Giant statue of the Buddha in New Jersey becomes interfaith hub and spiritual home for many
Associated PressFRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Just off a state highway in New Jersey, one of the largest statues of the Buddha in the United States appears unexpectedly in the middle of a backyard. Today, the statue in the New Jersey Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Center has become a hub for interfaith efforts and a spiritual home for practicing Buddhists, Hindus and Christians, reflecting New Jersey’s diverse religious landscape. … it’s open, and that’s very New Jersey.” The New Jersey Buddhist Vihara, a monastery, follows Theravada, the predominant form practiced in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand. “I’ve seen Buddhists of different stripes practicing,” he said, adding that the statue also draws in curious tourists and passersby. “When I first came here to New Jersey 35 years ago, I used to drive all the way to Long Island to go to the Buddhist temple,” he said of the almost the three-hour drive.
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