What kind of Bodhisattva is Wuxi Lingshan?

What is enshrined in Wuxi Lingshan is not Bodhisattva, but the Lingshan Buddha is Sakyamuni Buddha.

The founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni (Buddha), was a Sakyamuni from the Kapilavastu Kingdom in ancient Central India. He existed in the middle of the first millennium BC. At this time, the prosperity of commodity trade promoted the rise of the Kshatriya class, and the authoritative status of traditional Brahmanism, which had constituted an obstacle, was weakened, and the ideological circles were active in Samana thought, including Buddhism.

The life of Sakyamuni did not attract the attention of the early Tripitaka editors. They only recorded the words of the teacher in as much detail as possible; more detailed narratives and more legendary stories were only elaborately fabricated later.

As for the image of Buddha, what is relatively reliable is a basic outline. He grew up in a wealthy environment. After marrying a wife and having children, he became a monk when he was about 29 years old. Neither the meditation nor asceticism he learned could solve the problem. He attained the enlightenment of the Buddha when he was about 35 years old.

For the rest of his life, he traveled all over the Ganges River Basin, preaching sermons and teachings to all walks of life. His sublation of heretical ideas corrected certain deviations in the civilization of the times and safeguarded the class interests of the Kshatriyas, making him revered as a saint of the Sakya clan.

Extended information

The main data of Lingshan Giant Buddha are as follows:

1. The Lingshan Buddha is 88 meters high, with a body of 79 meters and lotus petals of 9 meters.

2. The body of Lingshan Buddha (excluding lotus petals) is composed of 1,560 6-8 mm thick copper wall panels, with welds extending over 30 kilometers.

3. The Lingshan Giant Buddha has about 725 tons of cast copper, and the copper plate area is more than 9,000 square meters, about the size of one and a half football fields.

4. Due to the use of high technology, the Lingshan Giant Buddha can withstand typhoons of magnitude 14 and earthquakes of magnitude 8.

The creation of the Lingshan Giant Buddha was completed based on the records of the thirty-two forms of the Tathagata in the Buddhist scriptures. The Buddha is smiling kindly, looking broadly at all living beings. The "Fearless Seal" in his right hand represents the removal of pain, and the "Yu Seal" in his left hand represents giving happiness, both of which are signs of blessing. The entire Buddha statue is solemn and complete, serene, dignified and meticulous, showing the compassion of the Buddha. .

Reference materials:

Baidu Encyclopedia - Sakyamuni

Baidu Encyclopedia - Lingshan Giant Buddha