Special Buddha

Photo by Paul Chung My father took this picture of a special golden Buddha somewhere in Panyu or Zhaoqing. Apparently, people are not allowed to take pictures of the buddha, but Paul Chung, realizing his daughter needed content for the website, brushed convention aside and captured this. Thanks, Daddy!

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By Jen Chung in Miscellaneous on March 7, 2003 10:46 AM

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Lena, Jen's mom

There's a story about this buddha. Many years ago, the Emperor went to the temple and saw the laughing buddha and he asked why is the buddha laughing at him. His guard told him that the buddha is not laughing at the king, but because the king is the son of heaven, he's a buddha as well so the laughing buddha is laughing with king as fellow buddhas. The king is happy, but after a while he asked the guard " then why is the buddha laughing with you". the guard thought quickly and answered " The buddha is not laughing with me, he is laughing at me because I'm not good enough to be a buddha." Now the king is satisfied.

Moral of the story is the guard is very clever; the same facts can be interpreted in many ways.