Buddha China is the largest statue in the world. Giant Buddha of Leshan in China Description and photo of the attraction

Sichuan, near the city of Leshan, is considered the most big statue Buddhas on Earth. Moreover, this is the highest sculptural creation in the whole world for a millennium. The statue is carved into the thickness of the rock in a place where three rivers flow: Daduhe, Minjiang and Qinjiang. Previously, these three rivers were turbulent streams that brought a lot of troubles and misfortunes to everyone.

History of the construction of the statue

In 713, the monk Haitun decided to save people from the disasters that three treacherous rivers brought them. He gathered craftsmen and decided to carve the Big Buddha on the rock. The most big statue Buddha was built over a period of ninety years, it was complex and long work. To protect the sculpture from snow and rain, a wooden tower “Dasyange”, thirteen tiers high, was built above it. But later, during riots and wars, this building was destroyed by fire. Bodhisattvas are carved on the north and south sides of the Big Buddha. For many years the statue of the Big Buddha was under open air. During this period the image has changed a lot. Only in 1962 did the Chinese government decide to restore the creation. On this moment The statue belongs to the important cultural values of the state.

Ancient monument World Heritage

This world's largest stone Buddha sits on a rock and watches over three rivers at his feet. The height of the statue is 71 meters, for more than a thousand years this creation has been ranked first. Ancient architects assured that everything great should be embodied in gigantic proportions, and the great monk Maitreya is revered by all Buddhist schools as the future teacher of all mankind.

The Legend of the Great Statue

According to ancient legend, monk Haitun 1200 years ago decided to carve the image of the supreme deity in the rock in order to appease the elements of the three rivers. For many years, the monk collected funds for the construction of the statue in cities and villages, and only in 713 colossal construction began. The monk did not live to see the completion of the Buddha statue; when he died, it was carved only to the knees. But his great goal was achieved - the stone fragments that the workers threw into the river partially pacified the water flows. After Haitong's death, construction was continued by the rulers of Sichuan, and in 803, 90 years after the start of construction, the image of the Enlightened Buddha was completed.

tourist attraction

The face of the Enlightened Buddha is visible from the top of the rock, but his body and legs are hidden by a ledge. No matter how hard tourists try to find the most comfortable spot For full review, the Buddha statue is visible only from a side view. If you look at the sculpture from below, the entire panorama is occupied by the Buddha’s knees, and somewhere far above you can see his gigantic face. But in Buddhism, sculptures are not created for contemplation; the universe cannot be comprehended with the help of the mind or feelings. The entire universe is the body of Truth, or the body of Buddha. But it is dharma that allows a person to achieve enlightened existence in earthly life.

You can enter the park adjacent to the statue for 80 yuan. To get closer to the statue, tourists must climb the steps, with a cliff on one side and a rock on the other.

Today, let's return to China for a change - I owe you a favor from my October trip: the Buddha statue in Leshan. I deliberately left it for last, since this monument of ancient sculpture impressed me most from my last trip. Of course: for a thousand years, the Leshan Buddha was the tallest sculpture in the whole world!

So, let's go get to know this ancient giant better.

1. The city of Leshan, where this attraction is located, is located about an hour's drive from. The Chinese began carving the figure of a huge Buddha into the mountain at the beginning of the 8th century AD, during the Tang Dynasty. The work lasted 90 years! The famous ancient monument is located near the city center - this is what the entrance to the territory looks like.

2. The Giant Buddha is part of the UNESCO heritage, and has also been awarded the highest level of "AAAAA" by the Chinese Ministry of Tourism. At the same time, it is surprising that there is no huge parking lot the size of three stadiums, no wide boulevard a kilometer long, and other delights of top-class Chinese attractions. You buy a ticket for 90 yuan and enter without much fanfare.

3. This is what the path looks like from the entrance to the big Buddha. What kind of poverty is this?! Where is the usual luxury? Someone clearly didn't notice!

4. Well, okay, at least the hieroglyphs were carved on the rock. The red color harmonizes well with green vegetation. Do you remember when we were kids that we were told that these colors don’t go together?..

5. Seven minutes of ascent, and the top of the giant Buddha is visible in front of us.

6. So that you understand its size, I sent vityokr stand next to each other for scale. Do you see? He is that tiny blue thing above Buddha's ear.

