Sitting on the gentle slope of Lily Hill in Clark Freeport Zone, sits a Buddhist shrine with a large 5-ton granite statue of Kannon (Tibetan: སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས Chenrezig, Chinese: 観音 Guan Yin); this shrine is called the "Goddess of Peace Shrine".
It was a pleasant surprise for me, during a work trip to the Clark Freeport Zone.
*Lily Hill got it's name from the name that the Aetas gave the Americans "Lili" which means "Lost" in Capampangan. The Americans respelled the name from "Lili" to Lily. Lily hill stands separate from the other hills and mountains in the Clark Freeport Zone area.
 |
| Goddess of Peace Shrine |
Lily Hill has its own dark past. It was the birthplace of the Japanese Kamikaze and provided the Japanese army with a good vantage point of the airfield. It also was the main headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Army and the Navy's Kempu Group, which delayed the American liberation forces for a week in January of 1945.
But years after the war the site is now home to the shrine with Kannon bringing peace and harmony to the former war torn land.
The statue was commissioned by Ekan Ikeguchi the abbot of the Saifukuji Temple in Kagoshima, Japan. It was molded in China and shipped to the Philippines in 2000. Ekan Ikeguchi led the yearly pilgrimage prayer for peace at the shrine from 1998-2012.
 |
| Kannon/Chenrezig/Guan Yin |
 |
| The history of the shrine and the area |
There are yearly ceremonies held at the shrine by Shingon Buddhist priest who pray not only the souls of fallen soldiers (Japanese, Filipino and American) who died during the war, but also for peace to prevail in the world.
Kannon/Chenrezig/Guan Yin is a Bodhisattva, a being of extreme compassion. Kannon was at the doors of Nirvana, ready to enter it, but upon hearing the cries and suffering of the beings of the world, Kannon made the decision to forgo entering Nirvana and instead help those who suffer. Kannon will only enter Nirvana once all the suffering in the world stops.
It is only fitting that this Bodhisattva is the one who is guarding this shrine.
 |
| Offerings at the foot of the statue |
It was a nice sight for me (being Buddhist and a follower of Kannon/Chenrezig/Guan Yin), I even ran up to it once I got off the car to pay my respects, pray and take a few photos.
Living in a country wherein majority of the population is Catholic and Christian, it's rare for me to find temples and shrines like this one; so it was really a nice and refreshing site to see while on a work trip in Clark Freeport Zone.
 |
| Went back on another visit on a different time of year |
 |
| Peace, compassion and harmony |
The Goddess of Peace Shrine @ Clark Freeport Zones is located at:
Lily Hill, Clark Freeport, Mabalacat, Pampanga, Philippines
*it is right across the Philippine Science High School Central Luzon Campus!!!!
No comments
Post a Comment