Hall of Prayers

The Hall of Prayers is defined by the larger-than-life prayer wheels on its either side. A popular sight across Tibet, China, prayer wheels are prized by Buddhist devotees for the mantras (sacred texts) they contain. Each turn of a prayer wheel is akin to the recital of the mantras a hundred times over.

By committing to extensive recitals, they are able to more quickly purify negative karma and accumulate merit with the Buddha, clearing their path to enlightenment. This makes the prayer wheels an indispensable part of their lives.

It’s why the prayer wheels here are recreated with frosted glass, with the mantras etched in negative space to reflect their spiritual depth. The prayer wheels, set within a soothing off-white interior designed to focus the mind, are also fully rotatable to help each soul more swiftly reach the crescendo in his or her pursuit of enlightenment.

As the guardian of the pavilion, Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva (大愿地藏菩萨) provides timely guidance. To aid his mission of liberating all souls in each realm of existence from even their deepest pain and suffering, he’s depicted in full regalia, including his khakkhara staff, a cintamani (a wish-fulfilling jewel) and the five-Buddha crown.

The design of each ancestral tablet hints at the culmination of this journey towards enlightenment. As if signalling that a soul is now in harmony with the cosmos, the whiff of a cloud coils around the foot of each ancestral tablet. The statuette of the full-bloom lotus flower - itself representative of purity and enlightenment - in the cloud’s embrace is also key to the symbolism.