#temple west

[niteshade925]

April 12, Xi'an, China, Daci'en Temple/大慈恩寺 and the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda/大雁塔 (Part 3 - History):

The entrance to the Xuanzang Memorial Hall:

Xuanzang/玄奘 (602 - 664 AD; birthname Chen Yi/陈祎) was a famous Chinese monk, scholar, and translator who journeyed throughout Central Asia and India to bring Buddhist sutras from India and translate them into Chinese. He was also the founder of the Consciousness-Only School/唯识宗 of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism.

A statue of Xuanzang in the memorial hall:

Xuanzang's 17-year journey from Chang'an (Xi'an) to India and back drawn out on a map. The route he took to India is in red, and the return route he took back to Chang'an is in green. On his way he traveled through many kingdoms in Central Asia and India, and he would later compile his experiences into the work known as Records of the Western Regions/《大唐西域记》. This work is still very important for historians and archaeologists studying Central Asian and Indian history, because it gives locations of important sites, such as the ruins of Nalanda monastery (phonetically translated as 那烂陀寺 in Chinese) in modern day Bihar. The Ming-era novel Journey to the West/《西游记》 was also very loosely based on this work; more specifically, the novel was based on folk tales about Xuanzang's travels, which was in turn loosely and partially based on Xuanzang's experiences recorded in this book.

(Metal?) wall murals and a giant wood relief depicting Xuanzang's early life and his journey to India and back (generally viewed in order from left to right since it's a continuous narrative):

Biography of the Tang Dynasty Buddhist Tripitaka Master Xuanzang of the Great Ci'en Temple/《大慈恩寺三藏法师传》 (alternatively translated simply as "The Life of Xuanzang"), written by Xuanzang's disciple Huili/慧立 in 688 AD.

An artifact not strictly related to Xuanzang: Ritual Confession of Mercy Temple/《慈悲道场忏法》, a Buddhist repentance work/忏文 written for Emperor Wu of Liang (464 - 549 AD) for the purpose of conducting a "ritual of transcendence" (called 超度; I could not find an English translation for this so this is my own translation) for the emperor's deceased wife. This particular version was printed in Ming dynasty in 1608.

Ceiling of the memorial hall, decorated with Sanskrit characters:

The second exhibition hall also has wall murals and a giant wood relief, this time depicting Xuanzang's life after returning to China:

Xuanzang has stated that the purpose of his journey was to bring back Buddhist sutras in their original Sanskrit, so that the integrity of the original texts may be better preserved in future translations and a more faithful interpretation of the sutras may be achieved. When he returned from India in 645 AD, he brought back with him 657 Buddhist texts in Sanskrit, and with support from Emperor Taizong of Tang, he proceeded to translate these texts into Chinese with his team of translators.

Daci'en Temple still preserves less than 20 leaves of the original palm leaf manuscript/贝叶经 brought to China by Xuanzang. I didn't get to see these artifacts myself, but just for reference, here are some potato quality pictures I've found online:

Below is a part of a (Ming-era? Not sure) printed copy of the Mahā-prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (《大般若经》 or 《大般若波罗蜜多经》 in Chinese), which was translated into the Chinese text seen here by Xuanzang and his team:

Part of Complete Translations by Master Xuanzang/《玄奘法师译撰全集》:

A view of the exhibited part of the collection of works that were either by Xuanzang or written about Xuanzang. Being an aspiring translator myself and knowing that these were works connected to a great translator who lived 1300+ years ago, there is just a feeling of awe here that can't be described properly in words...

There's also the twin steles associated with Xuanzang at the foot of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. The stele on the west (below left) was written from right to left, composed by Emperor Taizong of Tang Li Shimin/唐太宗 李世民, while the stele on the east (below right) was written from left to right, and was composed by Emperor Gaozong of Tang Li Zhi/唐高宗 李治 (the two emperors are father and son). The calligraphy for both steles was provided by Chancellor Chu Suiliang/中书令 褚遂良. Both steles gave an account of Xuanzang's life and praised him for his achievements, and both were erected in 653 AD. Since I didn't go into the pagoda, I didn't see these two steles (I believe one of them isn't at the pagoda anymore? It might be at Beilin Museum now), so here are pictures of the ink rubbings from Open Museum (open in new tab to view the full image):

And finally, some fun souvenirs from the gift shop! These are tiny incense pellet holders topped with the twelve zodiac animals

A funny greeting card that translates to "And We miss you too" (朕 is a first person pronoun used exclusively by emperors to refer to themselves; today many people use 朕 to jokingly refer to themselves)

[m1nsur0]

[JTTW OC: 智平] Pale Dragons, Pale Mountains

[violett-orwhatever]

We should talk more about Wukongs shame temple.

