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Thread: Destruction of Buddhist Icons

  1. #1
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    Quote Originally Posted by Syn7 View Post
    remember how ****ed off people were when the taliban blew up those massive buddhist statues carved into some mountain... cant remember the name...
    Buddhas of Bamyan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhas_of_Bamyan

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    Image of Destroyed Bamiyan Buddhist Statue Recovered by Chinese with Lighting Tech

    Gene Ching
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    The tallest carved statue of Guanyin

    Video shows Communist Chinese govt. blast giant Buddha statue to smithereens
    Video shows Communist Chinese government obliterate largest carved Guanyin Buddha statue in world
    By Keoni Everington,Taiwan News, Staff Writer
    2019/03/04 13:51


    Screenshot of Buddha before and after demolition from Bitter Winter video.

    TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- As part of its efforts to subjugate religion in China, the Communist Chinese government on Feb. 2 blasted a 57.9-meter-tall Buddhist statue into smithereens, reported Bitter Winter.

    According to the report by Bitter Winter, a statue of Guanyin, the Buddhist goddess of compassion and mercy, was detonated and reduced to a pile of rubble by Chinese authorities on Feb. 2. Before being destroyed by Communist officials, the statue, which was carved out of a cliff, held the distinction of being the tallest carved statue of Guanyin in the world.

    The statue was situated near the Huang'an Temple in the Wuwushui Ecological Scenic Area and had been rated a "4A-level scenic area and a major historical and cultural site," which had protected status in Hebei Province. However, a new crackdown on the commercialization of Buddhism was launched last year, and the statue became the latest of many religious venues and symbols to be earmarked for the wrecking ball.


    Photo showing Guanyin statue before demolition. (Image from Bitter Winter)

    More broadly, this action was part of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) new campaign to secularize and subjugate religion to bend to the will of the CCP.

    According to the report, more than 20 officials of various ranks and jurisdictions descended on the area on Jan. 30 to plot the statue's destruction. The entire Huang'an Temple scene area was reportedly cordoned off and photography was strictly banned, with anyone attempting to enter the area without permission subject to arrest.

    After two days of preparation work, the upper half of the statue was obliterated following a "tremendous roar." A few days later, to prevent any attempts to rebuild the sculpture, the government ordered the lower half of the statue to also be wrapped with explosives and blown to bits.


    Photo of statue after demolition of upper half. (Image from Bitter Winter)

    A source told Bitter Winter that the order to obliterate the Buddhist statue came directly from the CCP Central Committee. "Throughout the country, people have been prohibited from worshipping or making offerings to Buddha statues," said the source.

    The statue had reportedly been built at the cost of 17 million Chinese yuan (US$2,539,000), and in the two short years of its existence had drawn over 10,000 visitors per day, according to one villager. The villager indicated to Bitter Winter that the CCP sought to destroy the statue because it threatened their existence: "The common people worship and praise Buddha, but they don’t praise the Communist Party. How can the Communist Party be happy about that?”

    I clipped the posts above off our Thoroughly ancient Buddhist monastery found in Afghanistan. I hope I won't be adding to it, but I suspect there will be more to come...
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    CCP is anti-religion

    More Buddhist Statues Destroyed in Cemeteries, Scenic Areas
    08/18/2019 ZHANG FENG

    The CCP’s nationwide campaign to eradicate statues of Buddhist deities is uncontrollably spreading across China, even sacred places are not spared.

    by Zhang Feng

    Perhaps fearing that these towering open-air deities will challenge the CCP’s totalitarian rule, authorities all over China are intensifying crackdowns on Buddhist statues: either using explosives to demolish them or concealing them from the eyes of the public.

    Liaoning: Statues “facelifted” or hidden to save them from demolition
    The government of Tieling county, under the jurisdiction of Tieling city in the northeastern province of Liaoning, warned some local cemeteries that national regulations prohibit outdoor Buddhist statues. In May, the county’s Dahebei Ecological Garden Cemetery was forced to give a Guanyin statue a “facelift” in order to protect it from being dismantled.

    The “Four-Faced Guanyin” statue inside the cemetery measures about 20 meters in height. In a renovation project that lasted more than three months, the statue’s head was re-decorated in the shape of a lotus flower. Now, the icon doesn’t even look like Guanyin – the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy – anymore.

