Largest Jade Buddha @ Escondido Califonia ( Tuong Phat Ngoc)

The world's largest Buddha carved from gem-quality jade arrived Wednesday in Escondido to begin a two-week stay that includes a Sunday unveiling ceremony expected to attract up to 3,000 people.

"It has an enormous impact," Ian Green said about how people react to seeing the sculpture, officially called the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace. "It was in Vietnam three months, and in that time 4 million people came to see it. People were in tears."

Green is director of the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo, Australia, which commissioned the Buddha carving and organized a worldwide fundraising tour that includes Escondido as its first American stop.

The Buddha, consecrated in December by the Dalai Lama, arrived at Escondido's Phap Vuong Buddhist Monastery by truck about 6 p.m. Wednesday after a nine-hour-plus customs delay in Long Beach. A small crowd that gathered for its arrival included Buddhist monks dressed in orange robes, who bowed in respect as the container doors opened to reveal an alabaster throne and the statue, wrapped in a protective covering.

At 4 tons and nearly 9 feet high, the sculpture is the largest Buddha ever carved from gem-quality dark-green nephrite jade, although a larger one is being carved in Vietnam from light-colored jadeite.

Its final destination will be the Great Stupa, which Green explained is a mound-like building that symbolizes the Buddha's mind and contains relics. Buddha, which means "enlightened one" in Sanskrit, is the name that the spiritual teacher Siddhartha Gautama was given by his followers in about 500 B.C. and is the basis for a religion followed by 325 million people worldwide.

The jade Buddha statue was completed in 2008 after two years of carving in Thailand. The $250,000 cost of the carving and the initial $1 million purchase of the jade itself is being funded by donations and sales during the Buddha's worldwide tour.

By: GARY WARTH - gwarth@nctimes.com .
For More info please visit : http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/escondido/article_6e4c49e7-e350-5ce7-b8a2-a...

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Largest
• Jade
• Buddha
• Escondido
• Califonia
• tuong
• phat
• ngoc

[kortkiller70210]

Beautiful, just beautiful: peace for all living beings - peace for the world! Om mani padme hum!

[CharlieDoan]

thai budha? so skinny

[alcubillas1964]

Mar .... Vida ... Amar

Maravilha...

[Ryan981cp]

I saw that Jade Budda on 11/13/10.It was the last day of Phat Ngoc.And in the night every one start the celebration.Every one take pictures but in the sky there is nothing.But when you take a picture you will see buddas appear in the sky.You will not see them in the sky but in your camera when you take a picture.The Phat Ngoc was in Santa Ana.I just love the jade budda

[xsjcalix]

it in san jose now ..been there everyday ..so beautiful

[2nornor]

What is the name of this beautiful song and artist?

[justxboredx3]

i saw him five times this week! he'll be gone next wekk. :(

[dollieproductions]

@TrucLikesCurry ii went today today :) it was beautiful !

[TrucLikesCurry]

im going to see it in vancouver tomorrow morining.. so excited!

[zer0mission]

I went to see this Buddha in Haywater, VA. It was amazing.