Tainan Confucius Temple

 

Built in 1665, this temple has been used as a place for thought for Confucius followers, for educating tourists, a military barracks during the Japanese occupation and as a public school. If the walls could talk they would have much to say but the mere vastness of historic events this temple has lived through alone, amount to more than just a few stories to tell.

In 1655 the temple was built in the center of the Wen Miao compound but by 1712 it was already in dire need of a major renovation; this was followed through by the Taiwan chief administrator Chen Ping. In 1887 the temple saw Taiwan establish itself as a province and later in 1895 then be taken under control of the Japanese. It was under Japan’s rule when the Wen Miao was used as military barracks for some time and then a school. By the time the Japanese had left, the temple had suffered severe damage. The most damaged parts were taken down and rebuilt alongside other large-scale renovations throughout the compound, which is what you see today.

 

Although intrigued by the vast history of the temple, at first I was unsure what to think. Something in the atmosphere felt quite cold and empty. Confucius temples tend to be much more modest than Taoist temples. They are usually painted simply, are very neat and organized and have a serene and spiritual feeling to them.

I’m not entirely sure why, maybe it’s because I’m used to the elaborate, bright coloured, bustling Taoist temples that I’ve been to so far, but there was something quite harsh and strict about this temple. The cabinets of old instruments and traditional dress were beautiful and the descriptions very interesting but I Just couldn’t get that impression out of my head.

 

However, my mind did change slightly when I ventured into the gardens and saw the pagoda. Everything is so precise here and although this made me feel slightly uneasy, it did make for a beautifully constructed garden.

One thing I did adore which softened my thoughts about the temple was that a trees roots had grown so big they had pushed the tree up and out of the ground and it was now beginning to fall over. Instead of chopping it down, they have made two giant tree sized crutches to support the two heaviest branches.

Fortune Telling

‘The fool may watch for lucky days,

Yet luck he shall always miss,

The luck itself is luck’s own star,

What can mere stars achieve?’ – The Bodhisatta

There is no emphasis on the importance or belief in deities, spirits and fortune telling in Buddhism. Instead, the teaching to all Buddhists is that you must make your own luck. It is solely your responsibility to work hard which in turn will show results. If something unpredictable happens or that could be deemed ‘bad luck’ it is your responsibility to then learn and rise from it.

Although, this is taught strongly to Buddhists all around the world, I found people using an ancient traditional fortune telling method in the Buddhist Lungshan Temple, Taipei. I then realized that this was due to their acceptance of Taoism followers having joint use of the temple.

Chien Tung (fortune sticks) is a method that has been used in China since the Jin Dynasty. It is more recognized as Kau Cim. Mainly Taoists perform Kau Cim. Traditionally this would be performed after the burning of incense and delivering an offering of food, flowers or money.

The cup of sticks are circled through incense smoke three times. Then, kneeling by an altar you pray to a deity of choice or the oracle. Then you ask the question wished to be answered by the oracle. Once asked, shake the cup and see which stick falls out on to the floor. Each stick has a number written on it which reflects a particular answer to the question asked. The answers are written down and when you have your number, you must go and match it to the correct piece of script.

Then two Jjaobei blocks are thrown to the floor. If one block is facing up and one down then the answer you received is correct. If two blocks land facing up, this means that the fortune has been unsuccessful and you must try again.

In many places where this method of fortune telling is performed, you may find a traditional fortune-teller who is nearby and ready to interpret and explain the meaning of the answer in much more detail. When visiting Lungshan Temple, I noticed the entire next street was comprised of traditional Taoist and Chinese fortune-tellers.

Lungshan Temple – Taipei

There is an almost magical feeling around Lungshan temple. As I walked through each gate, the air thick with incense and not one inch left undecorated, I realized why so many people; locals, tourists and religious believers from far and wide come to visit.

The Lungshan Temple you see today, is not the one you would have seen 70 or so years ago. It is also not the original. The Taipei Lungshan Temple was built in 1738 as a sister temple to the Lungshan Temple of the Fujian province. Buddhist followers fled from three different countries and resided here in the Manka District of Taipei. They came together and decided to create a temple that resembled and represented the same things the Lungshan Temple they were pious followers of back at home did.

Although dedicated to the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, Taoists are welcome and as you walk around you can spot many statues and paintings of Taoist deities. This is like many of the temples you can find in Taiwan. Due to the struggles the country has faced throughout history, the people here have become very tolerant of other religions and respect the needs of followers to find a place to pray.

The mix of people truly makes for an incredible atmosphere. Many are there just to marvel at the beauty of this structure. Some however, are there to pray, to ask for advice, help and protection from the gods. The wonderful thing about this temple in particular is that if you look to your left you can find monks chanting, to your right nuns are reading scriptures, behind you Buddhists are meditating and at the front by the altar there are Taoists havingtheir fortunes told. The sheer variety of people around this bustling temple is intoxicating in itself.

Mr Wang Yi-Shun designed the rebuild of the temple in 1919 after it suffered drastic damage from bombing. It is and always will be known as his masterpiece. I believe that there is no one in this world that could come to the temple and not marvel at the elaborate carvings of wood and stone, be in awe of the intricate, and bold coloured painting seen on every stretch of the structure and find something beautiful about the atmosphere and meaning it holds to so many different individuals.

If you ever get a chance to go to Lungshan Temple, I definitely recommend it whether you are religious or not. As far as the eye can see there are people placing offerings of flowers and food, burning candles and incense, however, you can just bring yourself, your camera and your thoughts. Whatever you decide, this is a masterpiece you don’t want to miss.

