Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace

When we seek guidance from the teachings of the Buddha it is often his simple words and messages that have the most profound impact on our understanding of the life and messages from the teachings of the Enlightened one. 2500 years later ponder the quote and contemplate the meaning and try to live your life in the simple daily interactions we have with our fellow human beings on the short journey from our births to our endings .Go in peace - the Buddha's Face - part of our Buddhism 101 project.

Thailand's Buddha Amulet Craze - Jatukam Ramathep

At the Thai Buddhist temple at Nakhon Si Thammarat, Wat Mahathat – adverts for these Buddha amulets appeared on the side of Bangkok’s biggest skyscraper and prices for amulets blessed by Buddhist monks fetched prices between £1000 to £1500 .They were believed to give magical properties to their owners and wearers. A pyramid scheme of ever rising prices and active trading markets reached fever pitch before crashing in the way that all speculative markets eventually do. The Buddhas’ Face as part of our Buddhism 101 project details the phenomenon that gripped Thailand and the motives and consequences of this uniquely Thai phenomenon.

Read more about this strange and bizarre Thai cult in our article Thailand's Buddha Amulet Craze - Jatukam Ramathep, Buddhist Thailand's madness for amulets.

In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then beleive them to be true.

Buddha

Different Types of Buddhism and Buddhist Practice

There are four different types of Buddhist practice which are ;

• Theravadan Buddhism,
• Mahayana/Tantric Buddhism,
• Zen/Japanese/Chinese/Korean
• Pure Land / Chinese / Japanese Buddhism

The Buddha's Face Buddhism 101 Project brings you a short article on the 4 different paths that have originated from the path of one man, a prince who lived 2500 years and decided to leave his palace and seek the meaning to existence and his desire to overcome the shortcomings of the human condition.

Different types of Buddhism and Buddhist Practice.

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.

Buddha

Vietnam Lays Claims to the Largest Buddha Statue in SE Asia

More of the weird and wonderful world of Buddha statue records

This huge Buddha statue sits atop the peak of the Phat Tich Mountain in Bac Ninh Province was inaugurated on the evening of September 25^th 2010.

The Buddha statue is 60 feet high, made of stone and weighs over 3,000 tonnes. The statue was 3 years in the making and all the work was done by hand no industrial explosives were used in preparing the site.

According to the Head of the nearby Buddhist temple that initiated the project, it is the largest stone Buddha statue in Southeast Asia. The Buddha statue is that of the Amitabha Buddha statue which is a national Vietnam icon and was made of stone during the Ly dynasty.

Nowadays, in addition to the stone Amitabha Buddha statue, the temple has also kept statues of sacred animals which remain from the Ly dynasty.

From the Buddha's Face - the best choice to buy authentic Buddha Statues and Buddha Face wall art panels. Shop online with free UK delivery.

Part of our Buddhism 101 project - unrivalled source of Buddhist information on the web.

Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence. Buddha

The Gold Buddha Loudspeaker costing £30,000 !

The remit of the Buddha's Face blog was to bring you opinions,history,meanings and the culture that lies behind the history of this 2500 year old 'religion'. But it was also to report on the weird and wonderful world of the Buddha bizarre where worship or idolatry or enthusiasms morphs into something somewhat different from the pure intentions of the founder Siddhartha Gautama.

Made by a company called TON they range in price from $13,500 to a whopping fat Buddha price of $43,000 and the Buddha statue shown is covered in 23 carat gold leaf. So if you've got more money than sense or just want to worship your music in a different way then get yourself a pair.

Buddhist Culture and Other Religions including Hindu Gods and Deities

Purity lies in death or white and in particular in religious Asia culture the practice evolves and morphs into something different from the root in which it originated. Thailand is predominantly a Buddhist Nation (96% of the population) but has incorporated a number of other religious icons , practices and cultures into its spiritual 'market place' .This pick and mix ideology can sometimes seem bizarre or perverse to the western mindset but the Thai way is to have structure ,function and form to their often hard daily grind of their lives.

