广州英文导游词

广州英文导游词

e was deeply impressed by the six banyan trees then growing in the temple. Since then the temple has been commonly known as the Six Banyan Temple and the pagoda, the Six Banyan Pagoda. Now the facsimiles o

f these two characters can still be seen engraved on the stone tablet in a corridor and on the slab over the lintel of the front door.

[The Hall of Heavenly Kings]

The entrance hall of the temple is called The Hall of Heavenly Kings and is the shrine for Mile Buddha (Maitreya) and the Heavenly Kings (or the Divas as are called in Buddhist sutra).The statue in the middle, the man with a big belly, is Mile Buddha, who is commonly known as the Laughing Buddha because he is always grinning from ear to ear. He is the future savior that will deliver all living beings to the Buddhist paradise after Sakyamuni’s Buddhist power is exhausted, and so he is also known as the Future Buddha. The couplet on both sides is a compliment to the Laughing Buddha, meaning literally: "A big belly can hold the world’s troubles that are troubling people. An open mouth is smiling at those who are to be smiled at"

On either side of the hall we can see two statues. They are the four Heavenly Kings, who are protectors of Buddhist doctrines, with each taking care of one side-the east, west, north and south. It is their joint efforts that ensure harmony, peace and prosperity of the world. The four objects they are holding-a "pipa"(a Chinese pluck instrument),an umbrella, a snake and a sword-combine to mean that Buddha will ensure a favorable weather for the crops so that people may live a happy life.(Individually, the one playing a pipa takes charge of the affairs in the East and is associated with harmony, as are all musicians; the one holding an umbrella, which is a symbol of rain that nourishes the crops, is in charge of the northern affairs; the third protector holding a snake in his hand takes charge of the affairs in the West and is believed to be able to tame all evil-doers and keep them under control; the sword carrier ,who looks after the southern affairs, is supposed to be able to bring wind.)

Statue at the back of the Laughing Buddha is the patron of the temple, Wei Tuo or Veda by name, who is number one among the 32 generals under the four Heavenly Kings.

[The Six Banyan Pagoda]

The Six Banyan Pagoda was built for keeping Buddhist relics. According to the records, some holy ashes from Buddha’s teeth, a sword, a bronze tripod and some other Buddhist treasures are buried under the foundation of the pagoda. This octagonal magnificent pagoda, with its blue glazed tiles, vermilion beams, painted walls and red pillars all in good match, looks like a flowery column and so it is often referred to as the "Flowery Pagoda".

The highlight of the visit to the temple is to climb the pagoda. This 57-meter-high pagoda looks to have only 9 stories on the outside but actually has 17 stories inside. On each of the 9 external floors, there are many entrances leading to its interior but only one is accessible to the staircase. So, if you lose your way, you just turn around the circle and you will find your way up or down! On the top floor, there is a huge bronze column with 1023 Buddha figurines in relief. Cast in 1358, this bronze column, together with its attachments, weighs over 5 tons.

[The Sakyamuni Hall]

To the west of the pagoda is the main hall of the temple-the