A visit to Da Jhong Temple(大眾廟)

Great big arch, at the Da Jhong Temple in Hsing Jhung City looks exactly like the one most Taipei people remember from their childhood which they usually go to the temple with their grandparents. The traditional-styled sculpture lining along the little alley heading to the main shrine remaindered me the time my father brought me here praying that I would have a peaceful and safe year in the US, before I was gone last year. This year, as I came back peacefully with lots of substantial memory, dad suggested me to go back to the Da Jhong Temple to show my appreciation to those divinities of the earth and local for their blessings.
In the early morning, I arrived the shrine with a faithful mind. Entering the main hall, there were already disciples of the temple doing their routine praying and some people like me carrying couple offerings were looking for sign that guided us how to go through different divinities. Totally we had to light up twelve incenses, and sticking each of them into each of incense burners (the one with three legs) in front of different divinities. There were 9 different divinities in the temple and each of them had their own works for human. One of them sitting in the main hall was Dizang(地藏王菩薩) who saved people from the hell. She said "Not until the hells are emptied will I become a Buddha; Not until all beings are saved will I certify to Bodhi.” . I stuck one of my incense into her incense burner for her deed.
Actually, in the middle of my visit, I took a browse of the traditional architecture in the temple. The roof was impressively decorated by all the finely carved and sculptured art work of Chinese traditions.
One of the design, caught my attention was a superb technic called“Cassion” (藻井) used on construction and decoration for thousand years on oriental temple and palace. Layers of colored panel crossed and laid on each other constructing an solemn atmosphere.
I wasn’t too long for me to finish the whole process which most of the young generation were not patient enough to realize the meditation in it. I came out from the door which had been used on dome guarded by two stone tiger sculpture, and they seemed smiling.