The most prominent influences are those that have come the settled Chinese and Indian communities and as part of the Buddha's Face Buddhism 101 Project we detail some of the influences and in particular Hindu gods and deities - the foremost of which is Ganesh or Ganesha the Hindu Elephant God.

Buddhist culture and other religions in particular Hindu gods and deities.

Garden Design, Feng Shui and the Use of Buddhas in the Garden

Increasingly in the West we are turning to eastern philosophy and wisdom to try to bring a greater sense of calm and purpose to our lives. Our gardens and natural spaces plays a key part in centering and calming the self in what is an increasingly unnatural world.

The ancient practice of Feng Shui has entered western design as a way to construct spaces that have harmony and intrinsic purpose. Nowhere can Feng Shui be more useful than in the design,planting and in the harmonious application of creating a garden.

At the Buddha's Face as part of our Buddhism 101 Project we have written an article which briefly describes the history of Feng Shui and its use and application in modern garden design.

Garden Design,Feng Shui and the Use of Buddhas in the Garden

"If you could see the miracle of a single flower clearly - then your whole life would change" The Buddha

Buddhas in Gardens - Revisited

The garden the place where we go to recuperate ,charge our batteries and interact often in a controlled nature with nature,tamed and mastered. The Buddha was lover of nature and it was under the Bodhi tree in the forest where he gained enlightenment. So it is natural that Buddhists should seek to create and nurture serene and contemplative gardens all the better to truly understand the message of the Buddha. To still the mind and stop the noise of the self even for a few moment reveals the true mastery of creation in all its attendant glory.

At the Buddha's Face as part of our Buddhism 101 project we have revisited the subject of the Garden Buddha Statues and Buddhist Garden Design.

Not forgetting of course Peter Sellers as Chance the Gardener ....

Chance the Gardener: Yes. In the garden, growth has it seasons. First comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And then we get spring and summer again.

Making Giant Buddha Statues in Thailand's Largest Buddha Factory

Ever wondered how the giant golden Buddha statues which are such a common feature in our perception of Thailand's rich Buddhist culture are made. The largest Buddha factory in Thailand is located at Nonthburi just on the outskirts of Bangkok. Huge bronze Buddha statues are cast and finished to finally end up in Thailand's temples, homes, and institutions .

As part of the Buddha's Face Buddhism 101 project we have a short article detailing this fascinating process and the steps involved in creating some of Thailand's largest Buddha statues.

Read our article Making large Buddha statues in Thailand's Largest Buddha Factory.

To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.

Buddha

Thai Buddha and Buddhist Amulets

Any visitor to Thailand cannot help but notice the widespread practice of Thais to wear amulets around their necks or display them prominently in cars and homes. They are though to protect the user from harm and provide good luck to the wearer. This is a multi million baht business with some of the oldest and most revered examples fetching 10s of thousand of pounds. As part of the Buddha's Face Buddhism 101 Project we document the history,symbolism and practice behind this fascinating tradition.

Thai Buddha Amulets

More about the practice and culture behind Thai Buddhist amulets.

Thai Buddhist Monks Donation Buckets

Thai Buddhist monks receive donations from the Buddhist lay people in many forms.one modern variant of the alms giving is a pre-packaged saffron coloured plastic bucket containing a number of simple necessities for the monks' life.These include soap,medicine,toothpaste,dried noodles and such like. By giving the donation to the monks the recipient is undertaking in Thai 'tamboon' or making merit.In the article on The Buddha's Face Buddhism 101 Project we explain in more detail this seemingly modern twist on ancient Buddhist tradition.

Thai Buddhist Monk's Donation Buckets

The best place to buy wholesale and retail Buddha statues,sculptures and wall panel decor for both the home and garden

Bespoke design available, from small buddha statues to large buddha wall art in colours from natural wood to gold ,all carved by our Buddhist artists and 100% fairtrade.

