A huge stone should be placed in front of China Temple. What is the meaning behind it?

Most temples in China have to put a boulder in front of them, and most of these boulders are in the shape of elephants. The moral of this stone statue can be traced back to the origin of Buddhism. According to legend, when Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, came to the world, he entered his mother's body in the image of a six-toothed white elephant and became pregnant in October. Although it is impossible to verify the authenticity of this allusion, it is the most reliable statement of Buddhist believers in the thousand-year historical changes, and therefore elephants have deep roots with Buddhist temples.

Together, Samantabhadra, Manjusri and Sakyamuni Buddha are the three sages of Hua Yan, also known as the three sages of Sakyamuni, and the six-toothed elephant is the mount of Samantabhadra. It can be seen that elephants have deep roots before the establishment of Buddhism, and therefore, stone statues have a close relationship with Buddhist temples, and several stone statues are often placed in front of the temples.

What is the moral of these stone statues? First of all, stone statues have decorative functions. The six-toothed elephant is usually placed at the entrance of the temple, and the elephant is generally engraved with Buddhist patterns. Put it at the mountain pass or the gate, it has a good decorative effect. The facade is the first thing a building can see. A mighty stone statue can bring a serious and quiet feeling to the temple.

Secondly, elephants have the function of guarding the house and ward off evil spirits for temples in town houses. Apart from decorative function, the most important function of stone carving elephants is to protect the land and bring happiness to the people. So when people go to the temple to burn incense and worship Buddha, they will also donate some sesame oil money to the stone statue, hoping to get its protection.

Finally, elephants also have Buddhist meanings. The six teeth of the six-toothed elephant represent charity, diligence, precept, humiliation, meditation and wisdom in Buddhism. Putting stone statues at the entrance of the temple can guide believers to learn Buddhism well.