| What are the major religions in Shanghai? |
| Shanghai is a metropolis in China. There are five major religions in China, namely Buddhism, Taoism, lslamism, Catholicism and Christianity and the religions are likewise the same in Shanghai. According to the Constitution of the People's Republic of China the citizens in China have the right to believe in religion, and so the religious temples, mosques and churches are more or less complete in variety in Shanghai. The major ones of them here are: the Jade Buddha Temple, Longhua Temple and Jing'an Temple, the White Cloud Taoist Temple, Little Peach Garden Mosque, Islamic Mosque of songjiang, Xujiahui Catholic Church, Shanghai Community Church and Sheshan Holy Place for Catholic Pilgrims as well as St. Mary's Hall and so on and so forth. |
| What are the representative Buddhist temples in the area of Shanghai? |
When talking of Buddhist temples we must first make clear what "Buddhism" is. Buddhism to speak of it in its narrow sense means the words and teachings of the Buddha which include all sorts of religious decrees and doctrines and the "truth" in Buddhism as expressed in those decrees and doctrines. However the Buddhism we are generally talking of refers to the Buddhism in its broad sense, namely a kind of religion created by Sakyamuni. This includes its scriptures and classics, ritual rites and ceremonies as well as its customary habits and religious organizations, which according to the sayings of Buddhism consist of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, namely the religious group who believe in Buddhism.
As regards the "temple," namely the Buddhist temple or temple courtyard, refers to a place where monks stay and also for then, to count rosaries, sit in meditation and do other religious activities. Generally speaking, the Chinese Buddhist temples fall into three categories: temple for the cultivation of Buddhism, i. e. a place for monks to tell beads and cultivate themselves; temple for the preaching of Buddhism, a pulpit of Buddhist doctrines while the temple for adhering to religious disciplines is a place for believers to abide by the commandment. And the Jade Buddha Temple we are going to inform you of in the following is a temple for the cultivation of Buddhism, one in the first category.
1. Jade Buddha Temple Located at Anyuan Road it was built in the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty and has now seen a history of over lO0 years. The name of the temple is derived from the two jade Buddhas in the temple, one in sitting statue and another reclining, which were taken back from Myanmar. |
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