Death of the Buddha

Read more about the Death of the Buddha in our Ezine article The death of the Buddha

Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.

Buddha

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.

Buddha

Our merchant site for Buddha wall art and statues for the Home and Garden

Our Buddhism 101 project - the ultimate resource for Buddhism related information.

The History and Symbolism of Thai Buddha Images

Thailand has gone through much modernization in the last 50 years and particularly in Bangkok appears as modern and thrusting as any major western city however Buddhism still is the mainstay of daily life and culture. Numerous different representations of Buddha images, statues, amulets and many offer manifestations are still a critically important part of Thai life. Indeed every one of nearly 30,000 monasteries in the Thailand has a principal Buddha image, many of them large in size and history. In this short article as part of our Buddhism 101 project on the main Buddha’s Face merchant site we detail the rich history and symbolism behind Thai Buddha images.

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” Buddha

Our 100th Post - the Symbolism and Meaning of the Buddha's Hands

There is a zen saying "Can you hear the sound of one hand clapping" and this seems a fitting introduction to the landmark 100th post of the Buddha's Face blog. I've spent nearly a year working on this and our companion sites and during this time I have been educated,inspired and motivated to keep up the work and continue the journey.

For as the Buddha said a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and there are only two rules in life one is to start something and the second having started it then continue to the very end. Such is the journey of the Buddha's Face.

I would like to point my readers to our latest offering in the Buddhism 101 project over at the main merchant website The Buddha's Face . This is an article of the symbolism and meaning of the Buddha's hands.

Thanks for stopping by.

Love and compassion

Ian

“To receive everything, one must open one's hands and give”

Taisen Deshimaru

1930s Kobe Buddha Cigarette Card

My father as a child in the 1930s in common with most boys of that time collected cigarette cards - this particular example was produced by W.D & H.O Wills and was part of it's Wonder of the Past series. Seen below is a photo taken around the same time.

It was built 700 years ago all of welded bronze and stands 49 1\2 feet high with eyes of gold. By paying a fee you can go upstairs to top inside. It was once covered over by a temple which was destroyed by floods.

From the Buddha's Face - the best site on the web for Buddha wall art statues and decor for the home and garden.

Buddhism 101 Project - Loads More Articles

Have been very busy over at the main merchant website The Buddha's Face adding a whole bunch of new content to the Buddhism 101 Project.

Here's a list of the articles please go and take a look and leave comments - we always welcome your feedback.

Kind regards

Ian

Buddhism 101 Project New Articles

Questions about Buddhism

• What is Theravada Buddhism?
• Do Buddhists worship statues?
• How can someone become a Buddhist?
• What is the Transcendence of Suffering?
• What do Buddhist think of themselves?
• What is the Middle Way?
• Unhelpful Questions
• The Sun is Always Out
• Two Sides of the same Coin

More Questions about Buddhism

• Where do Buddhist Stand on Issues?
• What is Samsara?
• What is Nirvana?
• What did the Buddha believe about Past and Future Lives?
• How like the Buddha can you show Love for All Beings?

Even more Questions About Buddhism!

• Introduction to Buddhism Video
• What is Karma?

Parables of the Buddha and the Path to Enlightenment

• The Parable of the Burning House
• The Parable of the Father and his Prodigal Son

Thai Buddha Amulets

Thai Buddhist Monks Alms Bowls

Thai Buddhist Monks Ceremonial Fans

Thai Votive Tablets

Thai Buddhist Monk's Chairs

I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.

Buddha

Complete index to the Buddha's Face Blog

NOW UPDATED TO NOVEMBER 2009

Over on the main Buddha's Face merchant website we have created a complete index of all our blog entries to date and will update it periodically to reflect new pages that we add over here.We hope you find our family of information on our blog,our you tube channel and twitter feed useful - please feel free to contact us with any suggestions or comments.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.

