GIGANTIC BUDDHIST STATUES IN MIMS, FLORIDA
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
It could very well be the most peaceful place in Brevard County.Tucked away in a secluded area of Mims, the White Sands Buddhist
Center is a magnificent sight you almost have to see to believe. “Every step of the journey is the journey,” a sign reads as you enter.
The 30-acre site just off Aurantia Road is near silent, except for
the trickling of a nearby fountain, chirping birds and a soft breeze
rustling through the trees. A series of statues rise nearly three
stories in the air with intricate displays of flowering plants and paved
stairways leading to their bases. The center is open daily from dawn
until dusk and all are welcome, said Ron Henderson, a staff member who
gives tours of the facility Wednesday through Sunday.
There are currently three massive statues that sit before a temple, a
house for nuns and monks, a social dining hall, a gift shop and
meditation areas. A fourth will be added in the coming months.
The massive statues include a “Nirvana Buddha,” which
depicts Siddhārtha, the original Buddha whose teachings are the basis of
most Buddhist practices. The Nirvana Buddha shows Siddhārtha depicted
at age 80 just before his death. He has a smile on his face because he
is at peace, said Henderson. The statue weighs 40 tons and is about 30
feet long, massive in all respects.
Across a landscaped park, a younger Siddhārtha, depicted at age 35,
stands in front of a house that is currently home to one nun and three
monks. The statue is 35 feet tall and about 200 tons, said Henderson,
and is the largest Buddha statue in the state. Across the pond stands
Mother Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of peace and
compassion. Avalokitesvara is a female Buddhist figure who greets
Buddhists in the afterlife, helping the dead achieve nirvana or become
reborn. The statue is 32 feet tall and weighs around 60 tons. She is
framed by tall pillars and palm trees, a centerpiece of the sprawling
facility.
A fourth statue of a baby Buddha will be added this summer and stand
facing Mother Avalokitesvara. It will also rise 35 feet and weigh 200
tons. The statute will be the final addition to the center, said
Henderson, and is the result of a fundraising campaign. It costs about
$80,000 to get the statue sculpted in Vietnam. It then costs around
$200,000 to ship the statue and another $50,000 to set it in place. The
statues are made of granite and sit atop a concrete base. White Sands
gets its funding completely through donations, said Henderson and money
is not collected from visitors. “A plate is never passed,” he said.
Florida Today Feb.10
(Publisher’s comments: The untold thousands of Chin Baptists and
other Christian believers who have escaped from Buddhist persecution,
and are now in the U.S., might have something to say about how peaceful
the Buddhist religion is. Like Islam, it is peaceful when they are in
control.)
Websites Links
http://unregisteredbaptistfellowship.org/
http://the-trumpet-online.com/