I was a bit apprehensive about visiting this temple as a transwoman, but people seem to be very okay with my presence. After all, Kwan Yin is trans too!
A Buddha head at the entrance.
Kwan Yin riding a dragon.
Eighteen figurines important to Chinese Buddhism - arhats, they are called.
You may see this figure often at Chinese restaurants.He is the Maitreya Buddha, or Happy Buddha.
He gives you lots of happiness and good luck (or Number 8's).
The Kwan Yin garden, populated by Kwan Yin's assistants.
Kwan Yin herself on top of her garden.
This one's for our Turtle. Found at Kwan Yin garden.
Replica of a terra cotta horse carriage, based on those found in Xi'an.
The temple bell, showing the temple name in Chinese.
The main hall has these three Buddhas: Amidabha, Sakyamuni (the main Buddha), and Medicine Buddha, left to right. I couldn't take pictures of the real thing, due to temple regulations.
The temple courtyard.
A white marble guardian lion, one of two in the courtyard.In the back on the staircase, a similar but painted lion is visible, one of four.
Enjoy! And next time you visit Los Angeles, make sure to visit this temple.
14 comments:
Ally
Those are great - I would love to go there!
Turtle
You're welcome to visit SoCal anytime, though as you know, I won't be able to house you at this time!
Ally McRepuke
Wow!
Those are awsome!
i love the terracotta horses but that Happy Buddah just takes the cake.
What a beautiful collection. I will be eyeballing these for a while.
Thanks Ally!
Is that bell carved wood or metal?
If it is wood, does it have a metal lining for the actual striking sound?
Does it sound like a regular bell?
Interesting piece.
You know what I don't get about Chinese art?
The lions.
For one, how did a lion come to be such a significant symbol in China, was there lions there at one time?
I mean I can get why lions were important to African art, or even Native American, because we have the mountain lion. But how did China develop a nitch for them?
Are they only a symbol of power or were there literally lions in China and that is how they came to exist in Chinese art of all eras...?
And why, why, why, do they always distort them, like they are half dragon...?
I never understood the lion as related by the Chinese.
Christy
The bell is painted metal, I believe...
Ally McRepuke
Cool, cause from the pic I would have sworn it was wood.
It looks like wood.
Christy
It's just the way Asian bells are - metal yet heavily ornamented. (See my pics from Seoul.)
But a painted one, like the one at the temple, is new even to me. And they only ring that bell on special occasions, so I never got to hear it (and may never will).
Ally McRepuke
And speaking of the Happy Buddha...
I mentioned Number 8 as part of Chinese numerology. In Chinese:
Fortune/luck = fa
Number 8 = ba
The two sound similar.
Hence number 8 brings you lots of luck (and hopefully money). A common sight around here is a Mercedes-Benz with someone's name/initials plus a string of 8's behind it, like TSAI888. That's definitely a tipoff that the driver is Chinese.
On the flip side, the number 4 sounds like death, and is to be avoided at any cost. This is true of not just the Chinese, but also other East Asian cultures as well - unlike the number 8, which is specific to Chinese speakers. Many buildings in East Asian countries actually lack the 4th floor.
Even Western companies have caught on to Chinese numerology when serving Chinese speakers. For example, United Airlines sends its Flight 888 to - guess where - Beijing.
Ally McRepuke
Cool. The same way some of our buildings don't have a 13th floor.
That is very interesting.
Christy
One more thing - those "8888" vanity plates are almost always on Mercedes-Benz vehicles, because "Benz" written in Chinese characters has a very good meaning as well (I don't know what the meaning is, however).
Moral of the story: make lots of money, buy a Mercedes, get vanity plates with tons of 8's on them, then make more money.
Ally McRepuke
One more thing, Christy
Guess when the Beijing Olympic Games start?
August 8, 2008. AKA 08-08-08.
Can't get luckier than that.
Ally McRepuke
The Chinese do not seem too lucky lately.
Horrible losses.
True, between Tibet and the Sichuan earthquake, it's not a good year.
Sharon Stone says it's all bad karma. Karma or not, it's tragic indeed. And China has a lot of mess to sort out over the next several years.
Honestly China shouldn't have been given the Olympics, but the IOC has given the Russians and the South Koreans their Games too... and neither was really a deserving host.
Ally McRepuke
Post a Comment