Once again, Nancy and I were up for more cultural adventure. We had seen pictures of a an extremely large Buddha sitting out over the sea and said, yep, that's for us, where do we go?
We had no idea where we were heading and relied on faith and a taxi driver to take us to our next destination: Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone. Don't let this bureaucratic name fool ya, it was an incredibly beautiful place that should have been named Home of the Trinity Buddha. It was an even longer taxi ride and again we asked the driver to stay and take us back to the hotel after we explored the grounds. The very nice man agreed. : )
Nanshan is one of the most revered mountains in China. It's name means South Mountain as it is the southernmost mountain in the country. The park opened to the public in 1998 and its most famous attraction, the three sided Buddha, was constructed in 2005.
We purchased two tram tickets and set out to explore the 50 square kilometer national park.
Our first stop was a Buddhist Temple with prayer wheels around the perimeter of the building. Tibetan prayer wheels are devices for spreading spiritual blessings and well being. The mantra Om Mani Padme Hum is imprinted on the wheel in Tibetan script. Tibetan Buddhist believe that the spinning of the wheel clockwise and the chanting of the mantra out loud or silently to yourself invokes love and compassion, harmonizes the environment, encourages a peaceful state of mind, and assists practitioners on their journey to enlightenment.
I certainly felt very peaceful as I turned each prayer wheel...and very grateful for the opportunity to be doing so in this magnificent place.
Gentlemen engraving at the base of one of the prayer wheels.
Monk on cell phone.
Next stop: Longevity Valley
I loved these wish boards in Longevity Valley. Each red ribbon represents a wish.
As we walked along we came upon 100 Smiling Faces of 100 Old People over 100 Years Old. Ever so sweet!
Endearing
Dragon prayer wheel
Next stop: Nanshan Guan Yin Statue (Trinity Buddha)
As we walked toward the Guan Yin statue, I was taken aback by this tremendous hand with the Buddhist Stone Pillars behind it. Simply breathtaking...
My favorite shot...
When I first glanced this majestic Buddha statue rising 108 meters above the sea, I was in absolute awe. She sits upon a breathtakingly beautiful site on Little Moon Bay overlooking the South China Sea. It was truly a spiritual experience to lay my eyes upon this three sided statue of Guan Yin sitting out upon the sea.
Incredible
Artist rendition of whole area.
She's built of titanium to withstand the roughest of wind and seas.
Fishing boat at sea.
Detailed carving on the walls.
The beauty of nature.
The pictures do not show just how majestically massive she was.
"On a long journey of human life, faith is the best of companions; it is the best refreshment on the journey; and it is the greatest property."
Buddha
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