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| Travel in China > City Tour > Shanghai |
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Jade Buddha Temple Among the four deva kings, Vaisravana is known as the happiest of the guardians. It is said that he and the Srimaha devi are husband and wife (or brother and sister). In ancient India, Vaisravana was a god who gave happiness and guarded the wealth of Buddhism. He is also called the deva king of distributing wealth. In ancient Indian mythology, he was the guardian of the North, as well as a god of great wealth. Therefore, Vaisravana has more disciples than the remaining three deva kings. Now, the sculptures of the four deva kings are based on descriptions in the novel Canonization of Gods. The four deva kings hold wind, tunes, rain and success respectively, which suggests that they will bring people good luck. ** The Bronze Buddha Hall and the Five Meditation House In the Bronze Buddha Hall is a standing bronze Amitabha Buddha which dates back to the Ming Dynasty. The sculpture is about three meters high, with his right hand bent upwards in an Abhayapradada sign, ie bestowing fearlessness and confidence; his left hand stretches downwards in the varada mudra position, ie a sign of the willingness to grant. Amitabha is the Buddha of the Western Paradise. He has made 48 vows and wishes to all living creatures before becoming Buddha. Only those who chant the name of Amitabha and make up their minds to become cultivated will go to the Western Paradise after death and will be reborn from a lotus flower. Therefore, this "pure land" belief is extremely popular among common Chinese people. Near the Bronze Buddha Hall is the Five Meditations Hall. The so-called "five meditations" are: meditations on the reality of the void, meditations on purity, meditations on the wider and greater wisdom, meditations on compassion condition of the living and meditations on mercy. The Five Meditations Hall is the dining hall for the monks. ** Guesthouse On the northern side of the Bronze Buddha Hall are the Sleeping Buddha Hall, Distinguished Guesthouse and Buddhist Articles Shop. In the Distinguished Guesthouse upstairs, all of the necessary articles are elegantly laid out. It is an ideal place for all of the disciples to rest, both from home and abroad, who come to burn incense and worship Buddha. Opposite to the Sleeping Buddha is the Shop of Buddhist Articles, which provides pilgrims and tourists with small statues of Buddha and Bodhisattvas, sutras, Buddhist musical instruments , calligraphic works and paintings done by famous artists and some tourist souvenirs.
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