Temple of Enlightenment

Now I can’t say I was enlightened or that i’ve found religion but it definitely was worth spending time by Lotus Lake in Kaohsiung. After climbing to the top of the brightly coloured pagodas, I ventured inside the Temple of Enlightenment. At first, I just stood in awe of the beauty and intricate details of every single inch of this temple. I then sat and watched as people came in, lit their insense sticks and prayed. I started to notice that everyone would come in and bow the same amount of times, would walk around in the same direction and put down the same amount of insense sticks in particular places but I had no idea why.

A man who spoke broken English and worked at the temple had noticed me watching and came over. He kindly offered to show me how to pray and tried to explain what each particular insense stick was for and which area applied to which deity.

First he took me over to light my insense. From then I walked to the entrance and bowed three times with my hands together before lifting the insense sticks slightly higher than my head, praying. This prayer is to the God of Heaven and by holding the insense above your head you and showing your prayer and respect to Heaven. I then waved the sticks through the air gently to allow more smoke and placing three in the outside urn. Then I had to go inside to the altar, kneel and bow, ensuring that I touched my head to the floor three times.

The significance of the number three is that, in the temple there are three levels. Each level honours three of the nine kings, nine emperors and nine monarchs of the Dynasties.

To finish off the prayer, I then walked outside and to the right of the temple is a huge chimney. At the bottom is a small fire in which I placed a pile of spirit money and watched it burn. The spirit money burns to honour and protect my ancestors in hope that it will ensure they continue to have a happy life in the spirit world.

Although, I cannot guarantee that I have full understanding of every aspect of Taoist prayer rituals, I do now understand what the different elements of giving prayer represent and why they are important.

Longcyuan Buddhist Temple and Monkey Mountain

Traveller’s paradise – culture, action and cute baby animals!

 

As soon as I heard about Monkey Mountain I became obsessed with the idea of going. To me nothing sounds better than a day of hiking in the beautiful sunshine up a mountain covered by jungle and cheeky monkeys. I kid you not, these monkeys are genuinely cheeky and I say this with experience of one trying to rummage in my back pack and another jumping on my back to then scurry off when I noticed.

 

If anyone is ever in Taiwan whether you are in the Kaohsiung area or not, this is a trip not to be missed. We began our day by getting the MRT to red stop 13 and taking the number 32 bus to Longcyuan temple. The trip was very quick but you must be sure that the bus drivers do not take you to the zoo, which is also near by.

Little did we know that when we arrived we were going to be greeted not by monkeys or jungle but by a huge temple and giant gold Buddha. Even if temples are not your thing, I really do recommend just giving a quick look because anyone in their right mind must be able to appreciate and be in awe of such elaborate and intricate architecture, paint work and sculpting. Plus the view from the temple gives you a perfect combination of the city below and the jungle covered mountain. The temple is slightly hidden by the building below but you would be a fool to miss all of the monks driving their scooters towards the temple. So just follow their lead.

Once we had taken sufficient photos of the temple and spoken in broken chinese and English to a very helpful monk, we headed to Monkey Mountain. Just down the road is a row of four statues of monkeys eating bananas and posing. So we took that as a sign to turn and walk up the mountain. Within two minutes of walking up some old steps to the beginning of the jungle/forest we had already seen at least five Formosan Rock Macaques (monkeys – greyish in colour) climbing around above us. Screaming with excitement and a smile bigger than my face, we ran ahead.

It seems that monkey mountain is not a particularly touristy place but many elderly yet very active Taiwanese men and women rent radios from a stand and climb to the top for a bit of good old fashioned exercise. Somehow I feel like they have the right idea – I’d trade in a treadmill for a hike up Monkey Mountain any day!

Many of the monkeys seem to enjoy attention and are used to being around humans. They are not shy and often walk along side you and pose for the camera. Genuinely, I swear to god, they look in to the camera lense and pose! Some even fighting for the attention. The best is the adorable baby monkeys but be careful not to get too close incase the parents get protective and a little aggressive. Often if you just sit down quietly for a couple of minutes the monkeys will come towards you which gives you the chance to prepare for a couple of great ‘wannabe National Geographic’ photos and a shameless ‘selfie’ here and there.

Anyways with a couple of stops every now and again, a visit to the temple and a lot of photography, the hike to the top (which has incredible views and beautiful vibrant coloured wild flowers) and back down again took around 4 hours. It can definitely be done quicker or made into an entire day if you’re prepared with a picnic (something I wish now we had done).

Definitely one of the most memorable day trips I’ve ever had!

Foo Dogs

During my visits to temples and in general since being in Taiwan, I have noticed decorative statues of dogs by the doorways of beautiful houses and around all of the temples. I was curious to know if they had any special meaning and to find out why they were in all of the temples and many historical buildings.

 

I found out that, to many Buddhist and Taoist temples, Foo Dogs are a necessity. Although named dogs they are actually a Chinese depiction of lions. They stand as guardians and are thought to scare away evil and bad luck. In Buddhism, lions are seen as sacred animals and have through history been sacrificed as an offering to Buddha. Foo Dogs have been used and depicted in paintings as far back as the Han Dynasty. Buddha in Chinese is ‘Fo’ or ‘Fu’ and so developed the name Foo Dog.

 

Foo Dogs are usually found in pairs, females are often holding a cub and males leaning/standing on a sphere. The sphere symbolizes the Earth. On rare occasions you can also find Foo Dogs holding spheres (often around Buddhist Temples), this represents peace and serenity. It is believed that the Foo Dog holding the spear will scare off any form of evil, including demons, violence and anger. This then results in a calm, spiritual and safe environment for praying.