蒙坤巫碧寺佛堂正面觀。 The facade of Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit.

泰南行腳之一, 大城(三)    Southern Thailand, Part 1 -  Ayutthaya (3)

蒙坤巫碧寺 (意即無上吉祥崇敬聖佛寺) Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit ( the Temple of “the Buddha of the Holy and Supremely Auspicious Reverence”)

蒙坤巫碧寺供奉着無上吉祥崇敬聖佛, 該像成於1538年, 據說乃一青铜大佛, 原奉於大城東面皇宮的户外。後來大佛被移至大城西面, Songtham 王並在其上加建一凉廊 (mondop) 以避風雨。及後凉廊更被改建成一佛堂。佛像和佛堂曾一度受祝融之害, 現有的佛像和佛堂都是近代修復的。

Wihan Pran Mongkhon Bophit or the temple of the “Buddha of the Holy and Supremely Auspicious Reverence” was sculpted in 1538 in the reign of King Chairacha (r. 1534-1547). The bronze seated Buddha image was first enshrined on the ground of the palace to the east of Ayutthaya. The image was later transferred to the west and covered with a mondop. The mondop was burnt down during the reign of Phra Chao Sua, a new building in the form of a viharn was built to house the image. Both the viharn and the image were badly damaged by a fire, the present viharn and image have been reconstructed and renovated.

號稱全泰最大的青銅佛像 (HDR照) Said to be the largest bronze Buhhda image in Thailand.

大佛的背部 The back of the Buddha image.

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帕司山碧寺  Wat Phra Si Sanphet

由DK 出版的泰國旅遊書內有一帕司山碧寺的復原圖, 除了三座塔之外,東面有長方型帕司山碧寺的佛堂, 而西面則有十字型的 Prasat Phra Narai 寺佛堂,規模十分之宏偉。可惜今日除了地基之外, 兩佛堂早已無踪可尋。在三座塔內除了有Ramathibodi 二世 (1491-1529), Borommaracha 三世(1463–88)和Borommatrailokanat  (1448-88) 的骨灰外, 還有其他佛教的宗教文物,  不過都已移至博物館了, 所以現在参觀帕司山碧寺就只看到三座塔的外觀而已。

The temple was found in 15th century by King Borommatrailokanat as the state temple. Two chedis were added by his son King Ramathibodi II, and one more chedi was built by Borommaracha IV. The site served as the state temple until the invasion of the Burmese in 1767. The viharn and the Prasat Phra Narai had nothing left except the foundation. Most of the treasures found inside the chedis are kept in Chao Sam Phraya National Museum.

這些塔是在廾世紀時修復的。 These chedis had been partially renovated in the 20th century.

向東望帕司山碧寺。 Looking east to the three chedis of Wat Phra Si Sanphet. The ashes of Ramathibodi II are enshrined in the first chedi.

藏有Borommatrailokanat 王骨灰的塔。The ashes of Borommatrailokanat are buried in this chedi.

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柴瓦塔那蘭寺（วัดไชยวัฒนาราม）又称贵妃寺      Wat Chaiwatthanaram (Temple of long reign and glorious era)

柴瓦塔那蘭寺位於大城皇城西面, 乃Prasat Tong王於1629年為紀念其母而建的。柴寺佔地頗廣, 建築採高棉式, 塔為玉米塔。有說建寺實為紀念打敗高棉的場勝仗, 所以採高棉式建築云云。整個寺環繞着主塔建成。主塔內據說奉有佛骨, 象徵須彌山, 主塔四方(四角)有四塔, 象徵人住的四大洲。

It is considered one of the most beautiful or photogenic sites in the old capital of AyutthayaThis temple was built by King Prasat Tong in 1629 to commemorate his mother and to celebrate his coronation. The temple was built in Khmer style, it is therefore said that the temple is built to commemorate a victory over Khmer. A main sprang, believed to contain relics of the Lord Buddha, is situated in the center of the compound, surrounded by eight smaller chedis. The perimeter was surround by a gallery containing Buddha images.  However, most of them have been decapitated probably due to Burmese invasion.

高棉式主塔在中央, 代表須彌山, 四方塔為人居的四大洲。The sprang in the middle represents Mount Meru, and the four chedi at four corners represent the four continents inhabited by human.

玉米型主塔, 尖的塔列四周, 周圍有回廊連接, 回廊上蓋已毁, 唯一排排的攔杆仍在。The main prang is situated at the center surrounded by eight chedi-shaped chapels which were connected with walkings.

玉米型的主塔, 体積很大(跟站在中下方拍照的遊客比較可知。 The main Khmer-styled sprang, The remaining of a wall, with balusters, on the perimeter. The buildings are huge, note the human scale (a couple) in the lower middle part.

泰南行腳之一, 大城(二) Southern Thailand, Part 1 – Ayutthaya (2)

大吉祥勝利寺 Wat Yai Chai Mongkon (วัดใหญ่ชัยมงคล)

泰文Thai: วัด=寺 wat, ใหญ่=大 huge, ชัย=勝利 vicotry, มงคล=吉祥 auspicious

大勝利吉祥寺由大城第一位統治者始建於1357年。1592年為了紀念Naresuan王打敗緬甸王子, 加建大型主塔, 並改名大勝利吉祥寺。如下圖所見, 塔建在一高築的平台上, 四周各有一小塔, 塔基兩旁各有大坐佛。 大塔廣場四周排滿一列坐佛, 這些佛都是近代重修的, 猜想這裡原來是迴廊。在塔外圍東北角有一28公尺長的臥佛, 上面的佛堂早已不復存在了。

The temple was built by Ayutthaya’s first ruler, King U Thong, in 1357.  As reflects in its name, the main chedi was built in 1592 to celebrate the defeat of the Burmese Crown Prince. The chedi was built on an elevated platform with four smaller chedis at the four corners. Another attraction is the 28m long reclining Buddha. It is believed that the reclining Buddha was originally housed in a temple building which has long gone, very likely by the force of the invading Burmese army.

