The Three Ages of Buddha

The Three Ages of Buddha

The Three Ages of Buddha

The Three Ages of Buddha are located in the Qingyuan Mountain Scenic Area in Fengze District, Quanzhou City. The three Buddha statues are seated side by side in the lotus position on a yab-yum lotus base. The central statue stands approximately 2.5 meters tall, while the two flanking statues are slightly shorter. The statues are well preserved and all exhibit the Tibetan style: the Buddha’s hair is in spiral curls topped with a precious jewel. Their faces are wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, with ears that reach the shoulders, broad shoulders, and slender waists. All wear right-shoulder-exposed kasayas, with one corner of the robe draped over the left shoulder. The folds of the robes are rendered in raised relief lines, which remain distinctly visible despite the passage of time. Each stone statue is surrounded by a circular halo around the head and body. The central figure is the Shakyamuni Buddha, also known as the Buddha of the Present, who presides over the current world. His posture is in the bhumisparsha mudra (earth-touching gesture), with one hand pressing down on the ground and the other raised upward. The left statue is the Bhaisajyaguru Buddha, or the Buddha of the Past, who governs the past world. He also has one hand down and one up, but his left palm holds a begging bowl. The right statue is the Amitabha Buddha, the Buddha of the Future, depicted in the dhyana mudra (meditation gesture) with both hands folded on the abdomen. The precipitous location, exquisite craftsmanship, and distinctive forms never fail to amaze every visitor.

The Three Ages of Buddha have been the main deities enshrined in Tibetan Esoteric Buddhist (commonly known as -ism) temples since the 13th century. According to the "Yuan Dynasty Records of Paintings and Sculptures," in the Tibetan-style temples of the Yuan capital, the Three Ages of Buddha were all placed in the "main hall" and were the principal deities worshipped at the time. Currently, experts have identified these three stone-carved Buddha statues as the earliest existing, best-preserved, and easternmost tantric-style Three Ages of Buddha sculptures in China. About 20 meters to the south, there is an inscribed stone tablet recording that the Three Ages of Buddha were carved in 1292, making them over 700 years old.

Famous stone tablets and peculiar rocks, along with dense shade and secluded streams, are major features of Bixiao Rock. Centered around the “Three Ages of Buddha,” to the south there is a complex of temple buildings in the style of Southern Fujian folk houses, built in 1991, known as the Guangqin Master Pagoda Courtyard. Behind it stands a large regular-script cliff carving of the Chinese character “Shou” (longevity) from the Southern Song Dynasty, with the character measuring 3.5 meters in height and 3.15 meters in width, renowned as the “Largest ‘Shou’ Character in Central Fujian.” Next to it is the sculpture of the monk subduing a tiger, and below are several stone inscriptions left by notable scholars of the Qing Dynasty.