The Buddha's Face - www.thebuddhasface.co.uk

Saturday, 15 January 2011

Statue of the Buddha which looks like Adolf Hitler !

This Buddha statue from the remote land-locked region of India called Sikkim is notorious for having similar features to that of one of the most monstrous dictators the world has ever seen - Germany's Adolf Hitler. It wasn't enough that the Nazis stole (and reversed) that ancient symbol for peace - the Swastika - but his image lives on in a symbol of peace ,wisdom and compassion.

Not everybody can see the likeness which is fortunate and I imagine the good people of Sikkim are oblivious to the potential sinister connotations that this wonderful statue has to certain western minds.

Hitler and Buddhism from our blog previously.

All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain? Buddha

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.

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Buddha Statues and Images in Gardens - Revisited

In the UK the long dark days of January are ideal ones to contemplate the coming shape and nature of your garden particularly once spring comes and the hibernating plants spring into magical life. Consider buying a Buddha statue or Buddha wall hanging and integrate this into garden design. We have written extensively on the subjects of gardens before at the Buddha's face and I have put together a little Picasa web show at the top of this article to give you some suggestions.

Whatever you do respect the Buddha image and contemplate on his serene features and if you can his message of peace,love ,wisdom and compassion.

Have a great day - with love from the Buddha's Face.

Snow and Ice Buddha Statues and Snowmen

Snow and Ice is not something we normally associate with Buddha images,which is why I find the following collection of images so interesting. Our You Tube Buddhas' Face channel just goes from strength to strength now with well over 40,000 hits so to celebrate this auspicious occasion I have collected some fine and interesting images of Buddha statues and sculptures where the Buddha is made out of frozen water be it snow or ice from around the world.

They seem to particularly well represent the Buddha saying 'Nothing is permanent' for as soon as the temperature rises on the ice or snow sculpture then they will disappear into water - similar to the transient nature of the Tibetan sand mandalas of which we have blogged before.

Hope you enjoy the sideshow - the music is by Lisa Gerrard - which we have used before on the Buddha's Face - play in HD for the bests sound and images.

Friday, 14 January 2011

Offering Fruit to the Buddha in Singapore and China

Buddhist devotees particularly in Asia feel regular prostrations to Buddha images in temples and praying for supplication should be accompanied by making offerings to the Buddha. In the picture above we see large amounts of fresh fruit being offered (it may well be at harvest time) in this Buddhist temple in Singapore. In this case apples,oranges and bananas seem to be the dominant fruit.

They often make these offerings in order to create a mood of positive energy and develop personal qualities such as offering with a respectful attitude and gratitude.

To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.

Buddha

Amazing Buddha Shaped Pears - Holy Fruit from China

This is the sort of story the Buddha's Face really loves and builds on from our recent blog concerning the citrus fruit known as The Buddha's Hands. Gao Xianzhang a farmer from northern China spent six years perfecting his technique and has produced nearly 10,000 Buddha shaped fruit since he began. The baby fruit are enclosed inside his aerated plastic Buddha moulds which as they grow and push against the plastic barrier take on the shape of the mould.

People believe they bring good luck and fortune and will pay up to $7 a piece for each pear. They have certainly brought good fortune to this innovative Chinese farmer.

“Thirst for existence, O monks, has a specific condition, it is nourished by something, it also does not go without support. And what is that nourishment? It is ignorance.” Buddha

Harry Potter and Buddhism - the Order of the Phoenix

It has been remarked that many Hollywood movies have a 'subliminal' Buddhism theme about growing up , facing the realities of existence and overcoming them to achieve personal liberation and enlightenment.

Previously at the Buddha's Face blog we have written about the Buddhist parables allegedly contained in Peter Seller's last movie Being There and Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. So it should come as no surprise that one of the world's most popular movie franchises - the Harry Potter series has similar claims.