主塔。The main chedi.

主塔南方的坐佛, 請老妻在旁作比例尺 (東施效顰, 效梁思成先生請林徽因先生當比例尺)。 A seated Buddha image on the south side of the main chedi. My lovely wife, YY, was asked to stand by the image to serve as a human scale.

坐佛之 HDR 照。 A HDR, showing the seated Buddha image.

大勝利吉祥寺主塔四周圍牆前的坐佛。There are dozens of seated Buddha images surrounding the perimeter of the main chedi. Some of the images on the east side.

四周圍牆前的圍廊已不見了,這些坐佛部是近代修的。 Seated Buddha images on the east side.

東北角望主塔。Looking up the main chedi from the northeast corner.

主塔東北角的坐佛。 HDR image to show the seated Buddha image at the northeast corner.

獻佛花環。 Flower garland left by devotee.

勝利寺的卧佛, 其後為主塔。 The reclining Buddha with the main chedi in the background.

卧佛前香火鼎盛。Devotees saying prayers in front of the reclining Buddha.

泰人祈福禮佛。 Devotees offering incense to the Lord Buddha.

信眾圍着獻佛的架裟誦經。 Saying a prayer before offering to the Lord Buddha a "yellow robe" or Buddhist cassock.

善信為卧佛披上架裟。 Devotee covers the reclining image with Buddhist cassock.

信眾不停的獻上架裟。 Layers of Buddhist cassocks are being offered to the Lord Buddha.

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Wat Phra Mahathat 大舍利寺(瑪哈泰寺)

大舍利寺是早期的大城廟宇, 如果沒記錯, 大舍利寺是皇室廟宇, 曼谷、素可泰皆有大舍利寺。大城的大舍利寺建於十四世紀, 寺內建築殘破不堪, 主塔(高棉式玉米塔) 曾倒塌兩次, 在大城王朝時重建, 在曼谷王朝 King Rama V 時又重建。寺內最吸引人的是包在樹根內的佛頭, 但如果跟吴哥窟的樹根”溶入”寺廟建築的”奇景”相比, 這也就算不了什麽。

Wat Phra Mahathat (Temple of the Great Relics) was an early Ayutthaya period temple. The temple is believed to have been built in the 14th century. Most of the original architecture were long gone, probably as the result of the ransacking by the Burmese. To my untrained eyes, there are nothing much left to see. However, the famous Buddha’s head that have been grown around by the tree is considered to be holy by Thai devotees.

著名的大舍利寺的佛像。 This is the well known Buddha image in Wat Phra Mahathat

這些高棉式的塔和前面的佛像恐怕是新修的。Buddha image and sprang built around Bangkok Period.

這些無頭的佛像應該是入侵的緬甸軍所做成的。As ransacked by the Burmese, headless Buddha images are everywhere.

不知這傾斜的塔是否原來的建築。I wonder if this leaning sprang is part of the original architecture.

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拉嘉布拉那寺  Wat Ratchaburana

拉嘉布拉那寺就位於大舍利寺的附近,  寺的主塔重修得不錯, 但由於我們想趕去後面幾個寺, 這裡遠遠拍個照就算了。

Wat Ratchaburana is a temple located close to Wat Phra Mahathat.  The main sprang is said to have been restored to its original glory. To be able to see the reclining Buddha image in Wat Lokaya Suttha, we skipped this temple. This is the only picture taken.

主塔 The main sprang.

泰北行腳之十一 : 美斯樂 泰北義民文史館 Northern Thailand: Part 11 

此文成稿於 2011.11。 夲待大城、曼谷系列登完後, 才登出泰北邊境的系列。剛好此時重遇一群失联多年的小友, 忙着班荊道故; 加上工作上也有點忙, 今天才坐下來整理這些稿子。想一想, 就不顧原來的計劃次序, 就把原稿改改, 登了再說。所以, 文中的時间性就有點錯亂, 看官莫怪。

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今天, 2011.11.11, 是美國退伍軍人節 (Veterans Day), 電視上播放著慶祝的節目。我沒有心情看, 心裡為伊拉克和亞富汗戰爭死難、受傷的軍人和他們家屬感到難過。二十多年來我都遵守美國人的習慣 (或許也可以說是他們的遊戲規則吧), 不公開談政治, 不公開談宗教。今夜心裡難過著,不得不破戒罵幾句。咱們的阿斗前總統, 小布殊, 被以副總統錢尼為首的一群政客把持, 假 9/11之名發動的以拉克戰爭, 害得多少人家破人亡。除了讓錢尼的一群人受益外, 也拖累美國的國力和經濟。可惜的是美國人為了”change”, 選了一個毫無經驗的歐巴馬, 三年來錢花了不少, 經濟卻毫無起色。 共和党那邊也沒一個像樣的候選人, 連Newt Gingrich 這樣的政客也出來選, 美國人的苦日子還多著呢。

中國人也沒有高明到那裡去, 甚麼黨, 甚麼主義都只是個幌子, 最終的目的就是”老子要做皇帝”。上世紀四十年代國、共內戰讓一群國民黨的部隊流竄於緬北和泰北。看過柏揚 [異城] 的朋友應該知道梗概吧。我無意討論國、共的對錯,只是替這一群客死異鄉的軍人難過。六十多年過去了, 他們的後人還生活在這裡。我們在美斯樂見到的已經是生活條件比較好的一群, 那些生活在近寮國邊境的和美紅頌(密豐頌)山裡的很多人還是十分清苦的。我罵國民黨, 我罵共產黨。就算到今天, 2011! 還是沒有改進。

