment. I don’t mind checking out the tourist spots now and then too, but it was nice to come here where it was a little quieter and definitely more local.

  15. Alouise

    Glad I could give you some inspiration for your future trip to HK. This spot is worth searching out if you have the time. Thanks for the comment.

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