Western Heaven Temple 西天梵境 was first built in the Ming Dynasty and was originally the place where Buddhist scriptures were translated and printed. The site was expanded in 1759 to become a complete complex of temple buildings.
Layout of Western Heaven Temple 西天梵境
Western Heaven Temple 西天梵境
A lama temple during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Western Heaven Temple 西天梵境, also named Great Western Heaven 大西天 (as opposed to the Minor Western Heaven 小西天 situated west of this complex), was rebuilt and expanded westward in 1759 during the Qing Dynasty.1
The temple is next to the Studio of Calmness 静心斋 to the east and the Hall of Full Enlightenment 大圆镜智宝殿2 (looted by the Eight-Nation Alliance in 1900 and burnt down in 1919) to the west. Located on the same axis with Jade Islet across the lake, this site is one of the best known in Beihai Park.
In front of the temple grounds stands a four-column seven-storey glazed archway, bearing a plaque “Buddhist Pure Land” 「华藏界」facing outward and a plaque “Sacred Sumeru” 「须弥春」facing inward.
The temple gate 山门, a colour glazed version that imitates that of a wooden structure, has three arched entrances.
In the first courtyard inside the gate stand the bell tower 钟楼 to the east and the drum tower 鼓楼 to the west. The bell and the drum towers have their respective flagpoles to the south and stone pillars to the north. One pillar is inscribed with the Diamond Sutra 《金刚经》, the other with the Medicine Buddha Sutra《药师经》.
Hall of the Heavenly Guardians 天王殿
At the centre of the courtyard is the Hall of the Heavenly Guardians 天王殿, behind which is the second courtyard. The Hall of Four Heavenly Kings is a standard component of Chinese Buddhist temples. You will be greeted by a smiling Maitreya Buddha 弥勒佛, one of the manifestation of the Future Buddha, as you enter the hall with Weituo 韦陀 behind him.
The Four Heavenly Kings 四大天王 are four Buddhist gods or devas, each of whom is believed to watch over one cardinal direction of the world. Weituo 韦驮 is a Mahayana bodhisattva regarded as a devoted guardian of Buddhist monasteries who protects the teachings of Buddhism, and is the only buddha statue with his back facing the door of the temple.
Hall of Great Mercy and Truth 大慈真如宝殿
The Hall of Great Mercy and Truth 大慈真如宝殿, located at the centre of this courtyard and made of Phoebe zhennan 金丝楠木, is a Ming Dynasty architectural masterpiece.
This brown hall houses the statues of the Buddha of Three Worlds (Past, Present and Future) 三世佛 and the Eighteen Arhats 十八罗汉 statues on either side of the buddhas.
The second courtyard also has eastern and western side halls. The stone steps behind the Hall of Great Mercy and Truth leads to the rear courtyard of the complex. The plaque above the entrance reads “Pure Land of Buddha” 华严清界.
Pavilion of Seven Buddhas Pagoda and Glazed Tower 七佛塔亭、琉璃阁
Inside the gate is the Pavilion of Seven Buddhas Pagoda 七佛塔亭3, inside which stands an octagonal stone pagoda. This pagoda has an engraved image of the Seven Buddhas and the inscription of “Note on the Seven-Buddhas Pagoda” 《七佛塔碑记》 in the calligraphy of Emperor Qianlong (1736-95). Behind the pagoda is the tall, delicate Glazed Tower 琉璃阁, exterior wall of which is decorated with colourful glazed patterns and Buddhist images. Unfortunately, this whole area has been walled up and access denied.
This is one of the highlights for any visit to Beihai Park. You should spend about 30 min walking around the complex, 1 hour if you want to study the engraving of the scriptures.
About Beihai Park 北海公园
Beihai Park 北海公園 was originally Beihai 北海, or North Sea, of the “Three Seas of the Imperial Western Gardens” 西苑三海 of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is located within the Imperial City, northwest of the Forbidden City, and was the royal garden only for enjoyment by the royal family of the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, spanning across a period of almost a thousand year. In 1925, it was opened to the public as a park.
First built in the 12th century, Beihai is among the largest of all surviving Chinese gardens and contains numerous historically important structures, palaces, and temples. The present park has an area of around 71 hectares (180 acres) with a lake that covers more than half of its area.
At its centre is Jade Flower Island 瓊華島/琼华岛, whose highest point is 32m. The park’s lake is connected at its northern end to the Shichahai 什刹海 (a nightlife area of pubs and restaurants around the lake) and to Zhonghai 中海 (where the central government of China operates and closed to public) to the southern end.
