Po Lin Monastery and Big Buddha - Lantau Island


Advertisement
Hong Kong's flag
Asia » Hong Kong » Lantau Island
May 6th 2009
Published: May 19th 2009
Edit Blog Post

Dear friends,

Today we visit the beautiful island of Lantau. We go by cable car from Hong Kong to the impressive bronze Big Buddha, the very old monastery Po Lin and we hike trough the mountains of Lantau.

The cable car was built in 2007. It takes about 25 minutes from the mainstation Kowloon to reach the Ngong Ping 360 village. Until 2007 you only could reach the monastery and the Big Buddha by boat and bus. This trip took about one and a half hour.

The information over the Po Lin Monastery and the Big Buddha is provided by the website of the Po Lin Monastery and the Hong Kong Tourist Board.
Many thanks for the information.



Information about the Po Lin Monastery and the Big Buddha.


The Po Lin Monastery was initially known as “the Big Hut”. In 1906, Zen masters Da Yue, Dun Xiu and Yue Ming arrived at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island from the Jin Shan Monastery of Zhe Jiang. They found that stretch of flat land, which was nestled so snuggly among the mountain, an ideal site for building a monastery. So they toiled and moiled and started to construct a small stone house, then followed by a big hut and hence a sacred place was developed. Monks from the ten quarters heard of the news and flocked in to the sacred place. They grew vegetables there, procured the instruments for rituals and eked out a living; a primordial monastic discipline was thus establish.


Brief History.



In 1924, Ven. Ji Xiu came to Hong Kong from Jin Shan and became the first Abbot. The monastery was hence named as Po Lin Monastery.

In 1928, construction of the Hall of Perfect Enlitenment, Abbotˇs room and Guestsˇ room were completed.

In 1929, construction of the Five Meditation Hall was completed.

In 1930, the Abbot Ven. Ji Xiu retired and Ven. Fat Ho was nominated his successor.


Since 1932, construction works have been implementing on Welto Temple, Maitreiya Temple, the Lotus Pagoda in front of the mountain, the Arahant Pagoda at the back of the mountain, the Meditation Hall and the stone entrance on its East and West as well as the ¨Wondrous Dharani (meaning maintenance of wisdom and universal control over evil passions) Archway〃 at the entrance of the mountain.

Since 1935, Seven Daysˇ Ritual has become an annual event in every January of the lunar calendar.

In 1937, the Hall of Ksitigarbha (Earth Store Bodhisattva) was built. A bronze statue of Ksitigarbha weighing 400 catties and a bronze bell over 2000 catties were built. A room was also built to house the relics of the Ven. Ji Xiu.

In 1938, a jade Buddha statue was procured from the south and placed in the Hall of Perfect Enlitenment. The Tze Yuet (means ¨pointing at the moon〃) Hall was also built. The Lantau Buddhist School was established to providing education for the Sangha.

Since 1941, Hong Kong was taken over by the Japanese army. The Abbot, Ven. Fat Ho was invited to preach in Guangzhou and he collected alms and transported food to Hong Kong for the Sangha in the mountain and those in Castle Peak.

In 1952, the Abbot Chamber was built at the back of the Hall of Perfect Enlitenment.

In 1953, Ven. Fat Ho resumed his duty as the Abbot. He built the Hua Yan Pagoda and reinstated the Tze Yuet Hall. The Five Meditation Hall was renamed as Fragrance Court.

In 1956, the Hong Kong Buddhist Association transformed their modus operandi and was governed by a Board of Directors. Ven. Fat Ho took up the post as the first Director. Afterwards, the Ai Dao Hall was built for the female devotees. The Tao Kuang Sanatorium was subsequently built.

In 1963, planning for the construction of the Hall of Great Hero commenced and subsequently completed in 1970.

In 1972, Ven. Fat Ho passed away and Ven. Wai Ming was nominated by the Director of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association to be the fourth Abbot of Po Lin Monastery.

In June 1982, the Chinese Buddhist Association presented to Po Lin Monastery the Long Zang Buddhist Canon of Qing Dynasty.

In 1983, the Board of Directors of Po Lin Monastery nominated Ven. Sing Yat the Abbot, i.e., the fourth generation of the Po Lin Monastery.

