Lama Temple is a national 4A scenic spot, a royal temple during the Qing Dynasty, known as the Hidden Dragon Residence because of the two emperors of Yongzheng and Qianlong. I hope to introduce the Lama Temple to you in the simplest language. Let everyone use this strategy to see the essence, worship Buddha, and enlighten the light, and not take a single step of the wrong road.
Panorama of Lama Temple Download online
1. Lama Temple building distribution and visiting route
The Lama Temple consists of an overall structure. From South to North:
The central axis is the torii - Tenno-den - four-body stele pavilion - Mount Meru - Daxiong treasure hall - Eisuke-den - Falun-den - Wanfukaku Pavilion - Suisei Building.
The buildings on the west side: in order: Drum Tower - West Stele Pavilion - Lecture Hall - Kalachakra Hall - West Side Hall - Jietai Tower - Yamandaga Tower - Xishunshan Tower.
East side buildings: in order: Bell Tower - East Stele Pavilion - Tantric Hall - Medicine Master Hall - East Side Hall - Panchen Tower - Zhaofo Tower - Dongshun Mountain. The whole is a three-archway and a five-entry courtyard. The order of our visits is also from south to north and east to west.
2. The specific location of each hall of the Lama Temple and the Buddha enshrined:
Ginkgo Avenue: After entering the main entrance archway at the ticket gate, there is Ginkgo Avenue, where ginkgo branches and leaves shield the sun and rain in spring, summer and autumn. Walking on this avenue, I immediately feel that my whole body is bathed in the immortal aura of the Buddhist family. At the end of Ginkgo Avenue is the gate of the Lama Temple (Zhaotaimen). On both sides of the front door are temple incense giving places, which can be collected according to your needs.
Gateway
Entering the Zhaotai Gate (also called Yonghe Gate, Qianlong Handbook), the east and west sides of the gate are the bell and drum towers, and next to the drum tower on the west side, there is a large copper pot weighing eight tons, which is used by the temple to boil Laba porridge. On the north side of the copper pot is the octagonal pavilion. Directly opposite the Zhaotai Gate is the Heavenly King's Hall (Lama Gate Hall), which enshrines Maitreya Buddha and the four heavenly kings.
The big lion in front of the Heavenly King's Hall
Out of the Heavenly King's Hall, to the north is the Daxiong Treasure Hall (Lama Palace), which enshrines the three Buddhas, namely Shakyamuni Buddha, Burning Lamp Buddha, and Maitreya Buddha. The two gables are eighteen arhats. In the outer courtyard of the main hall are the four halls, the east side and the southern end are the tantric halls, dedicated to the statues of Tsongkhapa, Manjushri, and Sangrao; At the north end is the Medicine Master's Hall, which enshrines Medicine Buddha. On the west side, at the southern end is the Lecture Hall, dedicated to the statues of Tsongkhapa, the White Umbrella Buddha, and the Green Tara. At the northern end is the Kalachakra Hall, which enshrines the Kalachakra Buddha.
Out of the Daxiong Treasure Hall, it is the Eternal Blessing Hall. Inside the shop are Amitabha Buddha, Medicine Buddha, and Lion Roar Buddha.
Out of the Eternal Blessing Hall, that is, the Hall of Falun. The Hall of Falun is dedicated to Tsongkhapa, and behind Tsongkhapa is the Five Hundred Arhat Mountains. The two buildings on the left and right parallel to the Falun Hall are the Panchen Tower and the Jietai Tower, which are the cultural relics exhibition room of the Lama Temple Museum of Tibetan Buddhism. The East Side Hall in the courtyard of the Falun Hall is dedicated to the five tantric Vajras, the auspicious Heavenly Mother Protector, the Six-Armed Brave Protection Law, the Yan King Protector, and the Treasure Protector. The West Side Hall is dedicated to Shakyamuni and the eight bodhisattvas. They are Manjushri, Avalokiteshvara, Obstacle, Ciji, Vajrapani, Jizo, Void and Puxian Bodhisattva.
Tsongkhapa
Leaving the Falun Hall, to the north is the Ten Thousand Buddha Pavilion and the Yongkang Pavilion and Yansui Pavilion on the east and west sides. The Great Buddha in the Wanfu Pavilion is 18 meters high on the ground and 8 meters underground. The Buddha is 8 meters wide, and the ground is carved from a whole precious white sandalwood. It is the core of the entire Lama Temple, and the incense is also the most prosperous. Yongkang Pavilion and Yansui Pavilion are connected to Wanfo Pavilion. the Yongkang Pavilion in Xilian, with four Buddha Amitayus on each floor; The Yansui Pavilion in the east is dedicated to four wooden carvings of Shakyamuni Buddha.
On the east side of the Wanfu Pavilion courtyard is the Zhaofo Building, where Qianlong's biological mother Niuhulu clan worshiped the Buddha, and inside it is dedicated to the Tantan. Inside there is the famous Golden Silk Nanmu Buddha Shrine carved with 99 golden dragons. This shrine is also one of the three unique masters of the Lama Temple. On the east side of the Wanbuda Pavilion is the Yamandaga Tower, which houses the Great Weide Vajra, also called Yamandaga.
