Roof

As you climb up onto the roof from one of the four corner staircases, you will come upon one of the 4 small pavilions, which houses one of the Five Buddhas of the Cardinal Points. When you look towards the center of the roof level, you will see a large, tall Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda housing the large Vairocana Buddha Prayer Wheel, in the center. You will also notice the other pavilions with their respective Buddhas of the Cardinal Points. The open orchid garden in between is filled with numerous Dendrobium Buddha Tooth orchid plants and other orchid plants as well as local trees and shrubs.

At the center of the Ten Thosand Buddhas Pagoda is the huge Vairocana Prayer Wheel, specially produced by cloisonné enamel so as to give it a bright, colourful, intricate and glossy look. It has 3 layers of Vairocana Mantras within bright borders. The Wheel sits on a granite cladded base. Every complete turn of the wheel will result in a ring of the wheel bell.

There is a Pagoda in the center and a Pavilion in each of the four corners of the top floor, in which the Five Jinas (Conquerors), or Five Great Buddhas of Wisdom, or Five Buddhas of the Cardinal Points are enshrined and worshipped. They are:

1. Vairocana Buddha (Resplendent Buddha) of the Center Realm;
2. Aksobhya Buddha (Immovable Buddha) of the Eastern Realm of Fragrance;
3. Ratnaketu (Ratnasambhava) Buddha (Jewel Born Buddha or Buddha of Treasured Appearance) of the Southern Realm of Happiness;
4. Amitabha Buddha (or Buddha of Limitless Life) of the Western Realm of Tranquillity and Bliss;
5. Amoghasiddhi Buddha (Infallible Buddha or Buddha of Subtle Hearing), of the Northern Realm of the Lotus.

The five wisdom merits are the Dharmahdatu-prakriti-jnana or the ability to show the Truth, Adarshana-jnana or the ability to see the original nature of all living beings, Samata-jnana or the way to adopt an indifferent attitude, Pratyaveksana-jnana or the ability to see the special character of all living beings, and Krityanushthana-jnana or ability of all complete meritorious.

These five Buddhas are a common subject of Vajrayana mandalas. These five Buddhas are the primary object of worship and meditation in Shingon Buddhism, a school of Vajarayana Buddhism founded in Japan by Kūkai.

Buddhas

AKSHOBHYA

RATNASAMBHAVA

VAIROCANA

AMITABHA

AMOGHASIDDI

Icon

English Names

Unshakable, Immovable

Jewel-born, Treasured Appearance

Illuminating, Resplendent

Infinite Light

Conqueror

Location

East

South

Center

West

North

Pure Land
(Realm of)

Abhirati
(Fragrance)

Shrimat
(Happiness)

Akanistha Ghanavyuha

Sukhāvatī
(Tranquility)

Prakuta
(August Lotus)

Dhyani Bodhisattva

Vajrapani

Ratnapani

Samantabhadra

Avalokitesvara

Visvapani

Sakti
(Consort)

Locana

Mamaki

Vajradhatvisvari (White Tara)

Pandara

Green Tara

Vahana
(Mount)

Elephant

Horse

Lion

Peacock

Garuda

Mudra

Bhumisparsha
(touching the earth)

Varada
(bestowing blessings)

Dharmacakra
(turning the dharma wheel)

Dhyana
(meditating)

Abhaya
(granting protection)

Symbol

Varja
(thunderbolt)

Chintamani
(wish-fulfilling jewel)

Cakra
(wheel)

Patra
(alms bowl)

Visva-varja
(double thunderbolt)

Colour

Blue

Yellow

White

Red

Green

Element

Air

Fire

Ether

Water

Earth

Seed Syllable

Hum

Trah

Om

Hrih

Ah

Names in other languages:

These statues were handcrafted by Mr Huang Yusuo from Putian, China and hand painted by Shanghai You Shan Guan Decorate Design Co Ltd.