(Book 223 Stories of Supreme Spiritual Responses《無上殊勝的感應》「001號的建築執照」)
‧Ｗritten by Sheng-yen Lu‧
Translated by Janny Chow
A US Daden Culture Publication
It is alleged that in Taiwan, it is extremely difficult to apply for a permit to build temples or monasteries on mountain slopes or farmlands. Yet, on the hills and dry lands of Taiwan, there exist many temples and monasteries. How did this come about?
The answer is: First apply for a permit to build a farmhouse, then submit a request to have the occupancy permit changed.
(In Taiwan, some temples and monasteries built on hills and dry land do not even have occupancy permits. People are no longer surprised by these situations.)
Recently, there has been a call to legalize temples that have already been built. Are those temples now all legal? I do not know.
When we originally wanted to apply for a construction permit for the Taiwan Leizang Temple at Tiger Hill, Tsaotun, I approached an eminent monk from one of the four major temples in Taiwan for advice.
The eminent monk said, “Sheng-yen Lu is dreaming!”
The eminent monk said, “The permit will not happen.”
The eminent monk said, “You will first need to apply for a farmhouse. When the farmhouse is built, you should then apply to change its occupancy status to religious use. This is the method used by everyone.”
When I insisted that I wanted to build the Taiwan Leizang Temple with legal methods, the eminent monk scoffed and said, “It is not possible!”
***
Yet, the universe works in mysterious ways. Applications for temple construction permits are reviewed by three different departments:
1. Department of Civil Affairs (The Provincial Government was still in existence then.)
2. Department of Construction
3. County Government
Only when these three governmental bodies have approved the application is it possible to obtain a construction permit to develop on a hill site. It is especially difficult to obtain a permit for the construction of temples and monasteries on undeveloped hill sites.
The Department of Civil Affairs is in charge of religious affairs.
The Department of Construction is in charge of construction.
(to be continued)
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