Buddhist temples can now be found in many countries as Buddhism has spread throughout the world. Over the past 2500 years, Buddhism has undergone many changes, and today there are three main branches of this religion, each of them has its own monasteries for believers. The roots of Buddhism are located in India. Although the date of Buddha's birth is still a controversial point, Buddhism tentatively originated in the 5th century. The literal translation of Buddha is "enlightened". In this article, I will introduce you to some amazing and revered monasteries that you might want to visit.
1. Buddhist Monastery Wat Arun (WAT ARUN) in Thailand.
The famous Buddhist monastery Wat Arun is one of the most iconic images in Bangkok, Thailand. The temple is very recognizable.
It is decorated with ceramic tiles and colored porcelain. To visit the temple, you will need to take a taxi across the river.
2. Luang Buddhist Monastery (PHA THAT LUANG) in Laos.
Pha That Luang Temple is located in Laos. It is the most important national monument of Vientiane. Legends say that missionaries built this huge temple with a gilded dome to house a part of the Buddha.
A lot of excavations were carried out, but evidence of the legend was never found.
3. Buddhist Temple Jokhang (JOKHANG) in Tibet.
Buddhist temple The Jokhang in the center of Lhasa is known as the Tibetan center of the spiritual world. The temple is the oldest left on earth and gives tourists an authentic taste of Tibetan culture.
The temple is amazingly beautiful. It remains the center of Buddhism in Tibet.
4. Buddhist Temple Todaiji (TODAIJI) in Japan.
One of the most significant and famous Buddhist temples is the Todaiji temple in Nara. The monastery is the largest wooden building in the world and houses a huge Buddha statue.
The temple has always been and remains extremely popular. The temple is also home to many influential Buddhist schools.
5. Buddhist Temple BOUDHANATH in Nepal.
BOUDHANATH Temple is one of the most revered monuments in Kathmandu, Nepal. BOUDHANATH is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
BOUDHANATH attracts tourists from all over the world.
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Republic of the Union of Myanmar
Shwedagon Pagoda is one of the holiest places in the world. The main stupas of the temple are covered with gold and shimmer in the sun.
The temple is located in Yangon, Myanmar.
V Republic of the Union of Myanmar
Bagan Square has the largest concentration of Buddhist temples, stupas, pagodas in the world.
The temples in Bagan Square are much simpler in design than many others in the world, but people still make the pilgrimage to worship and enjoy the splendor of this place.
9. Buddhist Monastery in Borobudur (BOROBUDUR) in Indonesia
Anyone who first comes to Thailand will certainly fall under the charm of the local religious culture, the focus of which is, of course, temples or wats, as they are called here. Thai iconic architecture developed over the centuries, but with all of it, all the temples have a number common features which we would like to tell you about today.
So, a traditional Thai temple consists of two main parts: Puttavat- an area with structures created to worship the Buddha, and Sanghawat- here are the dwellings of the monks.
Puttavat, in turn, consists of a number of buildings:
Chedi or stupa- a bell-shaped structure with a sharp spire, inside which Buddhist relics are stored. In Buddhism, chedis seem to "stabilize" the earth, being the points of contact between heaven and earth. They are worshiped as sacred symbols representing the cosmic body of the Buddha.
prang- Thai version of Khmer towers. Prangs are easy to identify - they look like huge ears of corn.
The main building in Putthawat, which houses the main shrine (most often, a statue of the Buddha), is called ubosot or bot. All religious ceremonies take place here. Bots, as a rule, have a multi-tiered roof, the ridge of each level of which is crowned with a horn-shaped decoration representing the head of the mythical garuda bird. It's called chofa.
In addition, in Putthawat there are always viharn- hall of sermons (an exact copy of the bot), fat- outdoor pavilion ho tri- library, as well as a number of other buildings and architectural forms.
And, of course, you will not find a single temple that does not have Naga- a many-headed mystical snake that guarded the Buddha during meditation. In the architecture of the temple, Naga is certainly present in the form of a railing of the stairs leading to the bot.
Anyone who first comes to Thailand will certainly fall under the charm of the local religious culture, the focus of which is, of course, temples or wats, as they are called here. Thai cult architecture has evolved over the centuries, but with all of it, all temples have a number of common features that we would like to tell you about today.
The representative of the tour operator in Thailand, Sayama Travel, Katerina Tarasenko, prepared a brief educational program on the architectural graces of Thai temples.
So, the traditional Thai temple consists of two main parts: Puttawat - the territory with structures created to worship the Buddha, and Sanghawat - monks' dwellings are located here.