The last pavilion after the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion is the Suicheng Pavilion, which is mainly dedicated to the Great White Umbrella Cover Buddha Mother, the I, 5th, 6th Panchen Lama, and the 1st and 7th Dalai Lama.
Third, the essence of the Lama Temple must see
The most famous artifacts of the Lama Temple are the wooden carvings of the Sanju and Mount Meru. Whether you are visiting for incense or touring, the three unique wood carvings in the temple and Mount Meru are the essence of the temple and cannot be missed.
1. Three unique wood carvings:
The three unique wood carvings refer to the Five Hundred Arhat Mountains and the Maidara Buddha and Nanmu Buddha Shrines.
The Five Hundred Arhat Mountains are inside the Hall of the Falun, and the entire mountain is carved out of rosewood. Midarafo is the tallest Buddha in the Lama Temple, in the Wanfu Pavilion. The Big Buddha is already the largest wooden Buddha in the Guinness Book of World Records. The Nanmu Buddha Shrine is carved from Nanmu, carved with a total of 99 coiled dragons of various types, and in the middle of the Buddha Shrine is enshrined a Yuan Dynasty bronze cast "Tantan Buddha Statue" about 2.5 meters high, which is a relic of the Yuan Dynasty salvaged from the Shichahai.
2. Bronze cast Mount Meru
In the courtyard in front of the main hall of the Lama Temple, in the stone pond on the oval-shaped white jade throne, there is a 1.5-meter-high bronze "Mount Meru". It is a famous mountain in ancient Indian mythology and is said to be the center of the world. According to the Buddhist scriptures, the lowest layer of the world is the wind wheel, the water wheel above, and the earth wheel above. There are nine mountains and eight seas above the earth wheel, and Mount Meru is between these mountains and seas.
4. Legal logistics office and light opening room
There are three places where the Lama Temple invites rituals, which are located on the west side of the entrance, in front of the Zhaotai Gate on the northwest side of Ginkgo Avenue, and next to the sermon hall. When buying legal objects, it is recommended to prefer the circulation place on the west side of the entrance when there are many people, and there are relatively few people. The opening is located on the west side of the Yongyou Hall. The light can be purchased at the legal logistics office or elsewhere. The cost of opening the light is casual, and there is no hard requirement.
If you do Buddhist activities, you can register in the room next to the light room.
5. Instructions for worshipping Buddha
1. Be sure to dress appropriately and not be too revealing.
2. To enter each courtyard, you must first go to the main hall to worship the Buddha, and then go to each side hall in the courtyard to worship the Buddha.
3. You must use the incense given by the temple, and if you want to express your sincerity, you can bring flowers, fruits, and money.
4. To worship Buddha and practice, we must first persist in having good thoughts in our hearts and accumulate virtue by doing good deeds.
6. Admission to the Lama Temple
Lama Temple tickets are 25 yuan, students are half price, and the elderly over 60 years old and disabled people are free.
The official website of Lama Temple and the WeChat public account can be purchased under real names. If the reservation is not full, you can also purchase tickets on site.
7. Transportation
The Lama Temple is located at No. 28, Beixinqiao Street Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing. It is highly recommended to take the subway, do not take a taxi (taxi is not faster than bus), do not take a bus (the bus stop is far from the ticket office), and do not drive a private car (the nearby parking lot is far from the ticket office). Take Metro Line 5 or Line 2, exit F southeast, turn left and go south for 400 meters.
VIII. History of the Lama Temple (Introduced to friends who do not know the Lama Temple)
During the Ming Dynasty, the Lama Temple was a eunuch's official residence. In the 32nd year of the Kangxi Dynasty, the place was given to the four brothers as the Baylor Mansion, and the following year, Yongzheng moved into the Baylor Mansion. In the 48th year of the Kangxi Dynasty, Yongzheng was made a prince, and it was changed to Prince Yong's mansion. In 1722, the Yongzheng Emperor succeeded to the throne and officially gave the name "Lama Palace". The western half of the mansion served as the Yellow Sect's upper court, and the eastern half served as the residence of Yongzheng.
In 1735, Qianlong ascended the throne and built the palace as the East Academy. The eastern half was almost the same size as the current Lama Temple, and at that time, the East Academy and the Huangjiao Upper Court in the western half of the Huangjiao Upper Court complemented each other to form the whole picture of the Lama Temple. In 1744, the West Courtyard was officially transformed into a Tibetan Buddhist temple. Since then, the Lama Temple has begun its glorious history of serving as the first imperial temple and as a link and bridge connecting the successive central governments of China with Mongolia and Tibet.
In 1900, when the Eight-Nation Alliance occupied Beijing, a large number of items were also stolen by the Japanese, and the East Academy was burned by the Japanese. Only the western half remained, which is now the Lama Temple.