Dunhua Jinding: Great Buddha

CHINA, Jilin, Dunhua

The statue is located within the Buddhist Cultural Park of the Liudingshang Scenic Area that covers 52 sq km. The Buddha sits upon a double platform that can be accessed by climbing a 180 m long flight of stairs, known as the Prajna Staircase. Inside the two-story platform there is the Ten Thousand Buddha Shrine that enshrines the Trikaya Buddhas and 9,999 smaller Buddha images. There is also the Arhat Shrine which houses the Five Hundred Arhats, each 1.8 m high.
The Great Buddha’s hands are held in abhaya (fearlessness) and varada (wish-granting) mudras. Both palms are marked with the thousand-spoked wheel, which is one of his characteristics. Each dimension of the statue has special Buddhist meaning. For example, the statue’s complete height, 48 m, stands for the Buddha’s birthday that occurs on the 8th day of the 4th month. The actual statue’s height is 38.4 m; 3 is the Trikaya or Three Bodies of the Buddha, 8 is the Eight Great Events of Sakyamuni Buddha’s life, and the 4 stands for the Four Noble Truths. The lotus throne measures 9.6 m high and stands for the nine realms and the six paramitas. The lotus has 4 tiers and 80 petals, which represent the 4 elements (earth, water, fire, and wind) and the Eighty Notable Characteristics of the Buddha. Its diameter, 32 m, represents the Thirty-Two Marks of Excellence.