Why does Maitreya in a Buddhist temple face the gate and sit with Wei Tuo?

The gate of the Buddhist temple is called "Shanmen", and there are many famous monks in the world. The temple lives in the mountains, so it is called this. Stepping into the gate of the temple is the hall of kings. In the middle of the temple, Maitreya, who smiles with a big belly, is enshrined, and on both sides are the four most famous dharma gods in the Buddha country. Behind Maitreya is a big Buddhist shrine, in which stands a statue of General Wei Tuo with a diamond pestle (chǔ Yin Chu).

(1) Maitreya

Maitreya is a fat monk, with bare chest and belly, big smile and really cute appearance. It is often called "Laughing Buddha" or "Maitreya Buddha with a big belly". There are often couplets on both sides of Maitreya in the temple:

A big belly can hold things that are difficult to hold in the world;

I often laugh when I open my mouth and laugh at ridiculous people in the world.

Lively and interesting, full of philosophy, it is the best work in temple couplets.

Maitreya is a transliteration of Sanskrit Maitreya, which means "cishi". This used to be the name of Buddha in Buddhism, but it was not as good as Buddha. It is said that he was born into a noble family in ancient India. Cishi is his family name, and his name is Aiduo, which means he can't win. He later became a disciple of Sakyamuni and stood by to watch the battle. There are often three Buddha statues in temples, some of which are "III Buddha". In the middle is the present Buddha Sakyamuni, on the left is the past Buddha burning lamp, and on the right is the future Buddha Maitreya. These three buddhas are arranged in chronological order, so they are also called "vertical three buddhas". Sakyamuni predicted that Maitreya would inherit the status of his future Buddha, that is, the legal heir. After the death of Sakyamuni, there will be 4000 years (one day and night in the sky is equivalent to 400 years on the earth, that is, 5.67 billion years). The ancients said: "When you go to seek immortality, Dan becomes nine days, and the cave becomes seven days, which is thousands of years in the world." After that, he can go to the next world. At present, he is on standby in the Heavenly Palace ("alternate Buddhist retreat"). In The Journey to the West, Doulv Tiangong is the place where my grandfather Lao Zi lived as an alchemist, but in Buddhist scriptures, Doulv Tiangong is the paradise of Maitreya, where Sakyamuni's biological mother, Madame Moyev, died. In order to look forward to the birth of Maitreya as soon as possible, from the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, people made Maitreya statues.

This man did exist in the history of China. During the Hou Liang period in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, a strange monk named Qi Zhe and Long Pavilion appeared in Fenghua, Zhejiang Province. He is short and fat, with a big belly. Xizhang often appears in downtown with a big cloth bag on his back, smiling and wandering around begging. His words are capricious, and he has nothing to do. Because he always carried a cloth bag and everything he begged was packed in it, people called him a "cloth bag monk" at that time. He can predict the weather and tell people good or bad, which is very effective. The madness of this story aroused people's great interest and became famous for a time. In the second year of Zhenming (9 16), Liang Qi sat on a stone and died. Before he died, he left a poem saying:

Maitreya Buddha is really Maitreya Buddha, incarnating tens of billions;

Always shows the time when people don't know.

After his death, people suddenly realized that the fat monk was the incarnation of Maitreya. Since then, people have shaped a potbellied Chinese Maitreya Buddha according to his appearance, which is enshrined in the center of the Temple of the King of Heaven and worshipped by people. This "fake" Maitreya Buddha has replaced the orthodox Maitreya Buddha in Buddhist scriptures for thousands of years and is world-renowned. Little is known about the real Maitreya Buddha in Buddhism. The "orthodox" statue of Maitreya is dressed as a bodhisattva and often wears a crown of heaven. Legend has it that whoever touches his belly can eliminate disasters and diseases and bless peace.

Wei Tuo, also known as Wei Kun, Wei Tuotian and Wei Tuo Bodhisattva, is one of the eight generals under Nan Chengwang. Each of the four heavenly kings has eight generals. A total of 32 generals, Wei Tuo ranked first. The Buddha once ordered Wei Tuo to protect his family and Buddhism.

