Deities and Faith
Must Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva be worshipped outside the main hall because of guiding deceased spirits?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
Not necessarily. Some temples I visited place the Bodhisattva outside, in a front hall, or another hall with guiding deceased spirits in mind. Arrangements vary, and one cannot become the only rule.
Sheng Zhen Men worships Kṣitigarbha inside the hall. I discussed this difference as a matter of differing views. Some separate spaces for guiding unseen beings, while others do not.
At another temple’s activity, first understand local arrangements and procedures, then consider how to help. An outside statue does not require every temple to follow, and differences from home or familiar practice need not prompt declaring either side wrong.