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 Monywa's 'Giant Buddhas': Aung Sakkya' s standing Buddha

Only a short drive from Thanbuddhay ...
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... below is the aerial view ...
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... and the view when you arrive there (below) ...
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Let's visit the standing Buddha first as it takes more time ...
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At the entrance they let you know that these Buddha statues belong to the most famous statues in the world
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Let's explore the inside of the Giant (424 ft high, 25 floors) ...
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We skip the first 2 floors - I will get back to that later - and move on to 3rd floor ...
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... the view  from the terrace towards northeast (above) and towards south (below) ...
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It is a little weird inside as you are confronted with a 'Buddhist' concept of punishment in life after death ...
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The wall paintings below  show drastically what will happen to you ...
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... possibly end-up as human stew  or being impaled and burnt (above) ... or driven up thorny trees by demons (below)
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You might end as  the new  pavement of Demon's highway or being suffocated by evil fumes (below) ...
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... and each evil deed has its own punishment (below) especially being untrue to your husband or wife ...
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Monks are not excluded when they throw away food (below) ...
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Let's have a break for a moment before we continue ...

 

The decoration of some of the floors is sponsored by Buddhists of other countries ...
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... like the one here from Cambodia ... I guess it's on 9th floor but I am not a good bookkeeper and I lost track somewhere on the stairways  to heaven
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Rest assured beside the cruel scenes there are a lot of Buddha statues on all the floors ...
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... and once in a while a view  outside from the back of the Buddha (below)
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Let's get back to crime and punishment for a moment ...
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so, drinking decayed blood sounds horrible (above) ... but ending in the butcher shop of Demons is a lot more unpleasant (below)
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This is where Hell ends and Heaven starts ...
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...but still the way to the top of Mount Meru is  long (above) ... but when you reach the top...
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... everything is easy as pie (above and below)
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The floors abve 17th are still not yet finished... below  is the Singaporean floor
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So let's have a last glimpse outside ...
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... and get back down to solid ground

 

 

Copyright(c) 2003 Dr. Oswald J. Kolb. All rights reserved.