 |
Po Lin Monastery: Tian Tan Buddha
|
| |
 |
Po Lin Monastery: Tian Tan Buddha
|
| |
|
Po Lin Monastery: Tian Tan Buddha
CHINA, Hong Kong; Dated 1993; Bronze; H: 34 m
Also known as the Great Buddha, this statue of Sakyamuni Buddha is located on Mount Muk Yue in front of Po Lin Monastery and is surmounted by a flight of 268 steps. It is one of the largest outdoor bronze seated Buddhas in the world. The figure itself measures 23 m high, while the lotus throne measures 3.4 m high and rests upon a 7.6 m high white platform. The statue consists of 202 individual sections and is made from 250 t of bronze and over 2,420 kg of gold.
The Buddha is designed to feature many of the Thirty-Two Marks of Excellence: a usnisa, a right-turning urna, a round face, crescent eyebrows, elongated earlobes, and three lines on the neck. A Dharma wheel is visible on each palm and there is a swastika symbol on the chest. The Buddha is seated in full lotus position on a lotus throne with hands in the abhaya (fearlessness) and varada (wish-granting) mudras. The six heavenly beings making offerings about the throne symbolize the Six Perfections of Buddhism. The lotus throne rests upon a white platform, beneath which a museum enshrines a relic of the Buddha and other artifacts. |
