As one of the three major religions in the world, Buddhism has always had a long history in East Asia. , especially in China and Japan, has long been integrated into culture and folk customs, becoming a branch of the river of civilization.
Because of the huge number of believers, the wealth accumulated by ancient Buddhists is also shocking.
says that "any man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure." After three times of "Wuzong's destruction of Buddhism", Buddhists also realize that hoarding a large amount of wealth is the way to cause disaster.
Therefore, all the Buddhist temples in the Central Plains have all been focused on building Buddha statues for believers to come to worship and see.
As soon as this wind rose, temples in various places gradually fell into comparison, and the scale of the construction of Buddha statues became larger and larger. They seemed to be holding their breath to build the most magnificent and solemn Buddha statues. Therefore, the "height" of Buddha statues in various places has also gradually increased.
Therefore, there are many magnificent Buddha statues scattered among the famous mountains and rivers.
Most of them are gentle, giving people a sense of compassion and universal salvation. But there are three Buddha statues that are unique, and are very famous but are known for their "strangeness".
Why does the kind and elegant Buddha statue give rise to a "strange" feeling?
"Divine Light" Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statue
There are three "weird" Buddha statues recognized by the world. Their common point is that they are huge in size. Two of them are located in the deep mountains and dense forests of our country, and the other is in the distant Japanese Sendai.
If you choose a "weird" label from Buddhist scriptures, then the first thing ordinary people think of is the "Sutra of Ksitigarbha's Original Vow".
After all, the , Buddha and Bodhisattva are all in the Lingshan scenic spot, which sounds so righteous and bright.
Only Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva stood in the underworld and made a great vow: "Only all sentient beings can achieve Bodhi, and hell will not become a Buddha before he is empty."
And the Nine Netherlands have always been associated with the words "Mysterious" and "Incredible".
. Today, one of the Buddha statues is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. It is located in the "first mountain in the southeast" - Jiuhua Mountain . The latter is the famous four famous Buddhist mountains, and it is also the legendary temple of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
It is naturally a matter of building a Buddha statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva here. It is located in the open space between Bijia Mountain and Lion Peak, and it is half hidden and half-appearing and overlooks the world.
Jiuhua Mountain Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statue is absolutely majestic. This Buddha statue is 84 meters tall, and after the lotus throne, it is 99 meters tall.
not only corresponds to the 99 peaks of Jiuhua Mountain, but also means that Jindizang was 99 years old.
This Buddha statue was built in 1995 and uses imitation gold and copper as the main material. In terms of shape, it is the classic image of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in Buddhist scriptures.
A monk stood among the mountains and forests, holding Manizhu in his left hand and holding tin staff in his right hand, with his expression not angry and powerful.
After the appearance of Jiuhua Mountain Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, it soon attracted countless tourists and believers to visit, and some wonderful legends about it were gradually born.
Many people think it is mysterious, and even has a bit of "mysterious" temperament, as if it should not exist in the world.
Some even said that when I was worshiping the Buddha statue, I saw it emit a brilliant golden light, and it shines all around me. The saying of
has aroused the curiosity of the Chinese people. Many tourists who come here also saw a "magical" scene. has a little more awe of the Bodhisattva in their hearts.
In fact, the reason why the statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in Jiuhua Mountain emits golden light is because its location is very wonderful.
This Buddha statue is located between the mountains. The flat Lion Peak behind it is like a huge screen, which can play an excellent contrast effect.
It itself is made of imitation of gold and copper, with excellent reflective effect. Whenever the rising sun rises, the statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva will reflect the light of the sun. From a distance, it seems to emit a thousand feet of light.
plus the diffusion effect provided by Lion Peak, forms an effect of Buddha's light and blessing all things. plus, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva has a mysterious bonus in the hearts of the public.
After a while, the "Mysterious Buddha Light" in Jiuhua Mountain became famous all over the world.
