Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Photography and portraiture - Why does every temple have a main hall?
Why does every temple have a main hall?
Anyone who often goes to Buddhist temples will be familiar with the main hall of the temple. It is a must-go place for offering incense and worshiping. Even people who rarely go to temples have heard the words "Mahatma Hall". However, except for monks and nuns, there may be only a few people who know what "Mahatma" means.
In Buddhist temples, the Main Hall is the main hall, which is also called the main hall. The Main Hall is the core building of the entire temple and is also where monks gather to practice morning and evening. The statue of our master, Sakyamuni Buddha, is enshrined in the Mahavira Hall.
Daxiong is the virtuous name of Buddha. The big one means encompassing all things; the heroic one means subduing all demons. Because Sakyamuni Buddha possesses the wisdom of perfect enlightenment and can dominate the world, his disciples respectfully call him Mahavira. The treasures in the treasure hall refer to the three treasures of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
The Sakyamuni Buddha statue in the Main Hall has three main postures:
The first one is sitting in lotus position with the left hand placed horizontally on the left foot. It is called Dingyin, which means meditation. Meaning: The right hand is straight and drooping, which is called "touching the earth seal", which means that in the past life before enlightenment, Sakyamuni sacrificed everything for the sake of all living beings. Only the earth can prove this, because these are all things done on the earth. . The statue in this posture is called the image of enlightenment.
The second type is to sit cross-legged, with the left hand placed horizontally on the left foot, and the fingers of the right hand flexed to make a circular shape called "Dharma Seal". This is the "Dharma Appearance" and represents the posture of the Buddha's Dharma.
There is another kind of standing Buddha, with the left hand hanging down and the right arm bent and stretched upward. This is called the "Satan Buddha Statue". Legend has it that when the Buddha was still alive, King Utram of India made it out of sandalwood according to the Buddha's face and body shape. The hand hanging down is called the "wish seal", which means it can fulfill the wishes of all living beings; the hand stretched upward is called "the fearless seal", which means it can eliminate the suffering of all living beings. Later, those made in imitation of this image were also called "tantan Buddha statues."
Generally, the Mahavira Hall also has two statues of monks beside the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. One is old and the other is middle-aged. These are the two disciples of the Buddha. The old one is called "Venerable Kasyapa" and the middle-aged one is called "Venerable Ananda". After the Buddha's Nirvana, Venerable Kasyapa continued to lead his disciples and was called the Second Patriarch in later generations. This group of statues in the main hall is generally called "One Buddha and Two Disciples".
In some Mahavira halls there are not one Buddha statue but three. This represents the three different bodies of Sakyamuni Buddha according to Mahayana teachings. One of them is the "Dharmakaya Buddha", named "Vairocana Buddha", this cloud is everywhere, indicating that the truth of Buddhism is the Buddha body; the one on the left is the "Sambhogakaya Buddha", named "Vairochana Buddha", this cloud The light shines all over, which means that the wisdom of realizing the truth of Buddhism and receiving the happiness of Dharma is the Buddha body; the one on the right is the "Yingshen Buddha", named "Sakyamuni Buddha". This cloud can be benevolent and silent, which means that he lives in the world and teaches all kinds of things according to the conditions. Buddha bodies of different sentient beings.
The three Buddhas installed in the main hall of the Third Buddha are not three-body Buddhas, but Buddhas representing different worlds in the middle, east and west. The one in the middle is Sakyamuni Buddha in our world; on the left is the Medicine Master Glazed Buddha from the Oriental Pure Glazed World, sitting in lotus position, holding a bowl in his left hand to represent nectar, and in his right hand holding pills; on the right is Amitabha Buddha in the Western Paradise World, in lotus posture. Sitting on your back, with your hands folded on your feet, and a lotus platform in your palms, it means to attract all living beings. These three Buddhas together are called the "Three Worlds of Buddhas". Next to the three Buddhas are two standing and seated Bodhisattvas. Next to Sakyamuni Buddha are Manjushri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Next to Medicine Buddha are Sunlight Bodhisattva and Moonlight Bodhisattva. Next to Amitabha Buddha are Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta. Buddha. Each of these six Bodhisattvas is the chief disciple of these three Buddhas (see the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Medicine Master's Original Vow Sutra, and the Avalokitesvara Sutra). The three-generation Buddha also refers to the past, future, and present as the three generations, which is called "Erecting the Three-Genesis Buddha". In the middle is the modern Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha; to the east is the past Buddha Kassapa; and to the west is the future Maitreya Buddha. However, the "horizontal Buddha of the Third Generation" is commonly seen in the main hall, while the "vertical Buddha of the Third Generation" is rarely installed.
There is only one Vairocana Buddha in some halls. Vairocana Buddha is the Sambhogakaya Buddha among the three Buddhas. The rosette of Vairocana Buddha is a thousand-leaf lotus. There is a small Buddha on each lotus petal, which is the Sakyamuni Buddha. This is according to what the Brahma Net Sutra says: "I am now sitting on a lotus platform in Lusena, surrounded by thousands of flowers. Thousands of Sakyamuni appear again, with one flower for tens of billions of countries, and one Sakyamuni for each country, each sitting on a Bodhi tree. Become a Buddha in one moment." This lotus petal represents one of the three thousand worlds, and the entire lotus seat represents the world of Huazang.
In temples of the Pure Land Sect, the statue of Amitabha (Jiyin Buddha) is often enshrined in the main hall. The Receiver Buddha is a standing image of Amitabha Buddha, showing the appearance of receiving all sentient beings. The right hand is hanging down, making a wish seal, the left hand is on the chest, and there is a golden lotus platform in the palm.
Usually, the center of the Mahavira Hall is dedicated to Sakyamuni Buddha. On the left side of the Buddha are the Venerable Kassapa and the Venerable Ananda on the right. These were the two major disciples of the Buddha when he lived in the world. Some Mahavira halls not only enshrine Sakyamuni Buddha in the middle, but also enshrine the past Buddha - Kasyapa Buddha and the future Buddha - Maitreya Buddha on the left side. Represents the past, present and future Buddhas of the past, present and future.
If you are not very clear about the Buddha statues in the Main Hall when visiting a temple, it is best to ask the monks in the temple. Usually the monks are willing to explain it to others, so that we can learn more about Buddhism. . Under normal circumstances, do not take photos in the Main Hall without permission.
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