A ceremony was held at Hoang Phuc Pagoda in the central province of Quang Binh on March 27 to receive the world’s largest Buddha statue, made of jade. The statue will be on show at the pagoda through April 5 and then come to other northern localities.
The “Jade Buddha for Peace” statue was carved from gemstone-quality jade called Polar Pride discovered in northern Canada in 2000. Ian Green, an Australian Buddhist, invited artisans from Nepal, India and Thailand to carve the statue in Thailand.
The statue is modelled on the Siddhartha Gautama Buddha statue inside the Mahabodhi Stupa in India’s Bodh Gaya. It stands 2.7m tall, weighs four tonnes and sits on a 1.4m-high solid alabaster throne. Its size and beauty make it a wonder of the world.
The statue was first displayed in various pagodas in Vietnam such as in the central city of Da Nang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Thap in the south, as well as the northern province of Bac Ninh in 2009.
It was then moved to Australia before it toured the US in 2010, Europe in 2011 and Asia in 2012.
According to Venerable Thích Đức Thiện, Abbot of Hoang Phuc Pagoda, the statue was first displayed in Vietnam as “the Vietnamese people love peace and believe in Buddhism, and thanks to the great support of Vietnamese enterprises in Australia.”
After its exhibition in Vietnam this year, the Jade Buddha will be permanently installed in Australia.
Hoang Phuc, a national historical relic, is an ancient pagoda associated with King Monk Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308), the third king of the Tran Dynasty (1226-1400) and founder of the Truc Lam Zen Buddhist sect.
The pagoda was originally called Tri Kien (or Kinh Thien). It is located in Thuan Trach Village in Le Thuy district’s My Thuy commune.
Source: http://en.vietnamplus.vn/
