Thailand Tourism|The fantastic creation of Chinese Buddhism in Nanyang - Pumen Baoen Temple
Bangkok Royal Grant Pumen Baoen Temple🙏
Wat Bhoman Khunaram
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The Royal Grant Pumen Baoen Temple was built by the 'Master Pujing' (1902-1986) who was originally from Jieyang County, Guangdong. He was originally a soldier of the National Army, and later settled in Thailand and became a monk. In his lifetime, he presided over the construction of more than ten Buddhist temples, and Pumen Baoen Temple is the most outstanding work among them.
The temple began to be built in 1959, and was completed on March 12, 1965. It was granted by King Rama IX of Thailand. The overall architecture is derived from traditional Chaozhou-style architecture, and at the same time integrates elements from Thailand, the West, and Tibet. It is a novel and bold design.
I would like to call it 'Chaozhou Revival Style' or 'New Chaozhou Style'. Since then, Thai Chinese temple architecture has been built in this style, injecting new vitality into the development of traditional Chinese architecture, and has epoch-making symbolic significance.
Pumen Baoen Temple is a Mahayana Zen temple under the Thai Chinese sect. The Mahayana Tripitaka Hall is the most important Tripitaka Hall in the world. It enshrines the Pali scriptures of Theravada Buddhism, the Chinese Han Tripitaka and the Tibetan Tripitaka. It is said that there are only three such scripture halls from Emperor Wu of Liang to the present.
Another precious item is the Vajrayana (Tibetan) mantra scriptures. Here is the most complete version in the world, brought by Master Norarenpoche from Tibet three years before the peaceful liberation of Tibet.
The interior of the main hall completely subverts my imagination of Chinese temple architecture. The tall columns that are between Chinese and Western styles pick up the tall space, and there is a chic rectangular caisson on the top. I don't know if there are elements of Tibetan culture.
On the walls on both sides, there are 'Five Hundred Arhats' made with Western mosaic art, while the traditional Chaozhou-style practice is to use inlaid porcelain mosaic. Nanyang is indeed Nanyang, the key lies in the word 'yang', where all fresh elements blend seamlessly.