The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace is a

jade Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of ...

statue of the

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

sourced from northern Canada in 2000 and later carved by

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

artisans An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, s ...

. It is made of polar jade, which is a kind of

nephrite Nephrite is a variety of the calcium, magnesium, and iron-rich amphibole minerals tremolite or actinolite (Aggregate (geology), aggregates of which also make up one form of asbestos). The chemical formula for nephrite is calcium, Ca2(magnesium, ...

. It stands 2.7 metres high, sitting on a solid alabaster throne of 1.4 metres high, and is valued at more than A$25 million. The four-

tonne The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United State ...

statue was created for the

Great Stupa of Universal Compassion The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion is a Buddhist monument near Bendigo in central Victoria, Australia. The basic idea for building the stupa came from Lama Yeshe and then, after Lama Yeshe's death, from Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who decided to m ...

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, in Australia and was

consecrate Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

d by the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

. Its model is the Buddha statue of the

Mahabodhi Temple The Mahabodhi Temple (literally: "Great Awakening Temple") or the Mahābodhi Mahāvihāra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an ancient, but rebuilt and restored Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India, marking the location where the Buddha ...

Bodh Gaya Bodh Gaya is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous as it is the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained Enlightenment ( pi, ...

, India, which is universally recognized by all Buddhists. The statue toured the world with the purpose of raising awareness of Buddhism and promoting peace.

Mandala lights around the statue

In many pictures taken by tourists visiting the Buddha, bright and unusual lights appear in the background. These lights allegedly first appeared at Quán Thế Âm temple in Đà Nẵng. They have since been sighted at every showing of the Jade Buddha in Vietnam, Australia and the US. It has been said that only those with a pure heart and pure intentions can take such photographs. Called the "Mandala Lights" because their appearance is similar to a Buddhist mandala, the lights seem to be made of many colours in wildly varying patterns.

Tour

The purpose of exhibiting the Jade Buddha around the world was to raise awareness of Buddhism and promote peace. Lama Zopa Rinpoche said that "It will illuminate the world and bring inconceivable peace and happiness and help prevent the destruction that is happening so much in the world, including war." "I want to emphasize the importance of so many people, I think it seems millions of people, who have seen the statue and have therefore have had strong imprints placed in their minds for enlightenment. … Please remember the benefits to sentient beings in what you are doing with the tour, by people even merely seeing the Jade Buddha, ultimately brings them extensive benefit." The Jade Buddha was on tour to major cities around the world before it was finally placed inside the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jade Buddha For Universal Peace Asian-Australian culture in Victoria (state) Buddhism in Australia Thai-Australian culture Bendigo