On the far
side of the pool was a statue which depicted the arrival of
Buddha on 
Earth. It is written that
"The prince walked seven steps raising his right hand to the
sky, pointing down with his left hand to the ground and said
Heaven and Earth. " He was accompanied by nine heavenly
dragons spurting water to announce his arrival. The Chinese
artists were infinitely patient in their work, which is
painstakingly detailed. Having carved many a walking stick with
figure and vine,
I could appreciate each knife
cut and chisel tap in the intricate patterns and designs. One
such Chinese character is the wonderfully carved mythical
imperial dog. The face is always full in likeness to a chow. The
body is solid and powerful looking yet the expression is one of
happiness or playfulness giving off a warm feeling. We found many
examples of this creature throughout the temple. It is carved
into almost every type of media available to the carvers. The
intricate detail is exquisite in every aspect. Laura found one
standing guard along the way and gave it a pat and a word of
encouragement as we passed by. The Temple was quite active with
worshipers coming 
and going. The Main Temple is
off limits to cameras and shoes and I shed both before entering.
The use of gold is overwhelming in the main room. The three
solemn and exquisite Buddha statues make up the center of the
shrine. Sakyamuni Buddha in the center, the Buddha of Medicine on
his left and Amitaba Buddha to his right. the room was aglow in
candle light flickering off the gold, which is the predominant
color throughout the Temple. The whole place had a serene calming
effect on us. It is a very pleasant place to visit. On the way
out 
I picked up a couple of English
translations to the story of Buddha and will brush up on this
Eastern Religion over the next few days. For the curious, Buddha
lived in the 6th century BC in India. He was neither God or a
Prophet of God. He created a philosophy, which later became a
religion. A rough layman's interpretation is that man is destined
to suffer as a result of his thoughts which are influenced by his
emotions such as greed, lust and anger. To be free of suffering,
and find sublime peace, one must become enlightened. This is
accomplished by cultivating the mind with among other things,
understanding the 4 noble truths and following the noble
eightfold path. In closing I would say that our visit was to more
than a temple. It was to an art gallery and a museum all rolled
into one. A truly beautiful place in the midst of the hustle and
bustle of a major Canadian city.
*** THE
END ***
<<<<< Back
Next >>>>>