As with many of Chinese imperial gardens, Beihai was designed to imitate renowned scenic spots and architecture from various regions of China, particularly Jiangnan around the Yangtze Delta. Various aspects of the park evoke the elaborate pavilions and canals of Hangzhou and Yangzhou, the delicate gardens of Suzhou, and the natural scenery around Lake Tai with its famously porous stones. Beihai Park itself is now reckoned one of the masterpieces of Chinese gardening and landscaping.
The park is opened all year round, and can be accessed from four gates, two on the southern end (West and South gates), one in the north (North gate) and one on the east side (East gate). The park would need at least 4 hours to see everything.
Opening hours for the park are 6am – 9pm (peak season, Apr-Oct), 6.30am – 8pm (off peak, Nov-Mar); Opening hours for the attractions are 8am – 6pm (peak season), 8.30am – 5.30pm (off peak)
Visited May 2023
Footnotes:
- 西天梵境
西天梵境原为明代西天禅林喇嘛庙，清代于1759年重修，并向西扩展；1981年修缮完毕。
西天梵境又称大西天，东临静心斋，西与大圆镜智宝殿相依，南与琼华岛隔海贯成一线，是北海公园最负盛名的景区之一。西天梵境前有v一座，正面石匾书”华藏界”，背面书“须弥春〞。三座券门组成山门，山门楼式为彩色琉璃仿木结构。过山门进院中，东为钟楼、西力鼓楼，钟鼓楼南各有旗杆高耸，北各有石经幢矗立，左经幢刻有《金刚经》，右经幢刻有《药师经》。院内正中为天王殿。穿过天王殿，中院正中为气势雄伟的大慈真如宝殿，大殿为棕褐色，整体建筑的木结构全部采用金丝楠木制作，是中国现存明代建筑中的精品。殿内供奉三世佛和十八罗汉塑像。中院东西各有配殿。由大慈真如宝殿后拾阶而上，为西天梵境后院。后院门匾额为“华严清界”，穿过此门可见“七佛塔亭”，亭内竖八角石塔，塔上镶刻七世佛阴纹像和乾隆皇帝御题《七佛塔碑记》。塔亭后有一座高大精美的建筑“琉璃阁”，阁的外壁嵌五彩琉璃花饰与佛像。Display Information at the site ↩︎ - 大圆镜智宝殿在北海北岸，西天梵境之西。
光绪二十四年（1898年）重修大圆镜智宝殿。该寺坐北朝南，前有琉璃墙，即闻名于世的“九龙壁”。九龙壁北为真谛门，门五间，歇山调大脊，绿琉璃瓦黄剪边，门两侧墙上开小门。真谛门内为大圆镜智宝殿，七间，重檐歇山调大脊，黄琉璃瓦绿剪边，殿内额为“法界真常”，联为：“欢喜普人天，增五福德；庄严护龙象，现八吉祥”。殿东西各有配殿五间，歇山调大脊，绿琉璃瓦黄剪边。殿后有亭名“宝纲云亭”。为重檐方亭。嘉庆初拆改成楼，为五间，前出抱厦。今人推测为歇山顶，黄琉璃瓦顶。亭北有后楼七间，加及左右屋宇共四十三间，皆为绿琉璃瓦顶，为贮四藏经板之地。
该庙于1900年八国联军侵华时被毁掠，又于1919年失火被毁。1925年北海作为公园开放后，此地建为公共体育场。1944年汉奸王揖唐曾批准在此建三藏塔一座，抗战胜利后于1946年全部拆除。庙址曾为北海体育场，近年重建。https://baike.baidu.com/item/大圆镜智宝殿/8566307 ↩︎ - 北海七佛塔和塔亭，位于北京市西城区北海公園“大琉璃寶殿”（琉璃阁）前面，建于清乾隆二十四年（公元1759年），呈八角形的七佛塔建在塔亭內。塔通高11.2米，分台基、塔身、塔刹三大部分。塔朝南辟一近似火焰的塔门，门高2.1米，阔0.72米，正面额上刻有“古塔重兴”四个大字，东西两面均刻有“阿弥陀佛”四字。塔上镶刻七世佛、阴文像及乾隆皇帝御题〈七佛塔碑记〉。塔后有一座高大精美的建筑叫“琉璃阁”，阁的外壁嵌五彩琉璃花饰与佛像，院的四角原各有亭子一座，由回廊连接，整体格局规正，气势非凡。
七佛塔亭的八角形琉璃屋脊承托著一座覆缽式鎏金小塔，它由琉璃磚砌成八角形須彌座，座上為覆缽式塔身，塔身兩側設有垂珥，塔身上部為塔剎，塔剎由華蓋和寶珠構成。七佛塔和塔亭暫未對外開放。http://www.360doc.com/content/17/1201/09/8370987_708849930.shtml ↩︎
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