Shanmen


The Shanmen, also known as Sangedatsumon or Gate of Three Liberations, is the most important gate of a Chinese Chan Buddhist temple.

The origin of the name

In order to keep away from the secular life, Buddhist temples are often built in unfrequented mountain forests, so the gates are known as the Mount Gates. Gates are usually built in a row with a big one in the middle and two small ones on two sides, which symbolize the gates of three liberations in the Dharma. Its three gates are called "Kongmen", "wuxiangmen" and "wuyuanmen".

Architectural Style

After successive wars and cultural discontinuity, with only one gate, most of the existing ancient Buddhist temples usually follow the hall style or change the middle gate of the three main gates into a hall called "Hall of Three Liberations" or "Hall of Mount Gate".