(1) City-bound Guangxiao Temple is something of a "senior center"; lots of old men hung out here, and I don't blame them: it was a pleasant place in the middle of the urban hubbub.
This "Heavenly King" had a certain Jack Black air about him, from the stance to the sneer.
(2) The light on the bell tower is perfect in Golden Hour.
(3) Most of the temple is pretty standard, so I'm skipping up to the top of the compound and two newer halls with lots to see. First, the Da Bei ("Great Compassion") Hall.
(4) Inside is this monumental figure of Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.
(5) A close-up of Guanyin.
(6) The walls of this hall (and the next) are lined with numerous figures. I spent quite a bit of time shooting them individually.
(7) The Dragon King is always one of my favorites. (See the horns?)
(8) This is the "Huayan World," meant to convey the idea of the interpenetration of all things. Note how much more rococo it is than most halls.
(9) Again, the hall is lined with figures.
(10) Alas, the figures on the main altar, including my personal buddha (Vairocana, the Great Sun Buddha) are the most lackluster in the hall. I hope they're placeholders, until something magnificent can be permanently seated there instead.
(11) I don't know who she is, but I bet she has something to do with women of childbearing age.
(12) I call this one: Mickey "Hulks out."
(13) This building was just outside of the temple grounds, next to the Huayan World Hall. No one could tell me what it was.
UPDATE: I had lunch at the temple the next day with Chinese friends; they inquired, and we learned it's a place for people's ashes. So, dead people live there (or what's left of them).
+ + + + + + + +
Well, that's it. No big finish--because I'm not finished. The road goes on and on. In fact, I'll get home late Saturday, and Monday Lila and I will leave for another leg of the pilgrimage. Stay tuned!
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Last Updated August 8, 2019
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