Ok! I've extracted the over 900 pictures from my memory card and picked a few for each location on the Study Tour. I'm going to post them one location at a time and talk about each place we visited. First up is the Hanging Temple!
The first picture up there is of Hannah and I at the approach to the Hanging Temple, a huge, thousand year old Cha'an Buddhist temple famous for its apparently gravity-defying architecture and for its Sanjiao Hall, which venerate all three great Chinese teachers; Confucius, Lao Tzu of Daoism, and the Buddha. I say apparently gravity-defying because those columns in reality support nothing, the temple is built into the cliff side such that it is held up by its own weight. The temple was a sight to behold, nestled in a very weather protected location. The cliff it is built into protects it from rain, and a cliff opposite to it protects it from wind and from the sun, so that the temple is one of the most in tact ancient structures in China.
The second picture is a side shot of the hanging temple, showing most of the structure. It was exciting, and a bit frightening for some, to walk out onto the hanging floor of the temple.
The third picture is of Dr. Clark at the top of a staircase leading to an upper level of the temple. This shot shows how far outward the temple is built, and also how narrow the walkways are. That wall there on the staircase? It's about knee high. Also notable in this shot are the pillars which supposedly hold up parts of the temple. These do nothing, in spite of their appearance.
The fourth picture is of a statue of the Boddhisattva Guanyin and two guardian figures. Most of the interior spaces at the temples we visited did not allow photography, but this room for some reason did not disallow it.
So that's the Hanging Temple. It was a really fascinating place to visit, my first real Buddhist Temple experience. Those of us who had been in Buddhism class were pointing things out all over the place while walking in and out of the temple rooms, pointing at statues and telling our classmates the names of various Buddhas and Boddhisattvas. The Hanging Temple was very cool, and was probably one of the most memorable temples we visited.
Next up will be a post on Shuzaing Temple, the first temple we visited on Wutai Mountain, the most famous Buddhist site in China!
The first picture up there is of Hannah and I at the approach to the Hanging Temple, a huge, thousand year old Cha'an Buddhist temple famous for its apparently gravity-defying architecture and for its Sanjiao Hall, which venerate all three great Chinese teachers; Confucius, Lao Tzu of Daoism, and the Buddha. I say apparently gravity-defying because those columns in reality support nothing, the temple is built into the cliff side such that it is held up by its own weight. The temple was a sight to behold, nestled in a very weather protected location. The cliff it is built into protects it from rain, and a cliff opposite to it protects it from wind and from the sun, so that the temple is one of the most in tact ancient structures in China.
The second picture is a side shot of the hanging temple, showing most of the structure. It was exciting, and a bit frightening for some, to walk out onto the hanging floor of the temple.
The third picture is of Dr. Clark at the top of a staircase leading to an upper level of the temple. This shot shows how far outward the temple is built, and also how narrow the walkways are. That wall there on the staircase? It's about knee high. Also notable in this shot are the pillars which supposedly hold up parts of the temple. These do nothing, in spite of their appearance.
The fourth picture is of a statue of the Boddhisattva Guanyin and two guardian figures. Most of the interior spaces at the temples we visited did not allow photography, but this room for some reason did not disallow it.
So that's the Hanging Temple. It was a really fascinating place to visit, my first real Buddhist Temple experience. Those of us who had been in Buddhism class were pointing things out all over the place while walking in and out of the temple rooms, pointing at statues and telling our classmates the names of various Buddhas and Boddhisattvas. The Hanging Temple was very cool, and was probably one of the most memorable temples we visited.
Next up will be a post on Shuzaing Temple, the first temple we visited on Wutai Mountain, the most famous Buddhist site in China!
Awesome job writing Jeremy. It's so good to hear what you are up to. And it's so fun to see Hannah in your photos!
ReplyDeleteThese photos are amazing! Also - great descriptions of the mountains, valley and shrines and temples - helps me start to picture what you experienced.
ReplyDelete