The Mountain Gate (or Three Gate)
The first gate in most temples is called the "Mountain Gate," as it is the doorway between the temple and the mountain on which it is (usually) located. "Mountain Gate" in Chinese is shan men (山门); there may be a pun involved in the fact that some front gates are called the "Three Gate" (in Chinese, san men 三门).
A typical Mountain Gate looks like the one at left (and the details in the banner above). It is generally open and airy; there may be rooms to the sides, but the gate itself is usually just a single wall.
In many temples, the gates are guarded by two enormous figures, known in China as Generals Ha and Heng (located in positions A and B in the diagram above, though they are sometimes located inside the gate.) In Japan, they are even more common, so much so that the gate is often called the "Ni-O Mon" (二王们, Ch. "Er Wang Men," Eng. "Two Kings Gate").
In many temples, the gates are guarded by two enormous figures, known in China as Generals Ha and Heng (located in positions A and B in the diagram above, though they are sometimes located inside the gate.) In Japan, they are even more common, so much so that the gate is often called the "Ni-O Mon" (二王们, Ch. "Er Wang Men," Eng. "Two Kings Gate").
The "Three Gate" usually looks like the one at right (this one is at Daming Temple in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, where I lived for a year).
The symbolism of the three openings is complex; in one explanation, they are three ways to access Nirvana:
The symbolism of the three openings is complex; in one explanation, they are three ways to access Nirvana:
- The Gate of Liberation through Emptiness (空门, kong men)
- The Gate of Liberation through No Attributes (无相门, wu xiang men)
- The Gate of Liberation through No Aspiration (无作门 wu zuo men)
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