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Zhihua Temple (Zhihuasi, Temple of Transforming Wisdom), temple visitors
- Title Translation: 智化寺 , 寺庙游客
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: Completed in 1444, the ninth year of the Zhengtong reign, the Zhihua Temple was among a handful of Buddhist temples whose constructions were granted by the imperial edict issued directly from Emperor Yingzong. Under the auspice of this very emperor, the Ming (1368-1644) witnessed the nation-wide construction of Buddhist temples in large quantity. Unfortunately, most of them have either disappeared or been altered in modern times, and today, it is rare to find Ming Buddhist temples still retaining much of their original architecture. The Zhihua Temple, the most complete Ming Buddhist temple to have survived today, preserves a slice of the temple’s history, and offers a glance into some essential features that characterize Ming Buddhist architecture. The temple layout is dominated by a central north-south axis, along which the principal halls are located. Each hall is fronted with a courtyard and two subsidiary buildings facing each other to form a "quadrangular enclosure". The only exception is the third building, the two-level structure—the Rulai Hall (Hall of Śākyamuni) on the first floor and the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion) on the second—enclosed by walls on its east and west. According to the first modern architectural survey of the temple during the early 1930s, it consisted of five quadrangular enclosures along the central axis, with abbot's room and dormitories built along the two secondary axes that flank the central one in the rear section. Today, Zhihua Temple retains four original central quadrangular units.
1444
Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), eaves
- Title Translation: 如來殿 , 屋檐
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Rulai Hall is named for a title given to the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, from whose enlightenment and teachings the Buddhist religion originated. Rulai Hall has two stories and has approximately nine thousand small niches of Buddhas decorating the wall. The Rulai Hall (Hall of Śākyamuni) is on the first floor and the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion) is on the second—enclosed by walls on its east and west.
1444
Zhihua Gate (Zhihuamen, Tianwangdian, or Hall of the Heavenly Kings), exterior
- Title Translation: 智化門 , 外部
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The entrance hall, named Zhihua Gate, is a small structure with three bays across the front and two bays across the depth (13 x 7.8 meters). It originally contained four now-lost statues of the Four Heavenly Kings installed to guard and protect the temple. Taken together with the Drum Tower on the west and Bell Tower on the east immediately inside the entrance gate (shanmen), the first quadrangle serves as a preparatory space before one makes entry into the main part of the complex to venerate the Buddhas.
1444
Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), first floor ceiling tiles and scripture cabinets
- Title Translation: 如來殿 , 一楼天花板和藏经橱
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Rulai Hall is named for a title given to the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, from whose enlightenment and teachings the Buddhist religion originated. Rulai Hall has two stories and has approximately nine thousand small niches of Buddhas decorating the wall. The Rulai Hall (Hall of Śākyamuni) is on the first floor and the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion) is on the second—enclosed by walls on its east and west.
1444
Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), exterior, daytime
- Title Translation: 智化殿 , 外部
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua Hall is a 3-bay-by-3-bay structure (18 x 14.5 meters) with a hip-and-gable roof. It initially housed a Buddha triad with the Śākyamuni Buddha at the center along with eighteen Arhats. The only four interior columns form a spacious central bay before the altar for visitors to see and worship the Buddhas. Above this central area is where the grand coffered ceiling (approx. 5 x 5 meters), now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, was initially installed.
1444
Zhihua Gate (Zhihuamen, Tianwangdian, or Hall of the Heavenly Kings), Zhihuamen stele about the temple dedication
- Title Translation: 智化門 , 敕赐智化禅寺报恩碑
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The entrance hall, named Zhihua Gate, is a small structure with three bays across the front and two bays across the depth (13 x 7.8 meters). It originally contained four now-lost statues of the Four Heavenly Kings installed to guard and protect the temple. Taken together with the Drum Tower on the west and Bell Tower on the east immediately inside the entrance gate (shanmen), the first quadrangle serves as a preparatory space before one makes entry into the main part of the complex to venerate the Buddhas.