    “To put it bluntly, it doesn’t look like anything. It looks awkward to us, but there’s nothing we can do. If we didn’t alter it, the entire Bodhisattva statue would be demolished,” said a cemetery employee.


    The head of the “Four-Faced Guanyin” statue was modified in the shape of a lotus flower.

    An over-10-meter-tall statue of the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, located inside the county’s Junlongquan Cemetery, was covered twice. The first time, it was concealed with galvanized iron sheets, The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars written on them. But local officials decided that it wasn’t enough, and the person in charge of the cemetery was forced to surround the Buddhist statue with marble slabs.

    “The Buddhist statue looked so beautiful! Now that it has been altered, it looks like a stone tablet. I can’t find the right words to describe it!” a villager said angrily.


    Marble stabs now surround Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva.

    Shanxi: Guanyin statues destroyed

    The Cangshan Scenic Area, located in Yangquan city in the northern province of Shanxi, is a national 4A-level tourist attraction. A 16-meter-tall Guanyin statue used to stand inside the area’s Lotus Temple, but on June 20, the local government dismantled it using a large crane. According to a staff member at the scenic area, during the dismantling process, the government told the public that they were carrying out renovations and arranged for the police to guard the road leading to the temple, prohibiting people from passing through.


    The Guanyin statue was surrounded with scaffolding, and a large crane was used to dismantle it.

    “The government claimed that tourist areas aren’t the places for worshipping Buddha, no Bodhisattva statues are allowed there,” the staff member said.

    He also revealed that a month before the statue was dismantled, the government sealed off the temple’s “Sutra Pavilion” and “Hall of Reclining Buddha.”

    Some local officials disapprove of Buddhist statues being forcibly demolished, but under pressure from their superiors, they have no choice but to obey. “Xi Jinping is in power now. If he says to crack down on Buddhism, who would dare to disagree with him? When central government officials make an unannounced visit, if they discover that a village has a temple and has set up a donation box, local officials in charge will be dismissed on the spot,” a local government official revealed.


    The Guanyin statue inside Xuanlong Temple in Datong city before and after being torn apart into fragments.

    In May, the United Front Work Department of Lingqiu county under the jurisdiction of Datong city issued a “rectification” list, calling to clamp down on outdoor statues. In June, a 15-meter-tall Bodhisattva statue in the local Xuanlong Temple was forcibly dismantled. According to witnesses, during the demolition, the temple’s octogenarian abbot stepped forward several times, trying to block the dismantling work, but government personnel carried him away.


    A “rectification” list calling for a clampdown on outdoor statues, issued by the United Front Work Department of Lingqiu county.

    A source informed Bitter Winter that although the temple’s abbot responded proactively to the government’s “four requirements” policy, and promised that believers would obey and follow the Party, the temple was unable to escape the crackdown.

    Shandong: 400,000 RMB spent to dismantle a 30-meter-tall statue


    The “Thousand-Hand Guanyin” statue has been demolished.

    In February, a 30-meter-tall “Thousand-Hand Guanyin” statue in the Dengshan Scenic Area – a national 3A-level scenic spot in Lanshan district of Rizhao city in the eastern province of Shandong – was forcibly demolished.


    Closure and renovation notice for the Dengshan Scenic Area

    According to an anonymous source, the project to dismantle the “Thousand-Hand Guanyin” statue lasted two months and cost approximately 400,000 RMB (about $ 60,000). For the duration of the dismantling process, the government told the public that the scenic spot was “closed for renovations.”

    During the same period, a “Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva” statue at the Mount Tiantai Scenic Area in Donggang district of Rizhao city was also dismantled.


    The Bodhisattva statue is covered by branches after being dismantled.



