The Buddhist Pagoda of the Bois de Vincennes

[Deleted]

The Buddhist Pagoda in the Bois de Vincennes can be considered to be the "cathedral" of Buddhism in the Paris metropolitan area, although there are more than 20 other temples throughout the region, some of which are bigger than this temple. Nevertheless, it has the largest Buddha statue in Europe (more than 9 metres high) and benefits from some of the most unusual architecture of any religious edifice, because it was actually built as the pavilion of the Cameroon for the 1931 colonial exposition. From the 1930's to the 1970's it became the museum of the wood industry. It must not have been a very successful museum, because it did not move to another location -- it just closed. So in 1977, the pagoda was restored and opened as the interfaith Buddhist temple. Don't get me started about the various types of Buddhism, because my friend Bruno drove me crazy for years with his Tibetan Buddhism obsession and he put me on the mailing list of most of the Buddhist associations in Europe to try to get me interested. I'm sure the mailman thought I was a complete nutcase. Anyway, the building belongs to the city of Paris, so they organised it all and the various currents seem to be getting along although they all have their own "real" temples elsewhere. There is a secondary building which was the Togolese pavilion for the same exposition. It is supposed to be restored into a Buddhist library some day, but it does not appear to be on the municipal priority list at the moment.

Anyway, to visit you have to take the metro or the tram to Porte Dorée and walk the entire length of the lake where the buildings are located.

After this lengthy walk, you finally see this.



I have always really liked this group of statuary.





The Buddhist compound is nearby with a big fence around it.



Unlike most Buddhist places I have seen around the world, it is not open to the public all the time. However, this weekend there was a festival.













These guys may be left over from the colonial exposition.



There are some precious relics in a glass case. Real gold really does shine brighter than the other stuff.

[tod2]

It is a really beautiful building with it's pointed roof and what looks like artificial thatch coming down the sides. As to be expected it is minimilistic so I should imagine it echoed somewhat. I was taken by the two "Impala" buck looking as if they are trying to feed on some of the decoration.

[Deleted]

The ceiling is really quite high. If they want to get a much bigger Buddha some day, it will easily fit.





For good luck or karma or whatever, you are supposed to dribble water on the head of this statue. I did not do it.









This is what the building looks like from the side.



This is the 'Togo' building awaiting renovation some day.



There is also a special Tibetan temple, which I preferred not to enter since the doors were closed.





This weekend was the Fête du Bouddhisme, so there were a number of small stands selling bondieuseries and esoteric literature.













Father Christmas came for a visit.



Food was available.





I sneaked a look 'backstage' at one of the temple buildings. They're messy just like the rest of us.



Just before I left, I noticed another relic from the colonial exposition in a corner of the grounds.







It looks like the grounds will be open for the next two weekends for other events.

One of these days I will have to visit the biggest temple in the region in Bussy Saint Georges out by Disneyland.

[questa]

What a lovely Buddhist Centre that is, not OTT like some get. I would hazard a guess that the elephant carrying the log would be a left over from the timber museum era...it is not a Buddhist statue.

The Buddha pointing to the sky is the "Calling down the rains" pose. That is why the people pour water on him...to pray for rains in the right time.

Tod...the Buddha's first sermon after his enlightenment was in a deer park, and the deer came to listen. That is why deer are always featured in Buddhist art.

Also featured is the wheel. The sermon is referred to as Buddha "Turning the wheel of Dharma" i.e.teaching the truth. The wheel will always have 8 spokes representing the eightfold path to enlightenment.

I won't compete with Bruno, K2, but the Father Christmas may have been a Zen monk, as they often wear grey robes.

[tod2]

Questa - thanks for the explanation...I'm sure Kerouac didn't even know that
As an absolute atheist, I find this all so amusing - what tickles your fancy kind of religion.
I'm afraid life's lessons are so far removed from all beliefs.
I show no disrespect to those who believe in it all...your choice.

[Deleted]

We don't need any more rain in Paris!

[bixaorellana]

Well, you certainly could have titled this "& now for something completely different"!

Even though you've shown other temples in Paris, somehow they looked more solid & permanent than this one. I have to confess I have a completely opposite reaction to the building from Tod's. Even the giant Buddha seems to have the face of a department store mannikin -- I can't help but contrast it to the truly lovely many-armed statue just below it.

