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The second main hall of Lama Temple is the Hall of Harmony, formerly a meeting place for Emperor Yongzheng. Buddhism has it that the second main hall is usually called Mahavira Hall, or Daxiongbaodian (the Great Temple of Powerful Treasure) in Chinese, Mahavira is an honorable title for Sakyamuni.
On the central altar are placed Buddha of the Three Ages:
Sakyamuni, Buddha of the Present in the middle, who created Buddhism about 2,500 years ago;
Buddha of the past Yeja, on the left;
Buddha of the Future Maitreya on the right.
In front of Sakyamuni are his two disciples, Ananda on the left, Mahakasyapa on the right. In the hands of some Buddha are ribbons known as Hada, a most precious gift to the Honorable.
Placed on the altar in front of the Buddha of the Three Ages are the
seven treasures: gold, silver, jade, pearl, sea shell, diamond, jadeites; and the
eight magic weapons: the wheel of the law, the conch shell, the state umbrella, the canopy, the lotus flower, the covered vase, the pair of fish and the endless knot. The top lamas are divided into three ranks; Buddha, Boddhisattva and Arhat.
On both sides of the hall stand eighteen Arhats. It is said that they were disciples of Sakyamuni and instructed by Sakyamuni to stay on earth to diffuse Buddhism if they wished to attain Buddhahoo.
Here is a painting of Thousand-hand-eye Bodhisattva. It is said that he could see all the human bitterness and difficulties and help people to overcome them. That's why he has a thousand hands and eyes.
Besides the Hall of Harmony, visitors can also find Bronze Incense Burner, Imperial Handwriting Pavilion and the Mountain Xumi in this courtyard.
The incense-burner was cast in 1748. It stands 4.2 metres high with six openings to let out flames.
Above each opening two dragons playing with a pearl are cast in bas-relief, while on the pedestal a design with three lions contesting for a ball is portrayed.
As one of the two bronze tripods of its kind ever found in China, this is really a treasure trove. The other one stands in the imperial Garden in the Palace Museum.
In the Imperial Handwriting Pavilion there is a stone stele erected in 1792. On the stele are inscriptions in four languages: Manchu on the front side; Mongolian on the eastern side; Tibetan on the western side and on its back Han Language written by Emperor Qianlong. It records the origin of Lamaism and the Emperor's attitude towards it. That's why the pavilion is called Imperial Handwriting Pavilion. The inscriptions are in four languages, so it is also known as the Pavilion of Four Language.
Lamaism was quite popular in the Qing Dynasty. Lama Means "teacher" or "superior being". At the very beginning only the monks on the top ranks were called lamas. Later it became an honorable title for all the monks.
Mount Sumeru, a Ming bronze sculpture, is a representation of the Buddhist world outlook. According to Buddhist tradition, Mount Sumeru is supposed to be the centre of the world.
On the top of it lies the legendary paradise where Sakyamuni and men of moral integrity live after death. The position of the stars near the peak roughly corresponds to the findings of modem astronomy.
On the slopes are the dwellings for mankind and the Heavenly Kings. At the bottom, the floral design stands for sea waves. Below the seas evil spirits, devils or criminals abide in Hell.
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#.Question: Which hotel you suggest when i plan a trip to Beijing?
#.Answer:
We suggest Beijing Prime Hotel (5 star), Holiday Inn Temple
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