I feel like we don't talk enough about the shame temple.

What even is a shame temple?

[journeytothewestresearch]

Cute Monkey King Temple Shirt

My friend recently visited a fairly new Monkey King temple in Bangkok, Thailand. This adorable shirt is only available in their onsite giftshop.

[the-monkey-ruler]

Can you tell us something about the white mouse? I was always curious about her poem, where he talked about a bridge and two lovers. Does she really love Sanzang?

Why did he once choose to call himself Half Guanyin? Do you think he was jealous of her?

I watched an episode of JTTW 2011 and I liked that they tried to explain that her obsession with Tripitaka was because he fed her when she was a mouse. But I know that was fiction.

For me, she is in love. But I would like to hear someone else's opinion.

Personally, I truly 100% believe she didn’t love him she wanted to have sex with him for immortality and tried to make it look like love. It looks like her goal was to be a golden immortal of Grand Monad by taking Sanzang... though her seduction static does say how she proclaimed love for him I highly doubt that she chose him because of his 'personality.' I think any kind of 'love' or 'romance' mention is more for the sake of showing how she is a picture of temptation that anyone would follow her willingly as opposed to the idea that she could rape a man to get her way.

She was able to seduce at least 6 monks in the three days they were resting at the temple and ate them as well so she might not have been too hung up about Sanzang either.

I find one interesting where she was talking more about sex with Sanzang and trying to convince him to 'unify' their 'marriage' that Sanzang gave her a red peach and took a green peach from her. Red often being seen as a form of desire, not just lust but can be, and how Sanzang is letting go of desire itself rather than being consumed by desire himself.

I found the poem you were talking about! (took me a while). I truly believe that this is more of her way of expressing her shock when Sanzang misled her under Wukong's instructions. Wukong just told Sanzang to talk her outside so he can get the upper hand and Sanzang had to play along for his own protection. We have seen this before with other antagonists, such as the Scorpion Demon and the Queen of Women's Country, where they are willing to hold Sanzang hostage but don't seem to be willing to take with without consent and therefore try to seduce him. As such it is framed as 'love' and 'romance' when really they are trying to act as if they aren't keeping him as a tool to be used. Lady Earth Flow thought she succeeded in seducing the monk when he gave her the peach but really it was a way for Wukong to get in her belly and nearly beat her to death.

Before this, she was already calling him 'husband' and thus his 'betrayal' is more of her expressing shock that her tactics didn't work. She is referencing another tragic love story to describe her own despite that there weren't any mutual feelings. It does seem she is GENUINE in that she does want Sanzang to love her but I truly don't think that her love comes from a place of genuineness but more for the sake of her selfish desires.

She is called Half Guanyin not because she is jealous but rather to show how much she wants to be an immortal and on par with the Buddha and Guanyin. She only calls herself that because she stole precious Candles from Vulture Peak showing she wants the same respect and yearning for the status of the Buddha and Guanyin.

I can say in my own opinion that she was absolutely trying to use Sanzang since she has been luring other monks and murdering them as well. I will say that I think she was fond of him, for sure, but I feel that most of the female demons were similarly fond as they did not wish to harm the monk but also didn't give him a choice in saying no. Props to her for at least trying to give him a meal he would like and treating him well that is far better than the Spider Demon or the Scorpion Demon at least.

