A 1.7-meter tall statue of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni was set up and inaugurated in the meditation hall of the Diamond Way Buddhist Centre at the Beaufoy, London. Built in Europe according to traditional processes of Buddhist art, but using modern techniques and methods, it is the third of six similar statues to be created for selected Diamond Way Buddhist Centers throughout Europe.
Only once correctly filled and blessed is a Buddha statue activated as a tool for meditation. The traditional filling of the statue was performed under the supervision of Lama Ole Nydahl by a team of Western statue fillers that has been trained and authorized by Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche. This highly respected Karma Kagyu lama from Kathmandu, Nepal, had already inaugurated the first statue of the series at the Europe Center in summer 2014.
In the run-up to the statue inauguration, relics, rolls of mantras, and beautiful items for the filling of the new London Buddha had been collected by Diamond Way Buddhist centers around the world. The meditation hall is still undergoing restoration, but the areas immediately surrounding the statue were completed before its arrival. A new altar was constructed specifically to fit the new statue’s dimensions. Since works will continue, the statue will be temporarily shielded with an acrylic glass box to protect it from dust and scratches, before the grand opening of the fully refurbished hall.
Diamond Way Buddhism UK obtained planning permission for the historic Beaufoy Institute in the Vauxhall area of South London in 2012. The beautiful Grade II listed building is being carefully renovated by volunteers from the London Buddhist community and beyond. While the works continue, the Diamond Way Buddhist Center London is already functioning and open to the public.
Buddhist art had already been publicly introduced to Vauxhall by a very successful “Space for Mind” exhibition of rare Buddhist art and fine statues of different Buddha forms at “The Spring” on Vauxhall Walk.
Run on a purely voluntary basis, the Diamond Way centre hosts weekly meditation classes and regular talks on Buddhism. If you’re in London, the Buddhist Centre is just a stone’s throw from the Thames, on the corner of Black Prince Road and Vauxhall Street – do come and visit us!
