Matters needing attention in Tibetan temple tourism

Tibet is a place where Buddhism thrives. Tibetan Buddhism has a long history of 1000 years, and there are many large and small temples. So what should we pay attention to when traveling to Tibet?

The temples in Tibetan areas are very different from those in Chinese mainland. Temples in Chinese mainland are generally composed of groups of quadrangular buildings, in which the main buildings are located on the central axis and the secondary buildings are symmetrical on both sides, while temples in Tibetan areas do not pay much attention to these.

Yesterday, I talked about different factions of Tibetan Buddhism, so different architectural styles will be derived according to different factions, but I didn't talk about its native Bonism. Today, when we talk about temple architecture, we will also talk about Bonism Temple together.

The schools of Buddhism in Tibetan areas are: Gelugpa, Nyingma, Kagyu, Kadang, Sakya and Bonism. In fact, on the whole, there is not much difference between these temples, but they are similar. Different factions worship different Buddha statues, and temples look similar.

Bonish temple

In the choice of colors, Tibetan temples tend to be white, red and yellow. These three colors have natural and primitive symbolic meanings. White is pure color, white clouds are white, snow is white, sheep is white; Red expresses a determination to bear hardships, religious buildings should obey religion, and monks' robes are mostly dark red; In Chinese mainland, yellow is a symbol of imperial power. The walls of robes and royal temples are bright yellow, and in Tibetan areas, yellow is also a symbol of power. It rarely appears in the homes of ordinary people, but in monasteries, the residences of tin living buddhas and Dade monks.

Gelupai Temple drepung monastery

Look at the Potala Palace and you will know the importance of these three colors. The main colors of Potala Palace are red, white and Huang San.

Religion in Tibetan areas holds the right to speak, that is, the unity of politics and religion, so their temples have an overwhelming courage and majesty in architectural style. The wall is made of stone, with thick windows and small windows, giving people a very rich and stable feeling. Temples are usually built next to slopes, so buildings look tall.

Labuleng Temple in Gelupai, Xiahe, Gansu

In fact, temples in Tibetan areas are also built on the flat ground, such as Jokhang Temple, but most of them are built in the foothills. Flat temples often adopt a regular and symmetrical way, and the image with the main hall as the composition center is the most prominent;

Temple buildings at the foot of the mountain are more casual and rambling, but they also have their own layout: most of the temples are in the north and in the south, followed by tall and gorgeous halls and Buddhist temples, living Buddha's Mansion outside, and low courtyards on three sides, where ordinary monks live.

Ma Ning Baiyu Temple

The temple is a school. The larger temple consists of a lecture hall, a temple, a courtyard as a place to debate scriptures, and some living buddhas (originally only referring to the Lama's bedroom, but later evolved into the owner of the upper temple).

Temples), monasteries, deacons' rooms, warehouses, donor rooms, sacrificial circles and so on. Therefore, it often takes decades for a temple to be fully equipped with these ancillary facilities.

Potala Palace in Syracuse

Due to the integration of politics and religion, Tibetan temples also pay more attention to occupying important terrain in site selection, occupying favorable positions when strong enemies invade, or building defensive buildings in temple buildings, such as watchtowers, crocks, narrow passages and complex artificial terrain.

Grupai yongbulakang

There is a Sect that is different from other sects in composition color, and that is Sakya Sect. It also has a simpler name, called "Hua Jiao". The origin is that Sakyamuni advocates using red, white and blue stripes symbolizing Manjusri, Guanyin and Vajrayana, and displaying these colors directly on the walls of temples.