The Temple Main Gate

Four stone columns are placed by the temple's main gate. On the top of each column is a stone carved lion. All four sides of the top of the stone columns have the carvings, same as the stone carved lion columns of Asuka, the Buddhist King of India, that still exist to remind us of the important events in the Buddha's life. The body of each stone column is square and it has the carving of TỨ quả, TỨ Linh, TỨ Bảo sets and the old scripture based on the Vietnamese culture. Moreover, there are 4 sentences of The Great Vows in both Vietnamese and English. These stone carved columns at the temple's main gate represent the beauty of Vietnamese cultural art and the history of Buddhism.

The yearning from a handful of Vietnamese Buddhist Youths for a profound spiritual leader gave birth to the creation of the Vietnam Buddhist Center (VNBC), a spacious twelve-acre plus tract of land in the Southwest region of the City of Houston, Texas. In 1989, after hearing a sermon from the Venerable Thích Nguyên Hạnh, the Huyền Quang Buddhist Youth knew that they had found the spiritual leader they have wished for. They invited him to come to Houston to guide them with the practice of the Buddhist faith. Cultivating the teachings of the Buddha, writing, travelling, and giving lecture are activities that the Venerable Thích Nguyên Hạnh derives most pleasure from. To him, that is total freedom