"Strait of Mount Tai" Central Plains Big Buddha
In addition to the statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in Jiuhua Mountain, one of the three world-famous "weird" Buddha statues stands on the land of Eagle City. It is the famous Pingding Mountain Central Plains Big Buddha in the country and is also the highest Buddha statue in the world.
was chosen to be built in Pingdingshan because the feng shui here is excellent, and the mountains are surrounded like lotus flowers blooming, which is extremely Zen-like.
The Central Plains Buddha stands in the mountains with the image of Sakyamuni. It is the essence of modern Buddhist architectural art, so it left a deep impression on every tourist.
The whole Buddha statue is magnificent, and the Buddha's body is solemn and kind, with his right hand stretched forward and his face smiling. It is definitely the classic image of the Buddha, and has won the sincere praise of countless believers.
This Buddha statue is 108 meters high, which just echoes the number of "108" Buddha in the classics.
It is reported that the Central Plains Buddha was officially started in 1997, and it took a total of 11 years to complete it.
In this process, the local government invested a total of RMB 280 million, and used more than 108 kilograms of gold, 3300 kilograms of alloy copper and more than 15,000 tons of extra-grade steel. The Buddha statue created by
has naturally attracted countless people's attention. On its day of its completion, it has attracted many Taoist monks including Elder Issei, Master Hsing Yun , and Elder Jueguang .
However, this exquisite Buddha statue with kind eyebrows and eyes soon became known as "strange" after its publication. Various mysterious legends about it even overshadowed the reputation of the No. 1 Buddha.
Many long-distance drivers and tourists who visited said that the Buddha looked very friendly from a distance.
But when you get closer, you can feel a strong sense of depression. may even make people feel breathless, as if there is really the pressure of Buddha.
In fact, this situation of the Great Buddha in the Central Plains is not a mysterious metaphysical factor. has professional terms in psychology, which is the so-called "giant phobia".
The latter refers to the emotions of depression and fear that people will develop when facing huge objects.
The body of the Central Plains Buddha exceeding 100 meters will indeed give people a sense of oppression. Humans will appear very small in front of it, and will unconsciously feel depressed. This is a natural physiological reaction.
Moreover, the location of the Central Plains Buddha is also quite special. It is located in Yao Mountain, which is rainy and humid, and often has clouds and fog.
Whenever this time, the Buddha's base will be covered by layers of mist.
From a distance, it looks like floating in the sea of clouds and rising above the fog, adding a sense of ethereality. This visual unreality can also make people feel very weird.
However, this illusory feeling made the Buddha more spiritual and gained more worship.
"Observing all living beings" Sendai Guanyin
As mentioned earlier, two of the three "weird" Buddha statues are in China, while the third one is in Japan. It is the famous Xiantai Tiandao White Clothes Great Guanyin.
As the central city in the eastern part of Honshu Island, Sendai City is the key part of the cultural background of , and it has a lot of believers here.
1989 coincided with the 100th year of the establishment of a modern city in Sendai. To celebrate this grand event, the local government decided to build a giant Guanyin statue in the city.
Xiantai Tiandao White Clothes Grand Guanyin was completed in just four years. In 1993, it was officially released. The height of this Buddha statue is exactly 100 meters, implying a commemorative meaning. After the construction of the Guanyin statue of Xiantai was completed, the locals loved it very much at the beginning.
But after a while, many people discussed it privately, thinking that Guanyin statue was very "strange". It has a strong visual impact and often makes people feel depressed.
and Guanyin statue is above all the buildings in Sendai City, creates a feeling that she is always staring at everyone.
Although it has tried its best to be built with compassion and harmony, citizens still feel that they are always "supervised" by Guanyin and will become nervous unconsciously.
And compared with the two Buddha statues in our country, there are more urban legends about the Guanyin statue of Xiantai, as if countless "weird and unpredictable" halos are shrouded on it. The reason why
is that the two Buddha statues in our country are built in the mountains that are rarely visited by tourists and believers.
And most of the visits take place in the blue sky and the sun. Even if there are some magical places, it is a bright and brilliant feeling.
, and the Guanyin statue of Xiantai is different. It is built in the center of the city and stands in the endless stream of downtowns, giving people a sense of oppression at all times.