滿以為台灣是中華文化的一片淨土, 結果還是”老子要做皇帝”。國民黨出了個馬英九, 夲身清亷, 但”擋人財路”, 黨內不少人拖其後腿; 絕對執政, 但政策郤停滯不前。民主進步黨既不民主也不進步, 就是會貪, 除了貪還是貪。親民黨就更不用說了。好好的寶島, 惡鬥內耗,弄到日月無光。

中國自明清以來, 到底有過多少好日子呢? 來, 來, 來, 勸君更進一杯酒, 與爾同消萬古愁, 乾!!我在美斯樂參觀他們的文史館, 在靈堂祭壇前深深的鞠躬, 望客死異鄉的軍人早日成佛。

文史館難民村的分佈圖, 雖然他們把難民村改為移民村, 但沒有改变事实的夲質。 Map showing KMT immigrant villages (as they are called to day, actually they were refugee camps) along Burmese (yellow) border.

Mae Salong was found in the early ’60 of last century by the Chinese Nationalist Army. They were defeated by the Communist Army (Mao’s Red Army) in Yuan Nan province in China. As shown above, in the red area, most of the “refugees” settled along the Burmese (yellow area) border in Chiang Rai Province, Chiang Mai Province and Mae Hung Sung. The KMT army helped the Thai army to suppress Communism in Northern Thailand, in return, they were allowed to settle in those areas and oversaw (?) the opium trade . Not until the ’80, the north of Chiang Rai Province was a dangerous area, full of opium drug cartels and their armed forces. After the retreat of the famous warlord Khun Sa to Burma (Myanmar) and later surrendered to the Burmese army. Thai Government was able to begin to pacify the area. Nowadays, there are no more opium growing; instead, folks there are growing oolong tea and coffee. The quality of oolong and coffee are surprisingly good. However, as compared with the living standard there, the prices are not cheap though.

文史館入場卷。 Admission ticket.

佛手拈花。 I believe this is a mudra, but haven't found out the meaning yet.

文史館外觀。 The main hall is surprisingly handsome.

文史館门環。 The door knock of the entrance.

展覽廳地板一塵不染。Reflection of a pillar in the exhibition hall.

左方為主殿祭壇, 右為展覧廳。 The main hall. On the right, he exhibition hall is showing the history of the army.

主殿內祭壇。 Inside the main hall, enshrined the name tags of all those who had sacrificed.

祭壇上靈牌。 The main shrine.

祭壇上靈牌。 Some of the enshrined name tags.

孤軍行動路線圖。Map showing the movement of the army from Kunming to Burma, probably in the early '50s.

孤軍效忠泰王。 Photos showing the army offer their loyalty to the King of Thailand.

李彌將軍。 General Lee, the leader of the army.

段希文將軍, 雷雨田將軍 和李文煥將軍。 Some of the leadership of the army.

靈堂外望, 雖信美而非吾土兮.....Looking out to the main entrance from the main hall.

過去三十年間, 看廟(教堂)看上癮。遠至日夲、意大利, 西藏、青海、山西、泰北和吳哥都去看了一些, 卻是近在咫尺的志蓮靜苑竟然抽不出時間去看。其實每次回港都想去参觀, 看看這間享有盛譽的唐式佛教女眾十方叢林的建築到底是啥樣子的。2011 的八月, 在港的日子愈來愈少了, 那天早上起個大清早, 單鎗匹馬, 全身披掛,七點多到達南蓮園池, 怱怱的轉了一圈。轉入靜苑第一進, 等第二進的大門開了之後, 就到大雄殿, 藥師殿, 觀音殿去参觀。第二進的门上寫着請勿攝、錄影等語, 雖然裡面空無一人, 我卻罕有地放下相机, 謹守”君子慎其獨也”的古訓, 也許是那莊嚴的氛圍使然吧。不過, 裡面佛像的造形就如過眼煙雲, 不復記憶矣。志蓮靜苑內有一建築博物館和一展覧館; 展覧館當日展出敦煌壁画和彩塑的摹夲展。雖說是摹夲, 對我仍有莫大的吸引力, 只是展館十點才開; 我十點尖沙咀有約, 只好惆悵不已的離去。下面幾張在南蓮園池和第一進拍的照片夲無足觀, 只是想讓小友大文兄看看彼此取景角度的異同而已。

Hi Marty, this post contains a series of photos taken last summer while we were in Hong Kong. This series was meant to be saved as the finale for our 2011 trip posts (as you can see, my Thailand series is only half way through). However, one of my recently reconnected friends in Hong Kong would like to see this series first. This nunnery is a famous Buddhist temple in Hong Kong. It is constructed in Tang Dynasty(June 618 – June  907)  style, close to that of a Zen Buddhist monastery in Japan. As you can imagine, we had a super busy schedule during our stay in Hong Kong, I had to squeeze that two hours one early morning a couple of days before our departure. The architecture of nunnery is beautiful, unlike other temples in Hong Kong, it looks Tang-styled to me. The colors of the gate shown above was the result of my playful idea, hope you like it.

石屎森林中的淨土。 單張, 手持. An oasis in a cement jungle.

抄自Wikipedia 的資料:  Wikipedia 網頁

志蓮淨苑的殿堂是以中國唐代傳統木構建築為藍本，採用天然建材，殿堂的木構件，均以榫接方式結合，不須使用釘子，比例和諧優美。殿堂供奉的佛菩薩像依據佛經描述，參照盛唐造像風格，厚重端麗，其造型、手印、執持法器各異，彰顯諸佛菩薩特有的願力和德行。

整個殿堂南、東、西邊設三個大門，分別是「山門」、「東門」及「西門」。整體建築佈局為「三進一院」……

HDR, fusion 方式合成. 1/250 sec, f/8, 18mm. High Dynamic Range imaging photo.

