Tianhua Nunnery Baizi Hall

Tianhua Nunnery Baizi Hall

Tianhua Hall has over 80 rooms, with the main hall, the Mahavira Hall, enshrining the statues of Sakyamuni Buddha, Manjushri, Samantabhadra—the Three Saints of Huayan—and the Ten Great Disciples of the Buddha. Baizi Hall also has over 80 rooms, covering a construction area of 2,500 square meters. The main hall, the Great Mercy Hall, enshrines the Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva of Great Compassion and Inspiration, along with the Twenty-Eight Celestial Beings. On the back wall behind the main statue is enshrined the precious statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who vows to save beings in both the living and the dead realms. The Child-Giving Tower has been restored to its original appearance and enshrines the Child-Giving Guanyin. The lower floor of the Child-Giving Tower is the “Three Jewels Buddha Hall,” while the Heavenly King Hall enshrines the Hundred-Son Maitreya Buddha and the Guardian Deity Youth Renwang. The Buddha statues renovated in both Baizi Hall and Tianhua Hall are all exquisitely crafted from rare and precious wood—cypress—chosen for both material quality and craftsmanship. They can be regarded as a unique highlight among the many temples on Mount Putuo, representing fine works of Buddhist sculpture art. Especially the Child-Giving Guanyin in the Child-Giving Tower of Baizi Hall is considered the best place to pray for offspring from Guanyin. As early as during the Qing Dynasty Kangxi era when the nunnery was known as “Baizi An,” there were countless instances of the miraculous efficacy of the Guanyin here granting children to those who prayed sincerely. After the construction of the Child-Giving Tower, the Child-Giving Guanyin of Tianhua Baizi Hall became even more renowned far and wide. The Lotus Sutra’s Chapter on the Universal Gate of Avalokiteshvara states: “If one wishes to have a son, one should worship and make offerings to Guanyin Bodhisattva, and a son endowed with virtue and wisdom will be born. If one wishes to have a daughter, one will have a daughter with graceful features, who has planted good roots in previous lives.” It explains that Guanyin Bodhisattva manifests in various forms according to beings’ needs, responds to all prayers with efficacy, and possesses boundless spiritual powers. The Child-Giving Guanyin of Tianhua Baizi Hall is a distinctive feature of the Bodhimanda of Guanyin in the “Heavenly Sea Buddhist Kingdom,” providing an ideal temple site for those wishing to have children.

Location

Beside the Baibu Sha Parking Lot, Putuo Mountain, Putuo District, Zhoushan City