On the back of the big screen behind Maitreya is the God of Wei Tuo. Wei Tuo, also known as Wei Kun, Wei Tuotian and Wei Tuo Bodhisattva, is the 32nd general among the four heavenly kings and the protector of Buddhism. Wei Tuo's back is to Maitreya and his face is to Ursa Mahayana, subduing evil spirits and protecting Buddhism. The statue stands upright with its fingers crossed, and the position of the pestle is very particular: if Wei Tuo carries a pestle on his shoulder, it means that the temple is very big, and the monks who come here can be entertained for three days for free; If Wei Tuo's pestle is in hand, it means that this temple is medium-sized and can entertain monks who come here for a free day. If Wei Tuo leans on the ground, it means that the temple is too small to entertain monks who come here for free.
Daxiong Hall: the main building in the center of the temple. "Daxiong" is the name of the Buddha, praising the Buddha as a Hercules and fearless. Generally, the main hall is divided into three rooms, while the Ninth Five-Year Plan Hall is divided into nine rooms, symbolizing the emperor's Ninth Five-Year Plan. There are one, three, five and seven Buddha statues dedicated to Sakyamuni. There are usually three, called "III Buddhas", and Sakyamuni in the middle is a secular Buddha; On the left is Sakyamuni's teacher, the burning Buddha, also known as the past Buddha; On the right is Maitreya, a disciple of Sakyamuni and the legal heir. There are "horizontal three" and "vertical three". The so-called "vertical three" is the above three Buddhas, arranged in chronological order; The so-called "Heng III" is divided into spheres of influence according to space and region: in the middle is Sakyamuni Buddha, the leader of the dance world, and on the left is the pharmacist Buddha, the leader of the oriental pure glass world; On the right is Amitabha, the founder of the western paradise. The Five Buddhas are collectively called Five Dhyani Buddhas in East, West, North and South, and seven buddha includes the six Buddhas before Sakyamuni. There are eighteen arhats or twenty days on both sides of the temple. In addition, bodhisattvas are often worshipped in temples. Among the bodhisattvas, Manjusri, Pu Xian, Guanyin and Dizang are the most famous. Wutai Mountain, Emei Mountain, Putuo Mountain and Jiuhua Mountain, the four famous mountains in China, are the Dojo of Manjusri, Pu Xian, Guanyin and Tibetan Bodhisattva respectively, which is also the characteristic of China! The furnishings in the temple have also been China-oriented, such as zhaobi, memorial archway, stone lions, classical buildings, incense burners, Baoding, cloud boards, pedestals, stone lamps, altars, banners (there are wind and horse flags in Tibet), etc. Kuimen, prayer flags, ever-burning lamps, support tables, utensils, bells and drums, wooden fish, chimes, candles and futons in the temple.
The larger Buddhist temple has east and west halls on both sides of the Ursa Major Hall. To the east is the Galatians Temple, which contains three statues of the King of Persia (middle), the Prince Tuo (left) and the widowed old man (right). Eighteen Galatians are often guarded on both sides of the temple. West is the ancestral hall dedicated to the outstanding founder who laid the foundation stone. Four pavilions: Finger Ballroom, Zhao Pavilion, Jing Pavilion and Lecture Hall. In some big jungles, there will be a dharma hall and a photo studio, which will be placed behind the Hall of Great Heroes. The Dharma Hall is the place where Zen teaches. For example, there are five clouds in Hua Yan Jing: "The Buddha is in the Dharma Hall and shines in the Palace." It shows that when the Buddha was alive, in order to teach Buddhism to all beings, a Buddhist temple was established to spread Buddhism. In the center of the Dharma Hall is the Dharma Seat, which is used by eminent monks to give lectures. This is also the place where monks meditate. Buddha statues in Buddhist temples are no longer the main body. Many Buddhist temples don't have lecture halls, but generally recite scriptures or hold Buddhist ceremonies in Mahayana Hall.
Zhaotang is behind the Dharma Hall, and the two halls are actually the front and back parts of a building. The former is Dharma Hall and the latter is Zhaotang. "Baizhang Clear Rules" said: "The abbot has many things to do, so if he doesn't go to class, the abbot will give him the first order, saying that everything is in place, so he tries to get a seat in class. This house is connected with a monk's hall, so it stands high, bright and famous. " It means: if there are many things to do, the "presiding" of the temple will be presided over by the first one with the second level, so it will be held in Zhaotang instead of in the Buddhist hall. Try to sit down. This place is behind the monk's hall, and the light is not very good, so it is named "Zhaotang", hoping the sun (Buddha's light) will shine. It is also the first place where temple managers can release news to monks and handle affairs.
