I have to admit that I never paid attention to any temple; maybe it was due to my ignorance or lack of interest to dissecting and analyzing its carving symbol. I can’t recall how many times I had seen temples but it just did not bother me to figuring out its meanings. Until recently, immerging myself into the story of Buddhism on National Geographic Chanel, I begin to realize the amazing beauty of it and there is more to it than just a symbolic scriptures. I wonder if you guys heard of Alexander’s Greeks who carved the first Buddha images——stone symbols of people’s faith and commitment. The undeniable claim that one of the first areas to be affected as the religion emerge from the forest setting was the arts. So, the ideas of having all the temple walls magnificently covered in murals depicting various stories and events in rich layers of metaphor and symbol must have derived from the first Buddha images carving by Alexander’s Greeks. Reminiscing back to my childhood, it just dawns on me about the devout Buddhist my grandma used to be when she was alive. She woke up early in the morning just to cook for those barefoot monks who routinely made their alms and grandma said, “Monks eat first” She was so dedicated to her religion.

We were her own grandkids and we could not even taste good food unless the share of the monks was properly set aside. Grandma was illiterate but she attentively listened to the Pali chanting in the temple by those monks as she even understood what was being said. Furthermore, she would often remind us of heaven and hell. Her profound faith in religion was unquestionable. Some aspects are harder for me to comprehend its validity. Grandma would take us to the temple to be blessed. My uncle would have Buddhist icons dangling around his neck to keep him safe from any potential harm.  One day, grandma almost burned down our house from worshiping her religion. She kneeled down while lighting candles and prayed for about a half of an hour or so, but one of them was accidentally detached from its stand and the fire spread quickly. We were all screaming in paranoid as grandma and her son desperately trying to put off the fire. Anyway, I don’t to digress further and let me turn your attention back to the story I witnessed on National Geographic Chanel. Thought Buddha was born in the border between Nepal and India but Buddhism was originally taught to ascetic monks under the trees in the forest of India.

These monks had left their homes and families, “gone forth” in the religious order to meditate and seek enlightenment. Buddhism was originally taught to ascetic monks under the trees in the forests of India. These monks had left their homes and families and "gone forth" in the religious order to meditate and seek enlightenment. To survive during the cold nights as in Tibet, Buddhism had to adapt to its environment and an essential evening meal was permitted. On the lower subcontinent, Indians, however, took Buddhism out of the forest and into the villages so an evening meal was not allowed. If you look in the front of Buddha images in Thai temples, you can see the image of the beautiful Earth Goddess washing her hair beneath the meditating Buddha. And to her left is the attacking army of Mara, called the God of Delusion. To her right the demons are washed away by the water from her hair. On the verge of enlightenment, the God of Delusion attacked with his armies symbolizing the hoard of thoughts, desires and hates within the psyche. But eventually defeated due to his manifold good deeds of numerous lifetimes.