Lama Buddha Temple

The Lama Buddha Temple was converted from a private imperial garden by the Qing emperor when he moved to the Forbidden city in 1744. The temple, which consists of four progressively larger buildings containing statues of various Buddhas, facilitates the practice of Lamanism, which is a combination of legacy Tibetan religion and Buddhism.

The emperor built this temple as a show of goodwill to all the peoples of The Middle Kingdom and in an effort to bring together Tibetans, Manchurians, and other ethnic groups with the majority Han. All of the signs conspicuously include four languages to reinforce this point.

There were a lot of Chinese people at the temple burning incense and kneeling before the various Buddhas in hopes that their dreams and wishes will come true. We also saw a teaching center where monks come to study.