    Zhang Feng
    Uses a pseudonym for security reasons.
    First I've heard of this...
    Gene Ching
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  5. #5
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    humans in this epoch always show their ignorance in this way or another way of judgement. every one claims their way is the right path to 'God' or 'Heaven' etc.....
    Buddha transcends any and every form, first of all, so them destroying statues, only proves their lack of faith in their own religion, and their attachment to physical forms , or 'idols', as they call it.
    Just sayin, if my God is "almighty", no amount of statue or idol can thwart my divine ordinance. and I def. wouldnt go around trying to punk people into my teachings or religion. wtf....? lol so they create a void of humans who lose faith in anything "divine" at all, and begin to treat all of everything as if its worthless. as you can see.

    look at Shaolin, for example.....how many times it was burned for politics or religions hatred, yet it remains strong, and the teaching of Buddha shines bright, so much so the Temple has become a major vehicle for Chan. I mean LOOK AT SHAOLIN. HONESTLY. They have burned the physical temple so much, yet theres the Thousand Buddha Hall, with the paintings in tact. People talso try to burn the name of Shaolin, yet its gaining strength still, and people have so much love for Shaolin, it gets stronger as generations devote study to Shaolin. The real quan of Shaolin even get stronger with time, making it harder for fakes to prosper like they used to, and the tru teaching of Buddha shines brighter each time.

    I've dealt with people from all religions, since childhood, growing up with family of different faiths, to adulthood, embracing my own path and allowing other to walk theirs, and one thing I can say, true nature is indestructible because its formless. Buddha, in the physical representation, expresses the true nature, that was his teaching, and the lineage that succeeded Buddha carried on that message. As much as I love Buddhist art, and arguably, there is no better expression nor more frequent expression in the form of statue or mandala, Buddha did not teach attachment to forms, or prostration to statues. I can only laugh at these people blowing statues up lol.....as sad as it is, its no less barbaric or infantile than the early Europeans who broke noses off of African statues, or changed the tone of skin in paintings to suit their version of a story. its not a noble gesture, and in terms of politics, its hypocritical and cowardly to deface anything.

    When a monk lights joss before Buddha or a man lights joss at the image of an Ancestor, it is a homage to that divine spark within us, a reminder of the union of all realms, and a reverence to all realms. The Buddha within, is the only Buddha who hears what we intend. We pay homage to the sangha and those who devote to true nature, and we revere all things. if there is no statue or no joss, do we not still revere? if some say Buddha is false and break the statue, or say you ancestors are gone and call you pagan, are they breaking the Buddha within you, or denying your ancestral lineage? NO! Lol, and you would think its almost 2020, these political/religious zealots who behave more like barbarians by the year, would understand this by now, and let people live. they are still trying to "force the way" on someone, wether its a way of politics, or a religious way.

    How old is the Dao De Jing? I Jing? cmon.....you have Buddha statues found to be tens of thousands of years old, you have the 42 affirmations of Maat from Kemet, tens of thousands of years old.....these are all teachings of universal balance, unconditionally, universal natural harmony, .....not to sound like a hippie, there have been countless teachings on 'not forcing the way, as a way" In modern times, even in pop culture, you have Bruce Lee's philosophy of no way as way, you have Bob Marley, "One Love" .... in fact Rasta love in general came through at taught people how to eat to live and love eachother regardless, love the herbs, ditch the chemical meds, etc....you see these principles becoming trends now, even in economy.....you would think these zealots are getting it, then you see stuff like this lol......

    Buddha's teachings are more misunderstood than ever, yet, Buddhahood is more accessible to all, in my opinion, because of this adverse forcing of the law on people.

    You are born with the same senses, only your understanding matures, supposedly. Using the same eyes and ears, overtime, you should begin to perceive better. When adults "sense" with the eyes and ears of a newborn, then we can be free from what ever is binding people to these judgemental patterns which make them repeat destructive behavior through generations like this. Its a shame to see, people behave this way nowadays.

    still, the teachings of Buddha, Buddhas essence will remain strong and get stronger.

    AMITUOFO
    "色即是空 , 空即是色 " ~ Buddha via Avalokitesvara
    Shaolin Meditator

  6. #6
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    More destruction

    Buddhist Statues Continue to Disappear Across China
    02/17/2020 XIN LUA
    Reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution, the CCP’s drive to eliminate Buddhism sweeps across the country. Even icons in state-sanctioned temples are not spared.
    by Xin Lu

    Statues in registered temples demolished
    On December 6 last year, the Yongcheng city government in the central province of Henan ordered to destroy 500 outdoor Arhat statues in Chongfa Temple to give way for a park and a stadium. According to a local Buddhist, the temple, popular with tourists and worshipers, was built over 30 years ago after the local government approved it.


    Statues were demolished in Yongcheng’s Chongfa Temple.

