#flathal #flatstanleyproject #taipei
The next time the bus stopped we walked around to visit two different places. First was Bao-An Temple, a Taoist temple to the God of Medicine: Baosheng Dadi.
We visited on a national holiday. Families were at the temple, lighting incense (sticks that release a scented smoke) and saying prayers. Many come here to pray for the health of their children, and those who raise them.
The Flat Friends were in awe of the colorful decorations and designs on the roof—especially the friendly dragons. (Obviously they are friendly, birds perched on them without fear!)
Our next stop was the Taipei Confucius Temple. It is not a Taoist temple, though the roof is similar, but this one was decorated in a simpler, calmer style. Have you ever heard someone start a sentence with, “Confucius says”? Confucius was a real person! He is considered the greatest teacher of all time!
The Flat Friends teachers are really smart. We take lots of notes in class. Will other people study our notes years from now, to learn what our teachers said? How about 2,500 years from now? That’s a great teacher—2,500 years later his lessons are still being taught!
Outside the Taipei Confucius Temple were statues of 4 wise monkeys. The Flat Friends have heard of 3 of them, but we didn’t know there was a fourth! Have you ever heard, “See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil”? The fourth monkey teaches we should “Do No Evil”. (Improper things are mean, or unkind… bullies are improper!)
The painting shows how the statues were displayed outside the temple. They looked like they were sitting on a slide. We worked with our computer to make a drawing to help us remember Confucius’s lesson, he taught us something today!