Buddha

The best place to buy wholesale and retail Buddha statues,sculptures and wall panel decor for both the home and garden

Bespoke design available, from small buddha statues to large buddha wall art in colours from natural wood to gold ,all carved by our Buddhist artists and 100% fairtrade.

The Buddha's Face You Tube Channel passes 20,000 views

Our companion You Tube channel goes from strength to strength and we are delighted to announce the channel has just passed the 20,000 views mark. Our original content created exclusively for the Buddha's Face celebrates the teachings,inspiration,compassion and wisdom of the Buddha. Using contemporary music and compelling images and words we hope to reach out to the community of the web and ask the question why are we here ,what is the purpose of our life's journey and how we can interact and change the interior dialogue of our lives.

To all who have visited and shared our vision and left comments or favourited our videos we extend a warm and heartfelt thank you, and to all who spent some of their precious time we hope it was time well spent.

Our life's journey is too short and to show compassion and love to those who journey alongside with us is a noble path and the one who left the splendours and riches of the palace two and a half thousand years ago and through his journey left us with his words,teachings and followers reaches down through the ages and is ever more relevant.

With love from the Buddha's Face

I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.

Buddha

The best place to buy wholesale and retail Buddha statues,sculptures and wall panel decor for both the home and garden

Bespoke design available, from small buddha statues to large buddha wall art in colours from natural wood to gold ,all carved by our Buddhist artists and 100% fairtrade.

The Garden of a Thousand Buddha Statues

Every year the Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche along with the surrounding community celebrates the central tenet of the teachings of the Buddha at his site of a thousand Buddhas and has just has its sixth anniversary. This is place of spiritual pilgrimage where all people of whatever faith can come and find their inner peace and harmony and connect with others on the same quest. The focus is on creating a thousand Buddha statues though the act itself is not the point the purpose is by bringing together many people with a common purpose and goal and sharing these values then this brings an abundance of positive energy into the world.When it is complete the garden will have a thousand Buddha statues , one thousand trees and one thousand stupas along with healing herb garden, a pond and reflective walkways.At the current time there are 600 Buddha statues and eventually they will be arranged in the shape of the dhamma wheel and the Dalai Lama himself has accepted the invitation to bless the garden once it has reached its final goal of 1000 Buddha statues.

We at the Buddha's Face applaud this noble project and wish it best wishes that it may achieve it's goal of reaching a 1000 Buddhas and in doing so inspire the many who come along on the project and find there own lessons and values from engaging with the others on a similar journey.

Read Part 2 of The Garden of a Thousand Buddhas

Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.

Buddha

The best place to buy wholesale and retail Buddha statues,sculptures and wall panel decor for both the home and garden

Bespoke design available, from small buddha statues to large buddha wall art in colours from natural wood to gold ,all carved by our Buddhist artists and 100% fairtrade.

http://ewambuddhagarden.org/

BBC website on Buddhism and news of a new BBC documentary

As ever the BBC provides the gold standard for its products and services. I've just come across the BBC web sites information on Buddhism and the Buddha - you can find it here.

The BBC is planning a major new multi-part documentary on Buddhism in the autumn -I'm currently trying to find out more information about this and as soon as I do will create a new blog entry to bring you up to date.

I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.
Buddha

This is part of the Buddha's Face 101 Project

The Buddha's Face

The best place to buy wholesale and retail Buddha statues,sculptures and wall panel decor for both the home and garden

Bespoke design available, from small buddha statues to large buddha wall art in colours from natural wood to gold ,all carved by our Buddhist artists and 100% fairtrade.

Buddha Bar Indonesia Part 2

As we mentioned in a previous post the Buddha Bar in Jakarta Indonesia has been threatened with closure by the Indonesian authorities as they regard it as a blasphemous use of the sacred Buddha image.

Whilst Indonesia is now overwhelmingly Muslim in religion it has in history an illustrious Buddhist past as I documented in our Buddhism 101 project about the temple in Borobudur and mirrors the Fat Buddha restaurant controversy .

