We went over to Brimley Road today, to show a 3-year-old Buddhist temple to Thorne and Anna. It is modelled to resemble the great Forbidden City on Tiananmen Square. Danica and I saw it inside and out during Doors Open a couple of years ago but we weren’t sure we’d be able to enter today. But yes! Shoes off and in we go. No pictures allowed inside this time though.
This is the stone carving leading up the front stairs.
Thorne taught us how to distinguish the male lion figure from the female. No, not using the obvious method you are using, observant one.
The male lion has a ball under his paw, the female a cub. So now you’ll be able to tell them apart, even when the sculptures are not anatomically correct.
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oh cool the ball under the claw of the lion is the flower of life.
ohhhh and the she lion carries the vessel of life or chalice under her left paw (right brain) and he looks to the right (left brain)
This reminds me of Sekhmet with an ankh in her left hand and a ball of ra overhead.
You could have a field day inside that temple, Joni, with all of your knowledge of symbols. The Buddhists were particularly interested in symbols for prosperity, wealth and happiness … quite a contrast with the compartively morbid imagery in Christian places of worship.
There were many, many, many figures of gods and spirits, too. Brightly coloured, meticulously detailed and dynamically posed, I was reminded of a friend’s collection of action figure collectibles.
I’ll post a picture of a paper pineapple I bought in the temple gift shop. A Buddhist nun makes them, and other designs of cranes and flowers. They are sold inside the temple along with other trinkets, to raise funds. Workmanship is of a high calibre and prices are quite low.
yes, filled with symbols. The Golden Ratio.
The pineapple , with a few exceptions, you will find one of the rows will have thirteen scales, while the other will usually have twenty-one.
The mat under the lions has math too. Very subtle.