Puttavat, in turn, consists of a number of buildings:
Chedi or stupa- a bell-shaped structure with a sharp spire, inside which Buddhist relics are stored. In Buddhism, chedis seem to "stabilize" the earth, being the points of contact between heaven and earth. They are worshiped as sacred symbols representing the cosmic body of the Buddha.
prang- Thai version of Khmer towers. Prangs are easy to identify - they look like huge ears of corn.
The main building in Putthawat, which houses the main shrine (most often, a statue of the Buddha), is called ubosot or bot. All religious ceremonies take place here. Bots, as a rule, have a multi-tiered roof, the ridge of each level of which is crowned with a horn-shaped decoration representing the head of the mythical garuda bird. It is called chofa.
In addition, in Puttavata there are always viharn - a preaching hall (an exact copy of a bot), sala - an open pavilion, a ho trai - a library, as well as a number of other structures and architectural forms.
And, of course, you will not find a single temple in which there would be no Naga - a many-headed mystical snake that guarded the Buddha during meditation. In the architecture of the temple, Naga is certainly present in the form of a railing of the stairs leading to the bot.
Borobudur Temple is a Buddhist monument of colossal proportions, the likes of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. This massive Buddhist temple is located in the region of Central Java, Indonesia, not far from the city of Jakarta (about 42 km or 25 miles away).
Scholars cannot agree on when this temple was built, but most believe that it appeared between the 7th and 8th centuries. Scientists also believe that the construction of such a temple took at least 100 years.
Over the past hundred years, the temple has been abandoned due to the massive adoption of Islam. For a long time the temple was covered with ash from erupting volcanoes, and eventually overgrown with jungle.
The temple was discovered in 1814 by Sir Thomas Raffles, who sponsored the clearing of the temple grounds from overgrowth. Since then, the temple has undergone various reconstructions, but the most significant reconstruction for the life of the temple was carried out by the Indonesian government in the 1980s, with the support of UNESCO. Among similar temple complexes, one can single out the Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar, one of the most famous structures of this kind.
Borobudur was regaining its splendid beauty and was enlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The structure of the temple represents a mythological model, consists of various terraces. Every terrace and wall of this ancient temple is covered with the most amazing intricate views of the bas-relief depicting the teachings of the Buddha. Concavities depicting Buddha statues are everywhere, and each passage or terrace shows the many lives and many forms of adoption of the Siddhartha, before attaining the enlightenment of the Buddha.
Of course, as you go through all these bas-reliefs, you will notice that many of the concavities are now empty, or contain headless Buddha statues. Why? Because of the boundless plunder that was around a few decades ago. Many of the stolen Buddha heads are now in the homes of wealthy people and in museums around the world. The robbery continues even now, but much less. Another similar complex is the ancient city of Bagan in Burma.
In the main part of the temple, the tourist will meet the central stupa (a symbol of Buddha's enlightenment) - a symbol of eternity. Tourists cannot enter through the central stupa. Only Buddhist monks are allowed to enter through the central stupa.
In addition to the main stupa, there are 72 smaller bell-shaped stupas. Some stupas contain a seated Buddha, while others are empty. There is one particular stupa which represents the dwelling of the Buddha with his crossed legs. The legend says that if you approach and touch the crossed leg of the Buddha, then your wish will surely come true.
Enlightenment Day: Hari Raya Waisak
One of the most beautiful and holiest Buddhist events that anyone can visit takes place once a year, during full moon May or June. Buddhist high priests announce the date in advance as they can calculate the date exactly using moon calendar.
On the appointed day, at around 2:00 am, the procession starts at Candi Mendut, a smaller temple, and continues on to Pawon Temple. The duration of the journey is approximately 1.5 miles and ends at Borobudur Temple. Barefoot male monks dress in saffron-colored robes, while women wear white saris and also participate in the procession, carrying lighted candles. The monks move very slowly, emphasizing the solemn manner, while singing and praying.
Today's post is mainly for those who are interested in the history of Japan. On the eve of the New Year, I had the opportunity to shoot inside a richly decorated (which is not so common) Buddhist temple without hisses and pulls, with decent lighting, and, surprisingly, even without payment. That is, even without the entrance fee to the temple.And it was not somewhere in a remote village, but in Kamakura - a tourist and popular place, and in a fairly well-known temple called Komyoji - Temple of Bright Light. This is the temple of the Jodo sect - the Pure Land, one of the main directions of Japanese Buddhism. The fact is that Komyoji is located exactly in the opposite direction from the traditional Kamakura attractions, so there are few foreigners there, and there are not so many Japanese. And the temple is relatively large and well "packed": here are the largest in Eastern Japan wooden gates, and a rock garden, and a rich interior (only please don't wait for photos of frescoes and stained glass windows). At one time (the Edo period and earlier), the temple enjoyed the favor of emperors and shoguns, so on the panels at the entrance there are coats of arms of chrysanthemum and paulownia (symbols of the imperial family).
