Once in Ngong Ping, Wisdom Path is easy enough to find – signs from the base of the Big Buddha lead you along a short woodland trail to the gentle slope at the foot of Lantau Peak on which it lies.
REPORTING BY Sonal Kulkarni & Rachel Sadler
PHOTOS COURTESY OF Unsplash & Adobe Stock
Wisdom Path is a landscaped installation of 38 wooden columns inscribed with the Hrudaya Sutra (Heart Sutra), one of the world’s best-known Buddhist prayers. The Heart Sutra is part of the Prajnaparamita, a central concept as well as a body of sutras, or religious teachings presented in the form of short statements. As a visitor, you can explore the path in search of prajna, meaning ‘wisdom’ and paramita, meaning ‘perfection’ or simply bask in the beauty of a tranquil hillside oasis where modern art and ancient philosophy meet.
Wisdom Path originates in 2002 when the prominent sinologist, calligrapher, historian and painter Jao Tsung-I completed an original calligraphy of the Heart Sutra, and dedicated it to the people of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Government had his work carved on to wooden columns and installed at Ngong Ping. Wisdom Path has since become a national landmark, in place since 2005.
The wooden columns stand 8 to 10 metres tall, and the height and positioning of each has been designed to correspond to the hill’s natural contours. The tallest column, located at the highest point of the hill, has been intentionally left blank to suggest the concept of ‘emptiness’ (shunyata), a key theme in the Heart Sutra. What is immediately apparent is that the columns are positioned in an inverted figure eight – the symbol of infinity. In walking the path to navigate the columns, you literally pace out the infinity symbol, an auspicious thing to do since, in Chinese tradition, the number eight represents wealth and prosperity. From a more spiritual perspective, the infinity symbol is linked with rebirth and regeneration, happiness and paradise regained.
Once at the top, you are further rewarded by majestic views of Lantau Peak, Shek Pik Reservoir and the South China Sea. For many, Wisdom Path is best enjoyed at sunrise when the dawn light, symbolic of rebirth, rekindles the sculptural columns and their breath-taking views.
