There’s been a lot of bad karma running loose in the past
week or so over many aspects of my life. This made me hanker for the serenity,
calmness and stoicism that we found in the Buddhist cultures of Sri Lanka and Thailand
on recent holidays.
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| A Little Buddha |
Most of the temples we visited had an interesting mix of
devotion, peace and joy that seemed at odds to the piousness and severity of so
many Christian churches and cathedrals.
The picture above was taken in the Grand Palace complex in Bangkok. We were on our way to see the famous Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, a stop on our first day of sightseeing in the city. Our guide led us around the maze of impressive and beautiful buildings until we came to a little workshop where craftsmen were applying gold leaf to small statues and figurines. He proudly announced that here was the giant Reclining Buddha, much to the consternation of my children who were expecting something much bigger and impressive. He then burst into giggles and soon led us around to see the real Reclining Buddha. Which was much bigger, much more golden, and much more impressive. But I liked our little Buddha; it seemed to speak of peace, calm and devotion in a way that was more tangible than the its giant counterpart.
The picture above was taken in the Grand Palace complex in Bangkok. We were on our way to see the famous Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, a stop on our first day of sightseeing in the city. Our guide led us around the maze of impressive and beautiful buildings until we came to a little workshop where craftsmen were applying gold leaf to small statues and figurines. He proudly announced that here was the giant Reclining Buddha, much to the consternation of my children who were expecting something much bigger and impressive. He then burst into giggles and soon led us around to see the real Reclining Buddha. Which was much bigger, much more golden, and much more impressive. But I liked our little Buddha; it seemed to speak of peace, calm and devotion in a way that was more tangible than the its giant counterpart.
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| The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho |
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