https://i.redd.it/mkrsk8i39xge1.jpeg
created by The_Temple_Guy on 03/02/2025 at 15:03 UTC
31 upvotes, 7 top-level comments (showing 7)
Comment by Zwierzycki at 03/02/2025 at 15:10 UTC
31 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Don’t worry. They are simple concrete or stone. They are impermanent and would have fallen to the sands of time anyway. The real Buddha is within you.
Comment by Sneezlebee at 03/02/2025 at 15:34 UTC
18 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Someone did something similar to the statues at Magnolia Grove in Mississippi. Many of them now have a little cement “necklace” where the heads were re-attached.
Vandalism like this is unfortunate, but it’s all part and parcel of Samsara!
Comment by kurlicue at 03/02/2025 at 17:38 UTC
6 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I'm not a historian and could be wrong on this, but I see these acts being against Buddhism the-geopolitical-institution in China carried out by a competing ideological group fighting for geopolitical influence and power, rather than an attack motivated by hate against Buddhist values, which certainly caused much unnecessary suffering to people who happened to be Buddhists
Comment by jkpatches at 03/02/2025 at 17:04 UTC
6 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I can understand being upset for the loss in historical or artistic terms, but I fear that the tears are misplaced if they were shed for religious reasons.
Comment by AcanthisittaNo6653 at 03/02/2025 at 19:08 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
There's a difference between rebirth and reincarnation for statuary also.
Comment by sunnybob24 at 04/02/2025 at 03:42 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Indeed. Communism did and continues to destroy the world's Buddhist heritage. From the Buddha statues with their eyes carved out in Dating to the mummified body of Zen Master HuiNeng that was torn apart, the cultural revolution was terrible. In the last 20 years, much more has been destroyed in a process called restoring it to death
Beijing pays regional governments to upgrade tourist spots. So, for example, the famous Guanghua Temple had its ancient tower demolished and replaced with cheap poured concrete. I've seen temples pulled apart in front of me. I wanted to take some tiles or timber, but if I was found with these objects I'd be arrested.
Comment by samsathebug at 04/02/2025 at 04:12 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
My guess is that it was the work of black market antiquities dealers. Often just heads are taken because it's easier to transport them than the entire statue or it's impossible to take the entire statue.
