The Sri Lankan government issued new laws this week to protect the country’s elephants, which are considered by many Sri Lankan Buddhists to be sacred animals. The country’s roughly 200 domesticated elephants will now receive identification cards with DNA stamps and must be taken in for medical check-ups every six months. Other restrictions include banning drunk riding and abusive training methods, limiting work hours and maximum number of riders, and requiring a two and a half hour daily bath for logging elephants. Additionally, baby elephants can no longer be used for work of any kind and cannot be separated from their mothers. Owners who violate any of the new laws could face up to three years in prison.
Buddha Statue believed to be the biggest in the Western World Inaugurated in Brazil.
On August 28, Brazil’s Morro da Vargem Zen Monastery will host an inauguration ceremony for their new Buddha statue, which is thought to be the largest in the West. Constructed from 385 tons of steel, iron, and concrete, the statue stands at roughly 125 feet tall—the same height as the country’s famous Chris the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. Supersizing is nothing new to Morro da Vargem, which also boasts the largest Zen garden in the West as well as the largest torii (a traditional Japanese gate that is a staple of temple architecture) in the Americas. Receiving roughly 1,000 visitors per week, Morro da Vargem expects to see a significant traffic surge once the statue is open to the public.
Meanwhile, Rakesh Kumar Patra, a college student in Odisha, India, has been recognized by Exclusive World Records for setting the record of “Smallest Wax Statue Of Lord Buddha.” His Buddha statue measures only 3.5 cm—less than a thousandth of what Morro da Vargem’s statue measures.
Source: https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/headspace-ginger-merger/