The lecture hall and lecture hall are also located behind Mahayana Hall. The lecture hall is also a place to talk about Buddhist scriptures. Small and medium-sized temples have no dharma halls, so they use lecture halls instead of dharma halls. If there is a Dharma Hall, then the lecture hall will be placed in the wing on both sides of the Dharma Hall, or in the two courtyards between the Buddhist Hall and the Dharma Hall. Monastery is a place for chanting, chanting and converting to precepts.
The Sutra Hall is a pavilion of scriptures, where monks recite scriptures. It's different from Buddhist architecture. The Buddhist Scripture Building is the temple library, which is used to store all the books in the temple. The Buddhist scriptures building is dedicated to storing Buddhist classics. "Hua Yan Jing" said: "Self-discipline, willing to be with all beings; Digging into the classics, wisdom is like the sea. " Chinese Jing Tang is also different from Tibetan Datang Jing. The Grand Sutra Hall of the Lama Temple is similar to the Chinese-style "Dharma Hall", which is the place where the monks said. Located in the main temple, there are nine to ten rooms, which are spacious and magnificent and can accommodate more than 2,000 people.
Four stops: Bandai, Baitai, Gao Tai and Jietai. They are all high platforms. The four sets have different names and overlapping functions. Generally, monasteries will only build one of them to serve several other functions.
Jietai: commonly known as Tan Jie, it was called "Datura" in ancient India and translated as "Altar" in Chinese. The altar was built high in the temple with a high platform, where monks were ordained. "History of Capital Holding" said: "Law destroys respect. Don't do it in the usual place. If you hold a secret spell, you will end up in an altar. " In ancient India, altars were often built in the southeast outside temples, which was the layout of gardens. The altar of the Chinese temple was built on a vacant lot in the temple. During the reign of Qi Yong in the Southern Dynasty, the third generation of Wu began to give way to the altar, which was the beginning of the altar recorded in the history of China. In the Tang Dynasty, Taoist priests and monks wrote a volume of Tan Jie Tujing, which is the earliest record about the architecture and function of Tan Jie. In all the monasteries of Zen Legalists, a stone tablet stands in front of the altar, which reads "No meat and no wine enter the mountain gate" and is called "altar stone".
Music stage and worship stage: Music stage is commonly known as "stage", and some of them are also called "worship stage" when sending Buddha. It is the place where Buddhist music is played in the temple when religious ceremonies are held in front of the Buddha. It is generally built in front of the Ursa Major Hall, and its height is equal to that of Mount Sumi in Ursa Major Hall. Studio is usually three to five rooms, square. There is a step ahead. There are two steps on both sides of this ancient temple.
Gao Tai: Build a platform in an independent place in the temple, usually in Zhang Er. Building a quadrangle or a group of temples on the platform is an extremely noble place in the temple. It is mainly used to worship the main Buddha statues in the temple, such as Haibao Temple in Yinchuan and Baima Temple in Luoyang. Tang Xuanzang once translated Buddhist scriptures brought by India on the high platform of Baima Temple. Luohantang: Luohantang is a disciple of Sakyamuni and a male monk. Also known as arhat, it is translated as "killing thieves" and "not being born". And a smart person who should be polite. Some Buddhist temples have arhat halls, while others have separate arhat courtyards.
There are many kinds of arhats enshrined in temples: the most common ones are eighteen arhats, sixteen arhats and five hundred arhats. Only large-scale temples, such as Saiweng Temple in Suzhou, Biyun Temple in Xishan of Beijing, Baoguang Temple in Chengdu of Sichuan, Longhua Temple in Shanghai, Guiyuan Temple in Wuhan, and Zhu Qian Temple in Kunming, are often the most brilliant places in temples.
Zen house: also known as Zen house, Zen house and Zen hall. Zen temple takes "Zen" as its purpose. "Zen" means "thinking" or "meditation", that is, you need to think quietly, which requires a quiet place to live, which gives birth to meditation. Zen rooms are generally located behind temples or near abbots' rooms, where practitioners live. Prison and Abbot: The prison is the general manager of the temple, ranking second only to the abbot. The difference between early temples is that the abbot is a highly respected and knowledgeable monk and the spiritual leader of the temple; Prison is the highest chief executive of the temple and the actual manager of the temple. After the Tang Dynasty, the selection of prisons often emphasized monks with knowledge, understanding of Buddhism and being able to handle affairs seriously, and the responsibilities of prisons and abbots began to be confused.
