The many faces of Buddha
This week, while we're still in our unstructured time waiting for my work permit to come through, Candice and I have each taken some to time to get out of the house. Yesterday I decided to visit two of the more famous Bangkok wats that we hadn't seen yet - Wat Benchamabophit (The Marble Temple) and Wat Saket.
Wat Benchamabophit has a large collection of Buddha images - and it was very interesting to see the variety. Some of them are originals that were found in various ancient temples and others are reproductions of famous images from around Asia. Each culture has its own version of the Buddha and he is sculpted in a variety of postures. I'm still learning about this, but I think that there are 7 primary postures - one for each day of the week. Every Thai person would know what day of the week they were born on and would then have a special affinity for that particular Buddha posture.
I enjoy visiting wats - they are peaceful and quiet and the sculptures, paintings, and architecture are beautiful. They often contrast drastically with their surroundings in those respects. I'm also intrigued by them because of the tremendous spiritual importance they have for the Thai people. Of course I don't share in that belief system or cultural heritage, but I have respect for many of the ideals that the wat represents.
A Pakistani Buddha - during his ascetic phase.
In this posture he is imploring his relatives to live peacefully.
Two very different Japanese Buddhas
This was my favorite - a Burmese Buddha
-Tom
Comments
Thanks for the visuals that accompany the description. This is a fascinating contrast to our location!
Posted by: J | August 5, 2007 11:02 PM
Mast family. It has been very interesting reading your blog. You both do a great job of presenting your ministry each time I read it.
I did not know that Budda had so many faces.
God Bless you in Thiland. We are praying that everything works out for Tom to get a work permit.
Posted by: Bob Z | August 7, 2007 02:04 AM
Hi! My name is Beth Miller.. I will actually be coming to Thailand with the Reach team towards the end of November. I have enjoyed scrolling down your page, reading through some of the entries. I didn't not realize there were so many versions of Budda either! I am looking forward to the opportunity God has given me, to come to Thailand.
I just wanted to say hi.. and let you know i am praying for you (even though we do not really know eachother..)
Hope you have a wonderful evening. I look foward to possibly meeting you in Thailand!
(Any wisedom you have to share while I prepare would be appreciated!) =)
Posted by: Beth Miller | August 9, 2007 10:36 AM
Hello Masts!
I just thought I'd write and let you know I think it's high time for an update! Any pics of Anita? How are things going?
Posted by: Rebekah | August 9, 2007 11:14 PM
Nice pics. I think I like the Burmese Buddha and Peaceful Buddha the best. Very interesting. I'll have to find which position I should have an affinity for.
Posted by: Philip | August 10, 2007 09:54 AM