The Twenty Heavenly Gods二十诸天

The Mural Sculpture of “Guan Yin on the South Sea”

Behind the Buddha statues is a huge mural sculpture called “Guan Yin on the South Sea,” on which the gracious Bodhisattva Guan Yin stands high in the center of the scene. He holds a flask filled with nectar and spreads the miraculous dew on people. A similar image of “Guan Yin Holding a Flask and a Willow Branch” can be seen in the Hall of Western Trinity located in the west wing of the temple. The Western Trinity in Buddhism refers to “the Three Saints of the Western Pure Land,” among whom is Guan Yin serving as the left acolyte of Amitabha Buddha.
On the mural sculpture, you see Bodhisattva Guan Yin stepping on the head of huge turtle. According to the Buddhist account, if people in need piously call “Guan Yin,” the Bodhisattva will come to their rescue in time, riding the turtle over the sea. The literal translation of “Guan Yin” is “observing voices,” that is to say, the Bodhisattva is always ready to give a hand whenever he hears a cry of suffering from people.

By the Bodhisattva stand his two acolytes, Shan Cai(善财)，the boy, on the left, and Long Nu(龙女), the girl, on the right.

Shan Cai had devoted himself to Buddhism since childhood. Illuminated by Bodhisattva Manjusri, Shan Cai made a long pilgrimage to seek a way to Buddhahood. He called on many Buddhist masters, 53 in all. Bodhisattva Guan Yin was his 27th master and Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, his last. Finally he obtained the correct wisdom and became a Buddha.

In addition to the big statue of Shan Cai with two hands palm to palm raised across his chest, you also see dozens of small ones all about the mural sculpture, which tells the story about his worship of the 53 masters. The one riding a lion is Bodhisattva Manjusri and the one on an elephant, Bodhisattva Samantabhadra.

Long Nu was a daughter of the Dragon King of the Sea in Buddhist lengends. She was a gifted child and quick at learning. She attended occasionally a few lectures by Bodhisattva Manjusri, but she had no intention to be a Buddhist until she was captured by a fisherman while swimming in the sea as a fish and soon sent to a market for sale. She would shortly be a dish of “fish” on a dinning table! At this critical moment , Guan Yin came in time to her rescue. Guan Yin bought the “fish” and put it back to the sea. Long Nu was deeply grateful and converted to Buddhism. When she was incarnated into a boy upon meeting Sakyamuni, She attained Buddhahood.

The stories of Shan Cai and Long Nu illustrate the two disciplines of Mahayana Buddhism practised in China with the former depicting gradual enlightenment and the latter being the sudden enlightenment.