7. Buddha has a fashionable hairstyle. Look at those curls!

8. A seated figure is carved into a steep rock. Its height is 71 meters. For comparison, the Statue of Liberty is only 34 meters, if you do not take into account its huge pedestal. I know what you will say: “Leva, but the Statue of Liberty stands on its own, it was built, and not hollowed out in a ready-made mountain!” It's like that. But the Leshan Buddha was created 1100 years earlier! I think we can make a discount based on age.

By the way, Russians can be proud here, because the Motherland on Mamayev Kurgan is already 85 meters high, larger than our Buddha (and Freedom nervously smokes on the sidelines). But again, this is 1967, not 803.

9. But let's return to Buddha. The most interesting point of the attraction is that you can climb down the sheer wall next to the sitting giant. That is, we started from the level of his head, and we can climb down the stairs, straight to the foot of the monument.

10. Let's go down to the level of the Buddha's hands. It's about halfway there.

11. In the passages hollowed out in these walls, the ground corners are clearly visible, characteristic of old buildings in soft rock. . Time has literally worked here.

12. It's still a long way to reach the giant's feet!

13. The stairs here are narrow and steep, but if you hold on to the handrails, they are not scary.

14. And here is the Buddha's foot. To give you an idea of the size, each nail of this sculpture can easily seat a couple of people.

15. We needed more that day, so we arrived early, right before the opening of the attraction, so there aren’t many people now. Here the monk comes down for morning prayer.

16. View of Buddha from below. It’s not easy to squeeze it all into the frame; this requires a fairly wide-angle lens. I barely coped with this task.

17. If you look closely at the Buddha’s feet, you can see that it was restored not long ago: the outer layer of the statue is plaster, not stone. However, there is no need to doubt the authenticity of the Buddha.

18. That is, I am sure that for preservation it is periodically covered with plaster and cement, and painted. But under this protective layer there is a real monument of antiquity. Here, for example, is our Buddha in a photograph from 1936:

19. Someone came to pray. I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy asks Buddha for courage and bravery.

20. Let's take another look at the Buddha from below, and let's go.

21. By the way, the mountain in which the Buddha is hollowed out is located right on the river bank. If you have enough time for this, you can sail past the statue on a river boat. From there you get a better view of the entire giant sculpture. But we were in a hurry, and we didn’t have the opportunity to do that, so here’s a photo from Wikipedia:

22. True, you may be unlucky with the boat: if visibility is low, the Buddha will disappear in the fog. And on the day we arrived it was not very visible. So during the visit, we did not see a single boat.

23. The road back leads along a path built directly above the water in the rock wall.

24. But then you still have to climb back up.

25. While we were walking up and down (for about 40 minutes), there was great amount tourists, we were very lucky that we managed to see everything before the tourist buses arrived.

26. For example, the staircase leading down has now become more like the shortage line in the late USSR.

27. What else is interesting here?.. You know, when you visit some high TV tower, or, will there necessarily be a poster listing the other most famous high-rise buildings in the world for comparison? Well, it turns out it’s the same story with giant Buddhas: here you can see a list of the main achievements of Buddha-building.

29. And of course, there is a tall pagoda. I counted 13 levels. But this is the same remake as .

30. In general, it’s very pleasant here - and the absence of the usual pathos for this kind of attractions most likely played a major role in the fact that I liked this Buddha almost more than anything else I saw.

However, I think his size and age also helped here.

The Chinese city of Leshan in Sichuan province has become famous throughout the world thanks to its giant Buddha statue. To date, this sculpture is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest sculptural image of this deity. What are the dimensions of the Buddha statue in Leshan and what is its history?

Legends about the creation of the giant statue

The largest sculpture of Buddha that has survived to this day was created over the course of 90 years. The date of commencement of work on its construction is considered to be 713. The giant Buddha statue in Leshan is carved from the Lingyunshan rock. The sculpture was originally located inside the thirteen-story Daxiangge Temple, or Great Image Pavilion. In the seventeenth century, the wooden structure burned down. But the giant statue was not damaged at all due to the fire. Now the majestic huge Buddha can be seen from a considerable distance. There are many legends about the creation of this sculpture. According to the most common version, it was the monk of Hai Tong who proposed making the giant statue. He hoped that the statue of Buddha could pacify the turbulent rivers Minyan, Dadu and Qingyi, which intersect in this area. Interestingly, the water flows have actually become calmer. The thing is that during construction, stone blocks fell into the river. Another legend says that the Leshan Buddha statue was created to protect the area from heavy rains.

