PHILIPPINE TAOIST TEMPLE, BEVERLY HILLS, CEBU CITY

October 21, 2018
MABUHAY!

This is a photo and video journal of our budget travel to Cebu City featuring our visit to Philippine Taoist Temple.

The Philippine Taoist Temple, also known as Cebu Taoist  Temple, is built in 1972 by Cebu's Chinese community.

Taoism or Daoism is a way of life, a philosophical tradition of Chinese origin. Taoism or Daoism means going with the flow of life, to live simply and spontaneously accepting who you are, your flaws and forgetting your past. 

Tao or Dao means "the WAY".

This temple is a classic example of traditional Chinese architecture. The architectural ornaments found in this building make it distinct to other types of architectural motifs and makes it uniquely Chinese.

A Paifang, also known as a pailou is a traditional way of Chinese architectural arch or gateway structure. In Chinese art and culture, the color red is one of the 5 primary colors representing the 5 elements. Red corresponds to fire.

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CHINESE ARCHITECTURE

The guardian lion also known as the stone lion or lion dogs are placed in front of the building strategically at the entrance which was thought to protect the building from harmful spirits.

Chinese fountain corresponds to peace of mind soothing the spirit, stress reduction, relaxation, and meditation.

A word of caution from the temple's management

The entrance stairway gots its inspiration from the Great Wall of China 

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Chinese Pagodas are a traditional part of Chinese architecture that does not only have religious significance but offers a spectacular view also. The history of the pagoda actually begins in ancient India with the death of the Buddha in the 5th century BCE. At this time stupas were beginning construction to house the holy artifacts of the Buddha's body.  It was the stupa that eventually became the tiered tower with many roofs that we think of today.

When you first hear about "the morning gong and evening drum", this phrase may be mistaken as: "the gong is sounded in the morning and the drum is hit in the evening." In Buddhism, the correct way to explain is: "In the morning, the gong is sounded first then the drum is hit; in the evening, the drum is hit first and then the gong is sounded."

Large bells found in Buddhist temples are used to summon the monks to prayer and to demarcate periods of time. Rather than containing a clapper, they are struck from the outside, using either a handheld mallet or a beam suspended on ropes.

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Chinese dragons, also known as East Asian dragons, are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology, Chinese folklore, and East Asian culture at large. Chinese dragons have many animal-like forms such as turtles and fish but are most commonly depicted as snake-like with four legs. They traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, typhoons, and floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck for people who are worthy of it in East Asian culture. During the days of Imperial China, the Emperor of China usually used the dragon as a symbol of his imperial strength and power. 
(Excerpt from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_dragon)

The most common Chinese lanterns are red, oval-shaped, and decorated with red or golden tassels. Typically, they come in many different shapes including square, rectangle, and spherical. Historians believe that the Chinese first began making the now traditional lanterns during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220). The original use of lanterns was primarily as a light source. They were used both indoors and out to provide a shaded light for reading and working. The protection from wind provided by the decorative silk or paper shade kept the lanterns from going out with the breeze. In ancient China, they were used to provide light and eventually as aspects of Buddhist worship. Today, they are used only for decoration and modern forms of celebration and worship. Lanterns have become a symbol of national pride in China and are used to decorate homes and public places.
(Excerpt from China Highlights 
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/culture/lanterns.htm)

This statue portrays the simple way of life as being practice in Taoism. 

The Dougong is a Chinese bracketing system for wood construction that makes a structure withstand an earthquake.

In modern times, the capital on the top of the column now serves only as a decorative ornament.

The dougong is a bracketing system that transfers the weight of the roof to the beams and distributes the load to the columns.

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Ancient Chinese architecture was designed to be attractive, especially the distinctive roofs. Traditional Chinese roofs had different forms at different stages of history. There were various roof styles with functional features, a hierarchy of designs, and exquisite details.

The graceful curve, the round roof tiles, and the upturn eaves are very notable in the design of traditional Chinese roofing.

In Buddhism, peacocks represent wisdom. Peacocks are associated with bodhisattvas. Peacocks are capable of eating poisonous plants without any harmful effect and similarly, a Bodhisattva is able to transform ignorance into enlightenment, desire and hatred to positive feelings. 

The 8 trigrams of I Ching - an important Taoist symbol

Chinese influence in the Philippines is very significant in the development of our society. As a young developing nation, so diversified in its culture, we look up to China as a role model in simplicity and yet the outstanding industry of its common people contributed immensely to the continuous progress of this giant country.

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