Monday, February 27, 2012

SHWE-DAGON STUPA (PAGODA)

The Shwe-Dagon Stupa (Pagoda) in Yangon is a religious stupa which construction went on from 14th century on into the 15th century. This temple enshrines the relics of Buddha. It has gone through centuries with restoration to keep its beauty. Even now this place goes under a lot of redecoration. In my opinion this place is so beautiful that is shows and gives off a feeling of purity, and happiness. The amount of gold paint that was used to paint this place shines brilliantly both day and night. The gold shows a sign of wealth as well as enlightenment. This is a very impressively constructed temple.      

8 comments:

  1. This temple does not feel very approachable to me which seems to go against some of the Buddhist teachings. Also the fact that it is decorated with gold and most Buddhist thought was originated in giving up the opulent for a more simple life in order to attain enlightenment.

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  2. This temple is very magnificant and i love the vas amount of gold to give the feeling of high importance. But i feel like i should only look at this from a distance; it seems unwelcoming and unlike buddhist ways.But it definately is amazing and gives you a feeling of appreciation.

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  3. This temple is gorgeous! The gold paint used makes it seem almost untouchable and a little intimidating. If i ever visited this place i would feel very skeptical about coming to close to it. At first glance it reminds me of a huge, golden chess piece (lol) but the fact that this is a temple that was constructed blows my mind. The architecture of this building is so precise and breath-taking.

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    1. Definitely seeing the chess piece! Would make a good story; something along the lines of Jumanji.

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  4. It DOES look a little like a Chess pawn. The sheer size of the temple is intimidating. Buddha are comparable to monks/nuns, right? So why is the temple massive and painted gold? Sure, it looks nice, but does it really represent the Buddhist faith?

    In terms of architecture, it is truly impressive.

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    1. Erick, you are right in one sense. If they were monks, why spend all this money on something so decorative. But on the other hand, so many of the early Catholic churches were done in much the same way. The monks lived a simple life but often spared no expense when it came to constructing a chapel.

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  5. Wow this temple is awesome! The amount of detail put into it and all the gold just shows me how important it is. I agree with Jordan I feel if you were to look at this up close you might end up with an eye patch or two from going blind. All in all though I really enjoy looking at this. Every Time I look I see something that I didn't the time before.

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  6. It looks like something that would contact aliens. It just gives off this eerie presence that makes me feel like something weird is about to go down, but at the same time, it gives you this calming feeling.

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