Joy is a Pavillion!

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Joy is a Pavillion!

Pic taken at Ipoh Cave Temple, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. 2009)

The pavillion up the lime stone hill in Perak Tong, a Buddhist Cave Temple in Ipoh, Perak, dwarfs compared to the recently unveiled Kuan Yin or Goddess of Mercy Pavilion in Penang. The latter is a gargantuan pavillion at Kek Lok Si Temple, another popular Buddhist temple in Malaysia. At 82.7 meters tall, it has the height equivalent to a 20-storey building and reportedly is on the way to becoming the world's tallest pavillion. Nevertheless, the one in Ipoh is a joy to the tired eyes!

Witness the unveiling of the Goddess of Mercy Pavillion in Penang...




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Comments

Anonymous said…
Grand ceremony! Promoting Buddhism or promoting Tourism?

I believe with the amount of money spent we could buy tons of foodstuff and build many shelters for the unfortunate people.

Can building a huge religious statue help to reduce the " Suffering " of all beings?

Are the temple using the money of the devotees for the right cause? I have no answer to it. Anyone can share their view?
January 26, 2010 at 10:19 PM
footiam said…
Yes, I do think a lot of money could be spent to buy footstuff. That would be feeding the hungry. The great statue is more to feed the hungry human spiritl, I suppose. Maybe too, it is for the future generations to have something to look back to. There used to be Buddhists in Afghanistan if you consider that there was once great statues called the Bamiyan Buddhas there. Who would know if not for them? They must have cost a bomb when they were built and could have fed a whole nation. That would also be giving the people fish when it would be cheaper and wiser to teach them just to fish.Using all the money in the world to feed the hungry is not an issue then. If there is any qualms over that, then we should also focus on the wastage of food we see everyday in fast food outlet, hawker centres etc and the amount of food we sometimes hoard. The building of temples and statues perhaps also give a point of focus where one could go to to learn to fish spiritually.All said, this post is not to promote either Buddhism or tourisms. It is more for the pleasure of seeing.
January 26, 2010 at 10:41 PM
Liudmila said…
Jesus Christ said, a person is alive not only with bread. Something like this. Unfortunatelly, we can't help all. It's a tragedy. And maybe it was better, if a public dining hall would be built with that money. But a dining hall needs much work all the time it exists -and is destroyed at the end. A pavillon needs less cures and lasts for more time...
January 27, 2010 at 1:30 AM
Anonymous said…
No worries. I do understand your post is not either promoting Buddhism or Tourism.

Yes. I do agree with your view that we should teach people to fish rather than to give them the fish everyday. I was wondering why can't the temple use the money to give the unfortunate people the fish or teach the unfortunate people to fish?

Did Buddha advise the buddhists to build huge statue or did HE advise the buddhists to learn and practise what he had taught?

Lastly, thank you very much for the great sharings.
January 27, 2010 at 7:12 AM
footiam said…
I would like to believe that there are temples doing just that - feeding people and teaching people to fish; I read about Tsu Shih (or something that sounds like that) helping the earthquake victims in Haiti without strings attached. The organisation from Taiwan supposedly does charity work around the world to everyone irrespective of race or religion and with no obligations; but the fact that I can't really remember the name of the organisation is because there is not much publicity about it. Doing good deeds needs no publicity.But then it is a fact that some of the ceremonies in temples are too lavish when the money could really help ease hunger. I would like to think it is the man behind the temple who does that, and then, of course, there probably is an important need to ease this hunger of the spirit, too. People need to feel that they have achieved something and need some form of ceremony to grasp on.Easing the hunger of the stomach would not be easing sufferings too anyhow, if the mind is suffused with dirt.I would think that Buddha did not ask people to make big statues, not even little ones. If I have remember right, the first Buddha statue was made by the Greeks. They must be Buddhist, I suppose or some people must have comissioned them; but really, that's not important. As you put it, learn and practise what Buddha taught is more important. But since the statues are here to stay, let's just enjoy the beauty! If people want to make big ones- since we are not capable oft joining them, let's then applaud them for creating such great piece of art and for leaving evidence to the future world that tells of the once great spirit of man which most probably was inspired by a great religion too.
And thank you too for letting me share.
January 27, 2010 at 11:18 PM
footiam said…
Liudmila,Let god do the worrying! If he doesn't help all, who are we to help all?
February 5, 2010 at 10:23 PM
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