From Wikipedia: Wikipedia page

Chi Lin Nunnery  is a large Buddist temple complex located in Hong Kong. Covering a space of more than 33,000 square meters, the temple complex includes a nunnery, temple halls, Chinese gardens, visitor’s hostels and a vegetarian restaurant. The temple halls have statues of the Sakyamuni Buddha, the goddess of mercy Guanyin and other bodhisattvas.  These statues are made from gold, clay, wood and stone…………

HDR, fusion 方式合成. 1/250 sec, f/8, 12mm.

HDR, fusion 方式合成. 1/250 sec, f/8, 11mm.

不知道池旁的建築物的名稱。Can't believe this is in Hong Kong.

悠哉悠哉. Life is good.

手持(枕在攔上), 1/13 sec, f/18, 70mm 焦距。 The water fall, handheld against the rail.

手持, 1/30 sec, f/32, 200mm 焦距. A bright red dragonfly.

優雅的洗手間。 The elegant.... rest rooms,

手持, 1/125 sec, f/5.6, 170mm 焦距. I don't know the name of this flower, isn't it beautiful?

這張構圖不好, 上下兩燈能向左、右錯開多一點更好。 The cloister,

門扣, 木漆色反光呈灰, 經處理回深紅色。 Door knock.

蓮花紋路燈蓋. Lamp cover.

第一進. The first courtyard.

第一進. The first courtyard.

第一進。 The first courtyard.

此瓦當未知是否唐式, 跟日夲寺廟的頗相似。 I am not sure if this is Tang styled, my guess is this from Japan.

山門上的甍, 有興趣不妨找井上靖的"天平之甍"看看, 重溫大唐盛世。The tile on the end of the ridge of the roof.

第一進蓮池, 70-200mm/2.8 的清晰度可見一斑。 Waterlily pond, the first courtyard.

第一進蓮池。 Waterlily pond, the first courtyard.

蓮池噴水口. Waterlily pond.

燈罩. Lamp cover.

第ニ進內望。 The second courtyard.

第ニ進內望。 The second courtyard.

第ニ進內望。 The second courtyard.

展覧海報. Exhibition.

展覧海報. Exhibition.

後記: 志蓮靜苑的伽藍佈局和建築與多數中式寺院不同, 倒是跟日本的禪寺較近似。最明顯的是第一進與第二進皆有迥廊, 柱及木構不飾作紅牆綠瓦, 也不像日式(不上有色漆) 而上紅木色漆, 想是考慮到香港潮濕的天氣吧。令我失望的是沒有木塔。木塔的數目和位置是反影朝代型式的重要標誌; 再說, 山門(南門)亦不夠宏偉。我這樣說確是有點吹毛求疵, 在香港地小人稠的環境而有此淨士, 實在令人欣慰。

大文兄, 以你目前18-55mm的 裝備, 有些角度是拍不到的, 我鏡頭的涵蓋範圍是 11-200mm, 僅供参巧。

to all my friends and the world !!

Photos taken in the New Year’s Eve celebration, First Night 2012, in Boston.

2012

這是由三張照片拼合的臥佛全景圖, 我喜歡那安詳喜悅的面容。A stitched panorama of the reclining Buddha of Lokaya Suttha.

Pray for Thailand  為泰國祈福

七月中從南邦返回清邁途中, 路邊見未撤之沙包, 司機曾告訴我該地日前曾有水患。沒想到回來三個月了, 水患持續並擴大, 清邁、大城先後成澤國, 曼谷亦告急。此五十年來最大的水災已令三百人彌難, 房屋、財物損失無數。在此合十, 為死難者祈福, 為泰國祈福。

While putting this post together, I heard from the news that Thailand is experiencing a widespread flooding from north to the central plain. It was reported that Bangkok was on full alert as flood water was approaching. On Youtube, I saw video clips of flooding in Chiang Mai’s night market and Ayutthaya. As a matter of fact, 60 of the 77 provinces had been flooded to some extent. Please join me to say a prayer for the victims and all those impacted.

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泰南行腳之一, 大城(一)    Southern Thailand, Part 1 -  Ayutthaya (1)

前面給大家看過的素可泰是素可泰王朝的所在地。素可泰王朝於1321年為北方蘭納王朝併侵, 衰敗成地方勢力而已。其時, 位於南方的勢力漸漸掘起, 於1350在曼谷北面五十哩處建立大城王廟。大城王朝著眼世界, 建立後與各國通商, 並准許外國人在王城外圍建立外國人村落, 現在還可找到日本村和葡人村的舊址。1767年,大城王朝被入侵的緬甸推翻, 泰國隨後受緬甸統治兩百年。除少數寺院外, 皇宮及大部份寺院都被破壞, 加上歲月的摧殘, 古城遂成頹垣敗瓦。這是我們第二次遊大城, 以前資訊不發達, 看了也不知道來龍去脈, 這一次則稍有多一點瞭解。大城要看的頗多, 起碼要兩天才看得完, 只是我們討厭每天換酒店, 所以只能看一天, 隨緣吧。

Ayutthaya (pronounced ah-you-tah-ya):

Located 50 miles north of Bangkok, Ayutthaya is the old capital of Ayutthaya Kingdom in mid-14th century to late 18th century before the invasion of Burma. Most of the temples and palaces became ruins during the reign of the Burmese. However, the Kingdom of Ayutthaya had its glory. Ayuttaya supplanted Sukhothai as the most powerful kingdom in Thailand, called Siam by the Chinese, in the mid-14th century. By 16th and 17th centuries, it was one of the important trading centers in Asia. It established trading relationship with not only Asian countries but merchants from around the world. There are quite a few temples and a museum worth visiting, it takes at least two days to see all the major sites. Unfortunately, we could only spent one day in Ayutthaya.

