—The Grand Ceremony for the Enshrinement of the Buddha’s Parinirvana Relic at Niushou Mountain in Nanjing Held
Introduction:
On October 27, 2015, the Grand Ceremony for the Enshrinement of the Parinirvana Relic of Sakyamuni Buddha and the Opening Ceremony of the Niushou Mountain Cultural Tourism Zone in Nanjing were grandly held at the site. Master Huang Xiaoming, as the designer and maker of the Buddhist wood carvings for the eight pagodas and the interior of the Buddha’s Summit Palace at Niushou Mountain in Nanjing, was also invited to witness this significant moment in the history of Chinese Buddhism.
Let us follow in the footsteps of Master Huang Xiaoming and share this solemn and sacred moment in the Buddhist world together:
Fate Brings Us Together Again, Sharing Hearts on Niushou Mountain in Nanjing
“Xiaoming, Xiaoming,” the crisp calls of friends echoed across Niushou Mountain in Nanjing. Seeing so many eminent monks in the Buddhist community felt especially warm. Scenes of past involvements with Buddhism—such as crafting the throne for the 17th Karmapa and creating the Buddhist decorations inside the Grand Wish Cultural Park of Jiuhua Mountain in Anhui—came vividly to mind.
Master Xuecheng, Venerable Master Hsing Yun of Fo Guang Shan in Taiwan, and the 11th Panchen Lama, among other eminent monks from home and abroad, were not far away, just inches from me. As the one who interpreted the eight pagodas through Dongyang woodcarving, I was filled with emotion: the sacred presence of the Buddha is already here at Niushou, and the Tathagata feels so close to the heart.
Buddhist Decorations Reimagined, Eight Pagodas Crafted with Excellence
With prior experience in using Dongyang woodcarving to create Buddhist interior decorations and ritual objects, this time I used aged golden-thread nanmu wood to craft the pagodas. Drawing on visits to famous mountains and temples, as well as travels to Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, Qinghai, and mainland China, I designed the “Eight Pagodas” in diverse styles that reflect the various Buddhist sects.
The eight pagodas I personally designed—the pavilion-style tower, multi-storied pavilion tower, dense-eave tower, Tibetan-style tower, Vajrasana tower, flower tower, Dai-style tower, and Indian Buddhist tower—were presented one by one. The fusion of Buddhist decoration with ethnic and religious beliefs, the blending of Chinese and foreign elements, and the inclusive representation of different Buddhist sects all contributed to a more perfect and solemn expression of the Buddhist ideal of “great compassion.”
Woodcarving Harmony in the Pagodas, A New Exploration of Dongyang Woodcarving
Entering the passage to the fifth level of the underground palace, the “Thousand Buddha Corridor,” the entire corridor is decorated with Dongyang woodcarving combined with Dali stone, making it truly a showcase for Dongyang woodcarving. “The entire corridor is divided into 12 spaces, separated by wooden moon beams and floor screens; each space contains four niches, imitating the scene of the Thousand Buddha Caves in Dunhuang, housing densely packed small Buddha statues.”
The solemnity of Buddhism and the sanctity of the relic shine brilliantly beneath one of Buddhism’s three great architectural forms—the “Buddha Pagoda”—purifying the worldly dust in people’s hearts and guiding all towards goodness and beauty.
“Buddhist architectural decoration must follow religious rituals while also respecting spatial art, which limits both imagination and expressiveness.” The woodcarving decorations in the Buddha’s Summit Palace of Niushou Mountain in Nanjing once again integrate cultural tourism features, specific thematic culture, general Buddhist symbols, and traditional construction principles, organically combining the objects present within a small space. At the same time, by utilizing traditional wooden frameworks, the spatial order is rearranged, achieving a visual harmony between wood and other decorative materials. Moving forward, as the Niushou Mountain Buddhist Cultural Park in Nanjing officially opens to the public, Dongyang woodcarving will encounter even more opportunities.
For more highlights, please stay tuned to “Huang Xiaoming Woodcarving”