    In early November, an outdoor Guanyin statue in a temple in Yongcheng’s Shuangqiao town was removed because officials claimed it was “too high.”


    The Guanyin statue in Shuangqiao town before and after its demolition.

    Baiyun Temple in Yongsheng county, administered by Lijiang city in the southwestern province of Yunnan, was built after receiving the required land use and religious activity venue registration certificates.


    The Baiyun Temple’s signboard was issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs.

    Regardless, in July, the county’s Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau hired people to demolish over 90 statues and some of the temple’s buildings with more than 70 rooms, claiming that they were illegal. The words “Baiyun Temple” on the signboard have been changed into “Baiyun Mountain Park.” The demolitions resulted in losses of about $ 1.43 million.


    The demolished Buddhist statues in the Baiyun Temple.


    The Baiyun Temple statues before and after they were destroyed.

    Tianmen Temple in Mile, a city in Yunnan’s Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, was shut down after its six outdoor statues were demolished on June 8.


    One of the demolished statues was at the entrance to the temple.

    In November 2018, the local government destroyed a nearly 13-meter-tall statue of Guanyin outside Longwang Temple in Nanchong, a prefecture-level city in the southwestern province of Sichuan. One of the eyewitnesses told Bitter Winter that while the Guanyin was being demolished, residents were cursing the Communist Party, saying that it “will receive retribution for forcibly destroying Buddhist statues.”

    Guanyin turned into a tree, Arhats into large stones

    Instead of demolishing some Buddhist icons, authorities sometimes cover them to keep them away from people’s eyes.

    In May, the government of Changtai county in Zhangzhou, a prefecture-level city in the southeastern province of Fujian, demanded the person in charge of the Tianzhushan Scenic Area to cover up its three outdoor Buddhist statues: the reclining Buddha, Maitreya, and four-faced Guanyin. They said that “building Buddhist statues in scenic areas means the commercialization of Buddhism.”

    A staff member in the scenic area revealed to Bitter Winter that all these statues had been built with donations from individuals. When officials from the province’s Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau came to inspect the three concealed icons, they pointed out that the four-faced Guanyin statue was not sufficiently hidden. The in-charge was pressured into hiring workers to turn the Guanyin statue into a tree, which cost him tens of thousands of yuan.


    The four-faced Guanyin statue became a tree.

    “The officials were terrifying, overbearing, making demands from the moment they arrived. They imposed punishment on trumped-up charges,” a staff member said helplessly.


    The Maitreya statue before and after it was “rectified.”

    In April, on Arhat Island of the famous Qixingyan Scenic Spot in Zhaoqing city in the southern province of Guangdong, nearly 600 Arhat statues were covered with cement, making them look like stones.


    The Arhat statues now look like stones.




    Xin Lu
    Uses a pseudonym for security reasons.
    I wonder what kind of karma this brings for Buddhist Hell. I should look that up some day...
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  7. #7
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    It is too bad that officials should be so angry at statues made of stone.
    Better they kill the statues than people though.
    It is a strange mindset, that deep seated need to control others in every way.

    This too shall pass.
    Kung Fu is good for you.

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    Looks like the Chi-Coms are experiencing a major set-back to their destructive agendas with the virus containment quarantine deployed by the rest of the World. They are doing the work of the Islamic Radicals in their same thoughtless actions.

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    Quan Am Buddhist temple - possible COVID-19 victim

    Des temples bouddhistes de Montréal complètement vandalisés (VIDÉO)
    Louis Angot 1 day ago
    Updated on March 04 @ 08:47 AM

    Montréal est la terre d'accueil de nombreuses communautés culturelles, qui en retour contribuent à faire de notre ville la métropole cosmopolite qu'elle est aujourd'hui. Toutefois, avec l'épidémie du coronavirus qui sévit en ce moment, les personnes asiatiques de la ville sont parfois visées par du racisme. Depuis quelques jours, des internautes ont signalé que des temples bouddhistes de Montréal aurait été visés par des actes de vandalisme.

    Dans une publication sur Facebook, un Montréalais a fait part de son ras-le-bol face à ce qu'il perçoit comme des attaques répétées envers des lieux symboliques de la communauté asiatique à Montréal.

