On the northern side of hwy 1 (6 km after Wat Non Kum or 35 km before Korat), is the construction site for a Guan Yin (Chinese goddess of mercy) statue. After driving past several times, I stopped recently to take pictures, and found it unchanged from memory from last year.
Full name in Thai, translation with help of educated Thai friend:
พระแม่กวนอิม ปางสำเร็จมรรคผล
Goddess Mother Guan Im in the position of enlightenment
สมาคมอุทยานโพธิสัตว์กวนอิม เสี่ยงเฮง
Society of the park of Photisat (highest form or angel before becoming Buddha) Guan Im Siang Haeng (Chinese Name)
ถ.มิตนภาพ ต.มะเกลือเก่า อ.สูงเนิน จ.นครราชสีมา
Friendship highway, sub-district Makluea Kao, district Sung Noen, province Nakon Ratchasima
N.b. the Chinese name is 觀音 / 观音, Pinyin Guān yīn, the Thai name กวนอิม Guan Im.
According to their flyer, it will be 36 m high and the tallest Guan Yin statue in the world (of its kind, i.e. bronze; there are taller concrete statues elsewhere).
Bronze bars for donation (1 kg for 300 THB) are available and an analysis certificate is posted: copper with 3.9% silicon and 1.1% manganese and traces of other metals.
Thanks to a Farang friend for aerial pictures by drone:
Copyright 2019 ChristianPFC
With respect, you present the object as if there is truth in this "goddess" nonsense. To many there is no "goddess of mercy", Chinese or otherwise. I'd suggest a description style such as: "a statue described as xxx", would be less affronting to your non-pagan readers.
ReplyDeleteJust ignore the f-cking evangelical Christians...
DeleteI have no religious affiliation (I’m Christian, but I’m not Christian), but respect others‘ as long as they do not interfere with my activities. I believe in verification and falsification, and in 2019 years of Christianity and 2562 years of Buddhism, there has been none for either.
DeleteSo I consider this rather a grammatical question: “Guan Im statue” or “statue of Guan Im” or “a statue described as Guan Im”? I’m going with the shortest.
The world is diverse, hear he, all Christians and Atheists. Christian calling GuanYin "goddess of mercy" points, at least, to his respect of the spiritual world. If you are "affronted," it says more about you than about Christian. And please, stop acting as copy editor to Christian's interesting post.
ReplyDelete