The abbot's hospital is a prison or a place where the abbot sleeps. A separate house or yard is usually built behind the temple as the residence of the abbot of the temple. In ancient times, the stone chambers of Vimo lay people were square, one foot long and one foot wide, so they were called "abbots". Later, although the abbot's residence was the abbot's residence, it was not luxurious and the area was not large. According to Wang Jianqi's "Toutuo Temple Monument", the abbot room built during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of the Southern Dynasties was covered with thatch. Later, the prison or abbot often handled official business in the old temple house. Some small monasteries have no abbot's courtyard, but use the side courtyard and cross courtyard in the temple as places for prisoners and abbots to rest. Dazhaitang: Buddhism advocates the equality of all beings. Monks eat in groups regardless of their status, and they must never eat separately. Therefore, all monks call it Dazhaitang. The cooking stoves and cauldrons in the Great Temple can cook more than one stone and more than one hundred kilograms at a time. The Song Dynasty cauldron temple in Sunchang Village, Yongji County, Shanxi Province was even named after cauldron. Today, large temples such as Shaolin Temple in Henan and Ta 'er Temple in Qinghai still have cauldrons of that year. Even if there is such a cauldron, for a big temple with thousands of monks and monks from all directions, even if there are several cauldrons, it is impossible for more than 1000 monks to eat together at the same time, so there are two ways to eat: one is to divide the rice into several batches and ensure that they all eat in a big fast hall; The other is to divide into several large fasting halls to ensure that meals can be eaten at the same time, which basically does not destroy the old adage of collective dining. This method is used in large temples such as Foguang Mountain and Zhongtai Temple in Taiwan Province Province.
Buddhist scripture building: Most famous temples have Buddhist scripture pavilions, which are located in the last courtyard of Buddhist temples and are often two or three-story attics for storing Buddhist scriptures. On both sides of the sutra depository, there are ancillary buildings or pavilions. This practice was later spread to Japan. However, the name is slightly different. For example, in the Tang Dynasty, the sutra depository of Horyuji and Zhao Ti Temple was called Cang Jing, while the sutra depository of Foucault Temple was called Jingku. Stone statues are enshrined in scriptures or books, which is the image of Fu Weng, a virtuous doctor in the Liang Dynasty in the Six Dynasties. Because he invented the method of rotating storage, he once established large niches and other methods to store scriptures. In addition, there is a statue of Sakyamuni in the pavilion, threatening the two Bodhisattvas. Some also worship the statue of the new master, the founder of Tiantai Sect in Japan.
Monuments and pavilions
Monument Building, Monument Pavilion and Pavilion: Monument Building is a pavilion built by the temple for placing large stone tablets, which is used to prevent the stone tablets from weathering and damage due to sun and rain. Most of them are square, with doors on all sides and an enlarged monument at the middle end. The top of the monument building is a double-eave mountain-leaning style, which is similar to the style of the bell and drum tower. Monument buildings are generally built on both sides of the courtyard in front of the Hall of Great Heroes, and the number is one, two or three pairs. In order not to hinder the solemn atmosphere of the Hall of Great Heroes, some monasteries do not build monuments in front, but build monuments on both sides in front. The function is the same as that of stele building.
There are basically three kinds of inscriptions on stone tablets: one is to introduce the history of the temple, including the time of initial construction and reconstruction, where monks, officials and scribes practice, visit and write songs; The second is to publish and publicize the hospital system; Third, in the construction or reconstruction of the temple, the names of the believers in the four directions and the amount of donations were announced. Some temples also have monuments to burn the floor plan of the temple. For example, Cixiang Temple in Pingyao, Shanxi Province, through its monument, we can know the scale and organizational system of the temples in the Song Dynasty. Some thousand-year-old temples also put together the stone tablets of past dynasties, including the stone tablets in the ruined temples, forming a forest of steles. Celebrities and calligraphers are often invited to write inscriptions for big temples and famous temples. His inscriptions have become famous literary and calligraphy works, such as those written by Yan Shigu in the second year of Tang Zhenguan; Huadu Temple Monument written by Chu Suiliang in the fourth year of Zhenguan in Tang Dynasty; Preface to the Holy Teaching of Wild Goose Pagoda written by Chu Suiliang in the fourth year of Yonghui, and Duota Monument written by Yan Zhenqing in the second year of Tianbao; Liu Gongquan's mysterious pagoda monument in the first year of Huichang.
Some temples build pavilions instead of steles, which have the same function as steles. Modeling is also mostly square, built on the abutment, surrounded by four columns, no door, and the middle end is enlarged. Monument pavilions are generally built on both sides of the front yard or backyard of the temple, one on the left and one on the right. There are also four temples in the four corners of the temple. Pavilions are usually painted red with glazed tiles at the top. If the imperial tablet is given by the emperor, then only a tall tablet pavilion will be built on the central axis. Even in temples that advocate the equality of Buddhism and law, the imperial power is supreme.
