Indo-Chinese Buddhist Association Flashcards
what street was the temple built on?
Centre Street
what is the purpose of the lions on top of the temple?
they are guardian lions, meant to prevent evil spirits from entering the building
what objects are the two lions stepping on/what do they represent?
the right: female, stepping on a cub ; represents the mother guarding a child
the left: male, stepping on a ball ; represents keeping focus and concentrating on protecting the temple and child
what is the function of the courtyard?
used for climate control, because the temple was build on a mountain and it gets too warm
- also, because of the traffic on the street, the courtyard traps the Qi (negative energy) and prevents it from entering the building
what do the inside/outside incense burners represent?
inside: meant for the altar and the Buddha
outside: meant for the Gods and deities
what is a Bohdisattva?
a person that vowed to withhold their own entrance to nirvana (enlightenment) so they can help others achieve it
who is Guan Yin Bohdisattva?
she is representative of the ideal Bodhisattva
what is Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s story?
- she was a male disciple of Buddha
- when he died, he came back a princess holding a vase of holy water
what does Guan Yin mean?
Guan: to observe
Yin: sound
what is the meaning of placing palms together and saying “Amitofo”?
Amitofo: name of Buddha (Buddha of infinite light and infinite life)
- so when you say Amitofo, you are wishing someone infinite life and infinite light
why do Buddhist deities have long earlobes?
long earlobes = long lifespan
what is the significance of the light fixture shape?
it represents the stupa/pagoda (tomb of Buddha)
why do each of the lights/lanterns have the names of people/families?
- members can pay to sponsor their name, and say prayers to them to receive good karma
how/when are the sponsorship lights renewed?
they remove the names every Chinese/Lunar New Year
- they have to pay again to sponsor their names
what is the significance of the statue overflow area?
when a household wants to get rid of statues, they can’t just throw them away, you could donate them to the temple for others to keep for free
true/false: there are nuns at the Indo-Chinese Buddhist Association?
false
- the temple is operated by ordinary members
elaborate on the importance of tea drinking
- when guests visit the temple, the members offer them tea
- represents the good relationship between the members and the guests
what is the significance of the small tea cups?
there is less water, which helps keep the flavour of the tea
what are pink paper slips used for? how are they selected?
there is a bamboo vase filled with sticks 1-100 called joss sticks
- when asking for guidance, shake the vase and a stick will fall out
- you get a paper slip matching the number on the stick and it will tell your fortune
what is the role of the Earth God?
to guide and protect the people/family of that property
- responsible for recording the good/bad deeds and is believed to report them to heaven every year
why is red a significant colour?
- red is considered lucky because it is the colour of fire, and fire is believed to scare off evil spirits
- in Hinduism, fire is believed to cleanse a person of impurity/pollution
true/false: the ashes of ancestors are stored at the temple in urns
false, the Chinese prefer to go to the temple rather than the cemetery
- they buy a spit in the Ancestral Shrine
what is the role of Ksitigarbha?
vowed to rescue all beings from hell, hence why his statue is the only one in Ancestor Hall
what does Ksitigarbha’s crown represent?
Mount Meru (believed to be the center of the earth)
- the 5 pedals representing the 5 directions (N,E,S,W, middle)
what is Joss paper used for?
spirit money
- money that is burned to be given to ancestors in the after life
- thought it was wasteful to bury real money with the dead so they used Joss paper instead
true/false: the burner in the back was stolen by thieves
true
