Choosing a "buddha"

This is day 2 of the Chinese New Year. I joined many others to pay respect to our ancestors. Though it's more than a year since mom left us, I still miss her a lot. I had a tearful and silent moment giving her flowers after a group of people left.

When I left the resting place, I decided to visit the temple next to it - The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery. After I started the walk, I could imagine why this monastery is so appealing to tourists and visitors.

Hundreds, maybe a thousand statues of buddhas stand along the paths to the temple. It makes walking uphill much easier, as you will be always surrounded by buddhas. The temple is full of visitors, particularly domestic helpers. Aren't they Christian? Some even bought the lucky chimes that are supposed to be tao-related. 

Religion forms a solid belief in many people's minds. It holds people together, and at the same time, divides people and creates conflicts. What if different "gods" sat together to resolve such conflicts? I took a look of some of the buddhas and started to think who I will admire the most. They do not have charming faces, or magnificent outfits.  Most of them look like ordinary men, not even at a young age. 

My conclusion is that I do not particularly admire any buddha model, but I find this statue catching my eye balls as he seems to be very down to earth, carefree, relaxed and content. It is the state of mind that I hope to master.