Buddhist statue stalls in Oklahoma

Bill Sherman (Oklahoman, March 5, 2011) NewsOK.com, TulsaWorld.com

Abbott Thich Duc Tri in front of Kwan Yin statue (Tulsa World/Stephen Pingry)

A large statue has yet to be completed by the Tam Bao Buddhist Temple in Tulsa. The Oklahoma temple has invested about $250,000 in the statue and is trying to raise more money to complete the project. The downturn in the economy has stalled the completion of a large statue at the Tam Bao Buddhist Temple in east Tulsa. The 57-foot-tall, 400,000-pound statue [of the Bodhisattva/Mother Goddess Kwan Yin] is clearly visible for miles along 21st St. Thich Duc Tri, the abbot of the temple, said through a translator that the granite statue was made in Vietnam and shipped to Tulsa last summer in 12 pieces and was put in place with cranes. Full story

• Carnival in Brazil precedes Lent in Brazil
• Jade Buddha continues tour of America
• Peace Corps changes lives, improves America
• Anti-government protests in Libya continue