"SaṃsÄra in Buddhism is the beginningless cycle of repeated birth, mundane existence and dying again. Samsara is considered to be dukkha, suffering, and in general unsatisfactory and painful, perpetuated by desire and avidya (ignorance), and the resulting karma.
Rebirths occur in six realms of existence, namely three good realms (heavenly, demi-god, human) and three evil realms (animal, ghosts, hellish). (We are in the 4th realm and it's generally considered to be the best one because there is the most freedom to consciously work on your karma).
The next temple I went into, was the opposite of the last; totally empty except for a single, intricate statue of Avalokitesvara, the buddha of loving kindness, who they might call Guanyin (because I think it's a Chinese place)
On Monday morning we checked out of our hotel and got ready for another long travel day to Alona Beach on Panglao Island, the site of Aileen and Ryan's wedding at the end of the week! Here's me with a Buddha on the beach.
"The branches go downward and the roots upward. Similarly, this material world is a reflection of the spiritual world. The material world is but a shadow of reality. In the shadow there is no reality or substantiality, but from the shadow we can understand that there are substance and reality." - Bhagavad-gītā 15.01
The hotel had a massive banyan tree on their grounds. (The banyan tree is known for being the kind of tree the Buddha sat down in front of before becoming enlightened.
The museum is filled with all sorts of really old Buddhist art where you can see the original Indian representations before the Thais developed their own distinct representations of the Buddha.
On the way down from the roof, there's a giant steel box with status of the Buddha in various poses. Each pose has a separate meaning, and in front of each one, there's a slot so that people can make donations in the "name" of the pose that's most meaningful to them. (Sort of how like in the Catholic church you can light a candle or pray to different Patron Saints).
...and then decided to head down to the venue. Here's Jenny and Meredith posing with the exquisite, electric-blue, metallic Buddha near our elevator. Classy!
