Monk Haitong came from Guizhou Province. When he arrived Lingyun Temple in Jiazhou (today's Leshan County), he saw the torrents roaring in the river under the cliff and heard that there were frequent shipwrecks at the spot. He felt pity about that so monk Haitong decided to build a Buddha statue there to control the floods and to promote Buddhism among local people. He traveled along the Yangtze River to explain the spirit of Buddhism and collect donation from the buddhists and ordinary people as well.
Here is a true story of him. When he came back from Yangtze River range with large funds, a local evil official wanted his money. Monk Haitong refused and said, I would rather gouge out my eyes than give you a penny! Then the evil official shouted, gouge out your eyes immediately! Monk Haitong dug out one of his eyes. This behavior greatly encouraged craftsmen and workers, making the construction go on smoothly.
In 713, construction of the giant stone Buddha at Leshan began under Haitong supervision. In the Tang Dynasty, people worshipped Maitreya, regarding him as the symbol of a bright future. Haitong first asked the craftsmen to make a small sample statue of Maitreya. Then he surveyed the mountain rocks and rivers to locate its position. Finally, the construction began. The construction of the giant Buddha was a complicated process. Thousands of iron hammers rose and fell in the work field, and the big rocks tumbled to the ground with a sound like thunder. The construction lasted several years and cost a large sum of money. Unfortunately Haitong died and the construction had to stop.
Eleven years later, Zhangqiu Jianqiong, who was serving as the local governor, donated all his salary to restart it. The massive project won Support from Emperor Xuanzong who spent a great deal of tax money on it. But the projects stopped again because Zhangqiu Jianqiong was promoted to central court and left Sichuan.
It was 40 years later when Wei Gao was appointed governor here that he made project recommended. Colors were applied to make the statue appear more beautiful and glorious. The giant stone Buddha stands firmly as if sent from heaven. The colors on its body harmonize with the Surrounding environment, making it look more approachable yet at the same time powerful, dignified and worthy of respect.To protect the giant Buddha, a seven-storey pavilion was built into the mountain as a covering. Lasted for 90 years the project was finally completed in 803.