The largest Buddha in exact dimensions

The large-scale statue of Buddha created during his reign amazes even engineers with its size. The deity is depicted in a sitting position, with his hands resting relaxed on his knees. The statue is detailed and has survived to this day in excellent condition. The statue is made of stone, and only some of its individual elements are carved from wood. The total height of the sculpture is 71 meters. At the same time, the height of the head is 15 meters. The shoulder width of the stone Buddha is almost 30 meters. The length of the fingers is 8 meters. The nose of the giant statue is also striking in its size - as much as 5.5 meters. The length of the toe is 1.6 meters. Despite its scale, the Leshan Buddha statue does not look formidable or intimidating. On the contrary, the statue exudes calm and tranquility.

Description and photo of the attraction

The largest Buddha sculpture in the world is located on the territory of the park and temple complex. The majestic statue looks at sacred mountain Emeishan. On the walls around the giant figure you can see relief images of Bodhisattvas. There are more than 90 of them here. There are also many images of Buddha himself. The deity's feet rest on the river, and his head ends at the level of the mountain. On par with Buddha's ears is Observation deck, which tourists can climb along a long stone staircase. From here you have a breathtaking view of the city. At the head of the sculpture is the Pagoda of Souls - active today Buddhist temple. It is worth noting that the Leshan Buddha statue is not the only attraction in the area. The large-scale sculpture is located on the territory of a large complex. It's luxurious natural Park, on the territory of which you can see many shrines, historical architectural structures, sculptures.

Amazing facts and myths about the giant statue

Today, the Buddha statue in Leshan (China) is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Despite its considerable age, the statue is perfectly preserved. Many local residents over the centuries explained this fact by the mystical properties of the image of the deity. But in fact, the secret of the sculpture’s durability lies in the drainage system hidden from prying eyes. The creators of the statue hid a whole network of grooves and grottoes in the folds of clothing, on the head, arms and chest of the Buddha. Thanks to this solution, the sculpture is reliably protected from weathering and is practically not afraid of the effects of meteorological precipitation and temperature changes. Some standard-sized statues located in the same temple complex as the giant Buddha are seriously damaged. According to experts, the sculptures were damaged by vandals, and not by natural phenomena.

Useful information for tourists

Where is the Buddha statue in Leshan, how can tourists get to this attraction? From Chengdu you can get to the giant statue in 2.5 hours by bus or taxi. Airplanes fly to Chengdu from Beijing. Entrance to the temple complex is paid, the cost of visiting is 90 yuan. You can also admire the large-scale sculpture while walking on water bus. Every day, many tourists come to Leshan to see the local attractions, in particular the most famous among them is the giant statue. In Buddhist culture, local sculptures and buildings also have religious significance and are revered as shrines.

Buddha statue in Leshan - giant sage

IN Chinese province Sichuan, near the city of Leshan, a giant sculpture of Maitreya Buddha is carved into the rock. For 1000 years, the Leshan statue, 71 meters high, held the first position in the ranking of the most tall monuments peace. According to the ancient architects, the great must be embodied in gigantic proportions, because Maitreya is revered by all schools of Buddhism. Maitreya is the future Teacher of humanity. Sooner or later he will appear on Earth, achieve enlightenment and preach the dharma - the path of piety. The Buddha statue in Leshan is one of the most ancient in the world. It is installed in the place where three rivers merge, the oncoming waters of which create dangerous whirlpools. As the legend goes, the monk Hai Tun decided to appease the elements by carving a sculptural image of the supreme deity in the rock. For many years the monk wandered through cities and villages, collecting money for the construction of the statue, and in 713 he began construction. Hai Tong died when the statue of Buddha was made only to the knees, but he managed to achieve his noble goal. While cutting down the statue in the rock, the workers threw stone fragments into the river, as a result of which the water streams were partially covered. Thus, it turned out that the Buddha tamed the stormy temper of the river. According to legend, when the local ruler demanded that Hai Tun give him the donations collected for the construction of the statue, he replied: “I would rather gouge out my eyes than give away the treasures of Buddha.” Soon the ruler came to the monk for money, but he pulled out a knife and fulfilled his oath, depriving himself of an eye. The confused extortionist retreated. After the death of the monk, his work was continued by the rulers of Sichuan, and 90 years later, in 803, the statue of the Enlightened One was completed.