Lokaya Suttha 寺   Wat Lokaya Suttha 

找不到寺名的英譯, 泰文原文也有點混亂, 所以就用英文。此寺位於大城遺址西面, 原來的規模頗大, 除了地基外, 所有建築物早已蕩然無存。這尊臥佛相當完整, 且毫無歲月的痕跡, 猜想是近數十年的傑作。我們運氣好, 臥佛好像剛被清洗過, 沒有黑色的雨痕。臥佛南北向, 面西, 正好迎著夕陽, 金黃的色調和那安詳的微笑為那一天的行程畫下完美的句號。

This is one of my favorite Buddha images in Thailand, the smiling facial expression creates a very soothing, relax atmosphere.  The reclining Buddha, Phra Buddha Sai Yat, is 42 meters in length and 8 meters high. It is the only standing structure in what appeared to have been a large Buddhist monastery. We were lucky that the statue had been cleaned (a lot of time, outdoor statues are covered with black rain marks), and the golden beams of the setting sun added the vital element to the scene … I don’t really know to describe it, it just made my day.

網上看過的照片,此臥佛上常有很多墨色的雨痕。我們運氣好, 佛像的色調配著暖和的落日餘暉, 會人心醉。As compared to some of the photos I've seen online, the image appeared to have had a facial treatment.

臥佛前有一小臥佛像, 善信獻上鮮花和金箔。A mini reclining Buddha image in front of the real one. Devotees paid their respect by leaving flower garlands.

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三寶公寺 (巴南清廟) Wat Phanan Choeng Worawihan

我們是七月十七日遊大城, 那天剛好是星期天, 我們也猜想會碰到較多的遊客, 但沒想到到達三寶公寺時竟然是人山人海,水洩不通。後來才聽說七月十五日是三寶公誕, 加上中午時分佛殿內有獻袈裟儀式, 所以才擠滿了香客。我們匆匆在裡面拍幾個照片就退了出來, 上車離去。此寺中國色彩濃厚, 到處可見漢字。 其實應該看看它的建築, 附近河邊還有城牆遺跡呢。

三寶公寺又名巴南清廟(音譯)，據說是華人為紀念到訪大城的明使三寶太監鄭和而建的。始建年份不詳, 有資料說建於1324年。不過, 這應該是不正確的, 因鄭和初下西洋始於1405年。寺內最吸引的是佛堂中的巨型坐佛(Phra Chao Phananchoeng), 高19米, 寬14米。佛像為泥塑, 上黑漆, 外敷金箔。近代曾於1854, 1901 和1928由皇室修復。

Wat Panan Choeng Worawihan is said to have been built, in memory of Zheng He, by Ayutthaya residents with Chinese heritage. The temple is located at the southeast corner outside of the city of Ayutthaya. To our surprise, this temple is by no means a ruin but one of the most lively and fully functional temples in the area. We arrived the temple around noontime on July 17, a Sunday, two days after their anniversary, there were literally “a million” devotees there. We had hard time squeezing in to the viharn.

The colossal sitting Buddha image, Phra Chao Phananchoeng, occupies almost the whole viharn. It has a measurement of 14 meters wide and 10 meters high. It was made of stucco (?), primed with black lacquer and gilded with gold leaf. It is said that,  behind the image, there are walls with hundreds of niches containing small Buddha images. We didn’t have a chance to see them because every inch in the viharn was packed with devotees.

三寶公寺的主佛堂的入口的前庭, 擠滿了人。The entrance door to the viharn.

三寶佛公。The door to the viharn is a bit small.

三寶佛公像上站了三位工作人員, 把信眾獻上的袈裟披在佛像上。There are three workers on the lap of the image to cover the image with outer robes (civara) offered by devotees.

三寶佛公

三寶佛公 This stucco image is covered with gold foil.

一大群善信擠滿佛堂, 觀看獻奉袈裟。The viharn is packed with devotees.

此圖旨在記錄佛堂的木構營造。This picture is to record the architecture design of the ceiling which is quite different from that of a Chinese temple.

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雷音寺 – 主佛堂的東面有一走廊, 走廊南北各有一較小的佛堂。北面的佛堂稱雷音寺, 除了祭壇主佛像外, 其他多是中式的, 尤其有好些小佛像是潮州或閩南式的。

On the east side of the main viharn, there are two smaller viharns. By contrary to the main viharn, these two viharns only had a few visitors. To my untrained eyes, the one on the north is a Chinese temple. The main Buddha image is a Thai Buddha image. However, there are a lot Chinese Buddha image on the side.

雷音寺中庭。 The nave of the Chinese viharn.

雷音寺主佛像。The main Buddha image.

中國式的如來佛。 There are a number of Buddha images and statues of deities, Southern China style.

潮州或閩南式的神像, 後方亦奉有象頭神。What a collection, note a statue of Ganesha is in the back.

南方的一間佛堂則是典型的泰國式的, 其他資料不詳。There is a Thai-styled viharn south of the Chinese viharn. I couldn’t find any info about this viharn.

佛堂中庭。 The nave of the viharn.

好喜歡他們用的色調。 I just love the colors.

祭壇上的佛像。 Buddha images.

天花的金紅色調, 華麗而不失莊重。 The ceiling of the viharn.

*************************************************************************************在三間佛堂之間所形成的有蓋走廊中, 奉有各種佛像。主建築物外還有塔, 但因人太多, 我們在看完三間佛堂後就去吃中飯了。 In the covered corridor between the three viharns, there are quite a few Buddha and deity images.

這位女士的笑容與濟顛大師十分相配。A Chinese deity.

素可泰式佛像。 A Sukhothai-styled Buddha image.

觀音。 Goddess of Mercy.

素可泰式佛像。 A Sukhothai-styled Buddha image.

佛堂內的壁畫, 都是描繪節日的庶民生活,十分有民族特色。Mural in the viharn, most of them depict festivals.

