The Big Buddha, also known as Tian Tan Buddha, is famed as the most iconic attraction of Lantau. Sitting next to the Po Lin Monastery, it is only a 10-minute walk away from Ngong Ping Village.

The majestic outdoor bronze Buddha statue sits solemnly atop the peak of Mount Muk Yue. It is seated south and facing North towards Beijing, the capital of China. Divided into two parts, the statue’s body is 26.4m tall and 34m in total measuring from the lotus throne and the base. It was cast with 250 tonnes of bronze and built over 12 years. The statue was modelled after Siddhartha, who achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. The “imparting fearlessness” mudra of the right hand indicates compassion to save all sentient beings from their sufferings; the “fulfilling wishes” mudra of the left hand resting on the lap, implies the vow to grant blessing and happiness to all.

Hong Kong is our home, so I often go up to the Po Lin Temple and the Big Buddha on a forest trail with thousands of steps.
Now I started walking out of the city from Tung Chung Metro Station towards the mountains. As I get out of Tung Chung, there is a small temple on the beach, the Hau Wong Temple, which is not Buddhist, but is dedicated to two generals of the Southern Song Dynasty, but I always bow to them and light incense for them.

Now, in July, there are very hot days, I haven't even started the stairs and I'm already sweating. The cable car passes above the forest trail, which allows you to comfortably reach the Buddha on a long cable car, but I prefer to choose the jungle trail. With a strenuous walk, you can reach the Big Buddha in 2 hours. Once you reach the top of the stairs in Ngong Ping village, you will take a renovated street towards the Big Buddha. The cable car also arrives here and many visitors get off here, so there are already a lot of people here.

I myself, walking down the street, buy large incense sticks in the square in front of the Big Buddha, light them in honor of Buddha, bow to the temple and Buddha, then walk through the Po Lin Temple and always order delicacies in the dining room in its garden. Mango pudding, sago pudding, turnip slices, dou hua (this is a delicacy similar to a pudding made from soybeans, there is no translation), spring rolls, ... I can never miss this place.

After eating the delicacies, I go up the 250 steps to the Buddha. The first 3 flights of stairs have 14 steps each, then 13 flights of stairs have 16 steps each, a total of 250 steps to the Big Buddha. This symbolizes the Upasampada, in which the number of rules and commandments for monks is 250. When I reached the terrace in front of the Big Buddha, I usually walk around it nine times, chanting mantras. The view is beautiful, you can go up to a higher terrace in the building under the statue, but you can't walk around it anymore. It was so hot today that I drank 4 liters of water in just 3 hours to replace the water loss. I will count how many steps it takes to get from Tung Chung to Big Buddha someday, but I suspect it's around ten thousand.

I meditated around Buddha for a long time, so time passed, there is a bus station next to Ngong Ping village and it takes 30 minutes to get to Tung Chung by bus 23, and then another 20 minutes back to TST.