There were no temples in the country when Buddhism was first brought in. In most cases, Buddha worshipping was done in residences donated by ranking officials and other rich people who had converted to Buddhism. The principal hall, normally in the frontal courtyard, was used as the hall for Buddha worshipping, and buildings in the backyard, for preaching. A traditional residential or official complex always consists of buildings independent of one another, which are placed in a walled compound according to a certain order. And this kind of ground plan was to be followed in construction of Buddhist temples.

    Subjects for worshipping became increasingly diverse as Buddhism spread, including not only Sakyamuni, founder of the religion, but also other Buddhas, as well as Bodhisattvas who are supposed to assist Buddha in enlightening the secular world, a whole army of guardian deities and numerous arhats or saints. So in addition to the Mahavira Hall where Sakyamuni is worshipped, Buddhist temples normally have the Hall of the Heavenly Kings2, the Bodhisattvas Pavilion, the Hall of Arhats, as well as a number of auxiliary buildings.

    Like those in the Forbidden City, the main structures in a temple sit astride the axis of the compound. And these are arranged in order of the gate, the Hall of the Heavenly Kings, one or several halls dedicated to Buddha and his assistants, the Exoteric Hall, and the Tripitaka Pavilion (library of Buddhist texts). Flanking the main structures are less important buildings. Standing in order of bilateral symmetry at either side of the axis, these include the bell and drum towers at either side of the Hall of the Heavenly Kings, as well as dormitories, kitchens, etc., which are normally in the backyard. The main and auxiliary structures form several courtyards which, in some cases, are connected by galleries or verandas.

    It is now clear that in ground plan, Buddhist temples in China are similar to traditional walled compounds. But there are exceptions. In the Jinghong Prefecture of southwest China's Yunnan Province, a Buddhist temple features the principal hall in the center, with a veranda leading to the gate, and round the principal hall there are pagodas, the Exoteric Hall, dormitories, etc. There is, however, no fixed order for the distribution of these structures, but the principal hall always faces east, because Sakyamuni is said to face east when, under the Pipal Tree of utter wisdom, attained Buddhahood through many years of fasting and meditation. In both architectural style and ground plan, the influence of Sthaviravada, a sect of Buddhism popular in the neighboring Myanmar and Thailand, is clearly visible in Buddhist temples in the Jinghong area.

    Lamaseries in Tibet are often of an enormous size and irregular in ground plan. Almost the entire ethnic Tibetan people believe in Lamaism, and religious activities often draw thousands of participants. In old Tibet, lamaseries performed some government functions and, in the course of religious activities, government decrees were often proclaimed in the name of Buddha. Because of the mass participation in religious activities, Buddhist halls have to be large. Tibet is situated

on the Tibetan Plateau, the "roof of the world" that rises 4,500 meters above sea level, and most lamaseries are on mountain slopes or even sit atop mountains. Due to so rugged a terrain, it would have been impossible for Tibetans to build neat compounds like those walled temples or courtyards in other parts of China. The Potala Palace in Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, furnishes a most outstanding example of Buddhist shrines in Tibetan style.

   Buddhism found its way into Tibet in the seventh century, and was eventually to develop into Lamaism - the Tibetan school of Buddhism  through centuries of struggle against the Ben, Tibet's primitive religion. Kublai (1215-1294), or Emperor Shi Zu of the Yuan Dynasty, conferred

on Phatspa (1235-1280), a most revered Tibetan lama, the honorific title "National Teacher" and designated him to administer religious and secular affairs in Tibet. This resulted in the establishment of a government combining political and religious powers that was to rule the region until the 1956 democratic reform after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Then came Tsong-Kha-Pa (1357-1419), founder of the Yellow Sect that was to develop into the mainstream of

Tibetan Buddhism. Over the centuries, Lamaism has been the most important religion in areas inhabited by ethnic Tibetans including the entire Tibet Autonomous Region and parts of Sichuan and Qinghai provinces, as well as Inner Mongolia, home to ethnic Mongolians. While the most sacred shrine of Lamaism, the Potala Palace on Mt. M'buri in the center of Lhasa was the government palace of old Tibet.

   The story goes back to the 7th century, when Tibet, or Tubo as it was referred to by ancient Chinese, witnessed its height of prosperity under the rule of King Songzan Gambo. For better political and economic relations, the Tang Dynasty and Tubo formed an alliance when Li Shimin, the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty, married Princess Wen Cheng to King Songzan Gambo. Then the king ordered onstruction of a palace on Mr. M'buri for the princess.3 Construction

on Mt. M'buri continued after the royal coupled died, as lamas in increasing numbers came to dwell and practice their religion on Mt. M'buri.

    Then in the mid-17th century, massive reconstruction was done after the fifth Dalai Lama received official recognition from the imperial court of the Qing Dynasty. Most of the buildings in the present-day Potala Palace were build under the fifth Dalai Lama. The 13-story main

structure of the Potala Palace is 117 meters high and 400 meters wide from east to west. Inside the palace complex there is a complete array of structures built at different heights of the slope -- palace halls, halls for Buddha worshipping, the hall where the Dalai Lamas studied Buddhist texts, the hall where pagodas dedicated to the Dalai Lamas are kept for worshiping, as well as courtyards. These are divided into the Red Palace, alias the hall of the Dalai Lamas' pagodas in the center of the complex, and the White Palace -- bedchambers, halls for Buddha worshipping, the hall where the Dalai Lamas studied Buddhist texts, etc. The roof ridges are all plated in gold which, dazzling under the sun, add glory, magnificence and mystery to the palace complex.

   Complete freedom from all worldly disasters, worries and misgivings in the "Land of Utter Happiness" is the ultimate pursuit of Buddhist devotees. And to be immortal in the "Land of Utter Happiness", one should, through self-cultivation, free oneself from all worldly desires by practicing austerity in places far away from the mortal world. For this reason, most Buddhist temples are found deep in mountains and other secluded places. As time goes by, many mountains with temples have become scenic sites known in China and abroad, including Mt. Wutai in Shanxi, Mt. E'mei in Sichuan, Mt. Jiuhua in Anhui, and Mt. Putuo in Zhejiang.