Three Buddhas

Six Banyan Temple (Liu Rong Si), Guangzhou

From left to right, the Buddhas in the main image hall are: Amitabha, Shakyamuni, and Bhaisajyaguru (the Medicine Buddha; see Chinese Deities for unfamiliar names). These impressive gilt bronze specimens were created in 1663; each is 6m (18ft) tall and weighs 10 tons. Many books identify the above three as the Buddhas of the past, present, and future respectively. However, the latter designation is best reserved for a different triad consisting of Prabhutaratna (past), Shakyamuni (present), and Maitreya (future).