Continued Vandalism in Buddhist Temples

Bodhisattva statue sprayed with red paint at Gaeun-sa Temple in Busan City Korea

Four temples near Haeundae (Busan city) have been vandalized in the early morning of November 21st, enraging many Buddhist communities throughout Korea. Vandalism was reportedly to have taken place on the 21 st , between 12am and 4 am. The suspected culprit is assumed to have entered Busan Gaeun-sa Temple and Jirim-sa Temple and sprayed red paint on important Buddha and Bodhisattva statues enshrined within the temple. The vandal sprayed red paints on Buddha statues in Gaeun-sa Temple, and broke in to the main Buddha Hall in Jirim-sa Temple by breaking a large window glass. The culprit sprayed ‘s’ and ‘x’ mark on Buddha statues, Buddhist paintings, and Stupas. Moreover, they even sprayed on Moktak (Wooden Fish) and Buddhist Scriptures before they fled.

The Abbot of Jirim-sa Temple, who first discovered the problem when he entered the main Buddha hall for the Morning Prayer, stated that the culprit must have entered the temple after he fell asleep after midnight. The Haeundae police investigating the case stated that the similar case which took place on November 16 and 17 matches the crime of Jeokjo-am Temple and Wono-sa Temple, thus it is most likely that the temples were vandalized by the same person. Haeundae Police Department stated, “The culprit is deliberately trying to undermine Buddha statues, and the crime have been planned intentionally,” and added “scientific investigation and CCTV analysis will narrow down the investigation. To prevent further damage to the nearby temples, more guards will safeguard the temples.” However, vandalism taken place on the later date occurred despite the strengthened police patrols, therefore concern for safety is growing among Korean Buddhist community. On November 22 nd , Ven. Mokjong (Chairman of Buddhist Monastery, Haeundae Police department), Ven. Boun (Director, Department of Regulation in Beomeo-sa Temple), and Ven. Gwangjin (President, Haeundae Temple Alliance) met with the Chief of Police, Mr. Jeongjingyu (Haeundae Police Station) to state their position, “We hope that the police department will come up with definite crime prevention measures to avoid such indiscriminating vandalism in the future"

Giving Thanks for Freedom

care for some pepper on Thanksgiving?

earth from space

I saw this video today and wanted to share it. Time lapse sequences of photographs taken by the crew of expeditions 28 & 29 on board the International Space Station from August to October, 2011, who to my knowledge shot these pictures at an altitude of around 250 miles.


What stands out are the auroras and the actual 'thinness' of the atmosphere. In relation to the size of the planet our atmosphere is rather thin, also the auroras are an expression of the earths magnetic field interacting with cosmic rays that would kill life on this planet. We truly live in a fragile ocean of life, it is quite humbling to be able to see such a magnificent view of our world. 


I am so small I can barely be seen.
How can this great love be inside me?
Look at your eyes, they are small but they
see enormous things.

Jelaludin Rumi