THE GOLDEN BUDDHA
The golden radiance of this painting by artist Pramila Giria reflects his moniker—The Enlightened One.
Many centuries ago, a Thai monastery was the home to a magnificent statue of Buddha that was made from 5.5 tonnes of gold. On the account of the Burmese army invading their lands, they feared that the statue might get stolen and exploited for its gold. So, the monks covered the statue with 8-12 inches of clay.
Almost two centuries later the statue was moved due to the relocation of the monastery. During the process, the clay layer began to crack and in between the cracks they saw the gold! With much difficulty (and chiseling) the old and hardened layers of clay were removed and finally, the people could see the Golden Buddha in all its glory and realize the true value of it. Today, The Golden Buddha statue in Thailand is one of the most visited spiritual places in the world.
Much like this story, each and every one of us has our own Golden Buddha inside us. Chip away layers of walls of self-doubts, burdens and worries that we have built over the years. Sense and find the Golden Buddha within you. There was a time when we embraced the world and lived freely. Find that old self, don’t just look at your layer of mud and clay, unearth and bring out your inner Golden Buddha in all its radiance.