1444
Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), scripture cabinets
- Title Translation: 智化殿 , 藏经橱
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua Hall is a 3-bay-by-3-bay structure (18 x 14.5 meters) with a hip-and-gable roof. It initially housed a Buddha triad with the Śākyamuni Buddha at the center along with eighteen Arhats. The only four interior columns form a spacious central bay before the altar for visitors to see and worship the Buddhas. Above this central area is where the grand coffered ceiling (approx. 5 x 5 meters), now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, was initially installed.
1444
Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), miniature multi-story pavilion (tiangong louge) eaves
- Title Translation: 智化殿天花与藻井 , 微型天宫楼阁屋檐
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis — the Hall of Great Wisdom.To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost.A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662–1722).
1444
Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), exterior
- Title Translation: 智化殿 , 外部
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua Hall is a 3-bay-by-3-bay structure (18 x 14.5 meters) with a hip-and-gable roof. It initially housed a Buddha triad with the Śākyamuni Buddha at the center along with eighteen Arhats. The only four interior columns form a spacious central bay before the altar for visitors to see and worship the Buddhas. Above this central area is where the grand coffered ceiling (approx. 5 x 5 meters), now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, was initially installed.
1444
Coffered Ceiling from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), side and back
- Title Translation: 万佛阁天花与藻井 , 侧面和背面
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The ceiling from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, at first sold to a coffin-maker, was acquired by Laurence Sickman in 1930 for the newly founded Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. The ceiling is carved cypress wood with gold leaf, showing dragon design carved in relief.
1444
Coffered Ceiling from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Chinese Galleries
- Title Translation: 万佛阁天花与藻井 , 纳尔逊·阿特金斯艺术博物馆中国馆
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The ceiling from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, at first sold to a coffin-maker, was acquired by Laurence Sickman in 1930 for the newly founded Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. The ceiling is carved cypress wood with gold leaf, showing dragon design carved in relief.
1444
Coffered Ceiling from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), 3D reconstruction still image
- Title Translation: 万佛阁天花与藻井 , 3D重建静态图像
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The ceiling from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, at first sold to a coffin-maker, was acquired by Laurence Sickman in 1930 for the newly founded Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. The ceiling is carved cypress wood with gold leaf, showing dragon design carved in relief.
1444
Coffered Ceiling from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), 3D reconstruction still image
- Title Translation: 万佛阁天花与藻井 , 3D 重建静止图像
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The ceiling from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, at first sold to a coffin-maker, was acquired by Laurence Sickman in 1930 for the newly founded Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. The ceiling is carved cypress wood with gold leaf, showing dragon design carved in relief.
1444
Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), 3D reconstruction still image
- Title Translation: 智化殿天花与藻井 , 3D重建图像
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis — the Hall of Great Wisdom.To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost.A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662–1722).
1444
Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), 3D reconstruction still image
- Title Translation: 万佛阁 , 3D 重建静态图像
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The upper level of Rulai Hall is the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), which is a smaller 3-bay-by-3-bay structure. The Pavilion features the “Three Bodies of the Buddha” (sanshen fo), with Buddha Vairocana at the center accompanied by Śākyamuni to its left and Rocana Buddha (Luzhena fao) to its right. While the lower-level ceiling is flat, consisting of square panels (tianhua), the ceiling on the second level features a magnificent coffered ceiling (zaojing), now installed in the Chinese gallery of the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. Rulai Hall and Wanfo Pavilion together form the religious center of the temple.
1444
Dazhi Hall (Dazhidian, Hall of Great Wisdom), Manjusuri
- Title Translation: 大智殿 , 三坐菩萨
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Dazhi Hall is located east of the Zhihua Hall and opposite from the Sutra Hall. The hall initially enshrined three bodhisattvas, Avolokiteśvara attended by Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra on an altar. Though different in function and interior layout, the Dazhi Hall has the exact measurements and structure as the Sutra Hall, its counterpart across from the courtyard.
