Maitreya Buddha (Happy Buddha) 彌勒大佛

Maitreya Buddha

(Happy Buddha)

彌勒大佛

Amitabha Buddha! Welcome to Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada!

The location you are currently at is the Maitreya Buddha of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden. This Maitreya Buddha statue is the largest of its kind in North America. Speaking of the origin of this large-bellied Maitreya Buddha, there is a fascinating story behind it.

阿彌陀佛！歡迎來到加國五台山。

你現在所處的位置是五台山的彌勒大佛。這尊彌勒佛是整個北美最大的彌勒大佛。說起這尊大肚彌勒佛的來歷，還有一個神奇的故事。

It was on a hot summer day in 2009 when the President of the Buddhist Association of Canada and the abbot of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden, Venerable Dayi Shi, was driving alone as usual between Cham Shan Temple and the construction site of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden. Feeling a bit tired as he returned to Cham Shan Temple at dusk, he unintentionally dozed off. In what seemed like a dream, the venerable suddenly heard a voice saying, "There are many Bodhisattvas, why build only the Four Great Bodhisattvas? Where is Maitreya?" A Bodhisattva with the appearance of Maitreya appeared in the dream.

Venerable Dayi Shi woke up abruptly from the dream, realizing that indeed, temples usually have statues of Maitreya Bodhisattva, so how could Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden not have one? The venerable thus resolved to build a statue of Maitreya on Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden.

Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada is a long-term project, and the statue of Maitreya that the venerable aspired to build had to be large enough to complement the surrounding environment of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden. However, at that time, there was neither sufficient funding to construct such a massive Buddha statue nor an appropriate model for the statue of Maitreya.

Just as the venerable was at a loss, the very next day, a devotee named Zheng from Hong Kong, who had immigrated to Canada, came to visit him. Learning that the venerable was troubled by the lack of funds for the construction of the Maitreya statue, Zheng immediately made a great vow to contribute financially to the creation of this immense Maitreya statue.

Yet, while there was now funding, the version of the statue remained a major issue. The venerable sought to find an image of Maitreya Bodhisattva that exuded solemnity. He began searching through various materials and images, but none satisfied him.

A few days later, an elderly overseas Chinese told Venerable Dayi that he had a precious Ming Dynasty bronze statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva in his home, which was imbued with spiritual energy. He hoped that Venerable Dayi would come to assess it. Astonishingly, when Venerable Dayi saw this statue of Maitreya, he realized that it was the exact appearance that had manifested in his dream. Thus, based on the likeness of this statue, the current Maitreya Bodhisattva statue was constructed at the entrance of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada. This Maitreya statue stands 13 meters tall, weighs over 700 tons, with the Buddha's head alone weighing 27 tons, carved from a single piece of stone.

The stone carving of Maitreya Buddha statue in Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden depicts a constant smiling expression, welcoming all sentient beings. The Buddha has large ears that extend down his shoulders, symbolizing profound blessings. His rotund belly represents great capacity and compassion. He holds a string of prayer beads in his right hand, placed on his knee, while his left hand holds a bag of blessings. He sits on the throne in a playful posture. The base of the Buddha is hexagonal, representing the practice of the six perfections, which are the foundation for achieving Buddhahood. Each face of the base is intricately carved with the images of five hundred Arhats (known as Luohan in Chinese). Originally, the term "five hundred Arhats" referred to the highest realization attainable by those practicing Buddhism. Later, it evolved to denote individuals who have achieved the status of Arhat. Generally, it refers to the five hundred monks who participated in the first Buddhist council after the passing of Buddha Shakyamuni, led by Mahakasyapa and Ananda.

Now, the tallest Maitreya Buddha statue in North America sits enthroned in Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada. Venerable Dayi's aspiration is for the sacred image of Maitreya Bodhisattva to not only solemnize the spiritual ground but also to bestow blessings upon sentient beings in Canada and around the world. Thus, when you see this remarkable and magical statue of Maitreya, you can pay homage and join your palms together in reverence, forming a karmic connection with the future Buddha, and surely there will be grounds to attain Buddhahood!

This is the story of the Maitreya Buddha of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada.

那是2009年盛夏的一天，加拿大佛教會會長、五台山住持達義大和尚和往常一樣，獨自駕車往返於湛山精捨和五台山工地之間。當他在黃昏返回湛山精捨後感覺有些疲勞，不由自主地打盹小憩。在似夢非夢中，大和尚忽然聽到一個聲音說：「菩薩有數尊，為何只建四大菩薩？彌勒何在？」一尊彌勒佛樣貌的菩薩在夢中顯現。

達義大和尚突然從夢中驚醒到，對呀，寺院裡通常都會有彌勒菩薩，五台山怎能沒有彌勒菩薩。大和尚於是發心要在五台山建一尊彌勒菩薩。

加國五台山是一個長期規劃的工程項目，大和尚發心建造的這尊彌勒菩薩要足夠大，才能配得上五台山周邊的環境。但當時的情況是，既沒有足夠的資金來建這麼一尊大佛，也沒有合適的彌勒菩薩的模型。

正當大和尚一籌莫展時，第二天，一位來自香港、移民加拿大的鄭居士來訪問大和尚。鄭居士得知大和尚正在為籌建彌勒菩薩的資金而發愁，當下就發大願出資建造這一尊巨大的彌勒菩薩。

然而，雖然有人出錢，但造像的版本也是一個大問題。大和尚希望找到一尊莊嚴的彌勒菩薩的形象。他開始查找各種資料和圖片，但都不滿意。

幾天之後，一位老華僑告訴大和尚，他的家裡珍藏著一尊珍貴的明代彌勒菩薩銅像，十分有靈氣，希望請大和尚前去鑒定。大和尚見到這尊彌勒菩薩後驚奇地發現，這尊佛像竟然是自己夢中顯現的樣子。於是，就以此佛像的樣子，在加國五台山的山門口建造了現在這尊彌勒菩薩。這尊彌勒菩薩高13米，重700多噸。佛頭重達27噸，由一塊完整的石頭雕刻而成。

五台山的這尊彌勒佛石雕像，是一副笑口常開、歡迎一切眾生的神情。大佛大耳垂肩代表深厚的福報，胖乎乎的大肚子代表著大肚能容，右手持佛珠一串放在膝蓋上，左手抓著一個福袋，以遊戲的姿勢坐在佛座上。大佛的基座是六角形的，代表著修持六波羅蜜，這是成佛的基礎。台座的每個面上都用影刻的雕刻方法，刻了五百羅漢的形象。五百羅漢，本意為阿羅漢，是梵文Arhat的音譯。五百羅漢原意本指修行佛教的人能達到的最高境界，後來演化泛指修得「阿羅漢果」果位的人。一般指佛釋迦去世後參加第一次經結集的五百比丘，以大迦葉和阿難為首。

至此，北美最高的一尊彌勒佛像端坐於加國五台山。達義大和尚希望彌勒菩薩聖像不僅能莊嚴道場，而且能夠在加拿大乃至全世界福蔭群生。所以大家現在看到這麼殊勝神奇的彌勒佛像，可以向彌勒菩薩合掌禮拜！和未來的佛結下緣分，未來一定會有得度成佛的因緣！

這就是加國五台山彌勒大佛的故事。