Wei Tuo is the "Divine Pacific" of Buddhism, and he is famous for walking like a fly. After Sakyamuni was cremated, a "sick ghost" suddenly stole two teeth of Sakyamuni Buddha. When Wei Tuo found out, he was very angry and rushed up. Ji Jie ghost is fast and clever, but it is no match for Wei Tuo's Scud after all, and was finally caught. Wei Tuo recaptured the Buddha's tooth and made great contributions, so Wei Tuo took on the responsibility of protecting Sakyamuni's tomb (stupa) and repelling the thieves who dug the tomb and stole bones.

Why is the statue of Wei Tuo enshrined on the back of Maitreya Buddha in the Heavenly King's Hall, facing the Ursa Major Hall? At first, Buddhist temples in ancient India were not temples dedicated to Buddha statues in China, but ancestral temples attached to Sakyamuni's tomb (also known as stupa). Therefore, the pagodas of ancient Indian Buddhist temples were all built in front of the Mahayana Temple. In other words, the temple is the tomb of Sakyamuni, the stupa is the tomb of Sakyamuni, and the Mahayana Hall is the horizontal hall behind the tomb of Sakyamuni. The earliest Buddhist temple buildings took the tower as the main axis, and other buildings were scattered around. The stupa (the tomb of Sakyamuni) in ancient India was built in the center in front of Mahayana Hall. Therefore, the back of the gate is dedicated to the statue of Wei Tuo, holding a vajra, and staring warily at the stupa in front of the Mahayana temple, which shows that he is faithfully guarding the stupa.

After Buddhism was introduced into China, the organizational system of monasteries gradually changed, and monasteries became a constant hall dedicated to Buddha statues. The central axis is occupied by the hall and the tower is built nearby. Later, although there was no stupa in front of the Ursa Major Hall, Wei Tuo's system of standing on the back of the Heavenly King Hall has not changed and has been preserved to this day.

Wei Tuo Bodhisattva of Indian descent has been thoroughly sinicized and has become a real ancient military commander in China. Looks like a golden helmet, young and handsome, holding a diamond pestle, majestic. Statues of Wei Tuo usually have two postures: one is to stand upright with hands crossed, and the diamond pestle is across the wrist; One is that the right hand is inserted into the waist, the left hand holds the pestle on the ground, and the left foot stands slightly forward, which is a bit like today's relaxed posture. Wei Tuo's two postures of holding a diamond pestle are very particular. According to Buddhist rules, visitors are welcomed by people holding pestles. This is the reception temple. Monks (also known as wandering monks) can stay in the temple temporarily, which is also called "hanging list" because monks have to have clothes (cassock bowls) (utensils for monks to eat, mostly ceramic or iron, flat and flat) and hang cassock and bowl bags on the hooks at the bottom of the list of items in the temple, so it is called. In other words, a monk can walk in and live for free. Strictly speaking, every year from the 15th day of the first month to the 15th day of April, and from July 15th to October 15th, only these six months will monks who come to "register" be received. The "person who leans on the ground with a pestle" means that it is not a reception temple, and the monk knows at a glance that he has to find another reception temple to settle down.

Why are Wei Tuo and Maitreya standing on the back of the chair? There is a folk saying that Maitreya Buddha and Wei Tuo were originally monks in charge of two temples respectively. Maitreya is always smiling and hospitable, and his temple is full of incense. But he was mismanaged, petty theft and stealing from the temple. On the other hand, Wei Tuo kept a straight face all day in the temple, which was very dignified. The thief didn't dare to come, but many pilgrims were scared away. It was clear in his temple. Later, when Sakyamuni visited temples all over the country and saw this situation, he "optimized their combination" and let them manage a temple. Maitreya smiled at the tourists in front, while Wei Tuo looked at the bad guys who left the temple behind, learning from each other's strong points, and Qi Xin worked together to manage the temple in an orderly way.