Palelai Buddha
This hall is dedicated to the Palelai Buddha image. The name Palelai is derived from the Pāli word Pārileyyaka. It reminds us of the occasion when the Buddha went into retreat in the Pārileyyaka Forest in search of solitude after the monks in Kosambi did not take his advice in settling a quarrel among themselves. During the period of his retreat in the forest, he was cared for by a monkey and elephant until the monks finally came to their senses and were reconciled.
The Palelai Buddha Hall is the centre of devotion as it houses the image of the Buddha sitting in Pārileyyaka Forest receiving offerings from the two animals. Moreover, this hall contains two giant wall murals each measuring 6 metres by 4 metres. One of them depicts ‘The Life of The Buddha’ and the other ‘The Principal Teachings of the Buddha’. These hand-carved murals are meant to be reminders of the Buddha and his Teachings. Created in classical Thai art form, these murals follow closely the aesthetic approach of artists of the famous Borubudur chedi in Java, Indonesia. These murals and the other Thai features of our building were created by renowned Thai artist Khun Teerayuut Daochanterk and his team of Thai artists. They were specially commissioned to work on-site for almost a year.
The Diamond Shield Yantra (Sacred Script of the Qualities of the Buddha)
The Diamond Shield yantra (sacred script), describing the Buddha’s qualities, is installed on the window directly behind the Palelai Buddha image. The romanised Pali of the script along with English and Chinese translations are also incorporated so that members and devotees can read and reflect on them while visiting the hall.
The yantra (sacred script) is written in ancient Khmer script and is known as “Yant Kropetch”. It is a set of verses which Buddhists recite to reflect upon the qualities of the Buddha. Luang Phor Parn of Wat Bang Nom Kho, Ayuthaya province, found the yantra in B.E. 2458 (1915) while he was making a pilgrimage to Suphanburi Province, Thailand.
Shortly before Luang Phor Parn found this great yantra, he was meditating and an intuition arose in his mind that there was a very important plate buried in the main chedi of Wat Phra Sri Ratana Maha Dhat, within Suphanburi Province, waiting for him to recover. Not long after that, Luang Phor Parn arrived at the chedi and found an ancient silver plate inscribed with the above yantra. The plate also states that for one who recites these verses everyday, his/her body will be covered with a “Diamond Shield” and will be safe from all dangers. The person will never be destroyed by his/her enemies. However, the enemy will be destroyed by some strange phenomena because of the reflective result from the powers of the “Diamond Shield”.
As a fitting tribute to the memory of the Lord Buddha, this yantra is inscribed in gold letterings on the window immediately behind the Palelai Buddha image. It will allow visitors to the Palelai Buddha Hall to reflect upon the noble qualities of our Great Teacher while admiring the beauty of the manuscript, just as any good pilgrim will do while visiting the Buddhist pilgrimage sites.
To read the yantra, begin from top to bottom (i.e. column-wise), left to right. The romanised Pali version of the yantra is:
Itipiso bhagavā arahaṃ sammāsambuddho
Vijjācaraṇa-sampanno sugato lokavidu
Anuttaro purisadamma-sārathi
Satthā deva-manussānaṃ
Buddho bhagavā’ti
which translates to:
He, the Blessed One, is indeed the Pure One, the Perfectly Enlightened One;
He is impeccable in conduct and understanding, the Accomplished One, the Knower of the Worlds;
He trains perfectly those who wish to be trained;
He is Teacher of gods and humans;
He is Awake and Holy.
Buddhist Pilgrimage Sites
In line with the purpose of the chedi being a place for Buddhist pilgrimage and for reflection upon the life and Teachings of the Lord Buddha, the hall houses photographs and descriptions of the four main pilgrimage sites associated with key milestones of the Lord Buddha’s life:
Lumbini - the birthplace of the Lord Buddha
Bodhgaya - where the Lord Buddha is fully awakened and attained Nibbāna
Sarnath - where the Lord Buddha gave his first discourse/sermon to the Five Ascetics
Kusinara - where the Lord Buddha passed away into Final Parinibbāna
On a concluding note, we wish to share that the Palelai Buddha Hall is intended as a sacred space for members and devotees to arouse their confidence and faith in the Buddha and his Teachings, such that they will be inspired to devote themselves fully to practisee his Teachings.