James Baquet

    jamesbaquet@gmail.com

    I ARRIVED at my first (of three) temples in Shenyang, another Banruo (Prajna, or Wisdom) Temple, at nearly noon.

    The temple had only three halls on the main axis. As usual for such a small temple, these were, front to back: the Hall of the Heavenly Kings; the Main (or Buddha) Hall; and the Sutra Repository, also called the Scripture Library.

    The first of these has the standard figures: the Laughing Buddha (Milefo, or Maitreya Buddha) front and center, with Weituo (Veda or Skanda) at his back; and the two of them flanked by the four kings or “devarajas,” two on a side.

    In the Main Hall Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, is in the center, with the Medicine Buddha on one side, and Amitabha Buddha (or Amitofo, one of the most popular Buddhas in China) on the other. This is a common configuration.

    As usual, the last hall was closed. This hall would be used for lectures downstairs, and have books and temple treasures upstairs.

    The surrounding buildings are used for offices, dormitories, and dining. One nice touch here was that, in the east courtyard, the area where people usually stand was given over to a small but pleasant flower and vegetable garden.

    Leaving this temple, I continued on a short walk to Ci’en Temple, the next one on my list, as well as a small “bonus” temple.