RELIGION
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Other Buddhist and Taoist monasteries which attract both de- votees and sight-seers include those known as Castle Peak, Tung Po Tor, Yuen Yuen Hok Yuen and Sai Lam, all in the New Territories. At To Fung Shan, a hill in Sha Tin, there is a Christian Study Centre on Chinese religion and culture which engages in study and discussions of issues and problems in the Chinese religious world and where the work of the Christian Mission to Buddhists has been carried on for many years. There is also a unique organization, the Hong Kong Red Swastika Society, which seeks to cultivate together under one roof Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Mohammedanism and Confucianism. To meet the demand of the urban population, Buddhist Ching She (places for spiritual cultivation), Fat Tong (Buddha - Halls) and To Yuen (places for Taoist worship) have been opened in flats in residential areas. Sutras are also expounded under the auspices of various Buddhist institutions in the urban areas.
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Sarira (relics left after the cremation of renowned high priests or living Buddhas) are treasured by Buddhists and are distributed to the close followers of the deceased. The relics are usually kept in specially built pagodas within the compounds of monasteries. It is also common practice among Buddhists to preserve the cremated remains of their relatives in such pagodas, but the fees are high and not within the means of all. Work has started on the development of a private Buddhist cemetery at Cape Collinson, near the new Muslim cemetery and the public crematorium.
As places of public worship, the temples play an important part in Chinese religious life; it is estimated that worshippers of one major deity (Tin Hau) number no less than 250,000. The temples generally house and are named after one major deity, but other subsidiary deities may sometimes be found in the same temple. The subsidiary deities of one temple may, however, be the major ones of another. Almost all of the deities are sea gods and goddesses, reflecting Hong Kong's origin as a fishing port. It is difficult to classify these deities according to religions or ways of life. Except for Kwun Yam, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, the majority of them are deified mortals who, as a result of their performance of true or mythical feats, have been traditionally worshipped. The better known ones are Tin Hau (Goddess of Heaven and protectress of seafarers), Kwan Tai (God of War