Main Hall

In 1964, Master Yin Shun entered retreat at Miaoyun Temple, supported by Venerable Hui-Li, Venerable Hui-Rui, and Venerable Hui-Run, who was still a lay Buddhist at the time. Together, the three devoted themselves to supporting and safeguarding his retreat.

After emerging from retreat, Master Yin Shun continued to recuperate and write here. He not only compiled the Miaoyun Collection but also completed such major works as The Formation of the Original Buddhist Scriptures, A History of Chinese Chan Buddhism, and A Study of Ancient Chinese Ethnic Myths and Culture. Miaoyun Temple thus became an important center for the development and study of Humanistic Buddhism.

The main hall of the retreat quarter enshrines Shakyamuni Buddha. It preserves its original Taiwan cypress structure and ventilated ceiling, together with a Tang-style shrine, a marble incense burner and a suspended screen in the southern Fujian style—features typical of temples built in Taiwan in the 1960s, full of Zen character and humanistic warmth. On either side of the hall are rooms that still bear the traces of history and practice.