The pavilion is for pilgrims and tourists to rest. They are not only square, but also hexagonal and octagonal. Generally built on both sides of the front yard or backyard. Gallery and group pavilion
Gallery: It is a courtyard composed of cloisters, which was first used in houses and palaces, and later used in temple buildings. Basically, there are four kinds: the first is the circular corridor style, with corridors on all sides, and the main buildings are surrounded by them and arranged into a group of buildings, which is the most common, especially in temples in the Tang Dynasty; The second is the broken corridor style. There are houses in all directions. The corners of houses on all sides are connected by cloisters, and most residential quadrangles in Beijing and Northeast China use cloisters. The third veranda style. An architectural style similar to a broken corridor. The difference is that there are walls on both sides of the broken corridor, and you can't see the inside of the corridor from the outside. There is no fence on both sides of the veranda, and pilgrims, tourists and monks can see the scenery outside the veranda inside. Corridors are common in monasteries. The fourth is to connect the two temples with cloisters. This kind of temple is also called I-shaped temple.
Group rooms: The main buildings in the temple, such as the Heavenly King Hall and the Ursa Major Hall, are all built on the central axis, while the living and working rooms of monks are built around the courtyard, either in a single row or in rows. Such a house is called a group house. Group rooms are mainly used as guest rooms to receive tourists. In addition, it is also used for office work, acting as a conference hall and the like. Some monasteries also use group houses as exhibition rooms for historical relics in dharma halls, Buddhist temples and temples. Small monasteries are also used as fasting halls, monasteries and so on. Inclined Gallery and Flying Gallery: Generally speaking, the main building of the temple is spectacular, the affiliated hall is relatively low and the corridor is lower. This highlights the main hall in the building. However, in order to form a whole or use functions, designers often connect the main hall with the affiliated halls and corridors. Because of their different heights, they form an inclined gallery. In addition, corridors must be built to connect buildings and exhibition halls. The corridor leaves the ground and walks in the air. This is the flight corridor. Oblique corridors and flying corridors not only facilitate people's access, but also make a group of temples in the temple look more majestic and solemn. This is the application of the original techniques of ancient architecture in China in temple architecture.
Inclined corridors and flying corridors began in the Tang Dynasty and continued until the Ming and Qing Dynasties. There are two or three reliefs in the grotto corridor behind Wuyou Temple in Leshan, Sichuan, which represents the highest level of wooden structure in Tang Dynasty. On the Buddhist temple map carved on the lintel of Xi 'an Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the left and right cloisters are connected with the main hall, and the curve is very beautiful. There is also a flying gallery in the Buddha Hall of Yonghe Palace in Beijing. Sacrificial Tower: There is a sacrificial table in front of the Buddha statue in the Buddha Hall, on which are offerings such as fragrant flowers, seasonal fruits, almsgiving boxes and Buddha lanterns. According to Hokkekyo, there are ten kinds of offerings before the Buddha: flowers, incense, wreaths, incense, incense, incense burning, curtains, cassock, music and crossing hands. The supporting tower is a small tower placed on the altar. It is mainly carved from stone, but it is also made of gold, silver, copper, iron and tin. The height is about 0.3-0.6 meters. There are built-in small Buddha support towers, such as Tiantong Temple, Asoka Temple and Xiaoguo Temple in Zhejiang. Wutai Mountain nanzenji is the support tower of the Tang Dynasty.
Release pond: built in front of the temple, the size of the pond depends on the size of the temple. For example, the release pond in front of Yongquan Temple in Fuzhou is very large, so a low wall should be built around it to prevent tourists from falling into the water. The release pond was built by the wise master of Tiantai Sect. Pilgrims put the fish they bought into the water to show the virtue of Buddhism. In the second year of Tang Daizong Gan Yuan (759), the law stipulated that all monasteries in the world should set up free ponds. The release tank can also store water and can be used for fire fighting. When designing a discharge pool, it should be connected with springs or rivers, otherwise it will be a dead pool. Sanhui Temple in Xianyou, Fujian has the largest release pond in China. Jingzhuang: The vertical stone sketch in temple architecture generally consists of three parts: the pedestal below, the building above the pedestal and the roof at the top. At the top of the eaves is the spire (floor brake). If the building is a two-story or three-story building, each floor is added with a flat seat, a building and an eaves, just like a three-story pagoda. The building is engraved with classics, so it is called classic building. These buildings are all carved with stone, without wood or other metal materials. Most of them are hexagonal, and they are engraved on six sides. There are also eight sides. Most of the carved scriptures are the Buddha's supreme victory over Ronnie, and some are the Prajna Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra and Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra. There are also some buildings that don't have scriptures engraved on them, or even Buddha statues and patterns. This kind of building is called "building without words", which only plays the role of offering offerings and has no function of proclaiming scriptures.
The scale of temple architecture depends on the scale, popularity and economic situation of the temple. Most monasteries have only one or two buildings, and some don't even have them. There are as many as sixteen buildings in Yanquan Temple, Xishan, Hongtong County, Shanxi Province. Classic buildings are usually built behind temples, beside temples or around mountain roads, which are easily overlooked by tourists.