Buddha Lions Pier 4 Restaurant - Toronto, ON - Lion Statues on Waymarking.com

Within Buddhism the lion is held in great esteem as a powerful animal bravely advancing against evil. In Chinese culture the lion is the king of beasts and a symbol of great power and dignity. It is a divine auspicious and sacred animal with powers to suppress other animals and defeat evil spirits.

In both ancient and modern Chinese culture small to very large pairs of stone lions are often displayed outside the entrance of official buildings, temples, businesses, and even private residences. These lions are often referred to in the Chinese language as Stone Lions, Buddha Lions or Buddha Dogs. They are most commonly known to Westerners as Foo Dogs. The Chinese word “Fo” (sounds like Fu) represents Buddhism (Fo Jiaw) in general.

Although the features of Foo Dog statues may greatly very, there are common traits found in the majority of statues. The right Foo Dog is male and the left Foo Dog is female. They have curled hair, large eyes, an opening mouth and outstretched paws. Under the left paw of the male Foo Dog is a decorative, ornamental ball or pearl. Under the right paw of the female Foo Dog is a playful lion cub usually lying on their back. In ancient China the number of bumps or coils in the Foo Dogs mane symbolized the rank of the official whose building they were guarding. The more coils, the higher the rank. (visit link)

These two must be guarding patrons from bad seafood...

Physical Address: 245 Queens Quay West Toronto, ON Canada M5J 2K9 Web Site: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Take a photo of the lion.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/20/2011 ras258 visited it 09/08/2011 mTn_biKer65 visited it 03/19/2011 JSDAFM visited it 07/02/2010 Fish Below The Ice visited it

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