Front Yard Design Concept
The origin of the design concept: "Gold Mountain has Mine"
The San Francisco center is located in Silicon Valley, where high-tech industries are concentrated. People there have a unique culture of innovation, diversity, and the pursuit of equality. Therefore, a more abstract and equal expression method was adopted to design “Gold Mountain Mine”.
The design concept is to use the pronunciation of Chinese, the first, second, third and fourth tones to represent Chinese characters.
The first tone is 1, the second tone is 2, and so on.
Therefore, “Jin Shan You Kuang” uses this abstract and creative code “1-1-3-4” to represent the meaning of these four words. And uses the preserved “bricks” in a modern art creation way to present a brand new image design style.
Three-column fountain
It represents diligently practicing the three studies of “precepts, concentration and wisdom” and eliminating the three poisons of “greed, anger and ignorance”.
Three short fountains emerge from the cracks in the rocks at the bottom of the pool, just like our “greed, anger, and ignorance”, constantly emerging from the depths of our hearts.
The three small fountains are controlled to flow back into the pool, symbolizing that we practice the concept of “improving human quality” by diligently practicing the three teachings of “morality, concentration and wisdom” to eliminate the three kinds of troubles of “greed, anger and ignorance”.
Three stone pillars with flowing water
Represents the three Dharma Seals of Buddhism: “Impermanence of all phenomena, no self in all phenomena, and nirvana is tranquility”
When we look from the indoor hall to the outdoor courtyard, the three stone pillars in the middle appear steadily before our eyes, just like the three Dharma Seals of Buddhism, reminding us of the true meaning of Buddhism at all times.
The carvings on the stone pillars on the left and right represent our joining our palms in reverence to the Three Dharma Seals, while the water flows slowly from top to bottom across the irregular surfaces of the stone pillars, creating an ever-changing phenomenon and a sense of gradually dissolving the self.
The stone pillar in the middle has no carvings, and the water flows calmly and steadily, allowing us to gradually experience the true meaning of learning Buddhism and work hard towards the path to becoming a Buddha.
A big tree and two stone chairs
It represents the compassion and wisdom that are present in Zen.
Master Sheng Yen’s teachings:
“Zen is the Dharma. The content of the Dharma is compassion and wisdom. Pure and true compassion and wisdom must be practiced in accordance with the Dharma and fully enlightened.”
There are two stone chairs on both sides of the only maple tree in the courtyard, one for compassion and the other for wisdom, which provide a good place for us to sit quietly and meditate in the courtyard. The vitality displayed by the maple tree is just like the lively spirit embodied by Zen. If we can truly experience pure compassion and wisdom through Zen, then it is the concept of “building a pure land on earth.”