In 1989, a Sri Lanka Artist was invited to Hong Kong and was commissioned to paint on the walls of the hall of the Tian Tan Big Buddha.

In 1990, Ven. Sing Yat retired from office and Ven. Chor Wai was nominated the fifth Abbot of the Po Lin Monastery by the Board of Directors.


The Big Buddha.


Situated on the Muk Yue Peak, the Big Buddha, the landmark of Hong Kong, is a marriage of religious culture and sculpture. The statue itself is 23 metres high, 26 metres high including the lotus pedal and 34 metres high including the pedestal. It weighs 202 tons. With the welding works meticulously carried out, the facial features are serene and stately. The bronze material used adds a touch of antiquity and the blended and combined essence of art in the Sui and Tang Dynasty.

Unlike most of the large and medium sized Buddha statues in the Mainland which sits in the North and faces the South, the Tian Tan Big Buddha sits in the South and faces the North but slightly towards the East, so as to face Beijing, our motherland and home country. Each of the detailed features of the Big Buddha lends a profound depth of character, bringing serenity and introspection to those who look on it.

The Big Buddha is seated in a Lotus pose, the most widely adopted meditation pose. The Scripture has it that the Buddha entered into deep meditation and eventually attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, and therefore the statue was created in this sitting pose.


The round face of the Buddha statue resembles the full moon, his forehead is broad and flat, and his ear lobes are so long that they touch his shoulders --- all these are marks of wisdom and happiness.

The smile on His face instills a sense of peacefulness to all who look on him.




The mount of flesh and the curled hair on His head symbolize perfect wisdom.

There is a strand of hair, white as snow and soft as feather, curling clockwise between his eyes brows. It symbolizes Buddha preaching the Dharma.




His eyes are reminiscent of the lotus and his eyebrows are like the crescent moon, conveying to all beings the compassion in the gaze of Buddha.



His right hand is posing a fear eradication mudra, a manifestation of His great vow in eliminating sufferings from all sentient beings.



His left hand is placed on his thigh with his palm facing out, his fingers slightly pointing downwards. This is known as the ¨wish-fulfilling〃 mudra, signifying His compassionate vow of granting happiness to all men.


Buddhaˇs fingers are long and slender but at the same time plump and full, denoting a combination of strength and tenderness.

The Dharma cakra in his palm represents the everlasting turning of the Dharma wheel and dissemination of the Dharma to every corner of the world.


The ¨擅〃 sign in His bosom represents a million virtues and endless compassion. The rotation sign represents the everlasting presence of the Buddha land and the salvation it extends to all beings in every part of the world.




The Splendid Bronze Cauldron for Return of Sovereignty.


On New Yearˇs Eve, 1998, a new bronze Cauldron was placed in the Di Tan Square on a lower level opposite the Tian Tan Big Buddha, echoing the Big Buddha from afar. Denoting the prosperity and well-being of Hong Kong, 1 July 1997 marked an end to Britainˇs sovereignty of 165 years over Hong Kong; the Special Administrative Region was established and Hong Kong returned to its motherland. The bronze Cauldron was created to commemorate this event.

The body of the cauldron and the pedestal weighs 3000 kg and 2000 kg respectively, its height is 4.1 m. The surface of the tripod was engraved with lucid relief pattern of Bauhinia, the symbol of Hong Kong SAR. Blooming on the ground, underneath the clouds and above the waves of the sea, the Bauhinia prescribed a scene depicting the prosperity of the SAR. The origination of the casting of the cauldron by the Organising Committee of Activities on Return of Sovereignty, as well as the names of those who had made contributions to it were also inscribed on the cauldron. In the middle of the list was an apothegm ¨ Spring in Hong Kong〃 written by the Chief Executive Tung Chi-wa, signifying the vitality of all living things brought forth by the dawn of spring.

The Introduction and salient points of the Basic Law were engraved on the internal wall of the cauldron to impart a historical meaning to this masterpiece. Not only is the cauldron consecrated to the Big Buddha and a monument to the historical event of the return of sovereignty to our motherland, it is also a treasure of art that tourists cannot afford to miss.



Welto Temple.


