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Rebirth of the Afghan Buddha
"When the Taliban controlled Afghanistan a decade ago, they were fanatical about eliminating everything they considered un-Islamic.
Their biggest targets — literally and figuratively — were the two monumental Buddha statues carved out of the sandstone cliffs in central Afghanistan. One stood nearly 180 feet tall and the other about 120 feet high, and together they had watched over the dusty Bamiyan Valley since the sixth century, several centuries before Islam reached the region.
Despite international opposition, the Taliban destroyed the statues with massive explosions in 2001. At the time they were blown up, the statues were the largest Buddha carvings in the world, and it seemed they were gone for good.
But today, teams from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, along with the International Council on Monuments and Sites, are engaged in the painstaking process of putting the broken Buddhas back together."
Read the rest of the article here.
Personally, it would be great if the statues are restored - but the money could be spent more wisely. Such as caring for the country's poor and homeless. In the article, it says that many homeless people have taken shelter in the caves where the statues once stood. It seems that Buddha can always be a refuge - even if you blow him up!
Their biggest targets — literally and figuratively — were the two monumental Buddha statues carved out of the sandstone cliffs in central Afghanistan. One stood nearly 180 feet tall and the other about 120 feet high, and together they had watched over the dusty Bamiyan Valley since the sixth century, several centuries before Islam reached the region.
Despite international opposition, the Taliban destroyed the statues with massive explosions in 2001. At the time they were blown up, the statues were the largest Buddha carvings in the world, and it seemed they were gone for good.
But today, teams from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, along with the International Council on Monuments and Sites, are engaged in the painstaking process of putting the broken Buddhas back together."
Read the rest of the article here.
Personally, it would be great if the statues are restored - but the money could be spent more wisely. Such as caring for the country's poor and homeless. In the article, it says that many homeless people have taken shelter in the caves where the statues once stood. It seems that Buddha can always be a refuge - even if you blow him up!
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Comments
I suppose that if this is done properly, it could be a benefit for those who are desperately in need.
Just the other day I was reading about established villages in -- well, I forgot whether it was Sudan or Somalia -- where there isn't a single toilet...so please contribute, blah, blah, blah. And I suddenly stopped to think -- what is wrong with this picture? It's 2011, and after all these centuries these people haven't cared enough to put even one toilet in their villages?????
And why exactly do you think the Taliban is afraid of Buddhism -- a religion that in their country essentially no longer exists, and is in sharp decline in India, Singapore, and Japan? More like the dominance of Islam in their culture has been victorious.
:eek:
Nowhere did I say people shouldn't give to charities around the world. I regularly give to a medical mission in Guatemala (Partner For Surgery), for example. Have donated decent sums of money to orphanages in Thailand. I also sometimes contribute to feeding the poor in this country and recently contributed a significant amount of money to a mission in Kenya and another contribution to Save The Children Foundation. But I don't do those things INSTEAD of contributing to historical and national park-type efforts. I do those things IN ADDITION to.
What I am questioning is this: I'm 61 years old now. For 55 years I've watched public service announcements on television that center around the theme of "save Africa". Africa is the continent which is probably richest in natural resources and has the oldest cultures. I'd like to know when the Africans are going to get their act together.
with apology to you, Vinlyn.