Hall of Medicine Buddha

The Hall of Medicine Buddha is located on the second level of the Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas, thus named because there are a total of ten thousand Buddha images in this hall. In the Chinese culture, 10,000 or 万 (wan) means all-encompassing and this symbolises the countless Buddhas in all directions pervading space and time.

Medicine Buddha: The Healer of Outer and Inner Sickness

A statue of the Medicine Buddha sits in the middle of the hall. The Medicine Buddha is the Buddha of healing and medicine in Mahayana Buddhism. He made 12 vows to help those who call upon him to cure their physical and mental illnesses, of which delusion is the root cause. The Medicine Buddha presides over the Eastern Pureland, where Buddhas-to-be are reborn and trained, similar to the Western Pureland.

On the Medicine Buddha’s forehead is the Urna, a strand of coiled hair from which he emits the light of Compassion to beseech all beings to learn the Dharma. He is seated in the traditional meditation posture with the mudra of samadhi (meditative concentration).

On the Buddha’s chest is a swastika, a timeless symbol in many cultures that represents auspiciousness. He holds a pagoda in his palms that identifi­es him as the Medicine Buddha. The pagoda sympolises the Buddhas of the three times, the past, present and future.

 

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