These are the finished Buddhas in the Buddha Barn, waiting to be put into service in the garden. There were about 800 finished Buddhas when we visited, and they will begin work soon on the 1000 Stupas.
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These are the finished Buddhas in the Buddha Barn, waiting to be put into service in the garden. There were about 800 finished Buddhas when we visited, and they will begin work soon on the 1000 Stupas. |
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This is one of the molds used to cast the Buddhas. It's a rubbery material inside a fiberglass shell. The mold is two pieces which are pushed together to create the Buddha front and back. When the Buddha has been completed, it will be backed by an Aura. The Buddhas and Auras will sit back to back on the eight spokes of the finished wheel in the garden. |
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These Buddhas and Auras are in various stages of curing, finishing or repair |
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A workstation where a volunteer is working on the final smoothing and inspection of a Buddha |
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Al cleaning plaster from a mold to prepare it for reuse |
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Luke, a caster, unmolding a Buddha |
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A flaw in the plaster that caused the Buddha to crack at the neck when it was unmolded, so Luke asked Mikal to carry the head to a work table. |
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Mikal with David, a caster |
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Crystal filling air bubbles in the plaster and smoothing rough edges |
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Entrance to the Buddha Barn, where the Buddhas are cast and stored |
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An adjacent structure where visitors stay while they work or teach at the garden. |
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View of the garden from the Buddha Barn |
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Early attempts at casting the Buddhas, before the team had found the best combination of cement, plaster, and other binders. These Buddhas are the early prototypes, and now they sit and watch over the work on the garden. |
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View of the mountains from the garden |