Main Shrine Hall of Buddha (Hong Kong)

 temple, buddhist temple

The Hall of Great Hero, commonly know as "the Big Temple", is the place where the statue of Buddha is housed. The word "Great Hero" refers to the Dharma. In the Lotus Sutra, there is a stanza which goes, "The great Buddha, the Dharma King of all."

The Hall of Great Hero, completed in 1970, was built in Classic Chinese architectural style in which a double roof is the characteristic. A pair of stone lion is placed in front of the Temple. Octagon pillars engraved with dragons in clouds, which are very rare, are erected in the four corners of the Temple. The eaves of the Temple are elaborately decorated. The interior of the temple is beautifully decorated with exuberant wall paintings.
In the middle of the temple there is a staircase that leads to the Hall of Great Hero on the second storey, creating a sense of grandeur. Three big Buddha statues, representing the Buddhas of the past, present and future, are housed in the temple. The one in the middle is Sakyamuni Buddha (the present Buddha), the one on the left is the Medicine Buddha (the past Buddha) and the one on the right is Amitabha (the future Buddha). There are two attendants on both sides of Sakyamuni Buddha, the older one is Kassapa, and the younger one is Anan. Kassapa, also known as Mahakassaapa, was one of the Buddha's ten principal disciples widely know for his being able to tolerate the most austere ascetic practice. Anan, also know as Ananda, was also ranked among the ten principal discples of Buddha. He was know for "the one that comes first in hearing the Dharma", that means he could learn most of the teaching of Buddha by heart

Below the Hall of Great Hero is the Arhat Hall in which 500 statues of arhats are housed. Enthroned there are the stautes of Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin), Manjurshri, the Bodhisattva of great wisdom and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva known for his meritorious deeds. Endowed with the benefit of spaciousness, The Arhat Hall is the venue for reception and vegetarian meals when a large number of visitors come. It also serves as lecture hall for Dharma talks and ceremonial hall for rituals in which the three refuges and precepts are conferred.