The Four Heavenly Kings Hall
Most temples have a hall (either right in front, or next after the Mountain Gate) called the Hall of the Four Heavenly Kings, or Si Da Tian Wang Dian (四大天王殿), or sometimes just Tian Wang Dian (天王殿).
Typically, you'll find the following:
You can see each of these on his own page.
There is, however, a nice little story about Mile Pusa and Weituo. It seems that some bad men had learned of Mile's generosity, and had taken advantage of him until his temple was nearly in ruins. So The Buddha sent Weituo down to recover the lost items, and to protect the temple thereafter. That's why, in most temples, as you enter you can see Mile saying "Come in, relax," and as you leave, Weituo is eyeing you and muttering "Better not take anything..."
Typically, you'll find the following:
- A: Maitreya Bodhisattva, called in China Mile Fo or Mile Pusa. He's the familiar "Laughing Buddha."
- B: Weituo Pusa, a sometimes-fierce guardian who "has Mile Fo's back."
- C: Virupaksa (Ch. Guang Mu Tian Wang, 广目天王), King of the West, holding a Dragon to control the weather
- D: Vaisravana (Ch. Duo Wen Tian Wang, 多闻天王), King of the North, holding an umbrella to protect
- E: Dhrtarastra (Ch. Chi Guo Tian Wang, 持国天王), King of the East, holding a lute to bring comfort
- F: Virudhaka (Ch. Zeng Zhang Tian Wang, 增长天王), King of the South, holding a sword to divide truth from error
You can see each of these on his own page.
There is, however, a nice little story about Mile Pusa and Weituo. It seems that some bad men had learned of Mile's generosity, and had taken advantage of him until his temple was nearly in ruins. So The Buddha sent Weituo down to recover the lost items, and to protect the temple thereafter. That's why, in most temples, as you enter you can see Mile saying "Come in, relax," and as you leave, Weituo is eyeing you and muttering "Better not take anything..."
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