Audio 0008 English
Amitabha Buddha, hello everyone, welcome to Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada. The location where we are now is by the Wisdom Pond, and in front of us stand the Seven Treasures Wish-Fulfilling Pagodas! Do you know the story behind the Seven Treasures Wish-Fulfilling Pagodas?
First of all, Wisdom Pond was discovered as a natural spring in a marshy area. After the spring was discovered, the lake kept getting bigger. Within two or three days of its discovery, the lake's water continued to gush forth, even washing away the soil by the lake. Therefore, Venerable Dayi Shi arranged for the construction of the Seven Treasures Wish-Fulfilling Pagodas by the Wisdom Pond to protect its shores. Since the Seven Treasures Wish-Fulfilling Pagodas were built by the lake, the water never overflowed again.
What is special about this Seven Treasures Wish-Fulfilling Pagodas? Buddhist stone pagodas are typically composed of various parts, including the base, body, spire, finial, pedestal, and ornamentation. The "base" consists of two parts: the underground foundation and the above-ground pedestal, both of which are connected, forming the solid foundation of the pagodas to anchor them securely.
The Seven Treasures Wish-Fulfilling Pagoda on Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden has a square-shaped body with a four-cornered Sumeru pedestal, greatly enhancing its stability and making it highly earthquake and typhoon resistant. The upper part of the pagoda is designed in a step-like pattern, typical of Tibetan-style pagodas. The Sumeru pedestal is adorned with lotus patterns, and the body of the pagoda is decorated with auspicious clouds and fierce lions. It has a flat and wide finial with niche doors, which contain carved Buddha images.
At the top of the pagoda's finial, there are 13 rings of "ornamental wheels" or "Dharma wheels." The "ornamental wheel" is positioned in the middle section of the pagoda's spire and is one of the most important components. In physical terms, the ornamental wheel consists of concentric rings linked together, serving as a symbol to gaze upon and venerate. It plays a role in showing reverence to the Buddha. The number of rings on an ornamental wheel on a pagoda is generally determined by the size and rank of the pagoda; it can range from three to five rings for smaller pagodas and up to thirteen rings for larger ones. Thirteen rings of ornamental wheels are referred to as the "thirteen heavens."
Regarding the Seven Treasures Wish-Fulfilling Pagodas themselves, they symbolize the names of the Seven Buddhas of the Seven Treasures: Namo Ratna-ketu Tathagata, Namo Ratna-sambhava Tathagata, Namo Ratna-kara Tathagata, Namo Arya-jña-na-garbha Tathagata, Namo Ratna-vikrama Tathagata, Namo Ratna-ruci Tathagata, Namo Amitabha Tathagata.
Amitabha Buddha, hello everyone, welcome to Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada. The location where we are now is by the Wisdom Pond, and in front of us stand the Seven Treasures Wish-Fulfilling Pagodas! Do you know the story behind the Seven Treasures Wish-Fulfilling Pagodas?
First of all, Wisdom Pond was discovered as a natural spring in a marshy area. After the spring was discovered, the lake kept getting bigger. Within two or three days of its discovery, the lake's water continued to gush forth, even washing away the soil by the lake. Therefore, Venerable Dayi Shi arranged for the construction of the Seven Treasures Wish-Fulfilling Pagodas by the Wisdom Pond to protect its shores. Since the Seven Treasures Wish-Fulfilling Pagodas were built by the lake, the water never overflowed again.
What is special about this Seven Treasures Wish-Fulfilling Pagodas? Buddhist stone pagodas are typically composed of various parts, including the base, body, spire, finial, pedestal, and ornamentation. The "base" consists of two parts: the underground foundation and the above-ground pedestal, both of which are connected, forming the solid foundation of the pagodas to anchor them securely.
The Seven Treasures Wish-Fulfilling Pagoda on Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden has a square-shaped body with a four-cornered Sumeru pedestal, greatly enhancing its stability and making it highly earthquake and typhoon resistant. The upper part of the pagoda is designed in a step-like pattern, typical of Tibetan-style pagodas. The Sumeru pedestal is adorned with lotus patterns, and the body of the pagoda is decorated with auspicious clouds and fierce lions. It has a flat and wide finial with niche doors, which contain carved Buddha images.
At the top of the pagoda's finial, there are 13 rings of "ornamental wheels" or "Dharma wheels." The "ornamental wheel" is positioned in the middle section of the pagoda's spire and is one of the most important components. In physical terms, the ornamental wheel consists of concentric rings linked together, serving as a symbol to gaze upon and venerate. It plays a role in showing reverence to the Buddha. The number of rings on an ornamental wheel on a pagoda is generally determined by the size and rank of the pagoda; it can range from three to five rings for smaller pagodas and up to thirteen rings for larger ones. Thirteen rings of ornamental wheels are referred to as the "thirteen heavens."
Regarding the Seven Treasures Wish-Fulfilling Pagodas themselves, they symbolize the names of the Seven Buddhas of the Seven Treasures: Namo Ratna-ketu Tathagata, Namo Ratna-sambhava Tathagata, Namo Ratna-kara Tathagata, Namo Arya-jña-na-garbha Tathagata, Namo Ratna-vikrama Tathagata, Namo Ratna-ruci Tathagata, Namo Amitabha Tathagata.