    Le temple bouddhiste Quan Am, situé dans le quartier Côte-des-Neiges, aurait d'ailleurs été vandalisé il y a trois semaines. Selon l'internaute, un individu cagoulé aurait fracassé la tête des statues de lions à l'entrée du temple à l'aide d'un grand marteau.

    Le temple aurait été à nouveau visé plus récemment.


    Narcity Media

    Narcity s'est rendu sur les lieux, mardi le 3 mars, afin d'évaluer l'état des lieux.

    Ces images exclusives montrent plusieurs statues du Chua Quan Am détruites.


    Narcity Media

    Dans le quartier chinois, au centre-ville, d'autres statues de lion ont également été vandalisées. Accueillant les visiteurs au pied de l'arche au coin du boulevard Saint-Laurent et de la rue Viger, elles ont été couvertes de graffitis, notamment de croix.

    Contactée par Narcity, l'arrondissement de Ville-Marie a confirmé qu'une équipe serait envoyée pour nettoyer les sculptures.

    D'après la publication de l'internaute, les temples bouddhistes Thuyen Ton et Huyen Khong, tous deux situés dans le quartier de La Petite-Patrie, ont également été visés par des vandales dans les dernières semaines.

    Le SPVM n'a pas pu donner de détails sur les événements à Narcity, mais a toutefois affirmé que si des plaintes ont été déposées, une enquête serait ouverte par le service de police.

    Dernièrement, la mairesse Valérie Plante a invité les Montréalais à fréquenter le Quartier chinois, qui souffre économiquement depuis le début de l'épidémie.

    Elle a aussi demandé à la population d'éviter la peur, la désinformation ainsi que les préjugés par rapport au COVID-19.

    *La vidéo ci-haut est un reportage de nos collègues de MTL Blog.
    googtrans
    Completely vandalized Buddhist temples in Montreal (VIDEO)
    Louis Angot 1 day ago
    Updated on March 04 @ 08:47 AM

    Montreal is home to many cultural communities, which in turn help make our city the cosmopolitan metropolis it is today. However, with the coronavirus epidemic raging at the moment, Asian people in the city are sometimes targeted by racism. In recent days, Internet users have reported that Buddhist temples in Montreal have been targeted by acts of vandalism.

    In a Facebook post, a Montrealer said he was fed up with what he saw as repeated attacks on symbolic places of the Asian community in Montreal.

    The Quan Am Buddhist temple, located in the Côte-des-Neiges district, was also vandalized three weeks ago. According to the surfer, a hooded individual would have smashed the head of the statues of lions at the entrance of the temple using a large hammer.

    The temple would have been targeted again more recently.

    Narcity Media

    Narcity went to the scene on Tuesday March 3 to assess the situation.

    These exclusive images show several destroyed Chua Quan Am statues.

    Narcity Media

    In downtown Chinatown, other lion statues have also been vandalized. Welcoming visitors at the foot of the arch at the corner of Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Rue Viger, they were covered with graffiti, in particular crosses.

    Contacted by Narcity, the Ville-Marie borough confirmed that a team would be sent to clean the sculptures.

    According to the publication of the surfer, the Buddhist temples Thuyen Ton and Huyen Khong, both located in the district of La Petite-Patrie, have also been targeted by vandals in recent weeks.

    The SPVM could not give details of the events at Narcity, but nevertheless stated that if complaints were made, an investigation would be opened by the police service.

    Recently, Mayor Valérie Plante invited Montrealers to visit Chinatown, which has suffered economically since the start of the epidemic.

    She also asked the population to avoid fear, misinformation and prejudice regarding COVID-19.

    * The video above is a report from our colleagues at MTL Blog.
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    China: Crackdown on Buddhism | DW News

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    At the Buddha's feet

    With so much news, the China floods have gone relatively unnoticed.

    China record floods wet feet of Leshan Giant Buddha
    9 hours ago


    REUTERS

    A giant statue of Buddha in China has had its toes dampened by floodwater for the first time since the 1940s.

    The 71m-tall statue, a Unesco heritage site, was carved out of a rockface near Chengdu in Sichuan province around the eighth century AD.

    It is normally high above the waterline, but the area has been hit by the worst flooding in 70 years.

    More than 100,000 people have had to be moved to safety.

    The statue is a hugely popular attraction and often included in cruises along the nearby Yangtze river and Three Gorges.

