佛陀紀念館為供奉佛陀真身舍利而建，「本館」是佛陀紀念館的主體建築，也是供奉佛陀真身舍利之所在，代表「本師釋迦牟尼佛」；館內軟、硬體設計皆如星雲大師所說：「融合古今、中印文化，展示手法結合尖端多媒體科技，先讓民眾喜歡，進而願意接受佛陀教誨。」
本館一樓設「三殿」皆位於中軸線上，前為觀音殿、中為金佛殿，後為玉佛殿，另設「四常設展」。二樓除了大覺堂提供公益藝文表演，還有四個展覽廳。塔剎中的藏經閣奉納全球百萬人抄寫的《心經》。

The Main Hall is the main building in the Buddha Museum dedicated to Sakyamuni Buddha, the root teacher of all Buddhists. This is also the place where the Buddha’s tooth relic is enshrined. It is a domed-shaped stupa built in the Indian style. The base is made from yellow sandstone while the body is made from rock. The spire in the center houses a million copies of the Heart Sutra.