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.

Buddha¡¦s 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 ¡§Éᨠsign 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.