1444
Revolving Sutra Cabinet (Zhuanlun Jingzang, or Scripture Cabinet) in Sutra Hall (Zangdian, or Scripture Hall), front
- Title Translation: 藏殿转轮经藏 , 正面
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: “Revolving Sutra Cabinet” (zhuanlun jingzang) is an octagonal sutra cabinet. It has a stone plinth supporting the wooden cabinets and does not revolve. A Vairocana Buddha seated on a lotus is positioned right at the center on top of the sutra cabinet. The off-center position of the sutra cabinet turns out to be a calculated decision, as it creates enough space and angle for a visitor to see the Vairocana Buddha right before s/he enters the hall.
1444
Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), research team conducting scanning
- Title Translation: 智化殿天花与藻井 , 研究小组进行扫描
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis—the Hall of Great Wisdom. To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost. A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662–1722).
1444
Dazhi Hall (Dazhidian, Hall of Great Wisdom), seated bodhisattva
- Title Translation: 大智殿 , 坐菩萨
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Dazhi Hall is located east of the Zhihua Hall and opposite from the Sutra Hall. The hall initially enshrined three bodhisattvas, Avolokiteśvara attended by Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra on an altar. Though different in function and interior layout, the Dazhi Hall has the exact measurements and structure as the Sutra Hall, its counterpart across from the courtyard.
1444
Ceiling Panels, from Zhihua Temple
- Title Translation: 天花板，来自中国北京智化寺
- Period: Qing, 1736-1796 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: Carved cypress wood with gold leaf; dragon design carved in relief
1736
1796
1796
Standing Bodhisattva
- Title Translation: 菩萨立像
- Period: Jin, 1115-1234 C.E.
- Project: Wooden Bodhisattvas (Guanyin)
- Work Description: This figure is among the best in quality and preservation to have survived from the Jin Dynasty. The image is full-bodied yet imbued with a sense of stately movement effected by the flowing garments and twisting scarves that eddy around the figure. The deep carving and high relief drapery produce a dramatic effect of shadow and highlight, which, combined with the rich polychrome palette, result in a figure that is magnificent yet gentle, humanized and immediately appealing. A tightly folded manuscript found in a sealed cavity in the back records that this image was repaired and repainted in 1348. The names of the artisans and donors are listed, and the name of the temple given as Meditation (Hall) of the Great Cloud Monastery.
1115
1234
1234
Buddha Triad from Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), Indra Buddha
- Title Translation: 如来殿三圣 , 释迦牟尼, 帝释天, 大梵天
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: Shakyamuni Buddha is the large central figure, finely carved, covered in gold, and more than four meters high. He displays the same pose as the central Buddha in the Zhihua Hall, with right hand touching the earth in front of him. On the walls around there are countless Buddhist figures set into small niches. Shakyamuni is accompanied by two tall, crowned figures, standing at his sides, who wear long richly ornamented robes, unlike the plain robe of the Buddha. The robes have painted patterns of birds, peonies, dragons, and lions that simulate embroidery and finely woven textiles. The figure at the Buddha’s right or west side is Indra 帝释天, the king of Hindu gods, who holds a large scepter. The one at the Buddha’s left, is the Hindu god Brahma 大梵天. The appearance of the Buddha together with Hindu gods Brahma and Indra is very unusual in Chinese Buddhist art, but can be identified with textual accounts of the Buddha’s life. The earth-touching pose, bhumisparsha mudra, is associated with a key event in the prince Sakyamuni’s life, his achievement of enlightenment through profound meditation years after renouncing his privileged existence in order to seek the truth. Many depictions of the Buddha in the history of Asian art depict him seated in this pose to represent the moment, when on the verge of attaining enlightenment, the demon god Mara summoned a hoard of subordinate demons to distract him. By touching the earth, Shakyamuni called upon the earth goddess to witness his merit and overcome the demons. In the Rulai Hall, however, Mara’s demons are absent. The presence of the gods Brahma and Indra refer not to the moment prior to the enlightenment, but to events following the Buddha’s enlightenment when Brahma and Indra, along with many other gods, came to the Buddha to implore him to show others the way to achieve wisdom in a world full of ignorance. The Buddha therefore began to teach and gathered a following of disciples.
