Sunday, February 22, 2015

A not at all silent Sunday with the Leshab Giant Buddha





Haunting History of:
The Leshan Giant Buddha ,Sichuan , China,
A very spiritual place....
Construction was started in 713, led by a Chinese monk named Haitong. He hoped that the Buddha would calm the turbulent waters that plagued the shipping vessels traveling down the river and stop the deaths of so many boat people during the monsoon season.Tempestuous waters ensured that boat accidents were numerous and the people put the disaster down to the presence of a water spirit. ...So Hai Tong decided to carve a statue beside the river thinking that the Buddha would bring the water spirit under control.
. When funding for the project was threatened, he is said to have gouged out his own eyes to show his piety and sincerity. After his death, however, the construction was stuck due to insufficient funding. About 70 years later, a jiedushi decided to sponsor the project and the construction was completed by Haitong's disciples in 803.

Apparently the massive construction resulted in so much stone being removed from the cliff face and deposited into the river below that the currents were indeed altered by the statue, making the water safe for passing ships.
He has been lovingly maintained on a regular basis throughout his 1,200-year history, but is still a bit mossy.
The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below his feet. It is the largest stone Buddha in the world and it is by far the tallest pre-modern statue in the world.
Mount Emei is an area of striking scenic beauty. It is also of great spiritual and cultural importance because of its role in the introduction of Buddhism into China. The conscious siting of so many of the cultural monuments, particularly of traditional architecture, within the natural environment makes it a cultural landscape of very high order.
VIDEO here >
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMHgw4Of2uc
Photo 1 by www.onthegotours.com-
Photo 2 by www.buddhistpeople.com- The-statue-seen-from-the-water
Photo 3 by humanandnatural.com-
Photo 4 by mmletloose.wordpress.com-





 
 

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