July 18 -- Tokyo (Asiantribune.com): The statue of Jade Buddha for Universal Peace was ceremonially placed at a special opening ceremony held on Friday, at the Sojiji Temple in Tsurumi, Kanagawa prefecture organized by the Theravada Buddhist Association in Japan in association with Venerable Yalagamuwe Dammissara Thero, Chief Priest of the Hachi-oji Temple in Japan and the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Tokyo. The statue will also be placed for viewing in Saitama and Ishinomaki in Japan.
Photo: Jade Buddha Statue
The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace is the largest Buddha statue carved from gemstone quality jade. It is approximately 2.5 metres high and weighs around 4 tonne. It sits on a throne which is 2 metres high. It is a project of the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion Ltd, a non-profit organization which is building a very large Buddhist Stupa (temple) in Australia.
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The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace world tour commenced in March 2009. Since then the statue has visited six cities in Vietnam, five cities in Australia, three cities in Canada and twenty one cities in USA, nine cities in Europe, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Future tour locations include Kushinagar and Bodhgaya in India. To date, close to 7 million people have come to view the Jade Buddha. The Buddha is usually displayed in Buddhist temples but it has also been shown in public spaces and museums. In all cases entry to see the Jade Buddha is free.
The Jade Buddha is a great international achievement; it is carved from a very rare 18 tonne boulder of translucent jade from Canada, it is based on the famous Buddha statue from Bodhgaya India, the Buddha prototype was designed by an Australian and a Thai sculptor, it was carved by skilled craftsmen in Thailand, the face was painted by a master painter from Nepal.
The tour of the Jade Buddha is dedicated to universal peace. It is a cherished wish of the Great Stupa organization to share the Jade Buddha message of peace with as many people as possible in the world. To provide this opportunity for the people of Japan to promote peace and rejoice in this meritorious project is of prime significance.