A Visit to the Giant Buddha Statue in Brazil

[Junsho]

Hi Sangha,

Today I had the opportunity to visit the Giant Buddha Statue at the Morro da Vargem Monastery in Brazil. To give you a sense of its immensity, the Buddha statue at Morro da Vargem is taller than the Christ the Redeemer statue when the pedestal is not taken into account. It is also considered the largest Buddha statue in the Western world.

While speaking with people over there, I was pleasantly surprised to learn how deeply they are integrated with the local community. They actively support local residents by encouraging and developing activities such as ceramics, which helps sustain many families living in vulnerable conditions.

It was a truly wonderful experience, and one I felt inspired to share with you.

If you are curious to learn more, I invite you to visit their website: https://mosteirozen.com.br/ (available in English).

Gassho and deep bows,
SatLah

[Jundo]

Lovely. It is a Soto-shu monastery. It was nice to see that my Dharma Grandfather, Renpo Niwa Zenji, played a part in the founding of the monastery. He was the head monk of Soto-shu at the time ...

It was the last days of winter in 1974 when the first Buddhist monastery in Latin America was founded by masters Ryohan Shingu, Renpo Niwa Zenji, and Iko Narazaki.
At the time, the beauty of the Morro da Vargem region was marred by a process of devastation that caused great imbalance.
Only a few patches of vegetation remained, in a last effort to remind men that those lands were once covered in rich Atlantic Forest.
In the beginning, many difficulties had to be overcome. The temples operated in wooden huts with roofs made of tree bark, covered with palm thatch.
Everything was done by lamplight, and access was difficult, via steep, slippery, and potholed trails.
It took years for the Buddhist lotus, planted in 1974, to flourish firmly atop Morro da Vargem.
Today, monastic activity is daily and uninterrupted, following the tradition of ancestral Japanese monasteries.
Thousands of trees have been planted as part of the Atlantic Forest restoration project, and several groups of students visit the trails around the temples as part of environmental education programs.
The first Buddhist monastery in Latin America is today a center where Soto Zen Buddhism unites with Brazilian reality to transmit the ancient teachings of the Buddha, helping to solve local problems.

It is lovely to see that they placed a small Catholic chapel next to the statue.

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The statue is Shakyamuni Buddha. That can be known from the hands in Zazen mudra ...

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As to facts ...

Inaugurated in August 2021, after over a year of construction, it stands on the banks of the BR-101 Highway, at the Torii Square in the Morro da Vargem Zen Monastery (pt). Conceived by Genésio Gomes Moura, the monument depicts the Buddha as an "enlightened being", seated atop a lotus flower. Alongside the main stature are 15 further meditative statues of the Buddha, each measuring 2.5 meters (8.2 feet). It is believed to be the largest Buddha statue in the Western world. The Buddha of Ibiraçu stands 35 meters (115 feet) tall and weighs 350 tonnes of iron, steel, and concrete.

Gassho, J
stlah

[Junsho]

Thank you for complementing the information, Roshi.

Here's an interesting fact: this time, it's not related to Buddhism, but it coincidentally is. Ibiraçu is pronounced "eberasu" for English speakers; it's the name of the municipality. This name contains two words from Tupi, the ancestral language of Brazil. The word " ybyrá " means " tree, " and " açu " means " big. " So, the Shakyamuni Buddha represented there is literally being called the Great Buddha of the Big Tree. Apparently, the people who inhabited Brazil for the last 9000 years chose a good name for the place. Whether coincidental or not, the teachers may have known about it and did not forget the Bodhi tree, which is a lovely decision.
Gassho and deep bows.
SatLah

[Junsho]

Just adding more photos. The project of ceramics, the road view, the place...

Gassho and deep bows
SatLah

[Jundo]

Interesting to me is the placement of the red Torii gate at what appears to be the entrance to the monastery?? I don't recall ever seeing this in modern Japan (it may have been more common in pre-Meiji Japan and the forcible separate of Buddhist and Shinto, including their sacred places.) Torii are for Shinto Shrines, not Buddhist places.

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It is still common for Buddhist monasteries to have a small Shinto Shrine somewhere on their campus, which may have its own small Torii Gate, but not for a Torii Gate to be the entrance to the entire campus. Am I misunderstanding the picture?

Of course, Buddhist temples have this kind of Gate, the "Sanmon" or "Mountain Gate" ...

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Gassho, Jundo
stlah

[Junsho]

It is quite common to see a Toori anywhere in Brazil where the Japanese community exists. I never understood why. I was very surprised to see it over there.

However, it is not the first time I have seen a Toori at Buddhist sites in Brazil. There is a beautiful Jodo Shinshu temple in Brasília (Capital) where they put two Toori on each side of the sidewalk. It’s not as obvious as this one, but they exist.
The Brazilian Buddhist community (at least those tied to Japanese schools) is deeply connected to the Japanese immigrant society. Brazil has the largest number of Japanese immigrants in the world. There are towns in the rural areas of Brazil where you might think you’re somewhere in the countryside of Japan pre WWII.

People in this community often feel lost in translation, neither feeling fully part of Brazilian society nor fully accepted by Japanese society. Initially, members of this community migrated to Brazil with the intention of returning to Japan and passing that wish to future generations. However, when they finally go to Japan, they find a different Japan than they imagined and feel disappointed because Japanese society considers them Brazilians instead of Japanese. So, some of them don’t feel Brazilian or Japanese, as their culture often belongs to a Japan that no longer exists.

The history of Japanese immigration to Brazil is fascinating. During World War II, Brazil was home to a Japanese terrorist group called "Shindo Renmei," which hunted those they considered "betrayers" for believing Japan lost the war. It was also the place where Hiiro Onoda, the soldier who fought for 30 years in the jungle of the Philippines against a ghost enemy, returned to live a life closer to what he expected to find in pre-WWII Japan.

By the way, there are two movies about these stories:

About the story of Shindo Renmei: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_Hearts (It’s not even as detailed as the book, but it gives an idea)
About the amazing story of Onoda: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onoda%..._in_the_Jungle (the movie is really good)

Gassho and deep bows.
SatLah

[Tai Do]

I vary happy you could visit this monastery, Junsho. I live in the sertão of Bahia, and have wanted to go to a retreat in Morro da Vargem for a long time.
Thank you for sharing!
Gassho,
Tai Do
Satlah

[Jundo]

Footnote: I found one explanation for the Torii Gate in front of the Buddhist place. I cannot confirm if true:

The Torii is not exactly a part of the monastary. It's an open to public square and I believe it's kept by the municipality government. The square was a commemorative gift for the monastary's 30th anniversary and symbolizes a open gate between oriental and occidental culture. The monastary also has a path with 108 Torii gates symbolizing the 108 virtues. While there are Toriis there, I do not believe they practice or have any shintoism beliefs.

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[Chikyou]

Wow!!!! Thanks for sharing this. I had no idea that Brazil had a large Japanese immigrant population or a rich Buddhist culture.

I’ve seen images of that statue before, but I always kind of thought they must be edited or misleading in some way; now I see that they are not. Absolutely spectacular.

Gassho,
SatLah,
Chikyō