Ep. 148: The Main Courtyard of a Chinese Buddhist Temple

The "lungs" of the whole place

In this episode, we return to the roots of Temple Tales, looking at some of the features of a temple itself.

Here we are focusing on one area of the temple, but to get a "bird's-eye view" of a typical temple, please see Episode 002, "Let's Visit a Chinese Buddhist Temple."

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Typically, we talk about temples in terms of their halls and the figures found inside them. So, arriving at a temple, we move around the Screen Wall (said to protect the temple from negative influences, but probably originating as a simple privacy mechanism); we pass through the Mountain Gate, with its two immense guardians, Generals Heng and Ha (see Episode 027, "Heng and Ha, the Fiercesome Temple Guardians"); and then into the Hall of the Four Heavenly Kings, which, in addition to its namesakes, is anchored by the "Laughing Buddha" and behind him General Weituo (see Episode 003, "The Laughing Buddha and the Scowling General").

Passing out the back of this hall, we usually make a beeline for the Main Hall.

But wait! Let's linger a bit in the space between the Four Heavenly Kings Hall and the Main Hall. This is the Main Courtyard, the focus of today's episode.

In the best temples, the Main Courtyard is a large open space, suitable for various ceremonies. But it is what we find at the courtyard's edges that make it interesting.