泰北行腳之十 : 清邁吉祥勝利寺      Northern Thailand: Part 10

清邁吉祥勝利寺 -  位於平河 (Mae Ping River) 河畔, 雖然不是熱門的遊客景點, 但看了一些網上的照片, 很喜歡它的泥塑浮雕和壁畫, 尤其是本寺呈現的多族裔特色, 寺內竟然奉有觀世音菩薩和彌勒佛。這次趁從南邦回程有車之便, 順道到勝利寺看看 (寺在平河畔, 離市中心稍遠)。

Wat Chaimongkol =วัดชัยมงคล=吉祥勝利寺, วัด= 寺 wat. ชัย= chai= 勝利 victory, มงคล=吉祥auspicious).

Wat Chaimongkol is a not-so-big community monastery in Chiang Mai. It was founded some 600 years ago at the time of King Tilokkaraj of the Lanna Kingdom. This temple is by no means a tourist attraction for foreigners. However, I was attracted to their stucco reliefs and mural paintings. The shrines and artifacts in this temple show various ethnic features, interestingly, including those of Lanna Kingdom and its enemies, Burmese and Laos. The temple is located at the river bank where it had been serving as the major landing site, particularly for visiting royalty and VIPs, on the Mae Ping River.

宏偉的山門。 The impressive gatehouse.

具緬甸特色的泰北塔, 後為佛堂。The Burmese chedi flanks the west side of the viharn.

塔前可愛的小可尚。A cute monk guards the chedi.

佛堂南面。The south side of the viharn.

佛堂東面正門。 The facade of the viharn.

佛堂西面牆, 布滿浮雕 (應該是泥塑吧?)。 The east wall of the viharn, full of reliefs (stucco or wood).

佛堂屋項的 Cho Fa, 明顯的具有象和金翅大鵬的特徵。Cho Fa (ช่อฟ้า, with features of an elephant and a bird) at the tip of the roof.

佛堂屋脊中央的 護法傘架。In the middle of the ridge of the roof is this beautiful parasol.

門上楣飾。 Wheel of Dharma decorates the pediment of a door.

牆外木浮雕。Reliefs on the wall.

佛堂中庭。 The nave of the viharn.

佛事進行中。 Religious activity.

此壁畫描繪清邁的水燈節。Mural depicts the festival of Loi Krathong, festival of lights, to be held at the full moon of the twelfth month of the lunar calender.

此壁描述三王歷史。Mural depicts the stories of the Three Kings.

壁畫描繪清邁節曰。Scene depicting another Chiang Mai festival.

壁畫描繪清邁節曰。Scene depicting another Chiang Mai festival.

佛堂外的浮雕。 Stucco relief outside the viharn.

佛堂外的浮雕。 Stucco relief outside the viharn.

佛堂外的浮雕。 Stucco relief outside the viharn.

戒堂(?)外的浮雕。 Stucco relief outside the ubosot (?).

戒堂(?)外的浮雕。 Stucco relief outside the ubosot (?). Lord Buddha reaching enlightenment.

戒堂(?)外的浮雕。 Stucco relief outside the ubosot (?).

漂亮的裝飾圖案。 Gorgeous motif.

浮雕。 Stucco relief.

浮雕。 Stucco relief.

供奉觀世音菩薩的祭壇。 A Chinese shrine.

後記: 八月開始整理泰國的照片至今, 還未完成, 現在已有點意興闌珊。去年意大利之行同樣還有好些教堂的照片未完成。其實我最想寫下的是另一篇裴冷翠的尋畫錄(最後的晚餐尋訪錄已登出), 那天是去Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi 教堂尋Pietro Perugino 作於 1493-1496 年的精品壁畫 The Crucifixion. 那裡沒有遊客, 但竟然碰到另一位從紐約來的尋畫客…..扯遠了。  最近除了忙著掃葉之外, 因為找到了梁思成全集, 一頭栽了進去。梁思成先生和林徽因女士是我的偶像, 捧讀他們晉汾古建的考察報告, 看得津津有味, 竟然動念去山西尋他們的足跡。於是努力搜尋各寺廟的資料, 過程中, 發現新浪網有一個blog, 顯然是建築師/教授寫的, 記錄他們近年按梁先生的考察報告去索驥, 發現原來滄海桑田, 大部份的寺廟已蕩然無存, 令人唏噓。多年前到雲岡石窟和五台山時就很喜歡那些古建, 但以沒能看到佛光寺為憾, 明年也許可再去太原, 然後去佛光寺和南禪寺, 當然也要去平遙住上幾天, 去雙林寺看那漂亮的泥塑……唉, 他們說的對, 我真的是 obsessive (well, I hope it is not obsessive-compulsive….).

素貼寺東望清邁市和飛機場。 Overlooking the city of Chiang Mai from Doi Suthep. Click for enlargement.

泰北行腳之九 : 清邁素貼寺   Northern Thailand: Part 9

素貼山是清邁名山, 山上的素貼寺(วัดพระธาตุดอยสุเทพ)是清邁名寺。วัด=寺, พระธาตุ=舍利, ดอย=山, สุเทพ=素貼(泰文名稱)。清邁人有個說法: 遊清邁如果沒有吃過 Khao Soi (咖喱麵) 或沒登素貼寺就不能算真的到過清邁。這說明素貼寺在清邁人心目中的地位。素貼寺的重要性主要是寺內奉有佛陀舍利之故。當然那些建寺的傳說更引人入勝。清邁人對白象背舍利的傳說更是津津津樂道。據說寺始建於1383年, 先建塔奉佛骨, 其他的佛堂是其後加建的。直至1935年才建成車路上山。車路到寺上還得走一段長長的樓梯 (據說三百多級), 樓梯的兩旁建有護法的天龍(naga), 由於天龍很長, 成為素貼寺的特色, 故網上很多人稱它為雙龍寺。