Buddha statue in Leshan - the embodiment of the universe

A giant, 70-meter tall Buddha sits facing the expanse of water, with his hands on his knees. His huge, 15-meter head rises level with the rock, and his feet rest against the river. The Buddha's ears (each 7 meters long) are carved from wood and skillfully attached to the stone face. The enlightened one is “dressed” in a stone tunic, the folds of which drain rainwater, preventing rock cracking. In the walls surrounding the statue are carved stone images of 90 bodhisattvas - spiritual mentors of people. At the head of the giant a pagoda is installed and broken temple complex with a park. Against the background of the monument, spectators appear to be tiny insects. A stream of tourists, like a swarm of bees, surrounds the Buddha's head on all sides and cascades down the rock to his feet. A small group of tourists can sit on any of the giant’s toes (the length of the toe is 1.6 m). Each viewer tries to find the most convenient point for viewing, but is forced to examine the statue only from a side angle. From the top of the rock, the impartial face of the Enlightened One is visible, while his legs and body are hidden under the ledge. Below, the entire panorama is occupied by the knees of Buddha, above which a gigantic face can be seen somewhere above. The statue is not created for contemplation: in Buddhism, the entire universe is something other than the body of the Buddha (Buddha-kaya) or the body of Truth (dharma-kaya), and it is incomprehensible through the senses or the mind. But it is Dharma-kaya that connects a person with the truly existing, allowing him to achieve the purest and highest state of “supramundane” existence. As they said in China: “We achieve Perfect Enlightenment when the heart merges with the base of the stone monument.” Interestingly, in the Middle Ages, the body of Buddha was hidden under a 13-tiered temple-tower, but this building burned down in a fire.

Interesting Facts

In the Middle Ages, the body of Buddha was located under a thirteen-story temple-tower, but the building burned down in a fire.
The attraction is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Locals The statue is respectfully called Da Fo, which translated means Buddha of the Mountain.
Near the head of the deity there is a small park where lovers lock locks and throw keys into the abyss so that they can always be together.
The condition of the Buddha statue in Leshan is negatively affected not only by natural factors, but also by pollution in the region due to active industrial development, and even a large number of tourists. The country's government promises to take control of this issue and prevent a significant deterioration in the condition of the Chinese architectural monument.

There are different ways to get to Maitreya Buddha:

Swim across the river - the ship brings you directly to the entrance to the park.
Take a taxi or local bus across the bridge.
Walk along the embankment around and cross the bridge to the statue.

A narrow, steep and long staircase leads down to the foot of the statue, which is always crowded. Along the way, on the walls you can see small Buddha statues made of sandstone. Unfortunately, they are gradually being destroyed, and no one is engaged in their restoration, since all expenses go to the big Buddha.

Hello, dear readers – seekers of knowledge and truth!

All Buddhists on the planet know about the beginning of a new time, which will be associated with the coming of the saint. This - Buddha Maitreya. This is exactly what we want to tell you about today.

Our article will tell you who he is, as described in Buddhist literature and portrayed in different types arts: painting, sculpture. We will also find out when Maitreya will come, and what awaits humanity with his arrival.

Well, forward - towards new knowledge!

Who is Maitreya

Maitreya's name is translated in different ways:

invincible;
giver of love;
bestower of mercy,
compassionate lord;
future Teacher.

However, everyone agrees on one thing - this is the coming Teacher, he will appear in the future in the world of people, achieve Enlightenment and bring salvation to humanity. He will be a bodhisattva - a Buddha who will bring people a new teaching, give it a pure teaching and help everyone get out of the cycle of samsara with its constant rebirths and suffering.

Maitreya is the only Buddha who is recognized by all directions of Buddhist thought, including one in which there is practically no pantheon of Buddhas. He is especially revered by Korean, Chinese, and Burmese Buddhists.

Buddhist monks in Myanmar

In each country and in each direction it may have a special name:

in Japanese - Miroku;
in the Pali language - Metea;
in Chinese - Mile;
in Tibetan - Maidar;
in some interpretations - Maidari, Maitri.

But the name familiar to all Buddhists is Maitreya. This Buddha of the Future must come at the end of the current era - kalpa.

It is believed that he is now in Tushita Heaven, waiting for the right time to be saved. This is the place where the deities reside, it is one of the six heavens, the fourth from the bottom. Their name is translated as “gardens of joy” and they are located between the Heavens of Yama and the Heavens of Nirmanarati.

Tushita Heaven is inhabited by those who in a past life observed the main Buddhist precepts, adhered to the Middle Way, engaged in meditative practices and cultivated good thoughts and noble deeds. Here a new incarnation of the bodhisattva is found. Some Mahayana scriptures claim that it was here that he appeared before he incarnated in our world and became a great Teacher.