In this well written and thought inspiring contribution from the Buddhist Channel the author maintains that ultimately like us all Harry Potter will have to die but he can overcome death and reach Nirvana if he faces himself and understand the nature of his existence - like the Phoenix in the title of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - he will be reborn !

Even death is not to be feared from one who has lived wisely The Buddha

Amazing Buddha heads made entirely from matchsticks

These amazing Buddha head statues are made entirely from matchsticks and then painted. This meticulous and painstaking work must have taken an incredible time to pull off and is usually the hobbies of prisoners or old folk who have a lot of time on their hands. Just keep them away from naked flames.

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

Buddha

Ageing Stone Buddha Statues for the Garden

Weathered Buddha Head covered with moss

Many Buddha statues are today made from stone , cement or concrete and are designed to be displayed to best effects outdoors often in gardens. The Buddha's face has written comprehensively on this subject before such as The Use of Buddhas in Garden Design as well as other articles. One subject we haven't touched on before though is how to age the statues so they fit into and blend naturally into your garden landscape. Cement and concrete in particular can look quite harsh when it is freshly made and at odds with the natural order you are trying to create.

That is where the us of natural (un-preserved ) yogurt can be most useful in accelerating the process of 'naturalisation. It is important to use unpreserved as the sue of preservative chemicals in the more processed varieties will effectively act as a poison and prevent quick and luxuriant growth.

Another tip if it is a Buddha head say which you want to weather and age is to immerse it in a garden pond for a week or so. The porous material will soak up water rand algae present in the pond water and once removed from the pond will take on a aged natural hue.

Amazing Buddha Images - The Tablet Buddha

Today is a day to bring more of the weird and wonderful regarding the Buddha image as it impacts on the creativity and ingenuity of human beings. The Buddha and the Buddhist way can be fairly seen as a panacea for most of the problems of human existence but also as a path to good health. Following the Five precepts and eschewing drugs and alcohol as well as a good diet and way of mind as Buddhist hope to practice is your best guarantee of good health and a purposeful long life. For everything else there's MasterCard or pop a pill to get better.

Rather perversely for my taste the picture above is of a Buddha head covered entirely with pills - whatever will they think of next a Buddha made out from syringes. (hurries off to the web to find out!).

Without health life is not life; it is only a state of langour and suffering - an image of death.

Buddha

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.

Visit our Buddhism 101 Enlightenment Project

Ancient Buddha Statues unearthed in Afghanistan

Afghani worker carries away excavated dirt for the Buddhist temple site

A small ancient Buddha statue is found

Remarkably preserved Afghanistan Buddha statues in the Greek style

At a Chinese copper mine in Afghanistan some remarkable Buddha images and statues are being recovered from the dirt. The monastery is thought to be well over 2000 years old and some of the artifacts as can be seen from the pictures are in remarkable condition. The Kabul government are allowing 3 years for the full extent of the site to be adequately excavated and preserved so as to preserve what little this troubled country has from its Buddhist past. One of the Buddha statues is over 10 feet tall and the site is so extensive that some excavators fear it would take a decade or more to fully reveal and preserved for posterity the entirety of the site which is at Mes Aynak which lies 20 miles south of Afghanistan's capital city Kabul. You can see more on the video on You Tube from Reuters.

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

Buddha

Buddha Air - Come Fly with Me

Buddha Air is the State owned mainly domestic airline based in Kathmandu in Nepal which started in 1997. Nepal is of course a Buddhist country so it is in honour of the religions founder that they named the airline after him. I did try to access their website when writing thius blog to get more information but it would appear to be down. So maybe I'll stick to Thai Air in the future !

Thursday, 13 January 2011

The Buddha's Hand - Strange Looking Citrus Fruit !

This strange looking South East Asian fruit is called the Buddha's Hand as it looks like the outstretched hand of a monk begging alms on his alms round. It grows predominantly in Asia and fruits from a shrub or small tree. It has a very thick skin and a delightful fragrance and as a consequence the peel is used as a fragrance for perfuming rooms and clothing.

