Because I didn't know how far away he actually was, I googled it. What did we do before google?? Four miles to the Big Buddha, no problem. I put on my running shoes, grabbed my phone, my keys, some cash, and my nalgene. I left at noon. The day was grey and overcast, it has been raining the last two days, so I figured at some point i'd get caught in a shower but i'll take my chances. I decided I would not look at the time as I made my trip, when I get there, I get there, I told myself. The Thai people strongly identify with their religion, Theravada Buddhism (the oldest surviving branch of Buddhism) is most popular here in the southern end of the country. From what I understand, Buddhism is more than a religion, it is a philosophy, "love of wisdom." This path includes leading a moral life, developing wisdom and understanding, and being mindful and aware of thoughts and actions. The last one is what I was focused on today.
Off I went, not knowing what to expect or if it would really take me an hour to get there, if I even found it. Planning doesn't seem to be a big part of the culture here, so I tried to maintain the belief that whatever happens, happens.
The first leg of the trip was leisurely. There was so much nearby that Carey and I had not yet seen because our world for the last two days has been from our apartment building out to the main road and all that it has to offer. In the opposite direction, away from the main road lie more restaurants, bars, a hair salon, laundry spaces (they're outdoors), scooter rentals and homes. One beautiful home in particular..
This view gave me some hope. All of this will be worthwhile, you just have to keep going. I wonder how long i've been going? Doesn't matter, no peeking at the clock, just live in the moment. Moments of misery, I tell you. Even in my fittest of days this would have been brutal. As I climbed higher, I passed lots of places advertising pictures with animals. A monkey in chains watched me closely over the back of his seat as I huffed and puffed along. Several elephant trekking places had baby elephants chained up outside. I didn't dare go near to take pictures because taking any picture at all felt wrong. Its not every day you see a baby elephant. Tourists stop and feed these beautiful creatures while they wait for their turn to trek. From what i've read, and i'm sure many of you know about Rihanna's run in with the loris, these animals are treated very poorly. You probably can't see the chain attached to this guy's leg but I can tell you it is heart wrenching to witness.
At one point after the second elephant hub, I began going downhill a bit and I began to think, this is it. Leave it to me to get turned around on one road going up a hill and miss the whole dang thing. Then I came upon this view.
I knew the way home, I still had water, and it hadn't yet rained on me. Regardless of whether I make it to the Big Buddha today or not, i've seen things i've never before had the chance to see. I've got some fuel left in me, so i'm just going to keep going and see what I see. This optimism didn't last too long when I began to fight the ever creeping feeling that I wasn't going to be seeing the Big Buddha today. Not only that, I was failing on my personal goal to just live in the moment and let things happen as they may. As I began to really give up hope, I looked up at the sky and saw this.
Happy day!!!! I'd like to say I was overwhelmed by excitement and I tackled the rest of that uphill battle like Rocky took to those steps in Philadelphia. Quite the contrary. I stopped for a rest and some more water before I got to my destination. When I saw this archway, the excitement began to build.
I caught my breath. A lump began to form in my throat. When I was ready to really take it all in I continued. Through the archway and to the left I found the entrance for this beautiful monument. A station at the entrance is set up with sarongs for women who may not be dressed appropriately to visit a holy place. Amateurs.
There really aren't words...
Below Buddha there is a place for worship. A monk sits awaiting visitors. I observed this for a long time before participating because I wanted to make sure I was culturally aware and respectful. The entire space is run on donations alone so the monk is collecting donations in exchange for what I would assume is a blessing. He also ties on a bracelet as he bestows his blessing upon you. It felt wrong taking a picture of this holy practice, but I couldn't help myself.
Once you walk through this museum of sorts, you climb stairs closer to Buddha. The stairway is lined by tiny golden bells making one of the most beautiful sounds i've ever heard. There were some pieces being worked on down below the Buddha. Buddha sits at 45 meters high and is made of squares of white Burmese marble. Not being an artist myself, the best I can tell is, pieces are created out of clay or cement like on the left and then they are covered with the pieces of marble. These pieces seemingly will go on Buddha's head.
There is a lot of construction going on around the statue. Having been blessed with parents whose idea of a vacation included seeing all of America's most important monuments, I can tell you i've seen my fair share of construction going on around them. The glaring difference here is that there are no machines, which means that the noise is minimal and it doesn't take away from the experience. Taking in the 360 degree view is indescribable.
A fun surprise sits behind the big, white Buddha. Sitting at 12 meters high, this 22 ton brass Buddha costs 8 million baht.
Smaller images surround the base.
Gangpati or Ganesh - In Buddhism, the elephant is a symbol of mental strength and is also believed to be a guardian of the temples and of Buddha himself.
Monday Buddha - Parng Harmyart
This posture represents "Preventing Calamities", which is also known as "Pacifying the Relatives."
The Buddha stops the relatives from fighting or pacifying his relatives. When the Buddha came back from Heaven, he found that his relatives were quarreling about the right to use water from a river for their rice fields. The Buddha encouraged them to compromise and said that human life is much more valuable than water and it was not worth killing men for water. Then, his relatives stopped fighting.
I found a little space tucked up and away from the base of Big Buddha and all of the people there to see him. Make sure you listen to the sounds. I sat here for a long time. The beauty of it brought me to tears.
(This is the first video i've uploaded, I hope it works.)
Exhausting and wonderfully rewarding, I felt almost rejuvenated when I left. I thought I would take a tuk tuk back down the hill when I was struggling to get up the thing, but I made it that far on my own, so I was going to make it home on my own.. but not before stopping for a beer,
or taking a picture of a gamecock,
or appreciating the view on the way down too.
A teaching of Buddhism is that wisdom should be developed with compassion. True wisdom is not simply believing what we are told but instead experiencing and understanding truth and reality. I'm trying. All my love, from Thailand.
Amazing-love all the pics!
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