There will also be some photos of scenes from Kamakura life. The photographer is not an early bird, so the lighting is sunset, that is, yellow.
1. On the stone stele is the inscription: Komyoji, high-level temple of the Pure Land sect.
2. I wonder if the rector or parishioner drives this? In the background is a large wooden gate.
3. "It's a tedious task to visit temples... And in general, I can't sit when others are working, I'll go to bed."
4. Old tatami mats look yellow at sunset. So that's where the legend about the country full of gold comes from!
5. Cloths with dragons embroidered with gold. I slept more, but in general there were a lot of them.
6. Tablet with the name of the temple: Komyoji, written in cursive.
7. General view of the interior. There are electric carpets in the foreground, so praying (or clandestine photography) could be done in comfort.
8. The main ceiling in front of the altar
9. Decorations in front of the altar. A spell is written in black hieroglyphs, by saying which you can be saved and go to heaven.
10. The central ceiling of the prayer hall
11. In these cast-iron and wooden pot-bells, the monks beat the rhythm when they read the sutras.
12. In front of the altar
13. Jewelry next to the altar
14. Actually the altar with the Buddha Amida. Amida carries the souls of the dead to Jodo, a Buddhist paradise.
15. Rock garden, right side view
16. Rock garden, left view
17. The central part of the rock garden
18. Flashlight - as a rule, they are hung on donations from parishioners. Pleasure is not cheap. IN famous temples for the right to hang such a flashlight, one has to pay 6,000 (six thousand) dollars each.
19. A stone lantern is also one of the types of donations. An even more expensive pleasure, so they used to be offered by famous feudal lords, and now by enterprises.
Updated 08/26/2019
Buddhism gradually spread throughout the planet over several millennia. Today, Buddhist temples can be found in different countries, and the roots of this religion are concentrated in India. In the article we will get acquainted with what a Buddhist temple is and what are the features of their architecture, we will learn about the most famous temples and monasteries.
Temple and monastery cave complex AjantaWhat is the name of the Buddhist temple
Buddha temple may have different names: datsan, or, directly the name of the temple itself, combined with the words ji, dera, tera, garan.
In the event that the temple is named after the locality or in honor of the founders, then the name contains tera or dera. For example, Asuka-dera so called due to the fact that the temple is located on the Asuka plain. A Tachibana-dera is the temple of the Tachibana clan.
If the title of the teacher or the name of the revered is used in the name of the building, then dzi is used. For example: Yakushiji – bhaishajyaguru temple or Buddha healer Yakushi.
The additional name garan is used to designate ancient temples. From Sanskrit "sangharama" - "communal dwelling" .
If the building for the ceremonies does not have everything that is necessary for such a room, then such a building is called a prayer house.
Maharashtra Buddhism Temple Architecture of Buddhist temples and monasteries
What does it mean to be a Buddhist? If explained in terms of this religious doctrine, then to be a Buddhist is to seek " Three Treasures ". "Three Treasures" This Buddha, his doctrine And community, formed around this doctrine. The building is designed in such a way as to embody all the "Three Treasures". They are all presented in one place, but at the same time divided into parts, each of which carries its own semantic and religious meaning.
Buddhist temple is a sacred complex building, representing a religious value, a place of pilgrimage, worship and habitation of Buddhist monks. It must be protected from external influences disturbing it. Holy place- extraneous sounds, sights, smells and other influences. The territory is closed from all sides, and at the entrance there are powerful gates.
In the "golden room"(kondo) any buddha images are placed ( Buddha Shakyamuni , Amitabha etc.) - embroidered, drawn, in the form of sculptures. In the same room there can be any images of various revered beings, bodhisattvas.
Pagoda- This a building designed to store the remains of the body of (earthly) Buddha Shakyamuni. Almost every Buddhist temple has its own legend about how the remains got into it. Often the pagoda consists of three or five tiers, and the main pillar is placed in the center. Under it or at its very top, the remains of the Buddha are kept.
In addition to the textual versions of Buddhist teachings stored in the form of scrolls, religious information and various sacred traditions passed from mouth to mouth. In addition, readings and expositions of the teachings are regularly held in the "reading room" (ko:do).
Since the 8th century, kami have appeared - places for honoring "native gods". They are placed both on the territory of the temple and outside it. The gods are revered as protectors of the temple.
