Word: buddha
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...aspiring tourist mecca, the Oriental Buddha Kingdom Theme Park in the lush mountains of Leshan is doing a pretty woeful job. Its main attraction, a 37-meter replica of one of the famed Bamiyan buddhas destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, is mysteriously covered by a huge cloth, with only its giant feet poking out. When tourists try to approach the statue, security guards shoo them away. Instead, would-be guides shove pictures of the park's lesser draws under the few visitors' noses?perhaps a tour of a couple of fake, mildewy buddhas or a trip to a viewing...
...left the walls of this paradise and saw the suffering around him, no longer did sweet meats soothe him. Instead, he took up a beggar’s bowl and walked the North Indian countryside asking those he encountered if they could spare some scraps of food for the Buddha. In the years to come, this wooden bowl would hold nothing fancier than parched rice and lentils. The Buddha’s diet had gone from magnificent to minimalist...
GBBCC has appeal beyond evenly steamed dumplings. Spiritualists can take sanctuary in the large meditation room, a carpeted space encircled by cushioned benches. Soft rolled-up mats sit neatly beside each cushion, and three glittering Buddha statues replete with white gemstones illuminate the room. Linguists can browse the shelves of the library, which contain Buddhist texts in both English and Chinese. Collectors of oddities will enjoy eyeing the objects up for sale in the bookstore: tea sets nestled in silk-lined boxes, sticks of mild-scented incense and jade decorations, in addition to the myriad of religious treatises...
After the meal, we ordered yet another round of tea. This was our third pot, quite dull in color compared to our first. We reclined in the chairs and inhaled the sweet incense; the Buddha statues in a variety of positions and with a variety of expression gazed benevolently at us as we chatted away. The post-meal atmosphere of the Tea House is easygoing and laid back. Tony pulled up a chair to join us. He told us about his brother who was formerly a Buddhist and now a follower of the Falon Gong movement, his sister...
ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENT You don't have to strap on hiking boots to get up close and personal with the mountains. Departing from Kathmandu, many local airlines offer early morning mountain flybys along the Himalayan ridge. Buddha Air sends out two 16-seaters every morning, weather permitting. Each passenger sits beside a window, and as the plane nears Mount Everest, the friendly flight attendant brings each flyer up to the cockpit for a direct prospect. Not that Everest's neighbors are anything to sniff at: the hour-long flight takes in no less than five of the world's tallest peaks...