LAMA TEMPLE/AZURE CLOUD TEMPLE

LAMA TEMPLE

Today I went to the Yong He Gong Lama Temple

Buddhist temple

I was watched people bowing at the buddhas

Looking at the relics, statues, ancient architecture

I started to really felt that this is a special place

I felt this temple contains all that is most precious to people.


I am sure many people believe in the reality of the buddha


I think the buddhas were created as humans wanted an external
expression of certain feelings, qualities etc


I saw a mandala. a colourful mandala made of sand
so perfect, so intricate and so temporary

and I tried to notice my feeling response to the the different buddhas

and buddhist artifacts

seeing there still repose can sometimes make me feel at peace



AZURE CLOUD TEMPLE

2008 SEPTEMBER



Yesterday I went to Xiang Shan 香山 (fragrant hills) named as such because the hill
looks like a giant incense burner

The park was built in 1186

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragrant_Hills


We visited the Azure Cloud Temple BiYun Si 碧云寺

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Azure_Clouds

which is at Xiang Shan


to me this place is very special


all the details really grab me


you walk up a hill to the top pagoda
which is made of white stone
the stone has a sandy texture to it

the pagoda extends up high
it looks almost Indian or Malaysian

as I look out over views of overlapping mountains
I see the profiles of meditating buddhas in different poses

to get up to the top there was barely lit stone stairs
that went up through a little cave
so old and simple
I felt like I was in the middle ages and should be carrying a candle

the combination of white carved buddhas
Chinese pine trees across the skyline for miles
layers of mountains of dark green, light green, and grey blue
watching the view so clear up close but slowly disappearing into eternity
it seems so peaceful

especially looking out on green
and walking past the peaceful expression of the buddha meditating


inside the pagoda a biggish cave cut out
letting in all the light
and in it is perhaps something that has Sun Yatsen's clothing

it looks like an elaborate piece of furniture from the louvre in Paris

although it is made of stone and it has an Indian presence

it has those intricate swirling details that you see in Versailles

it is very beautiful, simple, almost humble
not with the arrogant air of Paris
but with the humble beauty of India
I can't explain it


It takes us an hour to walk up and walk down


on the way down there is
dark grey blue water with at least 500 bright orange gold fish swimming
one of the gold fish is bright golden yellow, they are about the size of bananas
there are maybe 3 dull golden big fish, they are the size of a rugby ball
and move slowly and stupidly about this lake
it is so beautiful watching these fish
the smaller ones move so fast, all in one direction like hundreds of arrows flying in unison through the sky
the water is a particularly beautiful shade of blue

I am focusing on this scene but then look
at where it is situated

it is a square pond surrounded by old white stone, carved with that Chinese still
cylinders and dragon details carved on
the pond has a Chinese arched bridged.
dark green pine trees are around
and the contrast brilliantly with the red walls
and grey curvey traditional Chinese roofs surrounding us

the gutter (awnings) of the buildings near by have paintings on them
blue, green, yellow, white, black
flowers, ancient man with a calligraphy brush, exotic birds, phoenix, dragon etc

it is a beautiful scene

and sometimes on my way down

I will spot a lone dragon


sitting in a still lake


a beautiful creature, yet even more beautiful
when you can see the atrophy of time

he has been there for a long time, seen a lot