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Update #12: The Headless Buddha

Posted on February 13, 2010

Hello all… So I had to take a couple weeks to work and make some money in order to afford the next few legs of this trip. Alas, this is now finished. Hurrah! Back to the more important things…

I've been rather fascinated with the headless Buddha statues I've found around town. Buddhas break at times, obviously, but they can't really be thrown away in any appropriate way. So they're left at wats and beside the sacred trees that are scattered about town. I find this rather intriguing. Here's a generally mass-produced consumer object - I found a rather large Buddha shop last week - that becomes imbued with enough cultural significance to transform into something sacred and undiscardable. They then fill in the landscape in a sense, living in cracks of old Wats and between the roots in ancient Banyans.

Plus, the imagery and symbolism is so poignent. The Buddha with literally no mind. I love it.

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      Jana Arnold on February 14, 2010

      These are incredible. My favorites thus far...I can see your obvious fascination.

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      Jenny Fremlin on February 14, 2010

      so Braddock's headless Buddha is the norm

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      Iva K. Corbett on February 14, 2010

      Ryan,
      One of my favorite thoughts: "You can never trust your mind, you'll never no where it will take you."
      Interesting insight on these Buddhas.
      Mom


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John Ryan Brubaker is a freelance photographer and avid Polaroidist often found in the Pacific Northwest.

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