2011 is a fantastic show because they give their characters depth, and don’t have the yaoguai just as one-dimensional villains. Most of the demons in Xiyouji are flat characters as they make their goals clear from the start and are framed in a more monster-of-the-week format with few exceptions. I think 2011 was very clever in that they took Lady Earth Flow from the novel and saw how she does value loyalty (to her family Nezha and Li Jing) and how she tries to make Sanzang comfortable (vegan food and expressing the importance of love and human desire) and is able to frame her as a more round character with her own wants and desires outside of power. She is a love-sick and slightly obsessive woman who knows that she could never have a chance with Sanzang willingly as he is devoted to his mission but can't live with herself if she doesn't even try. It takes what is already there and expands on it to make her more sympathetic without excluding her actions from the book (though I'm not sure if the show has her killing those 6 monks).

I think she was infatuated with him in the book and maybe wanted to call it love but I don't think there is any real reason to think she fell for him if he didn't have that "become an immortal if you sleep with me" pass. And only trying to get with something for something so transactional doesn't seem to be 'love' in my eyes as more she would have tried this with any monk and just so happens that Sanzang is a handsome and kind man that she also was fond of and tried to be as polite as possible in her kidnapping.

[bongboyblog]

A walk through Bengal's architecture

Bengali architecture has a long and rich history, fusing indigenous elements from the Indian subcontinent with influences from other areas of the world. Present-day Bengal architecture includes the nation of Bangladesh as well as the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam's Barak Valley. West Bengal’s architecture is an amalgamation of ancient urban architecture, religious architecture, rural vernacular architecture, colonial townhouses and country houses, and modern urban styles. Bengal architecture is the architecture of Wind, Water, and Clay. The Pala Empire (750–1120), which was founded in Bengal and was the final Buddhist imperial force on the Indian subcontinent, saw the apex of ancient Bengali architecture. The majority of donations went to Buddhist stupas, temples, and viharas. Southeast Asian and Tibetan architecture was influenced by Pala architecture. The Grand Vihara of Somapura, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was the most well-known structure erected by the Pala rulers.

The Grand Vihara of Somapura

According to historians, the builders of Angkor Wat in Cambodia may have taken inspiration from Somapura. Bengal architecture became known for its use of terracotta due to the scarcity of stone in the area. Clay from the Bengal Delta was used to make bricks.

The temple architecture has distinct features like the rich wall decoration, often known as the terracotta temples, which was one of the remarkable elements of Bengali temple architecture. The double-roofed architecture of thatched huts was replicated by Bengali temples. Square platforms were used to construct the temples. Burnt brick panels with figures in geometric patterns or substantial sculptural compositions served as the temples' adornment.

Dochala style

These served as models for many temples that were built in undivided Bengal. Construction materials used in ancient times included wood and bamboo. Bengal has alluvial soil, so there isn't a lot of stone there. The bricks that were utilized to build the architectural components were made from stone, wood, black salt, and granite. Bengal has two different types of temples: the Rekha type, which is smooth or ridged curvilinear, and the Bhadra form, which has horizontal tiers that gradually get smaller and is made up of the amalaka sila. Mughal architecture, including forts, havelis, gardens, caravanserais, hammams, and fountains, spread throughout the area during the Mughal era in Bengal. Mosques built by the Mughals in Bengal also took on a distinctive regional look. The two major centers of Mughal architecture were Dhaka and Murshidabad. The do-chala roof custom from North India was imitated by the Mughals.

Jorasako thakurbari

The Rasmancha is a heritage building located at Bishnupur, Bankura district, West Bengal.

Influence of the world on Bengal architecture: Although the Indo-Saracenic architectural style predominated in the area, Neo-Classical buildings from Europe were also present, particularly in or close to trading centers. While the majority of country estates had a stately country house, Calcutta, Dacca, Panam, and Chittagong all had extensive 19th and early 20th-century urban architecture that was equivalent to that of London, Sydney, or other British Empire towns. Calcutta experienced the onset of art deco in the 1930s. Indo-Saracenic architecture can be seen in Ahsan Manzil and Curzon Hall in Dhaka, Chittagong Court Building in Chittagong, and Hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad.

Hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad

The Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, designed by Vincent Esch also has Indo-Saracenic features, possibly inspired by the Taj Mahal. Additionally, Kolkata's bungalows, which are being demolished to make way for high-rise structures, have elements of art deco. The 1950s in Chittagong saw a continuation of Art Deco influences. The Bengali modernist movement, spearheaded by Muzharul Islam, was centered in East Pakistan. In the 1960s, many well-known international architects, such as Louis Kahn, Richard Neutra, Stanley Tigerman, Paul Rudolph, Robert Boughey, and Konstantinos Doxiadis, worked in the area.

The Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban

This iconic piece of contemporary Bangladeshi architecture, was created by Louis Kahn. Midsized skyscrapers dominate the cityscapes of contemporary Bengali cities, which are frequently referred to as "concrete jungles." With well-known architects like Rafiq Azam, architecture services play a key role in the urban economies of the area. Overall Bengal architecture was influenced by various contemporaries of their time and continues to evolve.

Gothic architectural style seen in St. Paul's Cathedral in Kolkata.

Zamindar era buildings in ruin.

Belur Math in Howrah

[i-lavabean]

Travel sketches day 3,

Kids arguing over Pokemon cards is an international phenomenon😆

[strangerinalostworld]

hey guys i need more mutuals for this stupid website. um, if you like any of the things on this stupidly long list i’ve compiled… moot me perhaps??😽😽

dr who

hannibal + the red dragon books + the silence of the lambs movies + HEU + manhunter

good omens

ofmd

spiderverse (spider punk and noir specifically!!)

david bowie

iron maiden

queen

stone temple pilots

pink floyd

coven

hozier

fiona apple

ani difranco

ratm

a ton of other musicians i don’t feel like listing

i have no mouth and i must scream

the wild west

red dead redemption

repo! the genetic opera

rtc

marine biology (sharks!!)

herpetology

entomology

microbiology

[kaalbela]

Mural at Parashnath Jain Temple, Kolkata.

[camelliagwerm]

my confession is that i actually love the deep roads and tolerate the fade segments in origins. where are my fellow brecilian forest haters.

[mametupa]

[humusboii2thereturnoftheking]

On the right, a Jewish Israeli policewoman. On the left, Ahed Tamimi, a Palestinian activist who's advocated for the slaughter of Jews.

Next time someone tells you Jews are European you're welcome to show them this photo and remind them over half the Jews in Israel are Middle Eastern or North African.

[noonesingslikeyouanymore]

Chris Cornell, Matt Cameron and Jimmy Page pose at a private reception and dinner for Page to celebrate his new autobiography “Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page” at the Sunset Marquis Hotel and Villas on november 13, 2014 in West Hollywood, California.

Photo by Kevin Winter

[streetfarterturdstrike]

[the-monkey-ruler]

Journey to the West: The Great Buddha Temple (2018) 西游之决战大佛寺

Director: Make Starring: Tang Fei / Dou Xinhao / Wang Zhe / Fan Zihao / Jin Zi Genre: Drama / Fantasy Country of production: Mainland China Language: Mandarin Date: 2018-02-01 (Mainland China) Duration: 73 minutes Type: Retelling

Summary:

"Journey to the West: Little Treasures Conquer Demons: The Great Buddha Temple" is a movie script based on the classic novel "Journey to the West". It tells the story of Tang Monk and his four disciples who transformed into cute babies to punish evil and promote good. Sun Wukong and his brothers reincarnated as cute babies to conquer demons and establish their power, but unexpectedly lost his golden hoop stick, so they started a thrilling struggle with the demon who stole the golden hoop stick. In the end, they recovered the golden hoop stick, defeated the demon, and saved the child. This is the Chinese version of "Home Alone", but the cute babies in Journey to the West not only have to defend their homes, but also save the world! Through the wonderful adventure stories of cute babies, the script conveys truth, goodness and beauty to children, teaches them to do more good deeds, spread positive energy, and promote the core values ​​of socialism.

Source: https://movie.douban.com/subject/30148222/

Link: https://www.iq.com/album/%E8%A5%BF%E6%B8%B8%E4%B9%8B%E5%86%B3%E6%88%98%E5%A4%A7%E4%BD%9B%E5%AF%BA-2018-19rrfowgug?lang=zh_cn

[creativemedianews]

Iran defies west's request not to strike Israel

Iran defies west's request not to strike Israel #al-Haramal-Sharif #axisofresistance #Gazaceasefiretalks #Hezbollah