China's first golden Buddha pagoda - Menghuan Big Golden Pagoda

Menghuan Big Golden Pagoda in Mangshi, Yunnan, is the first golden Buddha pagoda in China and the largest hollow Buddha pagoda in Chinese Theravada Buddhism. It is dazzling and dazzling, located in Mangshi, the capital of Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Walking into the scenic area, the rich exotic atmosphere comes to your face, the golden and solemn big golden pagoda is magnificent, shining under the sun. We invited a tour guide to explain and learn more about the mysterious stories of Theravada Buddhism. Walking up the scenic road, the guardian dragon - the five-headed dragon god, is the dragon that shielded the wind and rain for the Buddha Shakyamuni before he became a Buddha, and guarded the Dharma. The railings of the stone steps are like two unicorns, he is the divine beast Muga who guards the big golden pagoda. According to the Buddhist scriptures, Muga is the ancestor of the dragon, who was influenced by Buddhism and became one of the sacred beasts guarding the tower and the Dharma. Menghuan is a direct translation of the Dai language in Mangshi, meaning "City of Dawn". It is said that Shakyamuni lived here when he was reincarnated as a golden chicken. The Menghuan Big Golden Pagoda is 76 meters high and has a base diameter of 50 meters. It is an octagonal four-door hollow Buddha pagoda. The three floors below are all hollow halls, which can accommodate thousands of believers to worship the Buddha at the same time. After listening to the tour guide's explanation, I learned that Buddhism is divided into Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. Those with pagodas are Theravada Buddhism, and those with temples are Mahayana Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism have the same root and origin, both are Buddhism introduced from ancient India to China. Theravada Buddhism retains a strong original Indian Buddhist color, and more authentically reflects the Southeast Asian style; Mahayana Buddhism absorbs and integrates Chinese Taoist and Confucian thoughts and cultures, forming a sect that is closer to the Chinese people. The way of worship is also different. Theravada Buddhism advocates flower offerings to the Buddha, while Mahayana Buddhism is incense worship. The Big Golden Pagoda has four large doors in the east, west, south, and north. The tour guide took us for a walk around the outer circle of the Big Golden Pagoda. The first thing I saw was the lifelike three precepts god statue. The three precepts god statue covered his eyes, ears, and mouth, meaning to admonish all beings "do not look at what is not polite, do not listen to what is not polite, do not speak what is not polite", that is, do not look, listen, or speak bad things. The Ganges goddess is lifelike, she is the guardian of Shakyamuni's lotus throne, and also the messenger witnessing the Buddha's merit. Her hair turns into floods when she exorcises demons, and turns into sweet dew when she saves all beings. The merit messenger holds a pen and a book, and goes down to the world on the first and fifteenth day of each month to record the merits and demerits of all beings. In Theravada Buddhism, the saint is the wisest lady among the gods. She sits sideways on the wisdom bird, holding the three scriptures of the heavenly book in her hand, representing the embodiment of knowledge and wisdom. The human-faced lion statue represents the six reincarnations of Buddhism, admonishing people to do more good deeds in normal times. The human-faced golden bird dance god is handsome and chic, it is the lower bird and upper person evolved after the golden bird heard the Dharma, and is named for his love of dancing. There are two tigers in front of the north gate. It is said that the tiger is the guardian god of Mangshi, guarding the peace of the people in the Big Golden Pagoda. Outside the Big Golden Pagoda, there is a very precious third-generation "Sacred Bodhi Tree". It is said that there are only two such sacred bodhi trees in China. One is in the Big Golden Pagoda and the other is in Xishuangbanna. Legend has it that Shakyamuni became enlightened under the tree. Next to the sacred bodhi tree is the white marble reclining Buddha Shakyamuni, with a peaceful expression, thoughtful, showing the transcendence and calmness of Shakyamuni's nirvana. The Big Golden Pagoda has four doors in the east, west, south, and north. The east gate is the main gate of the four gates, guarded by two powerful heavenly kings. Outside the east gate, a rooster is wearing golden armor, mighty and strong. It is the incarnation of Shakyamuni's golden chicken Aluan. Legend has it that Shakyamuni once reincarnated as a rooster and practiced on the top of Leiya Rang Mountain. Entering the interior of the Big Golden Pagoda, there are four Buddha statues in the middle of the halls corresponding to the four doors in the east, west, south, and north. They are Shakyamuni Buddha in the east, Medicine Buddha in the west, Guanyin Bodhisattva in the south, and Maitreya Buddha in the north. Some good men and women worship here devoutly. The outer circle of the Big Golden Pagoda is composed of sixteen small pagodas, each building is finely carved and beautiful. Outside the Big Golden Pagoda, there are many elephant sculptures. Unexpectedly, the metaphor of the elephant is also different. The elephant with its nose raised is a welcoming elephant; the elephant with its nose curled up represents wealth and treasure, it is a wealth elephant; the elephant with its nose vertical is a peace elephant, representing auspicious peace, national peace and people's peace. Many young boys and girls in the scenic area are dressed in Dai and Thai costumes, taking pictures here. It is said that there are differences between Dai and Thai costumes, which can be simply judged by the sleeves. Generally, those with sleeves are Dai style, and those without sleeves and with shawls are Thai style. Dai style is simple and elegant, more convenient for daily wear; Thai style is gorgeous and complicated, more beautiful for taking pictures. Many times, tourism is just a quick look at the excitement, and I can't understand more about the culture of the scenic area. The Menghuan Big Golden Pagoda belongs to the architectural style of the South Asian Dai Palace, which is rare to see on weekdays, and I know nothing about Theravada Buddhism. This time I listened to the tour guide's explanation seriously, appreciated the colorful and mysterious exotic culture, opened my eyes, and gained a lot.