The 10,000 Buddhas Monastery (Photo-essay)

Should anyone wonder (especially if they've been checking out quite a bit of this blog), I don't consider myself to be an especially religious person. In fact, I reckon I'd be considered pretty a-religious by many people's standards.

All this notwithstanding, I came to the realization some time back that I really like visiting and checking out religious structures (be they cathedrals and churches, temples, mosques, etc.) because I often find myself being very appreciative of the buildings' architecture and the art within their walls. Consequently, I've gone ahead and made artistic pilgrimages to many a religious place over the years.

Earlier today, I paid a visit to the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery that's on a hill overlooking Shatin, one of the New Territories' major towns. There's a fun plus detailed description of the place over here. Rather than repeat what has already been written by others, here's just going ahead and sharing some of the many photos I took there, albeit with accompanying comments cum captions... :)

"You ain't seen nothing yet!" is what the first Buddha (statue)
the visitor to the Monastery of 10,000 Buddhas encounters
if (s)he goes up the path that starts off
near the Shatin Government Offices appears to be saying!

Buddhas, Buddhas, and more Buddhas
-- some of which look like they're enjoying
seeing people sweat as they walk (stagger?) up
the circa 500 steps up the hill to the monastery proper!

Get the picture yet that there are lots of Buddhas
in that there monastery? ;)

More seriously though, one of the amazing things
about these Buddha statues
is how each one of them is so physically
different from, and distinct vis a vis, the others

Females are represented along with males
-- though I must say that I'm not sure
whether these divine beings
actually are considered to be Buddhas

Seeing a figure like this one makes me realize
how little I know about Buddhist teachings and lore
(Alternatively put, I've never ever seen
a Buddha figure like this one before!)

...and I don't know the story behind this figure either! :(
(So would appreciate it if anybody could enlighten me about him;
but, hey, at least after seeing him, people will know that
not all the statues at the monastery are gold in color! ;b)

Yet more gold statues
-- this time inside the monastery's main building --
along with the gold leaf encrusted body (corpse!) of
the monastery's founder, the late Reverend Yuet Kwai

To be continued? (But only if requests for me to do so are forthcoming...!) ;S