Especially when it is late at night, I suddenly look up and see the huge Guanyin statue, and the strange sense of oppression will become stronger and stronger. In this case, the fear of the giant thing it comes with is infinitely amplified.
Many people who travel to Sendai for the first time, will feel a hint of creepy when they see Guanyin statue at night, and seems to feel the "gaze from another world".
And there is another special feature of the Guanyin statue in Xiantai. is made of white marble. The color of will also aggravate its own strangeness.
. Many Buddha statues in my country use imitation gold color. Even if they are magical, they still have a bit of a vast light. The reason why
has this difference is that after Buddhism was introduced to China and Japan, it has derived two completely different religions.
My Buddhism is ultimately influenced by Taoism and will pursue being out of the world. deliberately builds the temple in a secluded place.
, while Japanese Buddhism pays more attention to the protection of believers and the world, and does not care about "out-of-the-monsters", so Buddha statues are mostly built in prosperous places. Although
is full of "weirdness" everywhere, , the locals in Sintai are completely accustomed to Guanyin statues and even proudly regard it as a city business card.
Why do the Buddhas frequently appear in the world
After understanding, I believe many people have understood that the frequent appearance of these Buddha statues such as is inseparable from their huge figures.
After careful study, it seems that Buddhism has always had a special liking for colossus, but Taoism does not agree with it. Why does this happen?
First of all, Buddhism was introduced to China from India. Although it has been completely localized, some local elements are still left.
When Tianzhu built Buddha statues, he preferred to cast a gold body and be solemn and tall, and , and this was also absorbed and retained by domestic Zen Buddhism.
Secondly, Buddhist doctrines have a need to enter the world, emphasizing the universal salvation of sentient beings and bringing some taste of educating the world, so they have strict precepts for their believers.
In order to achieve better results, temples will pay attention to their majesty when building Buddha statues, which will make believers feel shocked at all times and thus restrain their behavior.
But Taoism is not the case. It pursues personal practice more and has a low demand for entry into the world, so naturally there is no need to build tall statues of gods.
Finally, because Buddhism emphasizes accession to the world, they have a lot of contact with believers and can receive a large amount of donations from the latter.
Therefore, most temples are very rich, and the abbot of the temple is bound by the rules and regulations, and many people have money but nowhere to spend it.
In this case, building a Buddha statue becomes a good choice, which can not only increase the cohesion of believers, but also spend the gathered wealth.
Some Buddhist holy places have mastered amazing wealth, so they naturally have the spare time to build large Buddha statues.
And these giant Buddha statues will become the spiritual pillar in the hearts of believers, and can also attract pilgrims who come one after another. It is really a three-killing victory.
Conclusion
In this way, there is actually no mysterious metaphysical content behind the so-called "weird" Buddha statue, and its essence can be explained scientifically.
It is just that the "magic" they show just meets the thoughts and desires of believers, and they are cited as miracles and widely circulated.
There is a Buddhist saying: "There is no worries, no fear." These "weird" things actually arise from the heart. The ancient well in the heart will naturally not be affected. The "big thing fear" widely circulated on the Internet is also essentially derived from the unknown and is the role of psychological factors.
Although these urban legends are ultimately false, they have brought real benefits to local tourism. The gains and losses in the world may be the real "magic".
References
[1] " Chinese Social History Review ", " Lu Zhongshuai. On the Causes of Famous Buddhist Mountains in Jiuhua Mountain in Ming and Qing Dynasties"
[2] " Hong Kong Wenhui Po", "The Great Buddha in the Central Plains, the world's first "
[3] " China Cultural Observation Network", "Lin Shengbiao: A century-old intangible cultural heritage inheritance, creating the world's first tumultuous Buddha "
"
It itself is made of imitation of gold and copper, with excellent reflective effect. Whenever the rising sun rises, the statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva will reflect the light of the sun. From a distance, it seems to emit a thousand feet of light.
plus the diffusion effect provided by Lion Peak, forms an effect of Buddha's light and blessing all things. plus, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva has a mysterious bonus in the hearts of the public.