    State media said 180 tourists had be rescued from the site as waters rose.


    GETTY IMAGES
    The statue normally sits high above the waterline, as seen here in February


    GETTY IMAGES
    Tourists and pilgrims arrive by boat to burn offerings at the Buddha's feet


    GETTY IMAGES
    The last time the toes - each bigger than a person - got wet was 1949


    GETTY IMAGES
    But last week waters reached the base of the statue and kept rising

    According to the Xinhua state news agency, a traditional local saying holds that if the Buddha's feet get wet, Chengdu - which has a population of 16 million people - will flood too.

    Sichuan province has activated its highest level emergency response after weeks of heavy rain caused record high water levels, with no sign of it ending soon.


    GETTY IMAGES
    Rescuers have been despatched to help people evacuate from at-risk areas

    Flood alerts are in place for provinces around the Yangtze, Yellow, Hai, Songhua and Liao rivers, with warnings of possible landslides.


    GETTY IMAGES
    Chongqing has already battled several waves of flooding this summer

    The statue, just outside Chengdu, is a hugely popular attraction and often included in cruises along the nearby Yangtze.

    Officials have warned that huge volumes of water are building up behind the Three Gorges dam - a massive hydroelectric project on the Yangtze.

    The Ministry of Water Resources has warned this could lead to severe flooding upstream, including the major city of Chongqing
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    In the OC

    Carl Samson·News·8 hours ago·2 min read
    6 Buddhist Temples Vandalized in OC in November, 2 Women Caught on Camera


    Six Buddhist temples in Orange County, California were reportedly vandalized in the last month, raising alarms against hate crimes that have targeted Asian Americans since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    In a news conference on Saturday, officials announced that three of the sites are located in Garden Grove, while two are in Santa Ana and one is in Westminster.


    A defaced statue at Huong Tich Temple in Santa Ana, California. Image via Thai Viet Phan

    Huong Tich Temple, located at 4821 W. 5th St. in Santa Ana, was the latest in the string of incidents. Police believe all are related.

    The temple saw 15 of its stone Buddha and Bodhisattva statues defaced with black spray paint, one of which had the word “Jesus” on the back.


    Image via Thai Viet Phan

    Thai Viet Phan, who attended the temple as a child, was recently elected to the City Council. She slammed the incident as a hate crime.

    “This is not merely felony vandalism. This is a hate crime,” Phan wrote in a Facebook post. “This caused not only thousands of dollars of damage but is only intensifying the division in our community.”

    Santa Ana police are pursuing two female suspects in the Nov. 22 incident. Surveillance video shows them trespassing and defacing the statues after 11 p.m.

    Damages to the site cost about $6,000. “What their motive is and why they would pick on them, I don’t know,” said Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, according to KTLA.


    Vandals deface statues at Huong Tich Temple on Nov. 22. Image Screenshot via Santa Ana Police Department

    One of the suspects wore a blue New England Patriots beanie and a blue jacket, while the other wore a black beanie and a black sweatshirt. Both had face masks, gray sweatpants, and black and white shoes.

    Authorities reportedly looked into Trang Pham, 51, who was charged in 2018 for similar attacks in the same temple and others in the county. However, she has remained in custody and is hence ruled out as a suspect.

    Garden Grove City Councilwoman Diedre Nguyen, who organized Saturday’s conference, is “heartbroken” over the damages and fears the message they send to her community.

    “I’m mostly scared that because of our culture, many people won’t feel comfortable reporting these incidents, but I want to get out the message that they should if they know anything,” Nguyen said, according to the Los Angeles Times.


    Temple leaders, government officials and police officers in Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Westminster held a news

    conference at Dieu Ngu Buddhist Temple on Nov. 28 to address the incidents of vandalism. Image via Thai Viet Phan
    Police have increased patrols in the affected areas. So far, no similar incidents have been reported, but an arrest is yet to be made.

    Orange County released its 2019 Hate Crimes Report last month. Vandalism turned out to be the most reported criminal offense (44%), followed by aggravated assaults (22%), simple assault (13%), threats (9%), harassment (5%), theft (4%), assault and battery (3%) and arson (1%).

    Meanwhile, of the 47% of cases motivated by race, ethnicity and/or national origin, 53% targeted Blacks, followed by Hispanics (30%) and Asians (17%).


