Next on our study tour we stopped at Xiantang Temple, the first Buddhist temple in China, dating back to the Han dynasty, and the biggest temple at Mount Wutai. Xiantang features seven halls, three of which we visited; the Sakayamuni Hall, the Guanyin Hall, and the Manjusri Hall. A few of us also ventured further into the temple to see the Bronze Hall, featured in the fourth picture above. The interior of the Bronze Hall, which was as its name implies created entirely of burnished bronze, was lined with ten thousand small statues of the Buddha. We were not able to go inside the Bronze Hall, but we could peer in through the doorway, and it was difficult for me to really take in the craftsmanship and the number of man hours it would have taken to make the inside of the Bronze Hall with pre-modern technology.
The first picture above is not specific to Xiantang. It shows a stone turtle, on the back of which was set a giant stone tablet which served as a label and an information sign post for visitors to the various temples on Wutai during the Qing dynasty. The stone turtles were used as the bases for these signs because turtles are long lived, and were thought to be well suited to carrying the information on the tablets into the future. Based on how much is still known about all the temples at Wutai, the turtles seem to have succeeded.
The second picture is of a procession of monks which we saw walk through the courtyard of Xiantang temple, followed by a group of pilgrims carrying incense sticks. The procession was fascinating to watch, in large part because in spite of the apparent solemnity of the occasion, some of the monks seemed only half-interested in their chanting and meditative walking. Seeing this made me wonder whether or not the spirituality of the monks at Wutai is affected by the huge amounts of tourism on the mountain.
The third picture is of Micheal at the entrance to the Thousand Hands Guanyin Hall. We were not allowed to take photographs inside the halls, but in taking this picture of Micheal at the entrance to this hall I managed to capture some of the statue of Guanyin within, by chance. So now you get to enjoy my dumb-luck photography!
The fourth picture is of the bronze hall which was by far the most striking thing about Xiantang temple. It stood at the top of a tall staircase at the very back of the temple. The hall was made of solid bronze, as were the two pagodas in front of it. The inner wall of the hall was covered in bronze statues of the Buddha, all of which reflected the light of a single candle stand to illuminate the entire hall. I wish we'd been able to photograph inside the Bronze Hall, it is extremely difficult for me to try and convey what it was really like.
Next up: Tayuan Temple!
The first picture above is not specific to Xiantang. It shows a stone turtle, on the back of which was set a giant stone tablet which served as a label and an information sign post for visitors to the various temples on Wutai during the Qing dynasty. The stone turtles were used as the bases for these signs because turtles are long lived, and were thought to be well suited to carrying the information on the tablets into the future. Based on how much is still known about all the temples at Wutai, the turtles seem to have succeeded.
The second picture is of a procession of monks which we saw walk through the courtyard of Xiantang temple, followed by a group of pilgrims carrying incense sticks. The procession was fascinating to watch, in large part because in spite of the apparent solemnity of the occasion, some of the monks seemed only half-interested in their chanting and meditative walking. Seeing this made me wonder whether or not the spirituality of the monks at Wutai is affected by the huge amounts of tourism on the mountain.
The third picture is of Micheal at the entrance to the Thousand Hands Guanyin Hall. We were not allowed to take photographs inside the halls, but in taking this picture of Micheal at the entrance to this hall I managed to capture some of the statue of Guanyin within, by chance. So now you get to enjoy my dumb-luck photography!
The fourth picture is of the bronze hall which was by far the most striking thing about Xiantang temple. It stood at the top of a tall staircase at the very back of the temple. The hall was made of solid bronze, as were the two pagodas in front of it. The inner wall of the hall was covered in bronze statues of the Buddha, all of which reflected the light of a single candle stand to illuminate the entire hall. I wish we'd been able to photograph inside the Bronze Hall, it is extremely difficult for me to try and convey what it was really like.
Next up: Tayuan Temple!
Way cool! How big were the 10,000 Buddha statues?
ReplyDeleteIs it my imagination that the turtles face is similar to the Cheshire Cat in Disney's Alice in Wonderland?