Zulai Temple, located in Cotia in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, is the first temple of the Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Latin America.

In April 1992, Venerable Master Hsing Yün was invited to officiate the consecration of the Kuan Yin Buddhist Temple in São Paulo, at which the Mr. and Mrs. Chang, generous disciples, were present and filled with joy upon hearing the Dharma words of the Venerable Master. Repeating the gesture of the noble Anathapindika, the Chang couple donated their family site that became the temple named Zu Lai by the Venerable Master. On the same occasion, the Venerable also established the headquarters of the International Buddha Light Association (Blia), whose first president was the upasaka Mr. Shih Tze Lin. Among the group of monks accompanying the Venerable Master, Reverend Jue Cheng (Master Sincerity) was tasked with staying here to propagate the Dharma.

Upon its establishment, Zulai Temple maintains the tradition of regularly conducting practices and ceremonies of the Chan and Pure Land schools of Buddhist thought, officiating “Eight Precepts” ceremonies and meditation retreats. Guided by the precepts of Humanistic Buddhism, the actions that Zulai Temple and Blia undertake, since its inception, are based on four pillars established by the Venerable Master: cultural, educational, social actions, and religious practices. Both entities also seek to integrate the various Buddhist traditions in Brazil, participating in joint activities with other temples, such as those that occur during Vesak celebrations. To this day, Zulai Temple has been considered the largest Buddhist temple in South America.

Throughout its first eleven years of existence, Zu Lai has been conducting an increasing number of activities with a growing influx of disciples and supporters, expanding to such an extent that it could no longer accommodate the many people who were drawn to it.

Disciples Shih Tze Lin, Liu Shie Lin, and Hong Tsu Ho then made the vow to build a new temple, relying on the effort and generosity of Blia members from Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Taiwan, Mainland China, the United States, and many others from various corners of the world, acquiring additional neighboring land lots for this purpose.

In May 2000, the foundation stone for the new building was laid, which would have 10,000 m2 of built area, on a total area of 150,000 m2. Its design was inspired by the architectural style of the Tang Dynasty palaces, integrating aspects of modern Western architecture. The work was developed in collaboration by Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, and Brazilian architects, and the construction was completed in October 2003, thus giving rise to the “Pure Land” of Humanistic Buddhism in South America.

Within the same principles of the Fo Guang Shan Monastery, Zulai Temple seeks to propagate the Dharma, developing talents, bringing benefits to society, and purifying hearts and minds through cultural and educational activities, social actions, and religious practices.

Continuing along the path pointed out by Venerable Master Hsing Yün, the temple seeks to develop various studies that apply to everyday life while “nationalising” the teachings of the Buddha, respecting the aspects of the local culture that embraces its doctrine, making it possible to carry out projects such as: courses in Buddhist philosophy, study groups, and reading circles on the Dharma, creation of the “Children of Buddha Project” through the Foundation of the same name, and through its Translation Centre that has been working on the dissemination of Buddhist teachings in Portuguese.

Since then, Zulai Temple has been fulfilling its mission to promote these four pillars to solidify and nationalise the principles of Humanistic Buddhism in Brazil.

And so, on October 5, 2003, Venerable Master Hsing Yün returned to Brazil to consecrate the new building of Zulai Temple, which celebrated its twenty years on Brazilian soil on April 24, 2012.