    Feature Images via Thai Viet Phan
    Imagine some Buddhists vandalizing a Christian church by spray painting 'Buddha' over their crucifix.
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    Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple

    Buddhist Temple Set on Fire, Vandalized in LA’s Little Tokyo

    BY ISA PERALTA
    MARCH 1, 2021
    2 MINUTE READ


    Priests and staff members are on edge after a Buddhist temple was vandalized in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo on Thursday evening.

    What happened: A fire and potential arson recently occurred at Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple as hate crimes against Asian Americans continue to increase, NBC News reports.

    The suspect jumped over a security fence to enter the temple’s compound, which also houses a preschool, parking lot and chapel.

    He then destroyed two metallic lanterns, burned two 6-foot lantern stands and smashed a 12-foot-high window with a rock.

    Despite the destruction, the temple’s head priest, Rev. Noriaki Ito, is grateful that the suspect did not injure anyone.
    “I don’t know the motives, but it looks like we were targeted. The only relief I find is that no one was hurt.”

    Safe and sound: The temple’s staff members were on a Zoom meeting inside the building while the suspect vandalized it, according to the Los Angeles Times.

    The temple’s alarm system was not turned on during the night of the incident.

    Rev. Masa Fujii, one of the temple’s priests who was working in the back office that night, used an extinguisher to put out the fires after hearing the ruckus.

    Breaking and entering: Before this incident, two other instances of trespassing occurred in the last two weeks, according to ABC News.

    A couple walked into the compound on Feb. 18 and attacked the security guard who asked the pair to leave.

    On Tuesday, an unidentified suspect hid inside a Costco truck that entered the compound. The suspect then proceeded to steal a cell phone from a temple gardener.

    “We’ve been here 45 years and this has never happened,” said Ito, who has served the temple since 1976.
    Feature Images via @campadrenews
    This is getting worse.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  14. #14
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    Sichuan robbery

    Nearly two dozen ancient Buddha statues went missing from Sichuan mountain known for artefacts
    The incident happened in January, but was only reported this week
    The statues were carved into a cliffside on Fozi Mountain in Sichuan

    Alice Yan

    The statues that were vandalised are believed to be over 1,000 years old. Photo: Baidu
    Almost two dozen ancient Buddha statues were stolen in southwest China in January, and 13 officials were punished thereafter, in an incident first reported in Chinese media on Wednesday.
    The 23 Buddha statues dated back to the Tang dynasty (618-907) and were among the more than 220 Buddha figures carved into the surface of a 30-metre tall cliff on Fozi Mountain in Wangcang county, in Sichuan, according to Chinese news portal scol.com.cn.
    Fozi Mountain is famous for its Buddha statues, and the stolen ones were all located between 1.5 and 3 metres above the ground.

    A before and after photograph shows the statues that were stolen in January. Credit: Baidu
    The apparent thievery was discovered by officials from the local cultural relics department during a routine patrol in January, who then alerted the police.
    But the mountain is relatively remote, and there was no surveillance equipment in the area, so the investigation never got off the ground.
    Authorities do not know the exact date the statues went missing. Surveillance cameras were installed on the mountain in March.
    Eight officials received “disciplinary punishment”, while another five are under police investigation.
    The 23 missing artefacts were carved into four niches on the cliffside and included 11 Buddha heads and 12 full-figure statues. Most of the statues were 15cm tall and 8cm wide, the report said.

    The statues were stolen from a mountain that is famous for its depictions of Buddha. Photo: Baidu
    An older man in his 70s who lives in a village near the mountain told the Chengdu Business News: “There are many Buddha statues on Fozi Mountain. We are not sure how many there are.’”
    Earlier this week in Sichuan, authorities arrested four people who were suspected of stealing 10 Buddha heads four years ago in an unrelated case.
    The criminal gang sold the Buddha heads for 10,000 yuan (US$1,500) to an antiques businessman in Chengdu who later sold them to a man in Fujian for 120,000 yuan (US$18,500).


    Alice Yan
    Alice Yan is a Shanghai-based social and medical news reporter. She started her journalism career in 2003 and has degrees in economics and public administration.
    Karma will get them. Hopefully in this incarnation...
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  15. #15
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    $5 to see the destruction - all things are impermanent


    The Taliban destroyed Afghanistan's ancient Buddha statues. Now they're welcoming tourists.

