Bangkok - the Buddhas!

So, Thailand is a Buddhist country.  Here are a few of the Buddhas I've seen.

The Lucky Buddha - the temple custodian here was very nice.  He has a brother in Los Angeles, so we chatted a bit about CA and all that.  Apparently this Buddha is known for bringing good luck to people who come.  And the guardian told me that people pray here that good luck will come to everyone all over the world - they're very supportive of everyone and aren't neglecting anyone.  Very nice....

This Buddha is from the Marble Temple.  Really amazing, I think.

The Marble Temple has a large courtyard surrounded by a low colonnaded building.  In that there are lots and lots of Buddhas from different parts of the Buddhist world and from many different time periods.  This is one that I particularly liked.

But I also really like the idea that in different times and places the physical characteristics of the Buddha as represented in painting, sculpture and other art forms takes the form of the people who are making the art.  After all, who knows what he looked like?  I mean, back then a few people did, but now?  So by creating a work of art that people can relate to it makes it more meaningful.  Looking at statues from Thailand, Burma, India, China and Japan really illustrated the differences and similarities between those countries.  That was cool.  Of course, I've now forgotten where this one is from!  Oh well....I still like it quite a bit!

I liked this view of one of the sides of the colonnade...

This Buddha is from Wat Pho.  (You say Wat Po, just in case you wondered...)  The umbrella you see just above his head is the first tier of a very typical umbrella that represents the tree the Buddha was sitting under when he received enlightenment.  We should all, regardless of religious outlook, be looking for enlightenment.  It's the thing that really matters I think....

From a small colonnaded building at Wat Pho...

Finally, the main treasure of Wat Pho - the Reclining Buddha.  I read in a guidebook that the reclining nature doesn't indicate sleep or napping or something like that.  It represents the ease of mind and body that comes AFTER enlightenment.  So this is the Buddha in his Nirvana state.

For some reason I like this back view of the Reclining Buddha.  There something very intimate and real about it, even though it's still a massive statue.