Snow Buddha

All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.
Buddha

THE TEACHER FORGOT HER HAT

I've posted another image from Bodie a while ago. The town of Bodie in California used to be a flourishing mining community, until the last person left 50 years ago. It seems like they left with the intention to return one day, many buildings contain furniture and personal items. It is a pretty setting high on a plateau in the mountains, and when we visited it was covered with a dusting of snow...

This used to be the Bodie school. Like many of the buildings in Bodie that still have personal belongings scattered around, this class room looks like the children have just left for recess. Only a small part of the town survived, preserved in a state of "arrested decay." Interiors remain as they were left and stores are still stocked with goods.

MOST BEAUTIFUL FEET I'VE EVER SEEN!

The 32-meter (100-foot) tall standing Buddha of Wat Indrawiharn used to be visible from just about any high vantage point around the old city. Now its hidden behind the new buildings from Thailand's boom years.

The ubosot of Wat Indrawiharn with its unusual sema stones in front.
Not that its any great loss. The giant Buddha statue is a rare example of Thai religious art failing to live up the the graceful lines its known for. The statue is flattened and thus very unrealistic. Its still an impressive work, and popular as a place of homage for some Thais.

Although the statue may fail to completely impress, the ubosot is beautifully decorated. Of particular interest are the intricately carved pink sema stones. Also of note is the wall enclosing the ubosot on three sides. The inside of the wall is lined with glass-fronted shelves holding benjarong funerary urns.

The temple was founded by King Rama IV in the mid-19th century. The giant statue was built to house relics from Sri Lanka. The stairway up the side of the supporting structure is sometimes open, so that you can ascend to the Buddha's shoulders to get an interesting view of this somewhat sleepy part of Bangkok.