As a result of it's name and association is is also used as a devotional offering in Buddhist temples and the version of the fruit where the 'hand' appear to be closed is preferred as they seem to be in prayer.

The Buddha in Thailand by Bhupen Khakhar

The renowned Indian painter who painted the above picture The Buddha in Thailand has seen his work become collectible and increase dramatically in value. In 2002 when the picture was painted he sold it for $8963 - a princely sum even then. In the next 8 years the picture has risen considerably in value and recently was sold by Christies for a whopping $52500 - a massive increase in appreciation of 486 %. The Buddha who was against the depiction of his image to avoid idolatry and eschewed wealth having been a prince who renounced his earthly power and wealth would not have approved.

Still it is a great painting !

Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind. Buddha `

Buddha App for the Iphone

At the Buddha's Face we are committed to bringing you the latest news about the Buddha and Buddhism from around the web.Today what has been the cutting edge of cool - Apple's IPhone now has a daily motivational Buddha inspiration called the Pocket Buddha for a wallet beating price of $0.99. Sadly (or otherwise) the Buddha's Face doesn't have an IPhone so we can't vouch for it - however an article over at iphonefootrpint seems to like it and recommends it to everyone.

Would the Buddha have had an IPhone - most probably not and nor would he need one but anything is this crowded and sometimes seemingly chaotic world that helps the Buddha's timeless wisdom and message from down the ages to be shared with the human race has got be a good thing - is it not !

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”

Sunday, 2 January 2011

Buddhist Jokes and Humour - New Video from the Buddha's Face

Previously we have blogged about Buddhist jokes and humour - so I decided to trawl the web for the best Buddhist and Buddha cartoons and put them into a musical sideshow along with two classic clips from the Simpsons as a latest exclusive feature for our You tube channel - now with over 38,000 views in the last year.

Hope you enjoy them if you do please give me the sound of one hand clapping as a thanks !

Buddha's Face Picasa Slideshow

At the Buddha's Face we maintain a Picasa web album to store product images and other photos we use in this blog. There is nifty little widget which enables you to embed a slideshow - hope you enjoy the images. Happy New Year from the Buddha's Face - 50% Statue sale still on !

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

Saturday, 1 January 2011

Buddhism and the Simpsons - Lisa does Dhamma

The Simpsons have had a go at just about everything during the 2 decades of the show - in one memorable episode Lisa becomes a Buddhist. Series 22 Episode 25 for those that keep the score ! Enjoy.

"Lord Buddha, I know I'm not suppose to want stuff, but c'mon"

The Buddha's Face

Buddhism Cartoon - Enlightenment Rocks !

Cue the sound of one hand clapping !

The Buddha's Face

More Amazing 3D Buddha Stereograms

One of our most popular blog entries here at the Buddha Face was our 3 Dimensional stereograms of the Buddha image - so to celebrate their popularity I've tracked down another couple beautiful examples of the genre. So sit back , stare and go cross eyed and let the image of the Lord Buddha leap out from the screen.

In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.

Buddha

The Buddha's Face

Happy New Year - The Fifth Buddhist Precept and hangovers !

Some of us may be feeling the worse for wear today so it is worth remembering one of the five Buddhist precepts.

Buddhist practice seeks wisdom as its goal. Ingesting intoxicating substances such as alcohol can cause us to lose our senses as well as being harmful to our health. It can also lead us into other ways that can harm others .

So the fifth Buddhist precept is based on respect for our own mental well-being and keeping control of our mind and keeping clarity of insight and vision.

So if a hangover is the way you've started the year - resolve to have strength and purpose for the new year but don't beat yourself up too much - to err is human - to seek a purer path and ultimate happiness is the Buddhist goal.

Good luck for all your new year wishes - it is you who will make them come true.

Happy New Year !

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”The Buddha

The Buddha's Face