Through the main entrance of Po Lin Monastery and walking along the path on the left, one will arrive at the Welto Temple. The temple is two-storey high; on the upper storey, the eaves on the four quarters are designed in such a way as to allow water to drip down. The long and winding corridors and the uupturned eaves are esthetic display of Chinese classic archeology. The wall in the lower floor is covered with white granite; the yellow glazed tiles on the upper storey are reminiscent of the radiance of Buddhaˇs Dharma glittering in the sun.
In spite of its relatively small area, the Welto Temple serves as the sentinel of the Hall of Great Hero. On entering the Welto Temple, one will be greeted by the statue of the smiling Maitreya Buddha. At its back is the Welto Bodhisattva who ¨forfeited his post as a general in pursuit of buddhahood; and became a sacred one committed to warding off the demons〃. On both sides of the temple the four deva-kings are housed . The one in the East, the protector of the country, is holding a Pi-pa (a Chinese musical instrument) in his hands; the one in the South, representing proliferation, is holding a sword in his hand; the one in the West, known as the wide-eyed, is holding a dragon in his left hand and a pearl in his right; the one in the North is famous for his profound knowledge, and he is holding a pagoda in his right hand. The things they hold represents ¨wind〃, ¨harmony〃, ¨rain〃 and ¨stability〃which are auspicious signs according to Chinese Tradition



What is Buddha relic?


In their original Sanskrit, the relics have a literal meaning of "unbreakable". After Sakyamuni Buddha entered into parinirvana, he set himself on samadhi fire. Over 84,000 pieces of colourful crystal-like relics were found after his cremation. China and Sri Lanka are the only two countries in the world to possess these holy relics. The two pieces at Po Lin Monastery were received from Sri Lanka. Each piece is only the size of a rice grain, and their colours change according to different people who view them.


Geographic Environment.

The Po Lin monastery is situated on the plateau of Ngong Ping, one of the plateaus on the gorges of Lantau Island, which is the largest island of Hong Kong. With an area of 0.5 square mile, the plateau rises to more than 2,330 ft. above sea level. The Po Lin Monastery is nestled between the Lantau Peak and Lei Nak Shan. In front of the main entrance, there is the Tian Tan Big Buddha, Lotus Pagoda and Hua Yan Pagoda on the left and Lotus Hill and Lion Rock on the south, somposing a compelling view on the mountain of Lantau Island.


Hiking on Lantau Island is great. Lots of scenic views and beautiful nature.

We hope you like the pictures and stay tuned for more photos and adventures.

From Lantau Island with love.

Monkey and Bear

















































Additional photos below
Photos: 33, Displayed: 30


Advertisement



19th May 2009

Wat leuk deze foto's te zien (en zo herkenbaar)
Haai Haai! Vind het zo leuk om deze foto's te zien! Peet en ik waren een paar weken geleden in Hong Kong en hebben toen exact dezelfde wandeling gedaan.... Een paar van de foto's die we toen hebben genomen heeft Peet op zijn website geplaatst: http://madeinkorea.waarbenjij.nu ennuh, we gaan zeker afspreken als jullie weer terug zijn. Lijkt me goed plan! dikke kus uit Rotterdam
19th May 2009

En nog mooi weer erbij ook......
Wow, ook dit ziet er weer prachtig en spectaculair uit. En zo te zien ook nog een blauwe lucht, dus lekker weer. Vooral Monkey en Monkey zijn samen erg leuk. Wordt dat de vervanging van Whisker? Nee toch? Groetje, Erika
19th May 2009

Blijven genieten!!!!
Volgens mij aan de foto's te zien vermaken jullie je wel geniet er lekker van jullie hebben het verdiend ga ik nog even het zwembad schoonmaken . Reinoud en Els
6th May 2010

buddha
I haven't been 2 buddha ye but i'm sure it'll be great
31st October 2010
Village and Big Buddha

Big Buddha - History / Built????
Thank you for giving us details re. construction of the Buddha and other details. Built Year?????
22nd January 2011

painter
hi i am from a small country known Bhutan, i am a traditional painter i can paint any type of thangka and wall paintings so if you have any works on painting you can contract with me please. Best wishes Jangchuk

Tot: 0.288s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 25; qc: 155; dbt: 0.1804s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.5mb