Pure Land Buddhists Plan Enormous Buddha Statue, Would Make Vancouver a Pilgrimage Site

August 3, 2004

Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/184653_bigbuddha03.html

On August 3, 2004 the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported, "Religious groups often erect colossal structures to inspire awe and instill humility in mortal souls. But most of them would not be tall enough to cast a shadow over a mammoth Buddha that worshippers are preparing to build in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond. The Taiwan-based Lingyen Mountain Buddhists want to erect a glistening gold-leaf Buddha, sitting on a lotus leaf, which would measure 10 stories high in a temple hall 14 stories high. It would be shorter than the largest Buddha in the world, the Leshan Buddha in China, which stands at 67 meters. However, the Richmond Buddha and its temple would be seven meters taller than one of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan destroyed three years ago by the Taliban in their campaign to eliminate non-Islamic statues. The Buddhists say the new temple complex could convert a typical suburban community known mostly for its airport, shopping malls and big-box stores into a destination for sacred pilgrimages. The complex would be the group's most important site in North America, attracting thousands of people from around the world...The Lingyen Mountain Buddhists are part of the Pureland Buddhist sect. Atwall said they have 10,000 followers in the Greater Vancouver area. The enormous Buddha is part of a five-year project to develop a worship and education center."