After a while, the "Mysterious Buddha Light" in Jiuhua Mountain became famous all over the world.
"Strait of Mount Tai" Central Plains Big Buddha
In addition to the statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in Jiuhua Mountain, one of the three world-famous "weird" Buddha statues stands on the land of Eagle City. It is the famous Pingding Mountain Central Plains Big Buddha in the country and is also the highest Buddha statue in the world.
was chosen to be built in Pingdingshan because the feng shui here is excellent, and the mountains are surrounded like lotus flowers blooming, which is extremely Zen-like.
The Central Plains Buddha stands in the mountains with the image of Sakyamuni. It is the essence of modern Buddhist architectural art, so it left a deep impression on every tourist.
The whole Buddha statue is magnificent, and the Buddha's body is solemn and kind, with his right hand stretched forward and his face smiling. It is definitely the classic image of the Buddha, and has won the sincere praise of countless believers.
This Buddha statue is 108 meters high, which just echoes the number of "108" Buddha in the classics.
It is reported that the Central Plains Buddha was officially started in 1997, and it took a total of 11 years to complete it.
In this process, the local government invested a total of RMB 280 million, and used more than 108 kilograms of gold, 3300 kilograms of alloy copper and more than 15,000 tons of extra-grade steel. The Buddha statue created by
has naturally attracted countless people's attention. On its day of its completion, it has attracted many Taoist monks including Elder Issei, Master Hsing Yun , and Elder Jueguang .
However, this exquisite Buddha statue with kind eyebrows and eyes soon became known as "strange" after its publication. Various mysterious legends about it even overshadowed the reputation of the No. 1 Buddha.
Many long-distance drivers and tourists who visited said that the Buddha looked very friendly from a distance.
But when you get closer, you can feel a strong sense of depression. may even make people feel breathless, as if there is really the pressure of Buddha.
In fact, this situation of the Great Buddha in the Central Plains is not a mysterious metaphysical factor. has professional terms in psychology, which is the so-called "giant phobia".
The latter refers to the emotions of depression and fear that people will develop when facing huge objects.
The body of the Central Plains Buddha exceeding 100 meters will indeed give people a sense of oppression. Humans will appear very small in front of it, and will unconsciously feel depressed. This is a natural physiological reaction.
Moreover, the location of the Central Plains Buddha is also quite special. It is located in Yao Mountain, which is rainy and humid, and often has clouds and fog.
Whenever this time, the Buddha's base will be covered by layers of mist.
From a distance, it looks like floating in the sea of clouds and rising above the fog, adding a sense of ethereality. This visual unreality can also make people feel very weird.
However, this illusory feeling made the Buddha more spiritual and gained more worship.
"Observing all living beings" Sendai Guanyin
As mentioned earlier, two of the three "weird" Buddha statues are in China, while the third one is in Japan. It is the famous Xiantai Tiandao White Clothes Great Guanyin.
As the central city in the eastern part of Honshu Island, Sendai City is the key part of the cultural background of , and it has a lot of believers here.
1989 coincided with the 100th year of the establishment of a modern city in Sendai. To celebrate this grand event, the local government decided to build a giant Guanyin statue in the city.
Xiantai Tiandao White Clothes Grand Guanyin was completed in just four years. In 1993, it was officially released. The height of this Buddha statue is exactly 100 meters, implying a commemorative meaning. After the construction of the Guanyin statue of Xiantai was completed, the locals loved it very much at the beginning.
But after a while, many people discussed it privately, thinking that Guanyin statue was very "strange". It has a strong visual impact and often makes people feel depressed.
and Guanyin statue is above all the buildings in Sendai City, creates a feeling that she is always staring at everyone.
Although it has tried its best to be built with compassion and harmony, citizens still feel that they are always "supervised" by Guanyin and will become nervous unconsciously.
And compared with the two Buddha statues in our country, there are more urban legends about the Guanyin statue of Xiantai, as if countless "weird and unpredictable" halos are shrouded on it. The reason why
is that the two Buddha statues in our country are built in the mountains that are rarely visited by tourists and believers.