奉有佛陀舍利的主塔。 The main chedi of Wat Suthep. Burmese style parasols stand on four coners

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (วัดพระธาตุดอยสุเทพ) – วัด=wat, พระธาตุ=Phrathat=Lord Buddha’s relics, ดอย=doi=mountain (Northern dialect), สุเทพ=Suthep=a Thai given name. There is a Thai saying for visitors to Chiang Mai : If you have not tasted Khao Soi (Chiang Mai style crunchy curry noodle soup) or seen the breathtaking view from Wat Suthep, you have not been to Chiang Mai.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is not the oldest temple in Chiang Mai, however, it is one of the most important temples. It is said that the temple was built in 1383, the main chedi was first to build to house half of the piece of Lord Buddha’s relic that was, according to legend, broken off from the piece enshrined in Wat Suan Dok. Wat Doi Suthep is built on the top of Doi Suthep National Park, some 1600 (or 900 ?) meters above sea level. A paved road built in 1935 makes pilgrimage to Wat Doi Suthep easier. However, to reach the temple, one has climb a long staircase, there are close to 300 steps from road side to the temple. Fortunately, a funicular system was built for easy access.

素貼寺香火鼎盛, 塔四周有通道供善信巡行祈福。Devotees walk around the chedi in clockwise circles in a walkway inside the low white wall for luck.

主塔。 The main chedi.

塔前有各式佛像, 臥佛, 坐佛, 立佛都有。 Buddha images in front of the chedi.

主塔基座的裝飾。 close up.

塔前神壇上善信所奉的花和蛇 (天龍?)。 Flower and serpent (naga) left by devotees.

更多的佛像。 A good collection of Buddha images in front of the chedi.

禮佛花環。 A ring of jasmine for Lord Buddha.

更多的佛像。 More Buddha images.

塔東面的佛堂。The viharn on the east side of the chedi.

西面的佛堂的祭壇。 The main altar of the east viharn.

塔西面的佛堂。 The viharn on the west side of the chedi is the main viharn.

佛堂中庭。 Inside the viharn, monk offering blessings. The gold Buddha image in the middle is the most important in the whole complex.

塔四周有迥廊, 佈滿壁畫和坐佛。Buddha images and murals in the cloister.

壁畫都是佛教故事。 Mural in cloister.

佛教壁畫。 Mural in cloister depicts the life of the Lord Buddha.

迥廊內佛像的髮髻有不同形式。Buhhda images in the cloister show various types of cranial protuberance on top of the head. Knob finial of the middle image indicates Phra Singh type.

大鐘樓。 The bell tower.

鐘樓。 Bell tower.

佛堂後的鐘, 善信可敲鐘祈福。 Small bells around the temple complex can be rung for good luck (the original use was to call the monks and devotees for worship.

戒堂前的鐘。Kids ring the bells in front of the ubosot.

佛堂後的入口之一, 門上畫像斑駁。The old painting on one of the entrance to a viharn.

寺內其中一頁的黑漆門。 A beautiful black lacquered door.

戒堂入口(不開放)。Entrance to the ubosot (closed to visitors).

東佛堂後的露天祭壇。An open air shrine on the back of the east viharn。

另一露天佛龕。Another niche with a standing Buddha image.

可愛的小和尚。 A cute little monk in front of the niche.

象頭神。 Ganesha (or Ganesh).

剛想上去拍張雙龍樓梯的照片, 突照下雨, 只好作罷。The is the staircase leading to the famous staircase flanked by nagas. We took the cable car instead.

從雙龍樓梯向下看, 頗長。 Looking down the hill from the famous naga-flanked staircase.

幸好近年設有纜車方便香客。Instead of climbing the stairs, we took the funicular.

泰北行腳之八 : 清邁城堡寺   Northern Thailand: Part 8

清邁的城堡寺, Wat Prasat (查泰文字典: วัด=寺, ปราสาท=城堡,  有時亦解作皇宮, 寺廟之意), 是清邁古城內西面的一間小寺, 不是熱門的遊客景點。在我搜尋清邁寺院的資料時, 發現這在建築上非常特別的寺院, 而且就在古城內, 交通方便, 所以就成了我一定要看的寺院之一。

城堡寺的建築特色: 1)傳統蘭訥式建築和裝飾. 2)戒堂與佛堂建在一東西向直線上. 3)戒堂與佛堂西面各有一塔, 塔為泰北式, 四面有壁龕. 4)佛堂的主祭壇處有一短”隧道”連接後面的塔, 佛像就坐在塔內。這是比較少見的。

Wat Prasat (วัด means “wat”, ปราสาท mans “castle”, sometimes “temple” ) is a small Lanna temple inside the old city of Chiang Mai. It is not considered a popular tourist destination. However, it was on top of my must-see list because it has some unusual architectural features. Firstly, the viharn and ubosot of Wat Prasat are arranged in a straight line; secondly, a chedi flanks the west wall of the viharn and the ubosot; thirdly, the chedi flanking the viharn is actually connected to the chedi by a “tunnel”, and, the main Buddha image in the viharn is actually sitting inside the chedi instead of the nave of the viharn.

蘭訥式的佛堂。The viharn of Wat Prasat.

佛堂正面的蘭訥式裝飾。 The facade of the viharn, classical Lanna-style.

護法的天龍。 Nagas guarding the entrance to the viharn.

屋角上的鳥喙。 Cho Fa at the tip of the roof.

佛堂的中庭。不留神還看不到主佛像。 The nave of the viharn.

因為照明不太亮, 走近還看不清佛像。The main image is sitting in the "connection" to the chedi.

坐在"隧道"內的主佛像。The face of the image can be seen at a lower angle.

佛堂與西面小塔之間有"隧道"連接。 The viharn is connected to the chedi by a short tunnel where sits the main Buddha image.