Buddhists by there very nature and beliefs are hugely tolerant and non-violent in nature. Buddhism is more a philosophy and a personal road map to happiness and enlightenment than a belief in a God 'out there' to be slavishly obeyed.

The subject of selling Buddhas is also controversial to some seeing it as a design lifestyle image rather than an object of sacred devotion. At the Buddha's Face we have a simple credo we sell images of beauty and inspiration which owe their meaning ultimately to the life and teachings of the Buddha. The Buddha's teachings have at their heart the message of wisdom ,infinite love and compassion. So if by buying these images they help their owner to have a calmer more contemplative life and maybe even begin a journey to discover the man behind the images then that is a job well done and nothing to be ashamed of. It is certainly the effect they have had on me as I began this journey being captivated by their beauty and calm serenity.

Enjoy,Be Inspired !

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.

Buddha

The best place to buy wholesale and retail Buddha statues,sculptures and wall panel decor for both the home and garden

Bespoke design available, from small buddha statues to large buddha wall art in colours from natural wood to gold ,all carved by our Buddhist artists and 100% fairtrade.

Indonesia and the Buddha Bar

The global bar and restaurant chain opened in Indonesia's capital city just over 2 years ago - and was the first opening in Asia move into Asia. However a district court has just ruled that the club offends Buddhists ordered its closure and made it pay pay $111,000 in fines.

“We’re going to keep operating while waiting for the response from the French owner,” the popular venue’s manager said. The bar is considering an appeal, which could last for years in Indonesia’s notoriously slow and corrupt courts.

The bar is situated in a beautifully renovated colonial building in the high-end Menteng neighbourhood, Buddha-Bar draws affluent Jakartans to its upmarket plush sofas and cocktails. the issue however is its centrepiece icon, a giant statue of the Buddha , and of course its name and has drawn protests from Indonesian student groups who believe such use of religious symbols is offensive.

The Buddha Bar chain has never been publically targeted elsewhere by Buddhist groups and it’s interesting that the suit has been lodged in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation - where the followers of Buddhism are minuscule. The lawyer for the bar said the suit should not even have been filed in a civil court, but rather in a trade court.

“We’re satisfied with the verdict”, Sukman, who led the campaign for the bar’s closure and is part of the Anti-Buddha Bar group behind the lawsuit quoted as saying “We demand that the operating license be revoked, even before the court ruling is legally binding. ”

That said the bar could remain open for years as the verdict will not be enforced until all legal options have completed and this could take years. In the meantime, the controversy doesn’t seem to have hurt the Buddha-Bar’s business and the publicity has ensured the bar has never been more popular.

This is part of the Buddha's Face 101 Project

The Buddha's Face

The best place to buy wholesale and retail Buddha statues,sculptures and wall panel decor for both the home and garden

Bespoke design available, from small buddha statues to large buddha wall art in colours from natural wood to gold ,all carved by our Buddhist artists and 100% fairtrade.

The Buddha's Face blog is back

After a well earned holiday break the Buddha's Face blog is back to bring you interesting and unusual news about the Buddha,Buddhism and its practice from around the world. Over at the Buddha's Face merchant shop we will have a busy autumn as much of our new stock of Buddha wall art, statues and sculptures for the home and garden are added to the website. Our sales for August reached a new record as we welcome many more new friends to the site who discover the range and quality of our Fair trade carved Buddha images to be some of the best on the web.

Please come over and browse we are sure you will fall in love and be inspired by their timeless beauty,outstanding craftsmanship and affordable prices.

Beauty is the gift of God - Aristotle

This is part of the Buddha's Face 101 Project

The Buddha's Face

The best place to buy wholesale and retail Buddha statues,sculptures and wall panel decor for both the home and garden

Bespoke design available, from small buddha statues to large buddha wall art in colours from natural wood to gold ,all carved by our Buddhist artists and 100% fairtrade.