Nirvana Memorial Park (Shah Alam) Song Villa : Series 4

Shaping the Beauty of Life and Art

Jing Yue Villa

The perfect interpretation of luxury and finery

Jing Yue Villa – the most modern artistic columbarium of the Song Villa complex – is the perfect interpretation of luxury and finery. The soothing warmth of bronze and gold allows the columbarium to reflect the sense of delineation, refinement and high sophistication of Song-style architecture – most notably the exterior wall which incorporates elements of natural landscape ink paintings – forming a harmonious synergy of people, architecture and nature that is removed from the urban hustle and bustle and an emphasis on returning to the roots.

Mankind have always had a reverence for heaven and believed that divine being reside above the Nine Heavens, thus deriving the view that “immortals are live well in lofty buildings”. Hence, people during the Han dynasty added tiers with multiple eaves to form pagodas – making them high enough to attract immortals to dwell in them – so as to gain their favour and live forever. Therefore, the pagoda was one of the earliest symbols in the quest for immortality and eternal life.

The most striking feature of the Jing Yue Villa columbarium is the segmented finial called, sōrin, found at the top of the pagoda in the form of a spire. The sōrin is divided into several sections possessing a symbolic meaning and as a whole, in turn represents a pagoda. The structure represents and honour the Buddha and is placed at the very top to – inviting one to look up – highlighting the grandeur of the building and the sacredness of Buddhism.

Water-Moon Avalokitesvara

Blessings of tranquility on all sentient beings

“Shui Yue”, means “the moon in the water”, is used in Buddhist teachings to imply that the Buddhadharma has no physical form and is free from the material world. During the Five Dynasties period, the Water-Moon Avalokitesvara was depicted as a male figure complete with a beard. In the Song dynasty, the veneration of the Water-Moon Avalokitesvara had become popular among the people and rooted in the folklore – gradually evolving into a graceful and elegant female figure, full of wisdom and compassion – with a full moon behind her which is symbolic of the Water-Moon form.

The 6-feet tall suspended Water-Moon Avalokitesvara installed at Jing Yue Villa in the Song Villa complex is the first of its kind in Malaysia. It is depicted with the right leg crossed and the left leg hanging down, with the right arm cross the chest in a relaxed and contented gesture. It transforms the traditionally solemn image of the Goddess of Mercy of the past, so she is also known as the self-realising Avalokitesvara. In addition to the symbolic meaning of bestowing protection on all sentient beings, the Water-Moon Avalokitesvara also conveys that loved ones who rest here are at peace and free from the worries of the world.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva

Vowing to help all sentients

The name of the Bodhisattva can be translated to mean “Earth Treasury”, implying being tranquil and immovable as the earth while being also Bodhisattva with compassion as vast as the earth. Ksitigarbha is also known as the Bodhisattva of Great Wisdom, Great Action, and Great Compassion, and the combination of the three can achieve the Great Vow.

The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is enshrined at Song Villa to create an exclusive haven for cultivation of departed loved ones. The Bodhisattva is depicted seated upon a lotus throne that symbolizes the purity of speech, body and mind rising above the defilements of the material world, wearing a five-leaf crown similar to that of the Vairocana Buddha and bearing a monk’s staff in which he uses to lead departed loved ones to cultivate without any hindrance, so that they may be able to fulfill their merits and virtues soon.