The Three Guanyins of Dharma Drum Mountain

By Hsu Tsui-ku (許翠谷)
 
Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) is renowned as a Dharma center which emulates Guanyin Bodhisattva. Within the Dharma Drum Mountain World Center for Buddhist Education, three statues—the Founding Guanyin, the Wish Fulfilling Guanyin, and the Welcoming Guanyin—form a vertical axis from the summit to the foothills, watching over and protecting this Dharma center. As a Buddhist sculpture, the Founding Guanyin reflects the style of the Qing Dynasty, while the Wish Fulfilling Guanyin and the Welcoming Guanyin are based on imagery from the Tang Dynasty. Yet, all three incorporate modern interpretative techniques. Master Sheng Yen, the founder of DDM, once remarked that, while the three statues differ in form and style, their compassionate vow to deliver sentient beings remains consistent and unobstructed.

The Founding Guanyin
Originally the main statue of the Guanyin Hall and crafted from fiberglass, this statue was re-cast in bronze by Master Sheng Yen after the inauguration of Dharma Drum Mountain World Center for Buddhist Education in gratitude for the Bodhisattva's protection. It was then enshrined on the hill platform behind the Grand Buddha Hall and renamed the "Founding Guanyin."

The statue stands 5 meters tall and weighs 2.8 tons, including the base. Located at the geographic center of Dharma Drum Mountain World Center for Buddhist Education, the surrounding buildings radiate outward like layers of lotus petals. The Founding Guanyin sits at the heart of this lotus, overlooking and embracing the entire mountain, thereby deepening the spiritual significance of DDM as a Guanyin Dharma center.
 
Wish Fulfilling Guanyin
Conceptually created by Master Sheng Yen, this statue features a Tang Dynasty style. It stands 3 meters tall and weighs 2.5 tons. The Bodhisattva sits in the half-lotus position on a lotus pedestal, with the right foot touching the ground and the head slightly tilted. This posture resembles a Bodhisattva leaning in to listen, ready at any moment to receive and guide sentient beings. Because the Bodhisattva "seeks out the sounds of suffering and responds to every plea," this figure is named the "Wish Fulfilling Guanyin."

Enshrined within the Wish Fulfilling Guanyin Hall, the statue is backed by a large wall of transparent glass. The water curtain outside the window harmonizes with the reflecting pool in front of the hall, creating the visual effect of the Guanyin sitting upon an island, holding a pure vase and pouring the nectar (amrita) to universally liberate and transform all beings.
 
The Welcoming Guanyin
The Welcoming Guanyin is a bronze casting characterized by simple, elegant lines in the Tang style. Standing 8 meters tall and weighing 8 tons, it is enshrined on Elephant Trunk Hill at the entrance of Dharma Drum Mountain World Center for Buddhist Education.

Due to its elevated location, when visitors look up, the Guanyin appears to be stepping down from the blue sky and white clouds, with gently fluttering robes. With one foot forward and the other slightly lifted, the Bodhisattva appears to be arriving in the human realm to actively welcome the multitudes of sentient beings. This specific design was also conceptually initiated by Master Sheng Yen.

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The Three Guanyins of Dharma Drum Mountain


Resource: Issue 340 of Humanity Magazine, Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation
Photo: 江思賢, Issue 340 of Humanity Magazine, Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation
Translation: 小熊 
Editing: Keith Brown, Patricia Yang