A giant statue of the Buddha—believed to be the largest in the Western world—is scheduled to be inaugurated in Brazil later this month with a formal Buddhist ceremony at Morro da Vargem Zen Monastery in Ibiraçu Municipality
Standing 38 meters tall—the same height as the iconic image of Christ the Redeemer
which overlooks the city of Rio de Janeiro—the statue of the seated Buddha took more than a year to complete
It was originally scheduled to be unveiled in September 2020
but this was postponed due to technical delays and because of the COVID-19 pandemic to January this year
Mosteiro Zen Morro da Vargem was the first Zen Buddhist monastery to be established in South America
trains monks according to traditional Soto Zen and environmental education
It sits on a site spread over 150 hectares
including 140 hectares that has been set aside for forest conservation and reforestation
The formal Eye-Opening ritual was performed in the presence of senior Zen priest Minamizawa Zenji in December last year
the ceremony was not open to the public but was live-streamed
now it’s a statue with a soul,” explained the monastery’s abbot
an official inauguration ceremony is scheduled to take place at 10am local time on 28 August
The ceremony will be open to the public and will be attended by state governor Renato Casagrande
is expected to become one of the biggest tourist attractions in Brazil
the monastery receives around 1,000 visitors each weekend.
The monastery complex also includes the largest Zen garden in the West and the largest torii —a traditional Japanese gate—in the Americas
Fifteen smaller white Buddha statues sit in meditation nearby
representing the serenity we should seek to maintain during difficult times and the need to be persistent and to not give up in the face of life’s obstacles
Christianity is the most widespread religion in Brazil
and is observed by about 88.8 per cent of the population of more than 210 million people
Brazil is also home to the third-largest Buddhist population in the Americas
with nearly 150 temples spread across the country
Buddhism was first introduced to Brazil in the early 20th century by Japanese immigrants and is believed to be the largest of all the minority religions in the country
which includes Brazil’s sizable Japanese Brazilian community
The most popular Buddhist traditions are Japanese schools of Buddhism
although all four major schools of Vajrayana Buddhism—Nyingma
including Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche’s Khadro Ling center in Três Coroas
In recent years Chinese Mahayana and Southeast Asian Theravada traditions have also gained in popularity
Related news reports from Buddhistdoor Global
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When she learned that the 100-year-old twins were celebrating their birthday together
she wanted to do something special for them to commentate their day perfectly
The shoot came complete with makeup and styling
Camila put matching pink and blue dresses on the sisters
who had a ball getting their photos taken in true style
"They did everything I asked and did not complain about tiredness," Camila said. She also said that they were "very happy and satisfied" with the final product, reported Today
According to Brazil's Gazeta News
and 23 great-grandchildren between the two of them
And to see these 100-year-old women having the time of their lives in such a simple collection of photos makes it easy to get all warm and gushy about our existences
You can check out more of Camila's work here. (h/t today)
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