1444
Buddha Triad from Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), Shakyamuni
- Title Translation: 如来殿三圣 , 释迦牟尼
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: Shakyamuni Buddha is the large central figure, finely carved, covered in gold, and more than four meters high. He displays the same pose as the central Buddha in the Zhihua Hall, with right hand touching the earth in front of him. On the walls around there are countless Buddhist figures set into small niches. Shakyamuni is accompanied by two tall, crowned figures, standing at his sides, who wear long richly ornamented robes, unlike the plain robe of the Buddha. The robes have painted patterns of birds, peonies, dragons, and lions that simulate embroidery and finely woven textiles. The figure at the Buddha’s right or west side is Indra 帝释天, the king of Hindu gods, who holds a large scepter. The one at the Buddha’s left, is the Hindu god Brahma 大梵天. The appearance of the Buddha together with Hindu gods Brahma and Indra is very unusual in Chinese Buddhist art, but can be identified with textual accounts of the Buddha’s life. The earth-touching pose, bhumisparsha mudra, is associated with a key event in the prince Sakyamuni’s life, his achievement of enlightenment through profound meditation years after renouncing his privileged existence in order to seek the truth. Many depictions of the Buddha in the history of Asian art depict him seated in this pose to represent the moment, when on the verge of attaining enlightenment, the demon god Mara summoned a hoard of subordinate demons to distract him. By touching the earth, Shakyamuni called upon the earth goddess to witness his merit and overcome the demons. In the Rulai Hall, however, Mara’s demons are absent. The presence of the gods Brahma and Indra refer not to the moment prior to the enlightenment, but to events following the Buddha’s enlightenment when Brahma and Indra, along with many other gods, came to the Buddha to implore him to show others the way to achieve wisdom in a world full of ignorance. The Buddha therefore began to teach and gathered a following of disciples.
1444
Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), exterior
- Title Translation: 如来殿 , 外部
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: The Rulai Hall is named for a title given to the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, from whose enlightenment and teachings the Buddhist religion originated. Rulai Hall has two stories and has approximately nine thousand small niches of Buddhas decorating the wall. The Rulai Hall (Hall of Śākyamuni) is on the first floor and the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion) is on the second—enclosed by walls on its east and west.
1444
Buddha Triad from Rulai Hall (Rulaidian, Tathagatha Hall or Shakyamuni Hall), Shakyamuni, Indra, and Brahma Buddha
- Title Translation: 如来殿三圣 , 释迦牟尼, 帝释天, 大梵天
- Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
- Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
- Work Description: Shakyamuni Buddha is the large central figure, finely carved, covered in gold, and more than four meters high. He displays the same pose as the central Buddha in the Zhihua Hall, with right hand touching the earth in front of him. On the walls around there are countless Buddhist figures set into small niches. Shakyamuni is accompanied by two tall, crowned figures, standing at his sides, who wear long richly ornamented robes, unlike the plain robe of the Buddha. The robes have painted patterns of birds, peonies, dragons, and lions that simulate embroidery and finely woven textiles. The figure at the Buddha’s right or west side is Indra 帝释天, the king of Hindu gods, who holds a large scepter. The one at the Buddha’s left, is the Hindu god Brahma 大梵天. The appearance of the Buddha together with Hindu gods Brahma and Indra is very unusual in Chinese Buddhist art, but can be identified with textual accounts of the Buddha’s life. The earth-touching pose, bhumisparsha mudra, is associated with a key event in the prince Sakyamuni’s life, his achievement of enlightenment through profound meditation years after renouncing his privileged existence in order to seek the truth. Many depictions of the Buddha in the history of Asian art depict him seated in this pose to represent the moment, when on the verge of attaining enlightenment, the demon god Mara summoned a hoard of subordinate demons to distract him. By touching the earth, Shakyamuni called upon the earth goddess to witness his merit and overcome the demons. In the Rulai Hall, however, Mara’s demons are absent. The presence of the gods Brahma and Indra refer not to the moment prior to the enlightenment, but to events following the Buddha’s enlightenment when Brahma and Indra, along with many other gods, came to the Buddha to implore him to show others the way to achieve wisdom in a world full of ignorance. The Buddha therefore began to teach and gathered a following of disciples.
1444