    "I was young when these were destroyed, about 7 years old, and since then it has been a dream to come and see what happened here," said one visitor, a Taliban supporter.

    Nov. 24, 2021, 6:23 AM PST
    By Gabe Joselow and Rachel Elbaum
    BAMIYAN, Afghanistan — The Taliban’s destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues in early 2001 shocked the world and highlighted their hard-line regime, toppled soon after in a U.S.-led invasion.

    Now back in charge of Afghanistan and eager to present a softer image, the militant group is running the site as a tourist attraction.

    For around $5, curious visitors can wander around and take photos of the giant holes in the cliff face where the ancient Buddha statues once stood.

    Under a white Taliban flag, soldiers man a booth and write out admission tickets.

    Sidiq Ullah, who is a supporter of the militant group, came to see the historic site this week with friends from Kandahar, around 350 miles southwest of Bamiyan. Now that the Taliban are in control, he said, he feels free to tour the country.

    “I was young when these were destroyed, about 7 years old, and since then it has been a dream to come and see what happened here,” he said.

    “I’m happy it was destroyed. I’m here to see the ruins actually.”


    The site of the Bamiyan Buddha statues. Wakil Kohsar / AFP via Getty Images
    Carved into the face of a cliff, the two 6th century Buddha statues — one 180 feet tall and the other 124 feet tall — towered over the valley.

    The area was a holy site for Buddhists on the ancient trading route between China and Europe known as the Silk Road.

    When the Taliban announced their plan to destroy the statues in 2001, they had come under heavy international pressure to keep them standing. But, labeling them un-Islamic, the group brought the statues down using heavy explosives.

    Since taking over the country again a few months ago, the Taliban have sought to present a more moderate face to the world despite a brutal crackdown in some areas. As the hard-line Islamic group navigates the economic and security challenges of governing the country after years of insurgency, it is also under pressure from international organizations to protect Afghanistan’s cultural heritage.

    “Bamiyan has always been a part of Afghanistan that the outside world has focused on,” said Llewelyn Morgan, the author of “The Buddhas of Bamiyan” and a professor of classics at the University of Oxford.

    “The Taliban know that and that’s why in their slightly inept way they are still trying to paint themselves as a constructive government.”


    A statue of the Buddha in Bamiyan in 1997, before the Taliban destroyed it. Jean Claude-Chapon / AFP via Getty Images
    Caves on the cliff face were once home to Buddhist monasteries and sanctuaries.

    Now those around the Buddhas are empty, while other caves ****her away are home to families. Clothing flaps on laundry lines, children play in empty caves and some even have glass windows installed.

    UNESCO, or the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, declared the Bamiyan Valley a World Heritage Site in 2003.

    It worked with the U.S.-backed Afghan government to conserve what was left of the Buddha statues after the Taliban's destruction of the site.

    The organization had also backed a cultural center and museum in Bamiyan to “integrate local communities as well as to identify Bamiyan’s rich cultural backgrounds,” according to its website.

    With the Taliban in charge, its future was unclear. UNESCO didn’t respond to requests for comment.

    In the days after the militant group swept back to power in the summer, UNESCO issued a statement calling for the preservation of sites like it.

    “It is crucial for the future of Afghanistan to safeguard and preserve these landmarks,” the agency said.

    Though scaffolding remains in the niches where the Buddha statues once stood, the preservation work has now ended. Few visitors arrived when NBC News was at the site, despite the Taliban's stated willingness to welcome tourists.

    Abdullah Sarhadi, the area's governor who spent nearly four years as a prisoner in Guantanamo Bay, said that the Taliban have changed and that they will preserve historic monuments.

    For now, he is waiting to hear more from the upper levels of the Taliban government before making any changes to the site.

    “We want to show the world there is peace and security in Afghanistan now,” Sarhadi said.

    Gabe Joselow reported from Bamiyan, Afghanistan, and Rachel Elbaum reported from London.




    Gabe Joselow
    Gabe Joselow is a multimedia producer at NBC News.

    Rachel Elbaum
    Rachel Elbaum is a London-based editor, producer and writer.
    Wait...is it still a UNESCO site?
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

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