塔西面壁龕的佛像。 Buddha image on the west niche.

塔北面壁龕的佛像。Buddha image in the north niche.

佛堂東面就是戒堂。 In front of the viharn along a straight line is the ubosot.

戒堂與西面的小塔沒有接連。On the west side, the ubosot is flanked by a chedi, however, it is not connected to the ubosot.

戒堂窗台的裝飾。Window of the ubosot.

窗上的楣飾。 Sum of the ubosot.

和尚化緣用的僧钵。 A monk's bowl and bag for early morning alms-gathering.

鐘、鼓樓。 Bell and drum tower.

紀念高僧的神龕。 A shrine.

The wat is built on a mound. The main viharn (Viharn Luang) and the gatehouse is visible on the roadside.

泰北行腳之七 : 南邦大舍利寺(1)   Northern Thailand: Part 7 (1)

南邦大舍利寺是泰北十分著名的寺院, 位於南邦府城外。我們前一天去了素可泰, 看了一個下午, 宿素可泰新城。原來計畫是第二天早上再去素可泰遺跡公園拍照, 因為前一天下午拍的佛像都是背光的。不過那天天氣十分悶熱, 經過一個下午的東奔西跑, 大家好像都覺得已經看得差不多了。 所以我不得不改變行程, 幸好要看的實在太多。翌日往北回清邁, 中途停南邦府看大舍利寺。我本來貪心的還要再停南奔 (Lamphun)看廟, 但天在悶雨, 實在熱得怕人, 只好作罷。

If you are like me, enjoy visiting religious and cultural attractions. Thailand is a candy store. The day before our trip to Wat Phra That Lampang Luang, we had visited Sukhothai Historical Park. The original plan was to see the park in the afternoon, and back the next morning for better light to take pictures (most of the temples and Buddha images are facing east). However, after an afternoon sightseeing in steaming heat, most of us decided that we were done with Sukhothai. We have therefore decided to go to Lampang on the way back to Chiang Mai.

大舍利寺的東門。 Flanked by nagas, this staircase leads to the gatehouse and the main viharn behind it.

南邦大舍利寺是十五世紀的建築, 頗具特色。首先寺是建在一大土丘上, 是八世紀堡壘的舊址, 四周原有三道土牆, 中隔護城河。寺的入口向東, 四周有圍牆迴廊。佛堂採舊制, 為開放式 (四邊無牆)。除大佛堂(Viharn Luang)外, 另有四座小佛堂。 戒堂在西南角, 旁有似小屋的mondop, 內進(只限男生)可在掛在牆上布幕中看到由門上小孔投入塔的倒影, 整個小屋就是個巨型的針孔照相機。可惜在我們參觀時, 戒堂, mondop 和兩座小佛堂正在修復, 不開放。

Wat Phra That Lampang Luang is one of the most famous temples in Norther Thailand. It was first built in 15th century on an old site of a fortress. There are five viharns, the main viharn (Viharn Luang) and four small one, a mondop , a bot and a chedi. Unfortunately, 3 small viharn, the bot and the mondop were under renovation and closed for visitors.

守護樓梯的天龍。Nagas flanking the staircase.

十五世紀的門樓。 This is the gatehouse built in 15th century.

門楣上飾有法輪。The wheel of Dharma on the pediment.

門樓旁漂亮的泥塑圖案。Stucco motif on the side of the gatehouse, beautiful design.

通過門樓, 馬上就看到大佛堂。 The main viharn (Viharn Luang), framed by the gatehouse.

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大舍利寺始建於十五世紀, 是較舊式的開放式設計。大堂中的祭壇是寮國式小塔形的 ku。塔身佈滿金箔 (鍍金?), 塔內奉有1563年的佛像 Phra Chao Lang Thong (見下面放大圖)。堂內黑漆大柱嵌有金箔圖案, 十分華麗。大堂採開放式, 雖然沒有牆, 但屋簷下有木圍板, 上繪有壁畫。

The main viharn was built in 15th century, it is an old style viharn which is open-sided. The main altar is a Ku (Lao-style prang)  in Viharn Luang. Sitting inside the ku is a Buddha image , Phra Chao Lang Thong, dated 1563. The pillars in the nave are black lacquered with intricate gold pattern. Although it is an open-sided viharn, there are wood boards with faded murals below the eaves.

大佛堂的大堂。 Nave of the main viharn.

當日寺內進行宗教活動。 Some kind of religious activity was going on that day.

善男信女, 帶有鮮花和獻禮, 濟濟一堂。 A large number of devotees sat inside the viharn with flowers and offerings.

寮式小塔祭壇-ku。 The gilded Lao-style prang - ku.

ku 的正面。The front of the ku.

ku 的側面。 Side view.

ku 內的佛像。The Buddha image, dated 1563, sits in the ku.

祭壇前法師主持祭典。A religious activity was underway.

天花。 Ceiling.

壁畫。 Mural - 1

壁畫。Mural - 2

壁畫。Mural - 3

壁畫。Mural - 4

壁畫。Mural - 5

壁畫。Mural - 6

大佛堂北面的小佛堂。Viharn Ton Kaew

主塔北面的小佛堂。 Viharn Nam Tam (under renovation)

塔南面的另一佛堂。 Viharn Phra Phut (under renovation)

主塔。Main Chedi

主塔前佛像。 Buddha image in front of the main chedi.

塔的西面觀。 The west side of the main chedi.

塔外由金屬片保護, 中嵌有金色的浮雕片。Decoration on the main chedi.

湊巧看到一傳統舞蹈在寺前表演。 Traditional dancing in front of the wat.

傳統舞蹈表演。 Traditional folk dancing。

傳統舞蹈表演。 Traditional folk dancing。

傳統舞蹈表演。 Traditional folk dancing。