Still, a fascinating thread on something I imagine even most residents of the city are unaware of.

[Deleted]

Jun 1, 2015 14:27:45 GMT questa said:

What a lovely Buddhist Centre that is, not OTT like some get. I would hazard a guess that the elephant carrying the log would be a left over from the timber museum era...it is not a Buddhist statue.

While it is obviously not a Buddhist statue, the fact that it is carrying a log is interesting. As far as I know, African elephants were never used for organised labour, unlike Asian elephants. Yet it seems to date from the period of the Cameroon & Togo pavilions, so it might just be a case of sloppy anthropology. Or (more likely), I am just totally ignorant and African elephants were coerced into working as well.

[onlyMark]

African efalumps have been and are used for organised labour. During the times of the Belgian Congo Indian trainers/mahouts caught and trained the local beasts to be used in logging/clearing areas etc. African elephants got a bad rep because the methods used were ineffective until the Indian way was 'imported'.
The one in the photo with the log seems to have small ears, hence could well have been modelled on an Indian one anyway.
By the way, Hannibal used African efalumps.

[Deleted]

Ah, thanks for that, Mark. The African elephants need to get a better PR agent because I thought they were just waiting around obediently for poachers to kill them and saw off their trunks.

Meanwhile, I was wondering if there was an English equivalent for the French word "cornac" which is the term for an elephant handler/trainer. Google tells me that the term is mahout.

Another term for mahout is cornac (as in French, from the Portuguese; kornak in Polish, also a rather current last name). This word comes form Sanskrit term karināyaka, the compound of Sanskrit words karin (elephant) and nayaka (leader). In Tamil, the word used is "pahan", which means elephant keeper, and in Sinhalese kurawanayaka ('stable master'). In Malayalam the word used is paappaan.

In Burma, the profession is called oozie; in Thailand kwan-chang; and in Vietnam quản tượng.


I love the fact that extremely rare professions have special names -- I would love to have a term like that on a business card.

[fumobici]

Jun 1, 2015 19:51:09 GMT kerouac2 said:

Jun 1, 2015 14:27:45 GMT questa said:

What a lovely Buddhist Centre that is, not OTT like some get. I would hazard a guess that the elephant carrying the log would be a left over from the timber museum era...it is not a Buddhist statue.

While it is obviously not a Buddhist statue, the fact that it is carrying a log is interesting. As far as I know, African elephants were never used for organised labour, unlike Asian elephants. Yet it seems to date from the period of the Cameroon & Togo pavilions, so it might just be a case of sloppy anthropology. Or (more likely), I am just totally ignorant and African elephants were coerced into working as well.

No, I don't believe African elephants have ever been tamed for work.


<edit> Should have read through before commenting.  I defer to OnlyMark's greater scholarship. 

[questa]

I think the elephants are Asian...the pair standing together definitely are. They may have arrived for the timber display and not related to the Cameroon & Togo one.

Did you know that in most places in Asia the elephants are spoken to in Sanskrit?

I often wondered which type of elephant Hannibal used...Thanks for that, Mark.

Tod, so much life depends on the rain coming in the right amount at the right time that every culture has tried to control it. From rain dances, sacrifices and prayers to cloud seeding and even considering small nuclear rockets, the wish it would rain or stop raining is universal.

[tod2]

Jun 1, 2015 20:43:12 GMT kerouac2 said:

Ah, thanks for that, Mark. The African elephants need to get a better PR agent because I thought they were just waiting around obediently for poachers to kill them and saw off their trunks.

I know you meant 'saw off their tusks'.... when you catch a glimpse of an elephant with a damaged trunk, it's those darn crocs again!

Questa - I'm with you there on the 'rain dancing/chanting/praying'. Must be awfully satisfying when shortly after, a clap of thunder is heard and the drops come down.

[Deleted]

Oh, jeez, the thought of sawing off a trunk is gruesome! Sorry for the slip.

[tod2]

Oh don't you just know the "Slip-up Police" are always just around the corner...

[mossie]

Despite tweaking Jumbo's nose this is a very interesting little report on an unusual place.