Qielan Hall
| Qielan Hall | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 伽藍殿 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 伽蓝殿 | ||||||
| |||||||
The Qielan Hall (simplified Chinese: 伽蓝殿; traditional Chinese: 伽藍殿; pinyin: Qiélándiàn; lit. 'Hall of Sangharama Palace') is an important building in Han Chinese Buddhist temples.[1] It is the east annex hall of the Daxiongbao Hall.[1] The term "Sangharama" (僧伽藍摩) refers to "gardens of monks" (眾園).[1] In Buddhism, it originally refers to constructing the base of monks' dormitories (僧舍) and later it refers to the general term of temples, including both land and buildings.[1][2][3]
Description
Ancient India
In the Qielan Hall, King Pasenadi, Prince Jeta and Anathapindika are enshrined.[1] They created the grand Jetavana Vihara (祇園精舍) for the Buddha to live and preach, which was a significant contribution to the creation and spread of Buddhism.[1] So they were regarded as Sangharama deities, namely the guardians of the land where Buddhism is rooted.[1][2][3]
China
In Chinese Buddhism, general Guan Yu in the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) is often enshrined in the Qielan Hall based on a legend pertaining to Yuquan Temple.[1]
During the Sui dynasty (581–618), when the founder of the Tiantai school, Master Zhiyi was in Yuquan Mountain in Jingzhou, Hubei, and witnessed the presence of many strange monsters. Then afterwards, a deity with a long beard who claimed to be Guan Yu appeared and talked to him. Zhiyi preached the Buddha's Dharma to Guan Yu, which moved him and he finally devoted himself to Buddhism and became a dharmapala for Buddha.
Including Guan Yu as one of the dharmapalas in Buddhism promoted the spread of Buddhism in China.[1][2][3]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Zi Yan (2012-08-01). Famous Temples in China. Beijing: Time Publishing and Media Co., Ltd. pp. 35–37. ISBN 978-7-5461-3146-7.
- ^ a b c Wei Ran (2012-06-01). Buddhist Buildings. Beijing: China Architecture & Building Press. ISBN 9787112142880.
- ^ a b c Han Xin (2006-04-01). Well-Known Temples of China. Shanghai: The Eastern Publishing Co. Ltd. ISBN 7506024772.
Further reading
- 王 (Wáng), 贵祥 (Guìxiáng) (2016-06-17). 中国汉传佛教建筑史：佛寺的建造、分布与寺院格局、建筑类型及其变迁（全３册） [The History of Chinese Buddhist Architecture (Total of Three Volumes)] (in Chinese). Beijing: Tsinghua University Press. ISBN 978-7302427056.
- Zhāng (张), Yùhuán (驭寰) (2014-06-01). 图解中国佛教建筑、寺院系列 [Illustration of Chinese Buddhist Architecture and Temples] (in Chinese). Beijing: Contemporary China Publishing House. ISBN 978-7515401188.