Tian Tan Buddha
I’ve seen two great Buddhas in my life. The first one in Nara , just outside Osaka and the second one is this one , the Tian Tan Buddha in Lantau Island in Hong Kong.
I said wow to both but this one has been extra special .
It is the second largest outdoor sitting Buddha in the world – the first one is in Taiwan – and it was completed in 1993. At 34 metres high , it symbolises Hong Kong’s stability , China’s prosperity and peace on earth.
In terms of getting up to it , if you are staying in Hong Kong for more than 3 days and you have enough time to spend I would even recommend hiking up to it if you are feeling like it as it will certainly give it a meaning of higher significance.
If not though , you can either get the bus or even better ,the Npong Ping 360 cable car , especially the crystal bottom cable car which will make your ride rather exciting . I was like a little kid in it! I loved every minute. Very atmospheric and like a little adventure as it was also windy up there! Totally recommend it!
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Prior to my travelling in Asia , I never really understood or felt what Buddhism really is but following visits to different Buddhist temples and talking to people, I have started getting a better idea. And I actually really liked it. For me religion is a belief , something to hold on to as you go through life without getting too attached though ( you shouldn’t be doing this with anything in this life really) and you don’t really need to give it a name. You believe and feel it wherever it feels holly enough for you. Or you don’t.
So what happened in this particular Buddha that made it so unique?
We visited Hong Kong at the end of May which means it is hot and the humidity is very high. 80% or thereabouts. Which also means wet , sticky skin and bad hairdays. But who cares? You’re having fun!
Anyway, the humidity meant a lot of fog which made the visibility of the big Buddha very difficult. Impossible actually!
Apparently , on a clear day the Buddha can be seen as far as Macau , so it is visible through the cable car ride. Not this time though.
On arrival to the village, things didn’t look much better either.
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We did climb the 268 steps ( small steps so very easy to climb if you are more or less fit) and this is what we saw. Nothing really! Apart from the offering of the six Devas of course, the smaller statues that surround Buddha and symbolise the Six Perfections of generosity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation, and wisdom. All are necessary for enlightenment.
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A little bit of a disappointment having travelled so many miles! We spent quite a bit of time there, the air wasn’t clearing up so we visited the little shop inside the Buddha , had a look at the offerings and we started making our way down again . More than half way down the steps the air suddenly cleared and everything went bright and within seconds the Buddha was standing tall above us looking down on us . That for me was a small miracle. A lot of people travelled there that day, only few managed to see the statue. We run up to it. We were in awe of what had just happened and to the image of Buddha. It was such a strange, unique feeling. Overwhelming experience.
It was covered in thick fog again within a few minutes. We couldn’t have left without seeing it!
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Believe ! And things will just magically happen!
Definitely visit it and enjoy xx