And most of the visits take place in the blue sky and the sun. Even if there are some magical places, it is a bright and brilliant feeling.
, and the Guanyin statue of Xiantai is different. It is built in the center of the city and stands in the endless stream of downtowns, giving people a sense of oppression at all times.
Especially when it is late at night, I suddenly look up and see the huge Guanyin statue, and the strange sense of oppression will become stronger and stronger. In this case, the fear of the giant thing it comes with is infinitely amplified.
Many people who travel to Sendai for the first time, will feel a hint of creepy when they see Guanyin statue at night, and seems to feel the "gaze from another world".
And there is another special feature of the Guanyin statue in Xiantai. is made of white marble. The color of will also aggravate its own strangeness.
. Many Buddha statues in my country use imitation gold color. Even if they are magical, they still have a bit of a vast light. The reason why
has this difference is that after Buddhism was introduced to China and Japan, it has derived two completely different religions.
My Buddhism is ultimately influenced by Taoism and will pursue being out of the world. deliberately builds the temple in a secluded place.
, while Japanese Buddhism pays more attention to the protection of believers and the world, and does not care about "out-of-the-monsters", so Buddha statues are mostly built in prosperous places. Although
is full of "weirdness" everywhere, , the locals in Sintai are completely accustomed to Guanyin statues and even proudly regard it as a city business card.
Why do the Buddhas frequently appear in the world
After understanding, I believe many people have understood that the frequent appearance of these Buddha statues such as is inseparable from their huge figures.
After careful study, it seems that Buddhism has always had a special liking for colossus, but Taoism does not agree with it. Why does this happen?
First of all, Buddhism was introduced to China from India. Although it has been completely localized, some local elements are still left.
When Tianzhu built Buddha statues, he preferred to cast a gold body and be solemn and tall, and , and this was also absorbed and retained by domestic Zen Buddhism.
Secondly, Buddhist doctrines have a need to enter the world, emphasizing the universal salvation of sentient beings and bringing some taste of educating the world, so they have strict precepts for their believers.
In order to achieve better results, temples will pay attention to their majesty when building Buddha statues, which will make believers feel shocked at all times and thus restrain their behavior.
But Taoism is not the case. It pursues personal practice more and has a low demand for entry into the world, so naturally there is no need to build tall statues of gods.
Finally, because Buddhism emphasizes accession to the world, they have a lot of contact with believers and can receive a large amount of donations from the latter.
Therefore, most temples are very rich, and the abbot of the temple is bound by the rules and regulations, and many people have money but nowhere to spend it.
In this case, building a Buddha statue becomes a good choice, which can not only increase the cohesion of believers, but also spend the gathered wealth.
Some Buddhist holy places have mastered amazing wealth, so they naturally have the spare time to build large Buddha statues.
And these giant Buddha statues will become the spiritual pillar in the hearts of believers, and can also attract pilgrims who come one after another. It is really a three-killing victory.
Conclusion
In this way, there is actually no mysterious metaphysical content behind the so-called "weird" Buddha statue, and its essence can be explained scientifically.
It is just that the "magic" they show just meets the thoughts and desires of believers, and they are cited as miracles and widely circulated.
There is a Buddhist saying: "There is no worries, no fear." These "weird" things actually arise from the heart. The ancient well in the heart will naturally not be affected. The "big thing fear" widely circulated on the Internet is also essentially derived from the unknown and is the role of psychological factors.
Although these urban legends are ultimately false, they have brought real benefits to local tourism. The gains and losses in the world may be the real "magic".
References
[1] " Chinese Social History Review ", " Lu Zhongshuai. On the Causes of Famous Buddhist Mountains in Jiuhua Mountain in Ming and Qing Dynasties"
[2] " Hong Kong Wenhui Po", "The Great Buddha in the Central Plains, the world's first "
[3] " China Cultural Observation Network", "Lin Shengbiao: A century-old intangible cultural heritage inheritance, creating the world's first tumultuous Buddha "
"
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