Located right next to the same location nearby, walkable very, walkable within a one kilometre radius from the Big guy, The Big Buddha, Tian Tan Buddha, Shakyammuni. Is the century old more Po Lin Monastery… in which foundation wise at 1906 by three monks from Jiangsu Province in that time the latter half of an almost Imperial Constitutional Monarchy China of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1917) in which the Po Lin Monastery was built before the thirty four meters tall bronze constructed Tian Tan Buddha, Shakyammuni monument to accompany it…
Previously known as the “Big Hut-大茅蓬 Tai Mao Pung” in which was then, onwardly the monastery got retitled in 1924 to Po Lin Monastery in which is more accommodating today…. The Temple itself is a dedication to the Goddess of Mercy, in which her story started from the Northern Song Dynasty…. Walking towards the Monastery… Looking at the structure, it has three halls, the entrance, the main Shrine Hall Buddha, the Hall of Bodhisattva Skanda in which no photography within the two halls are not allowed, however outside wise yes.. As I walk around towards the first hall, the first hall seemingly like a fortress gate hall in two levels in which is very smaller scale down version that guarded the forbidden city… , with the maroon red walls, the golden jade yellow tiles, in which the yellow tiles are in different colour tones than the ones on the Forbidden City in Beijing orthough the yellow colour roof tiles look same, but in tones there’s a slight differences where the Forbidden City is Imperial Jade yellow, in where the one’s in the Monastery it’s a slight darker tone of that Jade Yellow..
As I entered in towards the main gate, in which is protected by four door guardians , like the ones you’ll see in Chinese traditional homes in front of their main doors gods, or guardians, also you’ve may see these four from the Chronicles of Journey to the west.. As these fours are door guardians of the gates of heaven that guard the entrance which is that massive Tortoise mouth gate… in which to ward of any unsuspecting individuals or groups of whom may enter through like entering into border control.. In which the four Civil also Martial helps to gather good influences as for the Martial Door gods protecting against Bad Influences…
Walking through that particular hall, in which, interiority, noticing the slight intricate details as it transition from its original interior to been Art Deco modernized in which that Art Deco colour stain glass as that building trending style started to flavour in with glass instead with durable rice paper as Hong Kong was starting out to become the starting point Modern look of China……… As I walking around the hall of the four Door Gods, Guardians, looking at the craftsmanship in representing actual people in pivotal points Chinese historical lore.. in where, Generals Shientu Yulu, Qin Shubao, Yuchi Gong in where their stories date back to the Han Dynasty……
Looking at the four Door Guardians, looking at the highly detail unmatchable craftsmanship in those days of early twentieth Century…….as the building interior changes throughout time, seen through within new coats of paint, the Art Deco stain glass window plains gives the time of periods of that change, as also with lighting fixtures also gives another aspects of stories of building changed through time.. as I walk out the front door into the from another hall to another..
Walking out from another to the inner Monastery courtyard, in which, has the mixture of two types of garden courtyard landscaping in which is in between two inspirational era’s from the Ming, Qing Dynasties as those to era’s was a majority influence for what to come as seen bring the influences from Forbidden City Beijing to the Monastery as see in that transitioning from those white marble cake layered terraces with the white rounded lotus columns.. Orthough the walls of the gated hall are of a different colour than imperial maroon red, in which painted on the walls of the Forbidden City given the different in hues, in which during the imperial days you can’t have the same colour tone of the Imperial City in which a slightly different off set tone colours …
one of the two main halls that delicate to the Buddha Bodhisattva Skanda- Precious Lotus Zen Temple
As two of the main halls that preceding is the inspired architecturally designs that’s drawn from many elements from the Forbidden City, also from the New Summer Palace especially it’s garden pavilion corridors with those cobalt blues, with jade greens painted wooden brackets, as the monastery has been famous for in crafting those wooden connecting roof brackets that’s interlocking without the use of nails. As with the walls columns hand crafted stone works of intricate dragons supporting the structure.. As at the back of the building is the delicate stone wall carvings that tell the chronicles of Buddha Bodhisattva Skanda.. Within tells glinted with golden Buddha’s that surrounds the walls that center Buddha Bodhisattva Skanda. As the center piece, while the other depictions of his chronicles are painted on the ceilings also of the walls within.. As I entered within the temple, its best to worship it as I did also notable no to take any photograph that’s within in respecting that whom is emplaced, as taken all of that moment taken in exploring every detail soaking the walled ceiling painted history from the past to now, in which the painted chronicles feels like the very inspirational ancient Chinese Paintings in most parts of Chinese Buddhist grottoes among the old Silk Road in where those style of paintings originated from….
Orthough the monastery is recent of least hundred years more, in sense it has the strong feel tugging me into back in time into an enriched moment in time… In which like visiting an older ancient Zhou-Tang Capital, Xian, with the Golden Goose Pagoda pulling me in where that light left 1344 light years ago from the Orion Nebula about 700 AD, where the most powerful woman ruled the most powerful civilization on earth Middle Kingdom-Middle Earth- which is known to be China ..
Continues…………………….