When we were finished with the tour of the lake, we went to one of the more famous temples in all of China. This is Lingyin temple which is located in Hangzhou. It is considered one of the richest temples in all of China. It is a Buddhist temple and Deng Xiaoping used to come here to pray. I have been to many Buddhist temples in my life, but I have never seen anything like this. The temples here are very different than the ones in Japan. For one thing, there are these wonderful carvings located in the rock outside the temple. We stumbled onto them as we were walking up the hill towards the entrance. It is known as the "flying peak" although I'm not sure why. The carvings must have taken years. The laughing Buddha's are always my favorite and they have a wonderful example of one in the lower right side of the photo.

The temple itself is one of the best I've ever seen. *EVERYTHING* is guilded in gold. We were asked not to take photographs inside the worship area and I complied. (The photo on the right was taken outside and I enlarged it) The building is laid out in the shape of a Buddhist swastika. Please understand, the swatiska used here has nothing to do with the Nazi's. It is an ancient symble used by Buddhists to designate the location of a temple. It is also in reverse of what the Nazi's used.

Much of the temple has been rebuilt in recent years due to previous damage. The monastery, however, is much older. It was originally founded by an Indian fellow who wanted to bring Buddhism to China. He did this in the 4th century AD. The monastery is off limits because the monks still live there. It is a thriving community. When we arrived, they were praying in the main temple area. The prayers were similar to what I've heard in Japan. Apparently, they still use the Sanskrit language and bang on gongs and bells the same way the Japanese Buddhists do. The Chinese monks seem to be as kind and gentle as all the ones I've met previously. One of them had a big smile for one of the tourists' babies.

I was surprised by the number of pilgrims who come here to pray. Lingyin temple is very famous and has been a destination for pilgrims for many years. The people who come here to pray light incense outside the temple and gesticulate, hoping the smoke from the incense carries their prayer up to heaven. Incense is not allowed inside the temple. The method of praying here is different than what I've witnessed in Japan. Japanese Buddhists rub their hands together when praying. Afterwards, they throw money into a box in front of the altar. Chinese Buddhists actually gesticulate when praying. There are padded stools located in front of the altar where the faithful can kneel as well. It was interesting to watch.

When we had finished at the temple, it was time to go shopping for mooncakes. The photo on the right is John and Larry doing their shopping. Sorry, but I didn't buy any. I got Gina a doll, instead. Sunday is the Mid-Autumn festival in China and it is very important. (Larry equated it to the Chinese version of our Thanksgiving) There is a large meal with everyone in the family attending. Afterwards, you eat mooncakes for desert. The mooncakes are a popular gift to give during the holiday season, so you can find them for sale everywhere. Many of them are elaborately package and they are not cheap. We bought a few just to try them and they are really good. All mooncakes are filled with something. Some are sweet, some have meat inside, others use duck eggs for the filling. It is always a bit of a surprise.

The story, as I understand it, goes back many years. Apparently, after Ghengis Khan invaded, the Mongol outlawed any public meetings in order to prevent insurrections. Obviously, the Chinese were not happy about the occupation but they had no way to coordinate their activities to do anything about it. One guy realized that the Mongols did not celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival and didn't eat mooncakes. For this reason, he asked the government if he could make mooncakes for everyone in the capital in order to ask heaven for blessings upon the emperor. The government agreed and he baked a piece of paper into the center of each mooncake. It listed the date and time when everyone was to rise up against the oppressors and it worked. The Mongols were sent packing and they've been eating these ever since for the Mid-Autumn festival. Now you know how the mooncaked saved China!