Mahayans believe that their brand of Buddhist thought originated with the Coming Buddha. According to their beliefs, the founder Arya Asanga got rid of obscurations and more than once visited Tushita Heaven, where Maitreya told him the truth. Based on the teachings told by Maitreya, Asanga wrote down his five main sutras.

MantraMaitreyi sounds like this: “Om Buddha Maitri Mem Soha.”

What does Buddhist literature say about him?

The main sacred text about the Buddha of the Future is considered to be a sutra in Sanskrit called “Maitreyavyakarana”, which means “the prophecy of Maitreya”. According to the scripture, deities, people and everything in the world will follow Maitreya, follow his teachings and thereby get rid of attachments and doubts.

The coming Buddha will prove that nothing - neither property, nor wealth and jewelry, nor homes and even relatives - belongs to people. And this will save living beings from passions, giving them a joyful and happy life.

The Dikha Nikaya, which is included in the Tripitaka collection, calls Maitreya a follower of Shakyamuni. The same is said in the Lalita Vistara, which dates back to the 3rd-4th centuries AD. It says that before his incarnation in the human world, Gautama Buddha, while still in Tushita Heaven, pointed to Maitreya and placed a bodhisattva wreath on him.

The Mahaparinibbana Sutta mentions the Buddha of the Future, calling him Maitreya and Ajita, that is, “invincible.” The works of recent centuries, including those developed in Russia, are also devoted to him, for example, studies by N.K. Roerich, S.F. Oldenburg, E.P. Blavatsky.

When will he appear?

As we already know, the Buddha of the Future resides in Tushita Heaven, waiting for the moment when people are ready for his coming. But there is also an opinion that Maitreya may already appear where he is needed most. Moreover, he can be in several worlds at once.

Predictions about the coming of the Coming Buddha can be found in the first Mahayana sutras, as well as in the Maitreya Vyakaran. The sacred texts of Buddhism describe to what level humanity must reach before the coming of Maitreya:

Human life expectancy will be about 80 thousand years.
The world will be taken over by a Buddhist school, which will surpass the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni in the number of successors.
At the helm of humanity will be a wise Buddhist ruler;
Deaths from hunger, war, and disease will end.
Love and patience will reign among people.

In some texts one can find the estimated time of Maitreya's arrival. But these figures turn out to be disappointing - they claim that the Buddha of the Future will come no earlier than in 5 billion years.

Maitreya Buddha statue, Tibet

Just before the coming, the oceans will become smaller in size so that the Coming Buddha can cross them. It will take Maitreya only a week to achieve enlightenment in this world due to past lives lived in truth. Then living beings will be able to comprehend pure dharma, which will create a new beautiful world.

How he is portrayed

In images and thangkas, the Buddha of the Future can be depicted in different poses. Sometimes he sits on some kind of elevation like a chair, sometimes he is depicted riding a white horse. But most often he takes the usual Buddhist pose: padmasana, the lotus pose, or lalitasana - a position in which the deity sits in a half lotus with his leg hanging down.

Maitreya is lavishly decorated with ornaments, including a crown on his head. His skin is radiant with a golden tint, and his clothes are the usual robes of a monk.

There are three-faced and four-armed images of Maitreya. In this case, he squeezes a sprig of saffron in his left hand, and with his right hand expresses the bestowal of good in the form of varada mudra. The other two palms are folded in the Dharmachakra Mudra, which symbolizes the expression of the Law of Dharma.

Maitreya is often depicted in statues, some of which date back to 350 BC. One of the most famous sculptures is located in China, namely in Leshan. It is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Carved into the rock, the statue is amazing in size:

total height – 70 meters;
head – 14 meters;
shoulders – 29 meters;
nose – 5 meters;
finger on hand - 8 meters;
toe – 1.5 meters.

Our compatriot, artist and researcher Nicholas Roerich made a great contribution to the study of Maitreya. In the 20s of the last century he was on a Central Asian expedition, where he studied cultural heritage Buddhism and embodied them in painting.

Maitreya the Winner. N. Roerich

There is a well-known series of paintings by Roerich, which is called “Maitreya”. The most famous of them is “Maitreya the Victorious”, now it is kept in the Moscow International Roerich Center-Museum. The remaining seven paintings are presented in the Nizhny Novgorod Art Museum.

Conclusion

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