One of the largest statues of the Buddha in the United States springs up unexpectedly in the middle of a backyard just off a busy New Jersey state highway. The 30 foot-statue was built a decade ago under the leadership of a Sri Lanka-born monk. His dream? Uniting people of all faiths.
Carol Kruhen lifts up her pressed palms next to a statue of the Buddha after meditating at the New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center in Franklin Township, N.J. on Sunday Nov. 30, 2024. A close-up of the 30-foot statue of the Buddha – one of the largest in the United States -- at the New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center in Franklin Township, N.J. on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024.
The New Jersey Buddhist Vihara, a monastery, follows Theravada, the predominant form practiced in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand. But it’s welcoming of The center’s trees are covered in colorful Tibetan prayer flags that flutter in the wind near an interfaith peace mural painted by local students. It’s decorated with symbols representing different world religions – from Baha’i and Christianity to Sikhism and Zoroastrianism – all practiced in the Garden State.
“Now, within ten minutes…from my home, I can go to the Buddhist temple. But there are so many others,” he said listing nearby Jain, Sikh and Hindu temples that make him proud of the religious diversity in central New Jersey. From the windows of her home next to the monastery, she awakes to a sight of the impeccably white brick and mortar Buddha sitting on a pink concrete lotus flower.
Buddhism General News Asia Asia Pacific Herman Hesse Religion U.S. News Daniel Choi Carol Kruhen World News U.S. News World News
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