When visiting ancient temples when traveling, besides burning incense and worshiping Buddha, what else should you see?

There are temples in many famous scenic spots. But for many tourists, they are not believers in Buddhism, but they still go to temples to burn incense and worship Buddha. This may be out of respect or to seek peace of mind.

Of course, there are also some tourists who simply visit the temple and look around. This is more because the temple has a sense of mystery to the general public. So, if you don’t burn incense or worship Buddha when visiting a temple, what should you see inside the temple?

In my personal opinion, the history of the temple and the story behind its layout are worth a look.

Many of the temples in historical scenic spots have strong historical heritage. It is a good choice to visit these temples and experience some long-standing cultural heritage. I will not describe them one by one here.

So, in this article, let’s talk about the basic layout of the temple.

1. Mountain Gate:

The entrance gate of the temple is called "Shanmen", which is related to the location of the temple. Temples are generally built in quiet mountains, hence the name . Mountain gates generally have three doors, with a large door in the middle and small doors on both sides. The middle gate is also called the "empty gate", the right side is the "wuxiang gate", and the left side is the "wuzuo gate".

Generally speaking, tourists are also particular about entering and exiting the mountain gate. Guests enter through the Wuzuo Gate and exit through the Wuxiang Gate, while Buddhists use the empty gate in the middle.

2. There are usually two Buddha statues holding vajras at the mountain gate. They are used to deter demons and ghosts. They are subordinates of the King of Pagodas and protect the Dharma, just like on the door of ordinary people's houses. Guan Gong Qin Qiong.

In addition, there are many historical stories behind these two Buddha statues. Friends who are interested can learn more about them.

3. After entering the mountain gate, you will usually see two attic-like buildings. The drum tower is on the left and the bell tower is on the right. The bells are sounded in the morning and the drums are beaten at sunset.

4. Continue walking into the temple, and the first hall you see is the Heavenly King Hall (larger temples will have this layout). The big Buddha statue in the hall is Maitreya Buddha. The Hall of Heavenly Kings is dedicated to Maitreya Buddha.

The Hall of Heavenly Kings and the Drum Tower and Bell Tower just now constitute the first courtyard of the temple.

5. On both sides of the Heavenly King Hall, there are usually four heavenly kings. They are also the gods who protect Buddhism. They are also generally called the "Four King Kongs" among the people, and they also mean "good weather and good weather".

Among the four heavenly kings, the growth king holds a sharp sword, which represents the "wind"; the king of state holds a pipa, and the pipa plays the role of playing music and represents the "melody";

The king of Duowen holds an umbrella, which represents "rain"; the king of Guangmu holds a mirage (dragon), which many people think is a "snake", but it is actually a dragon. Such dragons are as supple as snakes, so they are also The meaning is "shun".

Together, it means "good weather".

6. After the Tianwang Hall, there is the Main Hall, which is the main hall of the temple. It is the "center" of the entire temple and the place where the most concentrated Buddha statues are gathered in the temple.

In front of the Main Hall, there is usually a large tripod with the name of the temple engraved on it. On the north side of the big cauldron, there is an incense burner. In front of the main hall, there will be a pair of flagpoles with a flagpole on top.

The name "Daxiong Hall" also has many meanings: "Da" means "all things"; "Xiong" means to overwhelm all demons; "Treasure" means the Three Treasures of Buddhism. . Therefore, there is the "Mahatma Hall". In addition, "Mahatma" is the name of the Buddha.

7. Since the Main Hall is the main hall, the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha is naturally enshrined there. Of course, some of them enshrine three Buddha statues. Here, the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha is used. Elaborate.

The general "Eighteen Arhats" on both sides in front of the Buddha statue. Behind Sakyamuni Buddha are three great figures: Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and Guanyin. Or the island Guanyin statue.

8. After the Buddha statues in the main hall, there is the Sutra Library and Dharma Hall. The Sutra Library is a place where Buddhist scriptures are collected, while the Dharma Hall is a place for reciting Buddhist teachings, taking refuge in precepts, and gathering.

In short, the layout of the temple is roughly the same, but of course there will be some differences. As a tourist, in addition to burning incense and worshiping Buddha, it may be worthwhile to know something about the temple.